Last Friday we had a wonderful Dads' Night get-together. As expected, the event was not only very well attended, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. A number of new dads approached me at different times to thank me for the opportunity, and to comment on how much they appreciated the chance to meet other like-minded dads, develop friendships and simply enjoy each other’s company. A big thank you to Mr. Spagna for the wonderful seafood ‘paeya’, to Dominic Younes for his wonderful organisation and ‘hosting’ skills, and to everyone who attended. Stay tuned for Term 2; there was much talk of a different ethnic cuisine taking a lead role. We look forward to it.

I was also able to experience firsthand our wonderful Wollemi Basketball community last Saturday when I attended the Basketball semi-finals. The Under 14s Wollemi vs Wollemi semifinal was a real nail-biter. The noise level from the sidelines was something I had not experienced for a long time. Unfortunately, there can only be one winner. However, I was so impressed by the sportsmanship displayed by players, coaches, and fans. It is not often that after a good free throw, a player is offered high fives by both teammates and the opposition! Seeing the winners take the time to support the other team after the game, and the latter wishing them in their turn good luck for the grand final was inspirational to me. 

Could I encourage you, if you are able to come, to support our players on their Basketball Grand Finals on Friday at 5:30 pm and 8 pm, and on Saturday at 1 pm, 2:15 pm and 3:15 pm at Penrith Basketball Stadium. It should be a memorable time!

I want to offer a special thank you to the seminarians from the Holy Spirit Seminary and young priests from the Parramatta Dioceses who visited us on Monday to celebrate the feast of St Joseph with our boys. Fr Chris del Rosario, a Pared graduate now based at the Cathedral, spoke to the Year 10 boys about his journey, his struggles, his conversion and eventual ordination to the priesthood, and the kind of work he is engaged in now. It was an inspirational talk by a great role model for our boys. This was further cemented when our guests played basketball against the Year 12 boys and Fr Chris was able to put his basketball skills on display. What an exciting game! It finished with a 22-22 draw, so they have promised to come again for the decider. Thank you Fr Felix for organising the visit. The number of baskets he scored against the Year 12s will be remembered for some time to come, but more importantly, our boys will remember meeting a group of men dedicated to God and to the service of others, who present a very hopeful picture of the future of this dioceses and of the Church.

James Ramos, Headmaster

Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of St Joseph! We entrust under his powerful intercession all the families 

And Pope Francis celebrated in Rome the 24 hours for the Lord, a day dedicated to Eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of Confession. He is always the first going to confession, as you can see in the photo!

In his homily, he gave us this suggestion:

In this season of Lent, with contrite hearts let us quietly say, like the tax collector, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”. Let us do so together: God, be merciful to me, a sinner! God, when I forget you or I neglect you, when I prefer my words and those of the world to your own word, when I presume to be righteous and look down on others when I gossip about others, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! When I care nothing for those all around me, when I’m indifferent to the poor and the suffering, the weak and the outcast, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! For my sins against life, for my bad example that mars the lovely face of Mother Church, for my sins against creation, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! For my falsehoods, my duplicity, my lack of honesty and integrity, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! For my hidden sins, which no one knows, for the ways in which I have unconsciously wronged others, and for the good I could have done and yet failed to do, God, be merciful to me, a sinner!

Love it! Thanks for sharing!Thank you!

Fr Felix, School Chaplain

I seem to make note of this regularly; however, I will say it again - where has this term gone? It only feels like yesterday that our little Year 2 boys entered the school grounds with bright eyes and bushy tails and here we are with just under three weeks of the term remaining! I might add,  said Year 2 students have adjusted to school life at Wollemi exceptionally well. I attribute this success to a number of reasons. One is that they are incredibly fortunate to have parents who instil confidence and build resilience in their children through love, charity and support. Secondly, we have amazing teachers who support parents in their quest to form young men of character and show genuine care for their students. When school and parents are unified and when communication between the two is a priority and done with regularity, students are the beneficiary of growth academically and in virtue. It is a winning formula!

Every single athlete, with whom a whistle is involved, has one important thing in common. One saying that every athlete, no matter the age, will always have it engraved in them. ‘Play till the final whistle.’ Using an iconic football game, allow me to set the scene.

Team B scored an early goal, in the 6th minute to be exact. Countless pressure deteriorated the defense of Team A but never broke it. No whistle. The woodwork was used more in that one game, than the whole year. Yet still no whistle. Till the 89th minute, it seemed like Team A was about to crack, but they never did. 3 additional minutes go up. Something had to change. A scramble in the box, via a corner, leads to a scrappy equalising goal in the 90+1 minute. 1-1. Team A was ecstatic. Oh, how they craved that one goal. They pushed and pushed and their efforts were rewarded. They were very much still in that game. But, still no final whistle. 2 minutes left of the added time, one last push. Team A went forward and won themselves a corner. “Beckham…into Sheringham…AND SOLSKJÆR HAS WON IT.” 90+3. Crowds, players and commentators are in utter disbelief at what unfolded in front of their eyes. Team B, distraught after those events, was directionless. About 30 seconds had passed after the resumption of the game and that whistle, which Team B initially dreaded, had become their relief.

If you are a Manchester United fan, I hope my description brought back those fond memories of the 1999 Champions League Final. However, there is a reason for me to reference this great event. The United players did not give up until that final whistle sounded. No matter how much pressure they were under or how many shots were beaten against their posts, they stayed in the game. They kept their heads high and refused to surrender. This can be applied to our everyday lives. We must not stop UNTIL the end of the exam or the end of the day, but more importantly, at the end of the year. We must keep going and keep pushing till the teacher says “put your pens down” or “I’ll see you next week” or “have a great Christmas break.” Never give up. Even when times get tough, you must not give up.

I challenge you for the next 2 weeks, until the next captain's corner, to stay focused and locked in with whatever you are doing. Whether it is an assessment you have or a project required at your workplace, give 100%, don't give up, and do it till THE FINAL WHISTLE.

Steve Jerome, School Captain

Congratulations to the following Year 7 students for their election to the Wollemi Student Representative Council for 2023:

I know they will represent Year 7 exceptionally well and make a positive contribution to the Wollemi SRC and the life of the College.

Congratulations also to Filip Grus (Year 12) for his election to the role of President of the Wollemi SRC. 

I look forward to seeing the great work and ideas this student-led council will initiate, this year. 

David Vassallo, Deputy Headmaster

This assembly was the opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous performance of our 2022 HSC class.

Exactly 50% of all their results were Band 5 or 6, and only 5 results out of 132 were below 70. That is a staggering achievement, one that almost every principal in our part of Sydney would love to have. These results were a direct result of several main factors in the students' approach to their HSC: wise subject selection, hard work, and the implementation of good advice from their teachers. They also banded together to support each other. We saw that in their encouragement of each other to study at Penrith library every day in the leadup to the exams, and in their emotional support when one of their own was going through a difficult time. 

Our dux for 2022 is Joseph Lee, with an ATAR of 97.8. Not far behind him are our two Application Award winners, Johann Presty and Sebastian Cook.

Congratulations to you and all your classmates!

On 13 March 2023, Wollemi College’s year 3 boys went to Cockatoo Island to learn more about how the convicts lived and to learn how their life was. First, year 3 went on a bus to Sydney, then they went to wharf 1 and waited for the ferry. The ride took 5 minutes.

We found a spot that produced enough shade for everyone from the blazing hot sun. Everyone played after they finished their recess. First, everyone played tip but then nearly everyone started to play handball because Mr.T was playing.

After we finished playing and eating we met our guides. We were separated into different groups. One group was Mundoora and Araluen and the other one was Echuca and Wyuna. We went to the convicts' room, the mess hall, and much more. We also did some acting. We also ran through a tunnel. Running through the tunnel was the best thing we did during the excursion

We went back to the area where we ate our recess before so we could eat our lunch but we didn’t have enough time. We went back to wharf 1. Some Opal cards did not work but the person working there helped us get out and then we joined the line.

We went back on the bus and returned to Wollemi College. I was late and my brother Joel was waiting for me. When I reached home I told my parents about the excursion. Maybe during the holidays, we can go there.

I was happy because we learned so many things about Cockatoo Island. It was great fun. Cockatoo Island is a good place to learn about Australia’s history.

By Jaiden Jibin

As part of their second topic on the Properties of Substances, Year 7 has completed two practical investigations. For the first investigation, students made oobleck - a non-Newtonian liquid made of cornstarch and water (food colouring is non-optional!). The second investigation required students to make a thermometer, to demonstrate the effect of increasing heat on particle motion.

Unit 1: The figure

The boys have been working towards studying the proportions of the body, its relationship with weight dimensions, historical ratios over time, and contrapposto (an Italian term that means "counterpoise") used in visual arts to describe a human figure carrying its weight on one leg so that the opposite hip rises to produce a relaxed curve in the body.

To assist in their learning what better way to create that engagement than to make a three-dimensional sculpture of their peer’s body parts in class and then construct it to make a life-size figure. (No students were harmed in the making of this exercise.)

With the knowledge they learned and the practices they processed, the students were able to create drawings of the figure in a live environment, sitting for their assessment in week 7.

Congratulations boys on a job well done and special thanks to our student models who studiously stood still in 30-minute durations, in exam conditions (Eddie, Daniel, Jakob, Gavin).

Mike Tolentino, Art

The Year 11 Physics students enjoyed a great excursion last Monday 20th of March. We went to do indoor skydiving at iFly Penrith. Part of the Year 11 Syllabus is to study the physics of free falling and Newton's first law. This excursion is part of a Depth Study, where the students have to study the effect of surface area and mass on terminal velocity. The boys were asked to predict the result of the investigation and compare it with the actual values recorded on the day. This is a great way of mixing a great experience of skydiving with learning the key concepts of physics. The boys had a great time and I look forward to reading the reports of their assessment task. 

Click to watch IFLY video

Jack Johnson, Year 11 Physics Teacher

A huge congratulations must go to Alex Elbayeh of Year 8 who placed 4th in the Year 8 grand final of the Catholic Schools Public Speaking competition. This is a great achievement, considering he was competing against the best speakers from the Sydney archdiocese, the Parramatta diocese, and as far afield as Bowral. 

Alex joins a distinguished list of seven Wollemi boys who have placed in the top four in this competition over the years, an achievement that would not be matched by many schools. Dominic Sheary of Year 7 and Noah Tabone of Year 12 also did themselves proud in the grand final but did not place.

Brett Wright

 Happy belated Feast of St. Joseph! What a fantastic day indeed! Reading through the litany of St. Joseph, one can find the many grand titles he has had bestowed upon him over the centuries: Pillar of family life, protector of the Church, terror of demons. On Monday, at Wollemi, he was given another title: Provider of donuts. Thanks to St. Joseph (and the generosity of one of our Wollemi parents), boys from our Student Representative Council spent the first 15 minutes of lunch distributing donuts to the whole school as a celebration of this great solemnity in the Church’s calendar. Students were then treated to a great spectacle as our Year 12’s took on the Holy Spirit Seminary (plus Father Felix!) basketball team! It was a tight, seesawing affair, with everything in it from 3-pointers, to tight defense and a highly competitive spirit! The game came down to the wire and despite having the opportunity to clinch victory from the seminarians, some missed free throws resulted in a 22-22 draw!

In addition to the fun and competition brought by the priests/seminarians on the basketball court, Year 10 also had the opportunity to listen to Father Christopher Del Rosario. Father Chris is the Director of Priestly Vocations for the diocese of Parramatta. He spoke about vocation, sanctity in the modern world, and his own personal story – particularly the life-changing effects of participating in World Youth Day, Madrid in 2011. Father Chris’s take-home message to the boys was to always ask Our Lord “What is it that you want from me?” He encouraged boys to actively pray and discern their vocation. With so many distractions in the modern world, as well as so many options, he emphasised that many young men struggle with commitment of any sort. He gave warm advice, explaining the freedom that comes with committing yourself to your vocation, be it a married man, single man, religious life or holy orders! We thank Father Christopher and the other priests and seminarians from the Diocese of Parramatta for their visit, and we hope to have them all back sooner rather than later.

Bernie James, Assistant to Formation

Last Friday was St. Patrick’s Day, and in celebration of that, we had a mufti day with the theme of “a touch of green” in the Irish spirit. As someone who lived in Ireland for 7 years, it was nostalgic to see the swarm of green I’d normally see parading outside my window. In the blistering heat of 35°C, the Year 12s sold drinks and Zooper Doopers, which along with the gold coin donation, raised money for the Year 12 gift. To top off the day, we had the semi-finals of the 10-12 futsal competition where Echuca had an unanticipated win after losing all previous games, placing them in the grand finals against Mundoora. The trio of mufti, cool treats, and futsal filled the day with much excitement and laughter, a suitable commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day.

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Wilson Filamor, father to Joel and Charisse Filamor, grandfather to  Lorenzo 11B; Benjie Santiago, father to Aryel (Class of 2020); Emmanuel Hanna, brother to George (6B) Victor Sciberras, father to Marianne and Carmel Spiteri, grandfather to Justin in Year 7B; Louise Varas, mother to Sebastian in 3B;  Mariano Valladores, father to Ela and Will O'Neill,  grandfather to Michael in 9B and John-Paul in 4B;  Amelia Acasio,  grandmother to Peyton (7B) and Angelo (5G); John Cassar, grandfather to Nicholas Cassar (6B).

Please pray for the soul of the recently deceased and the family left behind:

Chun Seng Chia, father to Chin and Jo, grandfather to Ian in 4G; John Cotter, father to Tylie and Geoff Kerin, grandfather to Chase in 8G; Thresiamma Kurian,  mother to Sajamma and Bennichen Anthony, grandmother to  Abel in 9B; Charles Tabone, father to Joe and Joanna, grandfather to Noah in Year 12; Patricia Tight,  grandmother to Jacky and Warren Ward, great grandmother to Tobias Ward in 3B.

_{If you would like to add any intentions to the Prayer Board, please send them to admin@wollemi.nsw.edu.au.  Kindly notify admin@wollemi.nsw.edu.au when your intentions can be removed.} 

The school gates will be opened at 8:15 am and students are not allowed onto the school premises before this time unless there are co-curricular commitments. If you are dropping your child/ren off before 8.15 am, please remind them that they are to stay outside the gates until it is opened. 

A reminder that when collecting your child/ren parents can either:

• Park their car in the outside car park and walk into the school/pedestrian gate to pick up their child
• Use the car line process where your child will come to the car. 

To help with the flow of the carline and traffic in the area we kindly ask that: 

• If you are using the car line, we ask parents to not exit the car.
• Please collect your child/children from 3.25 pm and 3.45 pm when Teacher supervision ends.
•  Reminder parents NOT to park along Gipps Rd in the afternoon as it causes congestion and risks the safety of our students.

ABSENCES

If your child is absent from school an Engage absence form must be completed first thing in the morning. It is a legal requirement to provide an absence note no more than 7 days after the last day of the absence.  Absences will remain as unexplained absences if a note is not received or is received more than 7 days after the last day of the absence.

Instructions on how to complete an absence form can be found below. 

How to Complete an Absence Form on Engage

Please find below some simple instructions on how to complete an absence form. 

• Select the heading Daybook and select "Pupil Daybook"
• Click on "add new entry"
• If your child is COVID positive or a close contact select: "01b Covid POSITIVE or ISOLATION Status" from the drop-down menu
• If your child is absent for any other reason, arriving late or leaving early please select: "01 Absent, Late or Early Departure Note" from the drop-down menu 
• Then click on the "add new entry" button to the right. It will bring up the form for you to complete
• Select which of your children is away in the left column and press the -> arrow button in the middle, so that the selected name goes from the left column to the right. If you select the double arrow it will move all your children's names to the right column if you need to do an absence form for all of them for the same reason. 
• Once you have completed the form make sure that you click "save and close" at the bottom of the page when completed (not "save") 
• You also have the ability to upload a doctor's certificate, if applicable.

Click on the links below to complete the relevant forms in Engage.  You will find these links under Announcements on the top right-hand side of this newsletter. 

● To update your contact details

● Submit an Absentee Form

● Submit an Extended Leave Form(for holidays, weddings, etc.)

● Submit an Exemption From School Form (for external activities, medical appointments, funerals etc.)

For more information on using the Engage Parent Portal please go to our Parent Portal Resource Site

Hills Zone Basketball

Recently, Wollemi College has had a number of students from Primary and Secondary attend Hills Zone trials for Basketball. 

Congratulations to AJ Olandres and Nikola Bastac who were successful in being selected by Hills Zone to attend the CIS Basketball trials earlier this month. Well done boys!

Congratulations must also go to Zack Milosev who was selected for the Hills Zone Opens Basketball team to play in the AICES Cup. Hills Zone won 2 and lost 2 games finishing 4th overall. Well done Zack!

Swimming Carnival Results

In weeks 3 and 4 of this term, Wollemi College has its Primary and Secondary Swimming Carnivals. Congratulations to Echuca who took out the Swimming House Championship for 2023!

Congratulations to the Age Champions for 2023.

Primary Age Champions

8 Years – John-Paul Morched

9 Years – William Casserley

10 Years – Joel Leggatt

11 Years – Ethan Joseph

12 and 13 Years – Benjamin Grus

Secondary Age Champions

12 Years – Klim Drozd 

13 Years – Dominic Sheary

14 Years – Achilles Magat

15 Years – Elias Fakhry

16 Years – Myles Morgan

17 Years – Steve Jerome

18 Years – Simon Quinn

CIS and AICES Swimming

We have multiple students who have qualified to represent Hills Zone at the Primary CIS and Secondary AICES Swimming Carnivals. 

Congratulations to William Casserley, Joel Leggatt and, Jacob Abacum who will be attending the CIS Swimming Championships, and Klim Drozd who will be attending the AICES Swimming Championships. Well done boys!

The Wollemi Basketball Club would like to thank all the teams who participated this Basketball Summer Competitions, we’re proud to say that this season was a huge success. A total of 13 out of 21 teams made it to the Semi-Final round; and a total of 6 teams have made it to the Finals, the most in WBC history in both categories.

Congratulations to the Wollemi teams that made it to the Semi-Final Round:

Most of the Semi-Final matches by the Wollemi teams were very close, exciting, and full of action and drama. Our teams showed their big heart and a never say die attitude in competing against a very good team. Also, the Wollemi Community once again showed that we are the best crowd in Penrith Basketball, the screaming and cheering were truly unbelievable. We should always be in Court 1 during the Semis and Final games to accommodate a large Wollemi crowd. Thank you for your support in the Semi-Final matches, we are hoping that you continue to support our teams in the Finals. For those who will watch the game in the Finals, please wear a Blue or White shirt and we shall rock the Penrith Stadium this coming Friday and Saturday!

SEMI-FINAL RECAP

Under 16 – Division 2

Both of our teams in this division, the Warriors (#1) and Wildcats (#2) have made it to the Finals.

A dramatic come-from-behind win by the Wollemi Warriors beating the Cobras CPSM (63 – 60). They were trailing most of the game but with their persistence and determination, were able to snatch the victory from their opponent.

Wollemi Warriors – Coach: Rob Centeno / Manager: Maricar Centeno

Players: Elias Fakhry; Joseph Wiggins; Sebastian Santiago; Rueben Frias; Filippo Devine; John Velasco; William Quinn; and Joseph Centeno

The Wollemi Wildcats were able to survive against a mighty team Gold Heat GP (50 -44), a neck-to-neck battle from start to finish against strong, talented, and tall opponents. The key to their victory: teamwork; strong defense and the desire to win it all.

Wollemi Wildcats – Coach: Noel Mariano / Manager: Pearl Lin

Players: Gerard Simeon; Timothy Lin; Ainsley Mercado; Andrei Jambalos; Isaac Mackenzie-Baron; Ian Paolo Catenza; Marco Credo and Christian Mariano

During the elimination round, they both have a win and a loss against each other. This championship game will settle the score between the number 1 and 2 team and the winner will be crowned the Champion of U16 Division 2. This is a very rare event, and we are very proud to present to the Wollemi Community; the battle between two Wollemi teams in the Finals.

Under 18 – Division 3

It was a classic battle between these two Wollemi teams and, Warlocks (#2) vs Wildcats (#3), and loud cheering support by the Wollemi Community. A 40-minute game is not enough to determine who will emerge as the winner, and the game ended up in overtime. It was a very close game from start to finish, as both teams gave their best and competed at a high level. Unfortunately, only one team will advance to the Finals. The final score was 30 – 27 in favour of the Wildcats.

Wollemi Wildcats – Coach: Mike Tolentino / Manager: Marie Mercado

Players: Koen Francia; Ian Paolo Catenza; Dylan Cuevas; Ainsley Mercado; Kian Tolentino; Hayden Centeno; Nicholas Joseph; and Caleb Galan.

The Wollemi Wildcats are very determined to pull an upset against the number 1 team in this Division.

Under 12 – Division 2

We’ve also seen an epic battle between the two Wollemi teams, Warlocks (#2) vs Warriors (#3) that shook the Penrith stadium with all-out support and cheers from the Wollemi community, including our very own Headmaster James Ramos. It was a full display of defensive battle between these two teams that resulted in a very low-scoring game 12 – 11 in favour of the Warriors. The game was so intense from the start to finish and the winner was only decided in the last second of the game. It was a come-from-behind win by the Warriors who trailed in most parts of the game.

Wollemi Warriors – Coach/Manager: Noel Mariano

Players: Matthew Mariano; Joseph James Lapid; Joseph Le Grand; Lennox Gregana; Emilio Lugod; Joshua Solomon; Geoffrey Manalo; Rome Hill; and Kevin Catenza.

The Wollemi Warriors will go up against the number one team in the Finals; a tough mission but anything is possible with this team.

Under 14 – Division 5

The Wollemi Warlocks the number 3 completed a game-thrilling 1-point win over the number 2 team Totem Wolves SC, final score of 17 – 16. The game was very close from start to finish but the Wollemi Warlocks showed their guts and heart to defeat their strong opposition to be in the Finals.

Wollemi Warlocks – Coach: Jeff Bernacer / Manager: Anne Bernacer

Players: Noah Mendoza; Benjamin King; Jonah Hazama De Guzman; Josef Yap; Ramon Zamora; John Paul Aoun; Franz Santos; Peyton Bernacer; and Jesse Dael.

 The Wollemi Warlocks will do everything to win the crown against the number 1 team in this Division.

Under 16 – Division 4

The Wollemi Wizards (#4) pulled an upset win against the Thunder Nepean (#1), in a classic buzzer-beater win. The game was tied with less than 4 seconds in the game, Wollemi Wizards inbounded the ball from the backcourt and a running three points shot was made by Hayden Mabborang that shocked the number 1 team and gave the Wollemi Wizards the victory and ticket to the Finals. It was indeed one of the greatest semifinal games ending in Penrith Basketball history. But their win is still a result of total team effort and a big heart and full desire to be in the Finals.

Wollemi Wizards – Coach: Tim Hoffman & Andi Hoffman / Manager: Racquel Pinaroc

Players: Marcus Elias; Jeremy Song; Matthew Yuhico; Nathanael Hoffman; Hayden Mabborang; Paolo Pinaroc; Joshua Esteban; Mateo Devine and Yoav Nasayao.

They will verse the number 3 team in this division and it is expected that it will be an exciting game for the Wollemi Wizards once again. Bring home the trophy boys!

Noel Mariano, WBC President

Last Friday evening was well-spent with Year 10 Mums! A good way to relax, reconnect and recharge. Thank you to all the mums that came.

Leah Llagas and Ella Muema

Ordering online couldn’t be simpler.

1. Go to https://www.midford.com.au/school-shops-online  

2. Select Wollemi College from the online School Shops tab.

3. New users to click the ‘Register New Account’ button.

4. Start the registration process by selecting Wollemi College from the drop-down menu and add the

unique school pass phrase - Wollemi unique passphrase: Wollemi1999

5. Add your personal information, and create a username and password.

6. Order the items you need, select pick up from the school, or option of home delivery.

Normal Trading Hours are Fridays from 1 pm to 4:30 pm

Please Note: This is for Fittings & Try On Service Only. No sales or orders will be placed on-site - all orders will be placed online only.

All families are able to make their own uniform-fitting appointments through our online appointment system by using the below link. https://midford.as.me/WollemiCollege

Email: wollemi@midford.com.au Website: https://www.midford.com.au/school-shops-online     school passphrase: Wollemi1999

P: 02 8857 4959   E: wollemi@midford.com.au