We have had a very busy start to Term 2 at Wollemi. Luckily the boys have come back refreshed from a productive break and ready to work. Teachers were kept extremely busy on Monday 24 April for our second Parent-Teacher Interview day. We saw an extraordinary level of attendance from parents, once again showing our parent’s commitment to work closely with the school for the benefit of their sons. We have also kept our  Year 12s particularly in our prayers as they sat their Half-Yearly Exams last week. These exams served as a useful practice exercise to prepare them for the Trials in Term 3 and HSC exam proper in Term 4. 

This past weekend Year 2 Fathers & Sons braved the constant rain for their first camp together. Once again, attendance was impressive. On Monday I congratulated the boys on their constant cheerfulness and positive attitude during the camp. I also congratulated them on their Monday morning attendance after such a big weekend, when the easy option would have been to take a day off to recover. Well done Year 2s and their dads. We look forward to a similar attendance, and attitude, from our Year 3s who have their turn this weekend 6-7 May at Yarramundi YMCA.

This week is Cross Country week at Wollemi, with our Primary on Tuesday and Secondary on Wednesday. I had the pleasure of meeting many of our Primary parents at school on Tuesday morning, cheering their boys. That kind of positive encouragement makes a big difference to the boys; not so much in their performance as in their attitude, confidence, and general enjoyment of the day. I am aware that if they could, every parent would be here, cheering the boys on, but many other commitments and responsibilities make this difficult or perhaps even impossible. Recently I listened to a podcast titled Parental Presence by Alvaro de Vicente, Headmaster of The Heights in Washington DC, a school that shares our ethos. In it, Mr de Vicente explains the importance of quality over quantity in ‘being there for your kids', as well as the changing purpose of that presence as the boys grow older. I highly recommend it, as well as The Heights Forum podcast in general.

https://heightsforum.org/podcast/paternal-presence-alvaro-de-vicente-on-being-there/

This week you will have received a letter from school about the month of May and fostering Devotion to Our Lady at Wollemi. To be very ‘Marian’ - of Mary - is one of our defining characteristics. Mr Johnson explained it well in his letter and I am sure Fr Felix will address devotion to Our Lady throughout the month in many different ways. I wanted here to just encourage you to consider - perhaps pray about - contributing to the Family Innovation Fund recently launched and which this year will focus on finishing and ‘dressing up’ the Wollemi Shrine.

One of my favourite elements of our devotion to Mary in general and the month of May in particular, is its joyous and ‘festive’ element. We will have a ‘day off’ with both Primary and Secondary for our annual Pilgrimage later this term. Each day we will start with a decade of the Rosary and ask Our Lady to intercede to help us with our many intentions. We will also celebrate our own Wollemi mothers later this month. Keep an eye out for the Mother’s Day stall, which this year will take a different format, as well as the invitation to join us for a Mass of Thanksgiving & Mother’s morning tea directly after.

Finally, we pray for our families that are struggling and are having a difficult time at the moment and those who are on the road to recovery; Ella Muema, 10G Classparent (Michael 10G & Patric 5G), Joseph Valladores ( Jose 7B) and Fr Andrew Fornal ( Kingswood Parish). Congratulations to the following families on their new arrivals; Monica and David Collits on the birth of Charlotte Joan, sister to Luke 2B; Mary and Elias Kotatttis on the birth of Sebastian, brother to  Austin in 5G and Romeo in 8G and to Kinga & Marek Grus on the birth of Kinga, sister to Filip in Year 12 and Jakub in 9B.

James Ramos, Headmaster

We are in May, the month of Our Lady! Let’s show her our love with flowers and pray the Rosary, visiting her Shrines on pilgrimage!

Pope Francis has been last weekend in Hungary. In a gathering with the youth, he told them a beautiful story about the Rosary:

“This reminds me of your great musician Franz Liszt. During the restoration of his piano, a few beads from his rosary were found; the rosary had broken and those beads had fallen into the instrument. This makes us realize that before a composition or performance, perhaps even after a moment of enjoyment at the piano, it was usual for him to pray. He spoke to the Lord and Our Lady about what he loved and he brought his art and talents to prayer”.

Then he encouraged all to spend time in prayer:

“Praying is not boring! We are the ones who make it boring. Prayer is an encounter with the Lord, an encounter that is beautiful. So, when you pray, don’t be afraid to bring to Jesus everything that is going on in your life: your emotions and fears, your problems and expectations, your memories and hopes, everything, including your sins. Jesus understands it all. Prayer is a dialogue of life; prayer is life”. 

Fr Felix, Chaplain

 A very warm welcome to Term 2. As always, it is great to see the primary boys sprinting their way from the front gate to their classroom. I am not sure whether it is to be the first to place their bag outside of their respective classrooms or they are sprinting in the pursuit of learning - of course, it is the latter! 

Yesterday, Wollemi's Cross Country track was worn down to dust after our enthusiastic distance runners ran with determination and incredible courage. Mr Reyes made note of how well the event was attended and, particularly the spirited effort on display by all participants. One moment stood out during the 7 and 8-year-old races. A little Year 2 student was struggling to complete his first lap and became a little overwhelmed by the fact he had to run another lap. Mr. Tu’ipulotu noticed this from the side of the track and ran the rest of the race (which was a full kilometre) encouraging and supporting our little guy to finish, and he did just that. Without the support of our gentle giant, the little guy would have most likely given up. It is truly heartwarming to see such care and support our staff have for our boys and if it was not Mr Tu’pulotu jumping in to help, it would have been another teacher! The physio was on speed dial that afternoon as Mr Quan, Mr Williams, and, our fearless leader, Mr Ramos ran a few laps of the course! Well done to Mr. Bayliss for a very well organised carnival and to Mr Baxter who added another element to the carnival whereby all of Primary were involved in cheering on their housemates throughout the morning and participated in a variety of carnival events, such as captain ball, tunnel ball, and relays- some old school classics. The Year 10 students were also wonderful in supporting and encouraging the younger students in their supervisory role.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” - Abraham Lincoln

Simply put, Lincoln’s well-known quote is highlighting the importance of preparation for any task. For a grand final, an athlete will need to train strenuously weeks prior. For a speech, a speaker will need to spend hours memorising. For an exam, the student will study countlessly hoping for a good result. To achieve greatness means putting in the hard yards, now, and this applies explicitly to the Year 12s.

To achieve our best possible performance in the HSC, which is in less than 6 months, we have to prepare throughout the year. The best way we do that is through revision and study. However, it is easier said than done. Continuously doing revision and studying can get tedious towards the end of the year, so having a plan is important. This plan can be as basic or as complex as you want, however, it must be one that you understand and produces acceptable results throughout the year. With this plan, you will learn how to manage your time. Throughout the year, various things such as family events and assessments will arise, however, being able to adapt to them and manage your time around them is key. Sticking to a plan and managing time can only happen with dedication. Dedication, by definition, means ‘the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose.’ The task is sticking to the plan and managing our time effectively, and thus being committed to both of these is important. Without dedication, planning and time management are almost useless.

And guess what? The three things that I just talked about; planning, time management and dedication, are all things that are used when Year 12s are sitting the HSC exams. Prior to the exams, you must come up with a study plan, you must manage your time, and you must be dedicated to these aspects. In each exam, you must have a plan on how to approach the exam itself or a question, manage your time for each section, and be dedicated to the task at hand.

Spending time throughout the year, sharpening these three ‘axes’, will result in chopping down the ‘tree’ with ease and confidence.

Steve J., School Captain

The Year 2 Father and Son Camp was a big success, with 88% attendance and no major injuries (that we know of!) The generous hosts at Blue Gum Lodge made sure we had plenty of activities to keep us busy despite the heavy rain throughout Saturday. 

The Dads' get-together on Saturday night was legendary, with a lavish BBQ organised by master chefs Andrew Finianos and Shane Leggatt. Topping it off was some roaring music led by Leon Ortega and awesome singing by Ian Lapid, Herg Lay, and Peter Guy!

A big thank you is due to Jack Johnson, Sam Tu'ipulotu, and David Breen for organising the camp and to all the dads who attended. We are all looking forward to many more Father and Son Camps in the years to come!

Jared Yee, 2G Classparent

As part of their major Assessment Task this term, Year 8 are using pendulums to measure the acceleration due to gravity that we experience on Earth. After recording results from a number of trials and calculating averages, students will manipulate the following equation to calculate a value for gravity: 

We look forward to seeing the final reports!

To finish Term 1, our Chemistry class was required to produce and purify ethanol. The process involved using yeast to produce ethanol from sugar over a weekend and using fractional distillation to isolate the ethanol, which was subsequently tested for purity by ignition. 

As many of our senior students consider their post-HSC options, we were blessed to have Gerard Axiak from Campion College visit Wollemi on Tuesday 2 May.

Gerard provided our senior students with information on all that Campion College has to offer including their:

• Liberal Arts Degree
• Various educational and career pathways; including ATAR entry requirements
• Early Offer Scheme (This closes on 8 October 2023. More information can be found on their website)
• Various scholarships on offer
• Clubs and Societies
• Chaplaincy 
• College events 

Gerard also shared information with our students about their Winter Program which is a  four-day immersive program that provides the opportunity to reside on campus and interact with like-minded peers. It includes a fun-filled program including a bonfire night, movies, trivia, dancing and sports, as well as sample lectures from our history, literature, philosophy, and theology professors.

We thank Gerard for taking the time to address our senior students about the offering of Campion College. 

More details on Campion College and its Winter Program can be found at: https://www.campion.edu.au/

On Wednesday 26 April, the College community assembled to commemorate Anzac Day. Together, we acknowledged the sacrifice of the men and women who served their country in armed conflict in the pursuit of peace. We were blessed to have the presence of Mr. Ted Fish - Honorary Treasurer of the St Mary’s RSL Sub-Branch at our service. It was a somber and moving service. The service began with an opening address by Ryan Stead (Year 11) explaining the key aspects of the Anzac Day Service, including the significance of the Last Post and the Ode of Remembrance. This was followed by the lowering of the Australian Flag to half-mast by our flagbearer, Peter Wiggins to remind us all of the men and women who had made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our great nation.

The School was then blessed to be addressed by a guest speaker - Mr. Fish, who is not only a member of the St Mary’s RSL sub-branch, but was also a Vietnam Veteran himself. He delivered a moving and heartfelt speech to the School about the significance of Anzac Day and the contributions of Australian forces in all wars since Gallipoli. He emphasized to our students the importance of the examples of sacrifice and perseverance shown by our Anzacs that we can apply to our daily lives.  Mr. Fish shared the story of one of our brave Australian nurses who saved many soldiers during World War Two. Following Mr. Fish’s talk, Noah Pincevic (Year 11) recited a reading of On Active Service by John Harold Falconer (World War I soldier).

This year, we are attempting to keep our mums ‘out of the loop’ for our Mother’s Day Stall. We would like our boys to, if possible, use their own money to buy the gift for their mum, or have other family members ‘chip in’ and buy a gift collectively. If your son does not have any savings, he could complete additional chores around the house to earn money towards buying the gift. 

Please keep in mind that families with multiple children can all contribute to buy one gift. With that said, you are welcome to order more than one. 

Funds raised as a result of this Year 6 initiative will go towards their gift to the College.

To celebrate Mother's Day,  Wollemi Mums are invited to attend a special Mass for Wollemi Mums on Monday  15 May, at 10.30 am and straight after a Mother's Day Morning Tea.

To say "Thanks for all that you do",  Students will be encouraged to bake or make something with their dad on the Mother's Day weekend (May 13/14) to bring in on Monday for the Mother's Morning Tea.

Please remember to sign in at the front office upon arrival. We look forward to seeing you at Wollemi and to rsvp, kindly complete the form below by Thursday 11th May.

Mass for Wollemi Mothers and Morning Tea RSVP form

Congratulations to the following families on their new arrivals:

• to Monica and David Collits on the birth of Charlotte Joan, sister to Luke 2B
• Mary and Elias Kotatttis on the birth of Sebastian, brother to  Austin in 5G and Romeo in 8G.
• Kinga & Marek Grus on the birth of Kinga, sister to Filip in Year 12 and Jakub in 9B.

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Ella Muema,  mother to Michael in 10G and Patrick in 5G; Joseph Valladores, father to Jose in 7B; Fr Andrew Fornal, Parish priest of St Joseph's Kingswood, 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:

Benilda Castro, grandmother to Jose and Christine Besa, great grandmother to Lucas in 4G; 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.} 

Pared families have the opportunity to participate in a Holy Land pilgrimage organised by Terra Dei Tours in 2024. You should have all received an email during the Easter holidays about this proposed pilgrimage. Demand already has been strong so don't miss out on registering your interest by clicking here. More details can be found by clicking the pdf flyer below.

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

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