Pilgrimages

Last week our entire Secondary School celebrated the feast day of Our Lady Help of Christians, patroness of Australia, with a special Mass followed by a pilgrimage to various locations around Sydney in their House groups. I accompanied one of the Houses and was impressed by our boys' piety and the generosity of their prayer intentions. Students were encouraged to write down each of their intentions on a piece of paper, which was put in a box and placed at the feet of the image of Our Lady. I can assure you that the needs of all our families were well-represented, with a special and moving emphasis on a number of members of our community dealing with serious health concerns. It was a humbling experience to see the faith of our boys in action. Later we returned to Wollemi for a barbeque lunch and sports round-robin competition. Well done to our Year 12 Captains for their leadership on the day.

Our Year 5 and 6 boys visited Redfield College on Tuesday as part of their May Pilgrimage celebration and participated in the now famous (or infamous, depending on the result) Pared Cup. Our Junior Primary boys (Years 2-4) will have their turn at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Ryde today, visiting the Ryde Aquatic Centre afterward. It will be their job to farewell the month of Mary at Wollemi and leave all our intentions at the feet of Our Mother.

Honours Program

In the last fortnight, we have also finalised the Honours Program for Years 7-10. Wollemi’s Honour Program is one of a variety of extension opportunities for our Secondary students. They are able to voluntarily commit to completing a project in a nominated subject: English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Science, Music, Technology or Visual Arts. I was particularly pleased with the number of students who have taken up this opportunity, and even more so by those who have enrolled in multiple subjects. They show a great level of initiative and academic ambition and certainly prove that they are not afraid of hard work. I am sure the positive results will be abundant.

Coming Up

A number of exciting events loom over the horizon at the College as we reach the end of another school term. Next week we will hold the Corpus Christi Procession on Wednesday, June 7 at 2 pm, and the Athletics Carnival on Friday 9 June. Parents are warmly welcome to join us at both events. On the following Friday, 16 June at 6 pm, we will host the Term 2 Dad’s Night. The night will have a decided Indian theme, and certainly an Indian flavour, and for the first time it will also be open to Montgrove fathers. Finally on the last Thursday of the term, 22 June at 7.30 pm, all Wollemi families are cordially invited to join us at the Mass in honour of St Josemaria.

James Ramos, Headmaster

Easter is over and we are back in the Ordinary time of the Liturgical Year. Which means that we will celebrate three big Solemnities the next three weeks: Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Our Eucharistic Procession, on Wednesday 7th June, will help us to give thanks for the gift of the Eucharist. Our Lord is going to walk through our classrooms, playgrounds, fields and basketball court. And is going to bless us and all our work, study, readings, meetings, assemblies, sport…

We will pray for the peace in Ukraine and in the World, our families, the World Youth Day in Lisbon and the Diocesan Synod of Parramatta.

As 2023 races by with its seemingly never ending stream of school camps, sports carnivals, school events and pilgrimages, it’s worthwhile to take a breath and reflect on the academic progress each of our students has made throughout the first one and a half terms of the year.

Have you asked your son, what areas have you improved in this year? What academic goals do you have for the remainder of 2023? What plans do you have in place to achieve these goals?

This week, take a moment to ask your son these questions, and if they haven’t considered them thus far, guide them to come up with some answers. 

It has been amazing to hear the many success stories from teachers so far this year, with boys making huge improvements in all areas of their learning. 

I think of the Year 2 boys who have increased their diagnostic spelling marks by over 25%, the Year 3 boy whose handwriting and sentence structure are now at grade level and the Year 4 boy who is making huge strides in mastering his use of multiplication strategies. These significant improvements, linked with the social, emotional and spiritual growth of all of our primary boys, are what makes Wollemi such an amazing place to teach! 

Now, although we are achieving much success, it is not a time to rest on our laurels. It is instead time to keep pushing, setting greater goals to achieve for the remainder of 2023.

Carpe diem. Seize the day. The Latin phrase which I have heard so many times throughout life, yet never took time to properly understand. It was only when I contracted a cold, I truly acknowledged its meaning.

In times of sickness, whether it be from a less common disease like chickenpox or the common cold, we are weakened. From the moment we wake up, if we manage to sleep that is, we yearn for the day to end. Pain, headache, tiredness, and sheer uncomfortability from a runny nose and blocked ears, all work to extend a seemingly innocent 24 hours into an endless period. It is in times like these, where I appreciate the length of day and the myriad of things that can be done during that time. Although unfortunate, that I need a day where I’m physically unable to do much to understand this, it is crucial we perceive the true length of a day, to be able to make use of a day.

Nowadays, there are simply too many methods to unproductively use time (video games, social media, etc.), which I don’t have anything against as I indulge in them as well. However, these things have an addicting characteristic to them, causing us to use them longer than we planned or when we are not meant to. This is irritating as it crosses over into the category of ‘wasting time’. And time, when we are perfectly healthy, is simply too precious to waste. Time, when you can put maximum focus into something, goes by fast. Use it. Seize it. Don’t waste it.

Other than technology, one of the most common tools used to waste time is the classic, “I’ll do it later.” There is a phrase my English teacher has told us frequently, which nullified this.

It’s always now.

If in the present, it is now, and you choose to do something later, once later arrives, it is now. If there is something you want to compete in or wish to start, don’t do it later. Don’t wait for a full 1-hour block of time. Don’t wait for the clock to go from 12:47 to 01:00. Those minutes of healthy time add up. Use as much of it as possible in a day. Seize the day. Carpe diem.

Sourav S., Vice Captain

To conclude their study of the Earth's Resources topic, Year 7 investigated the effectiveness of biomass as an alternate energy source, demonstrating how turbines generate electricity using a hand generator and they also modelled the water cycle. Their favourite experiment was definitely testing the effectiveness of biomass as an alternate energy source, boys ignited some common foods (chips, biscuits and bread) to see how much heat energy was released when they were burned. Fire never seems to fail in engaging boys!

Our year 7 camp was at Somerset and was around a one-hour drive from school. We arrived at school at 7:30 am, which was early for some but definitely worth the loss of sleep. Everyone was buzzing about what was to come.

On arrival, we were allocated groups and were told the camp rules. We had doughnuts for morning tea then moved on to our first activity, archery. The range looked pretty short, but we hardly managed to hit the target.

After that, we had lunch and then moved on to our next activity, kayaking. This was fun, we were crashing into each other all the time in the water. Midway through kayaking we had another break and by then most of us were cold, shivering and uncomfortable, eager for a hot shower.

On the first evening, we had Mass in the main hall, then had nachos then moved on to the campfire and roasted marshmallows. Around 9 pm we retreated to our tents and some of us got more sleep than others. Some of us got in trouble with the teachers at about 2 and at 4 some camp instructors were bellowing at us to be quiet.

The next morning, we got up at 7am, had breakfast followed by other activities. After lunch we jumped on the bus to head back to Wollemi, all of us tired but satisfied. The experience taught us resilience, teamwork and build friendships.

Dominic Sheary, 7G

As part of their study of Body Systems, Year 8 conducted dissections of lamb hearts. Apart from making accurate incisions, students needed to correctly identify specific atriums, ventricles, veins and arteries. While textbooks and videos can achieve greater detail, nothing is quite like working with the real thing. 

Last Friday, Year 8B students attended an exhibition and workshop at the Penrith Art Gallery. The boys viewed artworks by acclaimed children’s book author Jeannie Baker. She is famous for writing picture books such as “Where the Forest meets The Sea” and “Window”. She uses found materials to create collages for the illustrations in her books. She has won a range of literary awards for her books.

After viewing the exhibition, students took part in a practical workshop using clay. The boys created ceramic tile using natural materials that they had found in the surrounding gardens at the gallery. Some of these were amazing.

The day concluded with a game of Bullrush. Thanks to Mr. Tolentino for accompanying the class to the gallery.

Iain Fraser, Year 8 Visual Arts Teacher

Whilst the highlight of each week is certainly interacting with a vast array of chemicals in novel and exciting ways, the majority of our week is spent understanding the underlying chemistry involved and practising the calculations that will be scrutinised in the HSC. A common occurrence is our in-class competitions (pictured below), where students are presented with a problem and must compete with their peers to be the first to correctly provide a solution. While they may not be producing new compounds or playing with fire, this is still an exciting and very necessary component of their HSC preparation.

An invitation to Wollemi Dads.

Wollemi would like to extend an invitation to our Wollemi fathers to join us at a Dads’ Night on Friday 16 June at 6pm here at Wollemi.

This night will be an opportunity for dads to come together and enjoy a meal, beer and one another's company.  

If you are able to make food of Indian cuisine for the evening please contact one these Dads.

Nitin Jain - 0421161123

Jobins Joseph - 0422286383

Ranjit Cheema 0477992888 (ONEAGENCY) CADDENNS - ST-MARYS

Richard Weber – 0415231297

If you would like to contribute to the catering, you can chip in using Jobince J. PAYID 04222 86383. We kindly request a minimum amount of $25. Thank you for your consideration.

To RSVP, kindly complete the form below.  We hope you can join us and catch up on the night. RSVP HERE

You're Invited!

You, your family and friends are cordially invited to attend Holy Mass in honour of St Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei. People residing in the NSW will have the option to attend Masses at Sydney CBD, Penrith and Canberra. Please refer to more details here:

PENRITH

WHEN: 7:30 PM, Thursday 22 June 2023

WHERE: St Nicholas of Myra, 326 High Street, Penrith NSW 2750. 

Principal Celebrant: Mgr Victor Martinez

Confessions start at 6.30 pm.

Parking is available in the parish carpark as well as on the street.

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Maria Mendoza, mother to  Noah in 7B; 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:

Michel Chaghouri, father to Joseph and Cristina, grandfather to Elias in 5B; Phillip Yassa, uncle to Shukr and Sara, great uncle to Luke in 9G; Antoine  Nohra, father to Alain and  Lisa Nohra, grandfather to Giovany in Year 12 and Mathew in 10G; Josip Blazevic, father to John and Julie Blazevic, (John Paul 2011, Daniel 2017) Viktor and Alison Blazevic (Josip 2013, Raphael 2015, Dominic, 2017 and Gabriel 2020) and Paulina and Renzo Trivarelli (Adrian 2013, Alex 2015, Luke 2017, Marcus 2020 and Michael Leaver 2021); Adele Doko, mother to Herg Christine Lay, grandmother to Jonathan in 4B and Joseph in 2B;  John Russell, grandfather to Emily and Anthony Di Natale, great grandfather to Joseph in 3G; 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.

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

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the prayers and support before, during and after Ella’s surgery. We are incredibly grateful for the kindness, generosity and affection shown to us in various ways towards Ella’s recovery and the wellbeing of our family. May Our Lord reward you and your families abundantly. 

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

We were well represented by over 50 of our students across Primary and Secondary at the Hills Zone Cross Country last week at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre. A perfect day for running, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation from our boys. There was a good mix of students who had run the course before and those who it was their first time. There was lots of encouragement from the boys who had run before, providing tips and tricks for the course as we walked around. It certainly helped the boys run for the first time.

We have had 13 boys make it to the next level, a massive achievement! 

These boys from Primary are Kirbie Amituanai, Elijah Leggatt, Oscar Baird, and Thomas P., and from Secondary, Klim D., Brett S., Augustine P., Koshin K., Gabriel V., Achilles M., Jake B., Micah A. and Nirvan G.

We wish these boys all the best at AICES (Secondary) and CIS (Primary) Cross Country events over the next two weeks. 

Special mention to Klim D.( pic on the left) who placed 1st in the 12 years event and Koshin K.(pic on the right) who placed 2nd in the 16 years event. Congratulations gentlemen!

Thank you to Mr. Reyes, Mr. Tamayo, Mr. Garzaniti, and Mr. De Villiers for your assistance with the boys and on the course throughout the day.

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

Children’s Sacraments 2023

Confirmation: Sunday 12th November 10:00AM

Sessions:     30th July (Registration& 1st Session); 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th August;

3rd, 10th,17th, 24th September; 8th, 15th 22nd, 29th October;

5th November (Rehearsal)

Eligibility:

Children who are in Year 6 and above, received the Sacrament of Baptism, Reconciliation & First Holy Communion are eligible to be enrolled in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Please bring a copy of your Baptism & First Holy Communion Certificate at registration.

All Sessions are compulsory and are to be attended by the child accompanied by their parent/guardian.

Sessions are held on Sunday after 10:00am Mass (around 11:30am) in the parish hall. If you cannot attend a session; please inform Father and he will schedule a make-up session.

Further information and details will be provided at registration. For any additional information please call the Parish office on 4721 4080 or email parish@stjosephskingswood.org or kingswood@parracatholic.org