Welcome to Term 4

After what felt to some of us as a very brief holiday, we are back to school with a clear focus: to finish the year well. Term 4 is a busy one for families, teachers and students. It is crucial that we all ‘hit the ground running’ and waste no time getting into good routines. This applies especially to resolutions that might have been neglected throughout the year. Now is the time to pick them back up. Begin and begin again is a crucial attitude for all of us. 

A sad announcement

I had the unenviable duty this Monday to let our students (and now our parents) know that Mr Vassallo has made the difficult decision to accept a position as Deputy Headmaster at Redfield College next year. Mr Vassallo has done an incredible job over the last four years as Deputy at Wollemi and has found this decommission very difficult, such has been his commitment and dedication to this community. 

We also know he travels from the Hills every day and that he has been an active member of the Pared Hills community, as a parent, for many years. This new opportunity enables him to further immerse himself into the Pared Hills schools as  Deputy at Redfield. At the same time, it presents him with new challenges and opportunities to serve the wider Pared community in new ways.

I think we are all conscious of his great love and commitment to the Wollemi community, now and always. It is very difficult for us to see him go, but Mr Vassallo leaves Wollemi ‘far better than he found it’, as the now popular Maltese saying goes. There is no greater praise than that. Whilst greatly saddened by this departure, we wish Mr Vassallo all manner of success in his new role and congratulate Mr Aldous and the Redfield community for gaining such an outstanding Deputy. 

Around the grounds

The HSC is now in its second week. As I write this some of our boys are sitting the Visual Arts examination. The feedback so far has been excellent: all the boys have been able to attend normally, there have been no unpleasant surprises on the exam papers, and they feel very well supported by the prayers of the entire Wollemi Community. On their behalf, I will say ‘thank you’ and ‘more, please’. The last HSC exam is Physics on November 2.

Our recent school assembly marked a special moment - the induction of our 2024 Captains! Congratulations to Peter Wiggins (School Captain), Noah Pincevic (Vice Captain), and our House Captains: Madhav Satheeshkumar, Sebastian Aldous, William Maruncic, and Petelo Devine.  We are extremely proud of you. We are confident you will lead the school well, carrying forward Wollemi's legacy with honour. ⁠ A big thank you to Steve Jerome (outgoing Captain) and Sourav Suresh (Vice) for gracing us with their presence at the Leadership Assembly on the eve of their HSC exams commencing!

The event was held in our upgraded COLA, making it even more memorable. If you have not had a chance to peek in, have a look at our school's social media for some pictures of our amazing new basketball court flooring. Once the school branding is applied, it will look absolutely spectacular.

On Tuesday 17 we celebrated a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace in the Holy Land. The day started with the whole Primary coming together to pray the Rosary for all the people of the Holy Land. In Secondary, there was a special Admin period with information on what is happening and prayer. A special Mass for Peace followed for Secondary students to attend. At lunch, there was an Exposition with the Blessed Sacrament and Rosary, again voluntary. Finally, after lunch, each Secondary class had the opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel until the end of the day. We joined people throughout the world praying and offering sacrifices for all those suffering in the Holy Land. As Father Felix explained to our Primary students, every Hail Mary will help someone: we do not know where or how, but God does. 

Some of the calendar highlights coming up for Term 4 include Open Day next week (Wed 25 October), World Teachers Day on 27 October, two Father and Son Camps, for Year 8 (28-29 October) and Year 5 (11-12 November) and WOLCAN on Friday 17 November.

Finally, next Wednesday 25 October the Wollemi Football Club will be holding its AGM from 7 pm at Wollemi. As you well know, the generosity and dedication of a few people enables a great many boys, and girls, to reap the benefit from weekend football. They need your support, as well as a new crop of volunteers. See below for more details.

James Ramos, Headmaster 

October is the month of Holy Rosary! Let’s use it as a powerful weapon to pray for the peace in the Holy Land and Ukraine.

Pope Francis invited us to feel her presence beside us always, when he visited Fatima during the World Youth Day:

“ Dear brothers and sisters, today let us sense the presence of Mary our Mother, the Mother who will always say, “do whatever Jesus tells you”. She shows Jesus to us. Yet, she is also the Mother who says to Jesus: “do what these are asking of you”. This is Mary. That is our Mother, Our Lady who hastens to be close to us. May she intercede for us all. Amen!”

And don’t forget to pray for the Synod of Bishops, happening in Rome these weeks.

Historically, Term 4 has always been a whirlwind of academic rigor, assessments, excursions, camps, and sports, to name just a few activities. We wouldn't have it any other way! Mr Ramos has consistently encouraged our students to persevere and work hard right up to the very end. He has urged them to dig deep when faced with challenges, ensuring they finish the year just as strong as they started it – full of hope, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of school spirit. I encourage all Primary students to heed his advice! 

Today, the entire Primary school came together for a special assembly to pray for peace in the Middle East. While I refrained from delving into the harrowing details of the conflicts many people are currently enduring, I emphasized the urgent need for our prayers and support. Despite the chilly and windy conditions in the primary covered area, our students gathered and joined in reciting the Rosary, led by Mr Tu’ipolotu. It was truly heartwarming to witness the deep reflection and prayerfulness displayed by our Wollemi students. They never cease to amaze us with their compassion and willingness to help those in need, regardless of their race or religion. This strong sense of community is what I cherish most about Wollemi.

I implore you all to maintain this momentum and continue to pray as often as possible to halt the atrocities in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.

On a brighter note, two remarkable Year 5 students, Elias Chaghouri and Xavier Xie, took the initiative to introduce our very first Speed Cubing club during lunchtime. Both boys were clearly in their element! Admitting my limited knowledge of cubing, I had minimal involvement in preparing this activity. Fortunately, Elias and Xavier were not just well-prepared; they were exceptionally organised and skilled in their delivery. Their presentation included rules, cube algorithms, patterns, and much more. Not only was their preparation impeccable, but their delivery was also engaging, hands-on, and truly enjoyable to watch. Personally, I can now solve the daisy, the white cross, and am steadily developing my skills with layers! I eagerly anticipate our weekly lessons, and I know that the 20 Primary boys who attended share in this excitement.

I wish all of our families a great concluding term and we look forward to the action and festivities ahead. 

Scott Williamson, Head of Primary

As it is my first captain's corner, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my class, the teachers, Mr. Ramos and Mr. Vassallo, for putting their faith in me and allowing me the opportunity to give back to our school. I would also like to thank both Steve and Saurav for leading our school this past year. I wish them and the rest of the outgoing class of 2023 the best in their HSC.

I would like to welcome the new leadership team of 2024. With Noah Pincevic as our Vice-Captain and Seb, Madhav, William, and Bob as our House Captains, I'm sure we will shoulder the responsibilities passed to us and leave behind a legacy for younger years to build upon.

As we approach the start of this last term, now is often a good time to look back on our performances this past year. We ask ourselves if we have applied ourselves within our studies, schooling, or at home, and oftentimes the answers can be a little disappointing, "No, I didn’t do enough, or I could have done better."  But here lies our opportunity for improvement, to raise our standards, to apply ourselves more vigorously than ever, so that when this term is over we can give ourselves a pat on the back and say, "I am proud of what I have accomplished this term, I am proud of the way I have applied myself."

For the younger classes, this is the exam term, the last leg of a long year at school. I encourage you all to prepare well for your exams, as these times of examination are where you will build the habits that become so crucial to your study in the last few years of schooling.

I would also like to note that, as it is the month of October, we are now in the month of the Holy Rosary. I encourage everyone to start praying the rosary, or if you already do, to continue doing so. It is a powerful tool against the challenges of this world, and I invite you to pray especially for the people caught up in the recent war in Israel.

Peter W. School Captain

At Wollemi, we are blessed to have such an excellent calibre of student leaders. It gives me great pleasure to announce our Student Leadership team for 2024. I congratulate the Year 12 students below for their appointment to the following positions:

I know these young men will do a fantastic job in building upon our College’s traditions, spirit, and strong legacy of leadership. They will fulfil their roles with diligence, be strong role models for all and represent their School and Houses with pride and integrity.

It was lovely to be able to officially present and commission our new School Captains and House Captains for 2024 on Tuesday, 10 October at our Leadership Assembly. This was done with the whole School Community, including the parents of our incoming leaders, in attendance. 

It was a fitting ceremony that set the tone and ethos for the beginning of their leadership journey. The assembly commenced with an address by our Headmaster, Mr Ramos, in which he articulated the School’s vision of leadership at Wollemi. This was followed by the commissioning service of our new leadership team where they were presented to the School Community. Our new student leaders then recited the Wollemi Leadership Pledge. Our incoming School Captain, Peter Wiggins, delivered his first ‘Captain’s Address’ to the School. Peter thanked the School for the opportunity to lead, he acknowledged and thanked the School Leadership Team of 2023 for all their hard work and the strong legacy they had left behind. Peter concluded by challenging the whole School Community to strive to achieve the Class of 2024’s motto; Audete Res Magna – ‘Dare Mighty Things’ – in all areas of their endeavour. The Leadership Assembly was fittingly concluded with a prayer for the School and new leaders by our outgoing School Captain – Steven Jerome. 

Leadership does not occur in isolation but rather it is a team effort. I encourage all our Year 12 students to embrace leadership regardless of whether they have an official position of office or not.  For 2024 to be successful, each one of you has a part to play by setting the standard expected by the rest of the school. You are the role models the younger boys look up to and aspire to. It is Year 12 that sets the tone at Wollemi. I know each one of you will do an amazing job. 

We, as a School community, wish all our new leaders well as they embark on their leadership journey.

David Vassallo, Deputy Headmaster 

Congratulations to Lucas Estilo 4G for his winning artwork! His poster has captured the essence of "WOLCAN," a spectacular creative arts evening like no other. Lucas' artwork embodies the spirit of this unique celebration, where creativity knows no bounds . On November 17th, our event will transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, blending a fusion of art forms, from music and visual arts to more. We hope to see you at WOLCAN, on 17 November, please save the date!

Mark Ranftl,  Music Department

 The School community is invited to pray for our young men as they prepare for their trials in this week and HSC exams later this year. 

A CoA Community HSC Prayermmunity HSC Prayer

A School Community HSC Prayer

Heavenly Father, we bring before you our HSC students. Give them the gifts of wisdom, right judgement, knowledge and courage. 

Bless them with calm hearts and clarity of mind as they sit for their exams. May they be affirmed in their efforts and may they know that you are there with them. 

We pray that they will stay calm under pressure and work to the best of their ability. May they feel your loving presence in their lives, now and always, and may they be strengthened by the prayerful support of us, their school community.

 We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

It is with great pleasure that the Music Department of Wollemi College invites you to WOLCAN - Wollemi Creative Arts Night. This event will be held on Friday 17 November 2023 (Week 6) under the COLA at Wollemi College, starting at 5.30 pm and running to 7.30 pm.

There will be a variety of works on display from various departments within the school, highlighting the spectacular achievements of our students, as well as several performances on the stage from students across all year groups from Years 2 – 12.

If your son would like to audition for the event, either individually or in a group, please have him fill in this google form so a time can be organised for his audition. The Music Department would also appreciate letting us know if you intend to attend on the night by completing the form below so appropriate logistics and seating arrangements may be put in place.

A gold coin donation is appreciated upon entry to the school for each person, to assist with the cost of running the event.  We would like to organise different Food stalls on the night so there will be a selection of dinner options while enjoying the shows! If you are able to assist with this, kindly indicate on this form.

I look forward to seeing you there and enjoying the creative talents of our Wollemi students together.

 Wollemi will be celebrating its teachers for their skilled work in educating, inspiring and supporting our students.

Wollemi Students have been invited to nominate a teacher who has been a big help to them and why. Hats off to teachers this World Teachers’ Day especially our Wollemi teachers on 27 October 2023.

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Jason Japon, father to Zachary (6B),  Luke Japon (3G Teacher); Igor Mileusnic, uncle to Hugo Giles; Alex Borg, grandfather to Nicholas Cassar (6B).  Joanne Pang, mother to Ian Chia in 4G; Margaret Miles, grandmother to Marissa and Vince Zinghini, great-grandmother to Anthony in 5B; Maria Mendoza, mother to  Noah in 7B; Joseph Valladores, father to Jose in 7B; Fr Andrew Fornal, Parish Priest of St Joseph's Kingswood; 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);

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

Wilma Wright, mother to Brett and Alyson Wright (Head of Senior School); Joan Mary Milosev, grandmother to Daniel and Pam Milosev, great-grandmother to Zack in 11G, Max in 9B and Oliver in 4B; Godofredo Verceles,  father to Janet and Rey Esteban, grandfather to Reuven in 8B and Ram in 4B;  Jun Ravalo; father to Mildred and Anton Yap; grandfather to Andrei in 10 B and Josef in 7G; Alexander Federigan; uncle to Ian Ison (Secondary teacher), great uncle to Lucas Ison 10G; Fr Carl Ashton PP, parish priest of Sacred Heart Mount Druitt, friend and supporter of Wollemi College; Wilson Filamor, father to Joel and Charisse Filamor, grandfather to  Lorenzo 11B; 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.} 

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

Congratulations to John McDonald who has qualified to compete at the 2023 Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Perth in December. 

John will compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay events. 

At the NSW All Schools Championships John performed extraordinarily well. 

- 1st in the 100m (10.81 secs)

- 2nd in the 200m (21.68 secs)

Check out the video of John's 100m final race coming 1st with a Personal Best of 10.81secs.

Congratulations John and all the best for the Australian All Schools Championships!

Do you want to see Wollemi FC operational in 2024?! We need your help! On Wednesday the 25th of October we will be hosting our final coaches and managers meeting as well as the club AGM

All coaches and managers must return all uniforms and equipment that were provided at the start of the season. The club AGM will follow the Coaches and managers meeting at approximately 8pm

This is extremely important as it will determine if our club will be operational again next season! All current committee positions will be declared vacant and we will be looking for people to nominate for positions.

If interested, you will need to email info@wollemifc.com.au with your name, preferred contact email, preferred contact phone number and the position you would like to nominate for.

To the Wollemi College Community,

As a result of a recent review, some minor adjustments are required to the retail prices of the Wollemi College uniforms and accessories range. This is the first review of retail price that Midford has made in the last 2 years.

Over the last 2 years, Midford has mostly sheltered our retail partners and customers from price increases by absorbing fluctuating exchange rate costs.

Unfortunately, over the past year, our supply chain has been affected dramatically by COVID and currency fluctuations. The costs have increased so sharply now that we are forced to raise our prices, the whole supply chain is affected by the cost of materials, manufacturing, labour as well as transportation. Therefore, we are left with no option but to pass on some of the increases to our partners and customers. This is a decision that was not made lightly and is necessary for Midford to remain competitive and at the forefront of school wear innovation and supply.

A total of 16 items require a price increase, based on the manufacturing costs. On many items, there is no change in price. These price increases will take effect from the 1st of September 2023.

It is Midford’s commitment to continue to plan our business in a way that provides high-quality clothing at a price that offers great value for money to our customers. We will continually monitor our supply chain for future benefits in terms of cost to our customers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Wollemi College for your continued support of Midford and we look forward to providing quality schoolwear and service to the school community in the future.

Olivia Bloxham, Retail Operations Manager

As you may have heard, Hugo's uncle (my only sibling) has been diagnosed with cancer after an 8 year remission. He fought cancer for 7 years after being diagnosed at 19 with a Ewing's sarcoma. He has exhausted all chemo and radiotherapy options and is resulting in clinical trials, which are limited and cost a fortune. 

I thought I would ask if it would be allowed to share the GoFundMe link with the school communities and ask for everyone's prayers. I'm not sure what platform would be best for this but it would mean so much to us and him. 

I thought you might be interested in supporting this GoFundMe, https://gofund.me/947bc3c9. 

Helena Giles ( Hugo 4G)

 On Sunday 26th of November we will have the Mirrabooka Annual Family Picnic at 12.30 pm. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the year and share with other Mirrabooka families. I know it's a busy time of the year, so Please save the dates! :)

This year, before the picnic we will have a special Information Session for Parents at 11.45 am. Everyone is invited! The idea is to explain our vision and the work we do here at Mirrabooka and it's a great opportunity to discuss what can we do better. Also, we will explain the plans for the upcoming summer camps and Big Picture program. 

We hope you can make it! 😊🙏

RSVP to: parentformationteam@montgrove.nsw.edu.au

Lowana Study Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that committed to form girls and women of character, service and friendship. We need space to do this and currently, we are already bursting inside our building. 

We are in the planning process to knock down and rebuild Lowana into a larger, purpose-built centre across 11-13 Higgins Street. This new hub will create more space to accommodate the ever-growing community of girls and women who attend Lowana for the variety of activities offered. All the money raised in Lowana Fete will be for this new building. 

Please come to the Lowana Fete this coming Nov 19, 2023, and together we can build this new Lowana building!

Looking forward to your continued cooperation.

Thank you,

Lowana Fundraising Team

We are seeking an experienced Enrolments Administrator to commence in a full-time permanent role, primarily based at our head office in Dural. This role is full-time (calendar year) and will be focused on enrolments for Redfield and Tangara.

If you are interested or know anyone suitable for this role, please ask them to apply via SEEK using this link - Enrolments Administrator