25th Anniversary Whole School Photo

On Tuesday, May 14th, Advance Life Photography will be involved in taking a whole school photo to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. Boys are expected to come to school in their full Winter school uniform. If your son does not have a blazer at the time of the photo, he will be asked to sit out. If you are waiting for a blazer delivery from the uniform shop or have a reason as to why his blazer is unavailable, please email your son’s teacher in primary or me in secondary - scottwilliamson@wollemi.nsw.edu.au.

Chewing Gum

There is a growing number of boys chewing gum at school. Chewing gum is not permitted at school.

Uniform Expectations

With the colder days upon us, boys are beginning to wear warmer clothing to school. With this in mind, please ensure your son:

• Wears his blazer to school
• Wears the school woollen jumper (he is not to wear a hooded jumper to school or his sports jacket outside of his sports day)
• Wears black leather school shoes (leather sneakers are not permitted).
• Year 12 students are to wear their school jerseys at school, not under their blazers when travelling to and from school.

Term 2 is full of big events in the Church and at Wollemi. The month of Our Lady, the end of Easter with Pentecost Solemnity, our first Family Rosary in the Shrine, the Eucharistic Procession, Holy Trinity, Sacred Heart, St Josemaria!!

Let’s take advantage of this special time to grow in Faith, Hope and Charity!

And I think that these words of Pope Francis, addressed to the youth at Venice last weekend, can help all of us:

From little things, big things grow.

As we begin Term 2, I thought it important to share the messages which we will reiterate with the boys throughout the term ahead.

1. Do the little things right, and

2. Quality and Care in all we do.

These messages will form the basis of achieving our goal of continuous improvement throughout Term 2.

We, as a Primary staff, will be asking the boys to focus on doing ALL of the little things the right way, even those things we may not place high on our priority list. These little things help us to form positive habits and in due time, can lead to big improvements!

We are also placing a large emphasis on improving the quality of all we do from our work to the way we treat each other and our belongings. To achieve this, we need to slow down, be thoughtful and show care for everything we do and every interaction we have.

Winter Uniform Term 2 and 3

I hope that we are returning strong from the short two-week break and are ready to begin yet another term at school. At the beginning of the holidays following my half-yearly examinations I was keen to sit at home, relax, maybe get a bit of study done and essentially recover from a pretty lengthy Term 1. However, this relaxation was denied to me, as I had previously offered to counsel for a three-day year 9 and 10 camp in our nation's capital state to climb the infamous Mount Kosciusko. I will get to know why I am sharing this small anecdote shortly.

After an early morning rise, we came to Mirrabooka for a quick mass before departing on our 5-hour drive to the campsite in Jindabyne. Along the way, our bus tragically broke down almost two hours into our trip. After an hour of tinkering with the car batteries and with the help of some friendly strangers we miraculously got it working and arrived at our destination safe and sound.

Happy reading,

Justin Lockley

Year 2 students visited Longneck Lagoon in Scheyville National Park last term. This outing was a fantastic chance for our young explorers to learn about 'Features of Places' in Geography while enjoying nature.

The day kicked off with nature mapping and bushwalking. Students identified and mapped out lagoon features like waterways, creeks, termite nests, and bushland, observing closely and understanding the environment's unique characteristics. They discovered plant species, spotted different animal habitats, and learned about the park's geological formations. It was a great way for them to appreciate Longneck Lagoon's natural beauty.

A highlight was using microscopes to explore smaller natural features. Students examined leaves, stones, and insects up close, discovering hidden details and sparking curiosity. To end the day, students expressed their observations through art. With pencils and paper, they created drawings capturing the minute details of Longneck Lagoon's smaller natural wonders under the microscope, showcasing creativity and understanding.

The day as a whole was a valuable learning experience, deepening students' appreciation for nature and geographical features. It was a day filled with exploration, discovery, and fun, leaving our young adventurers inspired and eager to learn more when they returned to Wollemi.

Another successful trip to the Western Sydney University (WSU) Engineering department, where Wollemi Year 11 students were exposed to the facilities and technical know-how of the student-run Solar Car Program competing in the World-renowned Solar Car Challenge.

Evidently, the WSU crew, 25 strong has been in the top 10 of the world Universities who compete in the Solar Car Challenge held every 2 years.

The students were guided through the WSU’s Design process from initial concepts, research, and design development, Testing and prototyping and to the final product as a contender to win the World Solar Car Challenge.

Many questions were asked about the process and students were genuinely surprised about how much hard work the students of WSU had to endure, commit, and invest their own time to pull off something that seemed impossible when they first started.

Thank you to WSU for assisting us with this experience that I know the students will not forget.

Last Friday night saw the return of Wollemi College to the CSDA debating competition. The college has not competed for the past three years, so it was great to see the boys return to the competition. The debaters had very little time to prepare as the draw had only been finalized during the holidays and many of the students were debating for the first time. Mr. Wright held a debating workshop on the Friday before their first debate which helped the students greatly.

We travelled to Nagle College in Blacktown to compete, and it ended up being a successful night for the College. Wollemi competed in five debates and ended up winning four of them, which is a great start to the season.

I would like to thank Mr Wright and Mr Jacobson for volunteering to adjudicate, and Mr Finn for supporting the students before they went into their preparation time and watching the Year 8 team debate. Thank you to Mr. Johnson for allowing the College to borrow his van to transport the students.

The students who debated on Friday are as follows:

Year 7 – Michael Conejar, Charlie Buhagiar, Elijah Baird

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  13 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 11/12) 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 9th May.

Mass for Wollemi Mothers and Morning Tea RSVP form

As you know, 2024 marks 25 years since the original group of students began their journey at Orchard Hills Preparatory School in 1999. That small group of kindergarten students, with some exceptions, carried on under a different name some years later at Werrington, and eventually became the first graduating class of Wollemi College.

Wollemi has been incredibly fortunate to have the unwavering support of our families who recognise the value of a PARED education and upbringing. Some of the original families are still with us. Others now have grandchildren attending our schools. They have all witnessed the enduring benefits for their children and future generations.

As part of this year’s celebrations of this significant milestone, Wollemi will host a Gala Dinner on Friday, 2 August at Novella on the Park, inviting Wollemi past and current parents and staff, alumni and friends of Wollemi.

Given the importance of the 25th anniversary, we anticipate that this celebration will draw a large number of people from our school community, past and present. To ensure you do not miss out, secure your spot by booking early using this link.

Congratulations to the following families on their latest addition. 

• Andrea and Kevin Tyler on the birth of their baby Elijah, brother to  Xavier in 2G.

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Charles Rafanan,father to Kristofer in 4G;Amelia Acasio,grandmother to Peyton Bernacer (8B) and Angelo Bernacer (6B); Louise Cotter,Grandmother to Chase Kerin (9B); Joseph Valladores,father to Jose (8G); Vince Sammut,grandfather to Lucas in 10G; Igor Mileusnic, uncle to Hugo Giles (5B);Alex Borg,grandfather to Nicholas Cassar (6B).Joanne Pang, mother to Ian Chia in 4G;Benjie Santiago,father to Aryel (Class of 2020); Emmanuel Hanna,brother to George (7G); Victor Sciberras,father to Marianne and Carmel Spiteri, grandfather to Justin in Year 8B; Mariano Valladores,father to Ela and Will O'Neill, grandfather to Michael in 9B and John-Paul in 4B; Nikita D'Souza,Michael Carrington(PARED Maintenance)'s girlfriend.

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

Antonio Singson,father to Ruth and Pierre Fakhry, grandfather to Elias in 10G, Francis in 5G and Markus in 3B; Peter Ruhl,father to Eric and Teresa, grandfather to Dominic in 5B and Joseph in 2B;Victor Tuballa, father to Victor and Sarah, grandfather to Alexander in 6B; Pricilla Yabut, grandmother to Achilles in 10B and Alexander in 9G.

It has been great to see an increased number of students coming to daily Mass at School, so that our chapel is almost full everyday.  Parents are welcome to attend Mass with their sons, either on the set day in Primary or on any day their Secondary sons choose to attend. Unfortunately, as the space in the chapel is very limited, we are unable to offer daily Mass to parents as a regular alternative to their local parishes. We also ask that any parents attending Holy Mass please sign in at the Front Office.

Start of School Day

Classes commence at 8:40 am each day. All boys are expected to be at school before this time.

Supervision for students will be provided at the school from 8:15 am each day. Students will not be admitted to the school until this time. 

End of the School Day

The school will conclude for ALL students at 3:25 pm. 

Late to School

If your son is late to school, he is required to sign in at the Front Office BEFORE moving to class. 

Early Leave

If your son needs to leave school early due to an appointment, parents/guardians must notify the College either by submitting an Early Departure Student Daybook in the Parent Portal.  Before leaving campus, your son must report to the Front Office to sign out. If you are collecting your son from the College, he is to be collected from the Front Office and not the classroom or other school areas.

Absence from School 

If your son is absent from school, we ask you to complete the form “Wollemi Absentee Form” from the Parental Portal on Engage PRIOR to the commencement of the school day. 

Please be mindful of the carline procedures listed below:

• Morning drop off - Morning supervision before class begins at8.15 am. Students are not permitted on school grounds before this time, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

• Students arriving after 8.40 am are to stop via the front office to have their names marked off the roll.

• Afternoon pick up - if you arrive early and park in the carline, please do not disembark your car. Your son/s will walk to your car.

• For efficiency and flow of the carline, please remind your son to be ‘on the look out’ for your car.

• Please ensure your son is aware of any changes to your afternoon pick up routine.

Adjusted Pick-up Times for Primary and Student Collection points.

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.

Information for parents and students

Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass but have not yet applied need to applyor updatetheir details as soon as possible.

In the Opal network, students should travel with a Child/Youth Opal card until they receive their valid School Opal card. If outside Greater Sydney, parents should contact their local bus operatorto discuss their travel needs.

New Student Opal cards (including new Term Bus Passes) will be sent to the student’s nominated postal address within two weeks of their application being approved.

Students living in rural and regional areas will receive their travel pass from their nominated transport operator. It may be issued via their school or be sent directly to them at home. Note: some rural and regional operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.

Terms of Use

Students using School Opal cards must tap on and tap off in line with the Opal terms of use.

Aloha Wollemi Families,

I hope everyone had a restful break and a great start to the term! We ended last term on a very positive note. During the Hills Zone triathlon event, our primary boys placed top 3 in all the events we were involved in!

1st place individual triathlon: Francis Fakhry (Year 5)

2nd place team duathlon: Elijah Leggatt / Joseph Sheary (Year 3)

3rd place team triathlon: Michael Tu’ipulotu / Jacob Abacum / Oscar Baird (Year 5)

This just goes to show the amazing athletes we have here at Wollemi!

2024 CROSS COUNTRY

Last week we completed our cross country event! 3 of our winners set new school records for their times! Please see below for the top finishers in each age group:

7s (No Hills Zone due to Age)

Xavier Tyler (Age Champion)

Joseph Ruhl

Avyaan Hunjon

8/9s

Elijah Leggatt (8s Age Champion) New

record of 8.10mins

Rishab Jhala

Jorge Frech (9s Age Champion)

10s

Kirbie Amituanai (Age Champion) New

Record of 8.10mins

Dominic Sultana

Brody Mojica

Winston Bawden

Pero Lalic

Jeril Linoy

11s

Dominic Noone (Age Champion)

Joel Leggatt

Oscar Baird

Ethan Lemoncito

Timofey Sakalouski

Wesley Bawden

12+

Congratulations to all participants who did their best in the school cross country last week. There were some outstanding performances across the day. 

Thank you to the staff and students who assisted on the day. 

It was great to see so many parents there to cheer their sons on for their race. It is much appreciated by the boys and our school to have you there. 

Age and House Champions will be announced at the next assembly. 

Amazing photos credit to  Lucas Ison Year 11

On Wednesday, the 27th of March, a team of Year 6 students participated in an AFL Gala Day at Jamison Park. The conditions on the day were perfect and the boys wore their brand-new jerseys with pride. The team worked well together and there were touches of class throughout the day.

Unfortunately, we did not make the finals this year, but I was proud of the way the boys played on the day.

We versed several schools in the area.

The results were:-

Ellison Public School vs Wollemi College: Win to Wollemi

Wollemi College vs Penrith Anglican School: Win to PAC

Wollemi College vs Blaxland East Public School: Win to Blaxland.

Wollemi College vs Nangamay Paublic School : Draw

Thank you to all the boys for their commitment to the team, and also to the parents who came to support their sons.

Iain Fraser

In a thrilling encounter on Monday 8th April, our U15s soccer team (Jacob Jordan, Raffaele Corvetti, Vraj Bhatia, Ram Hariprasaad, Moses Justin, Roman Gil, Kristof Trinajstic, Mateo Devine, Brett Sequeira, Davor Lalic, Tanaka Nyasha, Michael Gaid, Augustine Phua, John-Paul Blazic) clashed with Glenmore Park High School in the prestigious Bill Turner Cup. The match kicked off with intense action as both sides showcased their skills and determination.

Glenmore Park High School managed to take an early lead, leaving the scoreline at 2-1 against the boys. The boys did not succumb to the pressure and mounted a remarkable comeback, leveling the score at 2-2.

As the game entered extra time, tension mounted on the field. It was then that Davor, displaying exceptional skill and determination, rose to the occasion, netting a sensational hat-trick and securing the winning goal.

Davor's outstanding performance earned him the title of Man of the Match, rightfully deserved for his match-winning contributions. Additionally, Ram's unwavering commitment and resilience in defence did not go unnoticed, as he tirelessly withstood pressure from the opposition, ensuring the team's strength at the back.

Please support our U16 teams (Division 1, 2 & 3) that have been selected to represent the school at the Basketball NSW Schools Tournament on Thursday 9 9th May at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre, Cambridge Park. All the best boys!

Congratulations to the following teams who won the  (SUMMER 2023-2024) Season Finals! Great team effort and dedication to those involved. It was so wonderful to see the Wollemi community support during the games.

WOLLEMI WANDERERS U12-DIV 3

We had a great night out with some of Year 8 mums!

It was great to mingle with some new mums as well. We are looking forward to getting to know them more at future events too. More fun events are planned for our year group. Watch this space!

Shoko Hazama and Kerri-Anne Sheary Year 8 Classparents

The uniform shop is open on Fridays 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm 

Online Store 

Enjoy the convenience of online shopping.  Orders will be filled when the store is next open. www.Midford.com.au passphrase: Wollemi1999

Fitting Appointment 

Full uniform fittings are strictly by appointment only. Please use the links to book an appointmenthttps://Midford.as.me/Wollemicollege

Wollemi College Fitting Range on Fridays from 1.30 pm - 4.00 pm Appointments Only 

 All ordering and sales of Wollemi uniforms are online Orders can be collected from the College or delivered to your home address ( free delivery for orders over $50). To place an order online, go to www.Midford.com.au and enter the school passphrase: Wollemi1999 when you log in.

Wollemi Uniform requirements

Children’s Sacraments 2024

First Communion: Sunday 2nd June (Feast of Corpus Christi) 10 am

Sessions: 7th April (Registration & 1st Session) 14th, 21st, 28th April; 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th May, (26th being for Rehearsal)

Reconciliation: TBA

Confirmation: Sunday 3rd November 10:00am (Or Sunday 10th November)

Sessions: 21st July (Registration & 1st Session), 28th July; 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th August; 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th September; (6th October – mid holidays), 13th, 20th, 27th October (27th being for Rehearsal)

Eligibility:

For the Sacrament of Reconciliation, children should be 8 years old and above and have received the Sacrament of Baptism.

For the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, children should be 8 years old and above and should have received the Sacrament of Baptism & Reconciliation.

For Sacrament of Confirmation children should be in Year 6 and above and have received the Sacrament of Baptism, Reconciliation & First Holy Communion.

Please provide a copy of your relevant certificates at registration or email a copy to the parish.

Join the Zumba dance workout for Mums every Wednesday, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm at the Multi-Purpose Hall!  

See the flyer or visit https://www.zumba.com/p/Mildred-Yap/2105634 to know more details.