Welcome back to Term 3! I hope everyone had a restful and fruitful holiday, and I trust that we have all come back refreshed and full of energy for another semester of solid personal growth. One theme I have placed in front of our staff and students at the start of this term is that the second half of the year is different from the first in one key respect: how quickly the end will be upon us. My experience for some years now is that the second semester seems to go by quicker than the first. To make matters worse (or better, depending on your perspective), this year, Term 4 happens to be much shorter as well. 

As a result, I am encouraging everyone to start this second semester really well. We should all focus on the good habits and routines from the start of the year that we have perhaps neglected. It is never too late to start again. It helps enormously to aim at specific targets, setting up concrete goals for our students in conjunction with our mentors. I know that many parents find the Semester 1 Academic Reports a great inspiration for this crucial goal-setting process. An early mentor interview this term should also help.

There are a number of key events coming up, beginning with our 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner, this Friday 2 August. It will be a wonderful night of celebration for what we have, of gratitude for those who made it possible, and of hope-filled enthusiasm about the future of this wonderful educational community.

Another major event coming up is the Year 12 Trial examinations that commence on 19 August. It is a crucial step closer to the HSC for our senior boys, and I ask that everybody add them to their daily prayers. Our Primary boys have each ‘adopted’ a Year 12 student and are committed to daily prayer for him. I hope the rest of us follow their example and also adopt one, or many, of our senior boys.

Finally, please note down in your calendar our Term 3 KPF for Wednesday 26 September, during the last week of the term. The ‘unusual’ date is due to the availability of the very special guest that we have been fortunate to secure. More details will follow soon.

James Ramos, Headmaster

Term 3 is going to be full of feast days of saints and Our Lady. It is ordinary time, but the liturgy is leading us to look up at Heaven, especially with the Solemnity of the Assumption on 15th August.

I am sure that you are following the Australian Olympians and their effort to get many gold medals for our country. It reminds us of the main goal of our lives: to get the gold medal of Heaven!

Pope Francis wants us to take advantage of these Olympic days to pray for peace and unity in the World:

“Dear brothers and sisters, the Paris Olympic Games will begin this week, and will be followed by the Paralympic Games. Sport also has great social power, and it can peacefully unite people from different cultures. I hope that this event may be a beacon of the inclusive world we want to build and that athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and authentic models for young people. In particular, in accordance with an ancient tradition, may the Olympic Games be an occasion to call for a cease-fire in wars, demonstrating a sincere desire for peace”.

Fr Felix, Chaplain

Welcome to Term 3! 

I hope all families had a restful and safe holiday break. It was so pleasing to see the boys return to Wollemi last week with great energy and enthusiasm for the exciting term ahead (and dressed in a near-impeccable winter uniform). 

I have had the pleasure of interviewing a number of prospective Wollemi families over the last week in preparation for 2025. I was delighted to hear so many of them speak of the positive impact that our students had on their decision to enrol their son/s at Wollemi. One family spoke in depth of the outstanding guides (our current Year 6 students) they had during their attendance at the Term 1 Open Day. The family mentioned the guides' confidence, pride in their school, humility, humour, attention to detail and care as the qualities they were so impressed by.

It is these qualities, and many others, that make our school such an amazing place! 

Our students' empathy and care for others, as well as their willingness to be the change they want to see are evidenced by the many examples of student-led initiatives taking place in 2024.  

Kids Helpline Fundraiser

A huge congratulations to our Primary Captains Julien M. and Lucas T. on the success of their mufti day/sports challenge fundraiser in the final week of Term 2. Their efforts saw over $400 raised for Kid’s Help Line - a very worthy cause.

Cancer Council Fundraiser

This week, Michael P. from Year 5 launched an exciting fundraiser for Term 3. Michael P has organised a Jelly Bean guessing competition to raise money for Cancer Council. 

Detailed information regarding this fundraiser can be seen below. 

It is a truly worthy cause as so many members of our school community have been touched by cancer. Please encourage your son/s to get involved and have a guess! 

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Final push for PRC - we have currently over 50% of students who have completed their PRC.

We are aiming for over 80% across the school. Please check in with your son if he has completed the challenge and if not, make this a goal for him over the next few weeks. 

The challenge ends on August 23rd. 

Jellybean Guessing Competition - Cancer Council Fundraiser 

My name is Michael P., and I am running a jelly bean guessing competition to raise money for cancer patients. I’ve decided to do this because my late Grandmother passed away from cancer, and it seems to me that too many people are suffering from this disease. All money raised will go towards the Cancer Council to fund research, education and patient support.

The price is $2.00 a guess, or $5.00 for 3 Guesses. Students can submit their guesses from Wednesday 31st July until Wednesday 14th August. The winner will be announced at the Primary Assembly on Friday 16th August. Thank you for supporting this initiative.

The majority of our boys in primary and secondary would have received their half-yearly reports over the break. For many of us, that would mean a quick scan over the document, counting how many A's and Bs you got et cetera. Some of you may even go through the reports with your tutor or parents. But what I ask is that you to spend a little more time going through your report this year, to go through it on your own. It is a good exercise to perform as you are able to reflect on what went well, and maybe what didn't go so well.

Pay particular attention to the lower grades in perhaps what would be your poorer subjects, and think about what you can do to work on these weaker areas. Then go over areas where you received much better results and see if you can figure out why, and whether you can incorporate some of those good practices into all areas of your study.  A word of advice, do not skim over the comments from your teachers -  they know better than anyone what you need to work on most.

Our Year 12 class of 2024 have now begun their last term of school at Wollemi. I hope that we may part on good grounds and make good use of the time that is yet given to us. As for many of our classes, we have finished all the content this year, so there may be a particular temptation to kick back and ease off the workload. But we must remember that we have got to put in the hard yards before we fully reap the rewards. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our trial examinations. 

Peter W., School Captain

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

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

At the end of Term 2, the Year 12 Biology class went on an excursion to the University of New South Wales to check out the Museum of Human Diseases. After a short presentation, we were able to walk around the museum and examine the different organs which was both an enlightening and informative experience. It helped the class prepare for the trials and the HSC as we were able to gain first-hand observations of the diseases we had studied in class, and also gave us an insight into how some lifestyle choices (smoking, vaping, drinking, etc.) have detrimental and sometimes irreversible effects on our organs. After perusing the museum, we had lunch on the campus and walked around for a bit, experiencing the unique university lifestyle.  

 Aiden Cook (Year 12 Biology Student)

Year 11 proved themselves to be a wonderful year group in their approach to their leadership seminar last Friday. They participated in the excellent workshops given by Mr James and Mr Ramos in the morning at school and were actively engaged in Simon Carrington’s presentation about leadership and relationships when we arrived at Don Bosco. They are a tremendous group of young men who are very supportive of the school and each other.

I’m not sure what their favourite part of the day was, but the chicken and chips for lunch and the extended time for sport would have been hard to beat. Thank you also to Mr Finn who accompanied us and shared his enormous wisdom with the class.

Brett Wright

As part of their unit on Vietnam and the Cold War, Year 10 History students had the opportunity to listen to Vin and Nancy Cosgrove from the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia. The presentation covered several key topics, including Australia's reasons for committing troops to Vietnam, significant battles during the campaign—specifically the Battle of Long Tan—and the impact of the war on returning soldiers.

To deepen their understanding of the soldiers' experiences, some students had the chance to wear combat gear from the Vietnam War.

Overall, the students were polite, engaged, and asked a range of interesting questions.

James Tudehope, History

Book Parade & Family Picnic 13 September - Save the Date

Our Annual Book Character Costume Parade & Family Picnic for Years 2 & 3 will be held on Friday 13/9 (Week 8). 

More detailed information will be provided to parents in the coming weeks. 

We hope that many of our Year 2 & 3 parents and grandparents will be able to join us for this event. 

Wollemi turns 25 in 2024! 

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. 

We look forward to spending an unforgettable evening with you, sharing stories from the past and hopes for the future,  there will be special guests, the Modulation Band providing Music of the evening and some surprises and prizes to be won!

Wollemi 25th Anniversary Committee

The 25th Anniversary celebrations continue, please save the Date, Wollemi will be hosting a Spring Fair on 20 October 2024 to mark its 25th Anniversary.

The Wollemi 25th Anniversary Committee are seeking expressions of interest for the Spring Fair involvement in coordinating different Stalls ( Food, craft, hobby or business). To be a part of the celebrations, contact Tamara Zahra at 0439 616 942 or Camille Wiggins at 0408 618 245.

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by Advancedlife photography on Wednesday 31 July 2024(Term 3, Week 2), with Monday 5 August 2024 (Term 3, Week 4) used for a catch-up day. 

Ordering Photos 

Orders for packages and sibling photographs can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit Advanced order code below: 

 RB3 AKJ 8B2

Portrait and group package orders can be made up to Monday 12 August  (one week after the catch-up day). Orders made up after this date will incur a reorder fee due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately. This fee cannot be waived.

Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, please note the orders will close at 11:59pm on Tuesday 30 July. Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.

To reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day we prefer you order online. However, if you are unable to order online, you may collect an ordering envelope from the Front Office to use to purchase your son(s) school photos. 

Please Note:

Online orders - do not require an ordering envelope returned to your school

Full details about how to order your school photos can be found on the attached flyer. 

Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To celebrate Wollemi's 25th Anniversary, we are delighted to launch a special raffle to raise $25,000 to purchase robotics, 3D printers and coding gear to equip our Futures STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) Pioneering Lab.

The raffle will be drawn at the Wollemi 25th Anniversary Dinner, 2 August at 7:45pm, and will have cash prizes of $1000, $500 and $250.

Please buy a ticket, or two, and please share the opportunity with your family and friends. Grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins, relatives and family friends, who are interested in supporting our children's education, could be invited to buy a ticket and support our children's development in STEAM subjects.

Please purchase and promote our raffle today - https://rafflelink.com.au/wollemi25thanniraff  

Your support is crucial in helping us create a dynamic and innovative learning environment for our children. Together, we can make a significant impact on their development and future careers.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Wollemi College.

As part of a stock take and for maintenance purposes, students are asked to see Ms Lamrock in the Music Department by Friday 9 th August with the

school instrument so she can check that all details are correct.

• Click this link for all the latest careers news for our senior students, and this one for the subject-based items.
• Year 10 students should be organising their work experience and returning the signed forms to me this term.

Brett Wright

Congratulations to the  following families on their latest addition:

•  Rebecca and Matt Armour on the birth of Judith Mary, baby sister to Micah in 10G.
• Marianne and Erik Deveza on the birth of Jude Phillip,   brother to Zach in 2B

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Carol Alvarez, grandmother to  Ramon (8B) and  Vincenzo Zamora (4B); Vengie Panglinan, mother of Sam (Class of 2018) and Josh (Class of 2020); Alice Cassar; grandmother to Xavier Paris 5B;  Gemma Doyle; sister to Finn (4G),  Noah (Year 11B) and Jack (class of 2022); Luke White (Yr 11G) brother to Daniel (7G) & Matthew (4B);  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);  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:

Vince Sammut, grandfather to  Lucas in 10G; Dorothy James, grandmother to Harry in 4G; 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. 

_{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.} 

As many of you know, every Monday after the first Friday of each month, there is an Evening of Recollection at the Wollemi Chapel, open to Wollemi dads but also to all men who would like to spend some time in prayer. 

In the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, evenings of recollections are great opportunities to stop and reflect on the meaning of one's work, family life and relationships in the light of the Catholic Faith. There are moments of guided prayer, and a priest available for confessions as well as a talk on practical Christian living. We finish the evening with Benediction to the Blessed Sacrament.  

I encourage all dads who would like to spend some moments of quiet to come and enjoy some time with God. 

If you have any questions about the evenings of recollection, please do not hesitate to contact me or David Breen. 

Jack Johnson,  Head of Formation

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 at 8.15 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.

• New Wollemi Primary finish time will be 3:10 pm
• Primary students with no Secondary brothers will be available at this time to be collected by parents at the regular pick-up zone in front of the administration building.
• Primary parents should have their family name clearly printed on a sign on their dashboard.
• Any Primary Student with Secondary brothers will be supervised away from the pick-up area until 3:25 pm. 
• For safety reasons Primary students who travel by public transport or walk to other pick-up points will be asked to remain at school until 3:25 pm.

Secondary

To ensure car line pick-up continuity, we ask that parents picking up secondary students who arrive before 3.25 pm, please park in the surplus car park before joining the car line. Please do not wait in the 3.10 pm car line in the main car park.

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.

Primary Athletics

Welcome to Term 3!  I hope everyone had a restful break! We have a busy term as far as primary sports. Please keep all of our primary athletes in your thoughts and prayers as they look forward to representing Wollemi College.  

This term:

Wanderers Fives School Cup - 12th August 

Year 4 Gala Day - 13th August 

Primary Futsal Championships - 16th August 

Primary Rugby - 21st August / 4th September 

Of course, school comes first! Please pray that all our primary athletes are able to balance their school work and their athletics! Looking forward to an exciting term!  Best of luck to all of our amazing primary athletes!

Dustin Uyeda, Head of Sport (Primary) 

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 appointment https://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.

Midford Uniform Order form

Wollemi Uniform requirements  

Children’s Sacraments 2024 

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 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. 

Further details will be provided at registration. Registration is after the Sunday 10 am Mass (Around 11:15 am) in the Parish Hall. You can call the Parish office on 4721 4080  or email parish@stjosephskingswood.org for further information. 

Office hours: Tues & Thurs 9am to 2pm & Fri 9am to 1pm.

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.