Whole School News
A Note From Mrs Streatfeild
I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for all the kind words and appreciation over the past few months. I have enjoyed my time at Wahroonga Adventist School over the past 30 years and will miss you all, especially the sound of young voices each day through the verandahs and classrooms saying “Good morning Mrs Streatfeild.” The students will always hold a special place in my heart.
Change is always hard, it will be hard for me too. My favourite photo of the school is the one I took one evening whilst standing in the temporary carpark praying after a hard day in meetings. As I looked up at the School, I saw the image below. The cross in the center of the building was the reflection from the lights. The image helped me to re focus on not my troubles for the day, but back on why I was at the School. I remember smiling, as I knew that God would always be the center of the School if we prayed to invite Him in.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support throughout the years. I will always cherish my time working at the School.
Have a wonderful break over the holidays. Keep safe and remember to keep God at the center.
Message from Dr David Faull
I spoke to one of the children in Junior School this week and they were so excited because this was the month of Christmas!! It’s hard to believe that the days and weeks have swept by and we are celebrating the achievements of our students and the record of that achievement in their School Reports.
It has been a challenging year with COVID but we have much to be grateful for. The students have adapted well to the changes and certainly the absentee rate from school, because we have disinfected, checked temps and coughed into our elbows etc., which has kept the numbers of students away to a minimum and that’s great.
The updated WAS website is certainly generating interest and a number of new enrolments have resulted from enquiries and requests for tours.
We salute Mrs Streatfield who is a real part of the fabric and history of the School. Her focus, leadership and determination to make the School the reality it is in transition and the history of her service on the old campus is legendary. We congratulate her and wish her well!!
Teaching staff have worked tirelessly this year to give every student the opportunity to excel, to make the most of each day and it is exciting that next year will be our first Year 12 class.
A special note of thanks to our parents. We appreciate the dedication to keep your children in a quality school. Your support and interest in the School and desire to make this a happy place of learning is a very valuable asset.
As the holiday season comes to you we want to pass on our thanks and wish you all the best for a very Merry Christmas!
Chaplains' News
And just like that 2020 has almost come to an end!
This year has been a year like no other, but despite everything we have continued to see God at work within our school.
Chaplaincy has looked a little different for us this year but we have had so much fun creating new ways to connect with all the students. From online chapels, to colouring competitions, to Fun days, and even our new team member Pr Chicken.
We pray for Gods blessing on you all over the Holiday period and we hope you get a much needed rest .
We can’t wait for 2021 and all that God is preparing for our School!
Blessings, Pr Richie, Pr Eden, & Pr John
Junior School News
A Note From Mrs Deppeler
Wow! I can’t believe that we have come to the last few weeks of the year. Looking back, this year has presented many challenges for us as individuals, a school and as a community. This year has shown us that we can be resilient and that now more than ever we need to turn to Christ to give us hope, peace and joy. As we all head towards the Christmas Season, take some time to reflect on the craziness of the year and give thanks. I would like to thank all the families for entrusting us with your children this year. I wish you all a restful break and look forward to seeing all again in the new year.
.
Junior School Christmas Chapel
Today, the Junior School held their final chapel for the year. It was amazing to have all the students together again for this special Christmas chapel. Thank you to all our Chaplains this year for the incredible job you all have done putting together our online chapel programs each week. We look forward to what next year brings.
Jump Rope for Heart
Our Primary School students did a good job with Jump Rope for Heart, collecting an impressive amount of $2197.00 during this pandemic year. Congratulations to everyone!!! This week, students who were rewarded with some cool prizes...
Benji - 2M - $525.28, Sophia - 2M - $311.06, Victor - 3T - $261.40, Ally - 6J - $250.36, Nicolas - 2M - $176.25
Upcoming Junior School Events
Junior School Fun Day - Monday 7th December 2020
Years Prep to 3 - Teddy Bears Picnic and Games
Students in Years Prep to 3 are invited to bring their teddy (clearly named), for the Teddy Bears Picnic being held on Monday morning. Please pack a picnic lunch for your child to enjoy! Sparrow Sports will be onsite in the afternoon to facilitate a fun variety of games. All students are to wear their sports uniform.
Year 4 - Super Soaker Action
Sparrow Sports will be onsite in the morning running games. Students are invited to bring their super soakers for afternoon water play where sponges, buckets and water balloons will also be available. Please pack a normal lunch and change of clothes for the end of the day. All students are to wear their sports uniform.
Middle & Senior School News
A Note from Mr St Mart
In a green and leafy town, close to the heart of Sydney, there was a little school. Not so long ago it was very, very little. Little in number but not so little in heart.
This school has been supported by faithful teachers and parents over the 115 years.
It’s a little-known fact in classrooms all over Australia that teachers don’t know everything. I know, it’s shocking, but a school just can’t operate with only teachers. To be a successful community of learning and growing there needed to be experts who could keep our School humming.
One January morning in 2016, 34 students and 5 teachers gathered at the School to embark on a journey into the unknown. Was this venture of growing a high school going to work? What was it supposed to look like? Did the School have what it would take? Questions, fears, belief, hope and courage all entwined.
Without Michelle’s tireless service, none of the 265 secondary students would be here. At the end of 2020, we have a starting line-up of 37 students commencing Year 12 and a School functioning out of its skin! It has been the grace and involvement of a faithful God and the work of a dedicated and devoted community of people.
I have been reflective over the last couple of months, thinking back over what Michelle has been able to achieve and the journey she has led the community towards and what the School now is. Simply incredible.
Without Michelle Streatfeild to take care of every little detail in the busy little school, it would not have become the amazing place it is today. As our year comes to a close, I want to honour the incredible work undertaken by Michelle Streatfeild, the fearless leader who successfully transitioned the little school into a full P-12 School in 2021.
Michelle’s work ethic and attention to detail are a sight to behold. Without her and her family, the mechanism of school life, and the details of learning and thriving, would not have happened. This spiritual, talented, and highly committed professional was essential to the culture and character of who we are as an Adventist School. The Streatfield’s example of service, kindness and exemplary commitment to our students is a reminder of Matthew 25:3 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
The entire School family would like to thank Michelle for her efforts and to honour her as she begins the next chapter of her journey. Thank you, Michelle, for showing us what it looks like to care for God’s children in such a beautiful way.
While 2020 has been a very tough chapter in the life of Wahroonga, we can hardly wait to see what God has in store for the School in 2021. Our story is far from over!
We move forward with hope and anticipation to the next chapter. We are in the hands of our ever-present, entirely trustworthy God.
Michael St Mart
Head of Senior School
The Future Project - 2021
Congratulations Renee and Fraser (Year 11, 2021) for being selected to take part in The Future Project 2021 as Senior Research Interns.
The Future Project is a unique collaboration between scientists, engineers and secondary school students designed to inspire and equip the next generation. It achieves this by providing students with the opportunity to work with and be mentored through research projects guided by leading scientists and engineers.
Students will attend The Future Project weekly and during school holidays at an industry-standard research facility at The King's School. Renee and Fraser were chosen to make up the final 20 external participants out of 200 applicants.
Year 8 Invictus Wellbeing Days
Year 8 spent 3 days offsite enjoying their Invictus Wellbeing Activity Days last week. Students hiked through our local national parks for 2 days and spent a day at Crosslands - enjoying the flying fox, high ropes, leap of faith and canoeing. The students not only had fun but were also challenged to expand their comfort zones, overcoming challenges, fears and adversity through the outdoor activities.
Year 5 - Sydney Zoo - Thursday 26th November 2020
Last week, Year 5 students went to the Sydney Zoo as part of three days of fun. On an exceedingly hot day, we got to enjoy exotic animals such as elephants, zebras, giraffes and many different species of primates. Sydney Zoo is also known for having the largest reptile and nocturnal animal exhibits in Australia. That was my personal favourite! We enjoyed the unique Aboriginal education session, where we were able to learn and experience Aboriginal culture through arm paintings and meeting tribal members. At the end of the day, some students beat the heat with ice blocks, a big hit with many!
Written by: Catie (Year 5)
Year 6 Surf Day, Avoca Beach - Wednesday 25th November
Last Friday, Year 6 travelled to Avoca Beach try their hand at surfing. It was a glorious day, and after being shown ‘how to’ and practising on the sand, everyone had a go at standing on the board and surfing into the shore. We won’t mention the many wipe-outs that may or may not have occurred! The students also had fun in the rockpools and lagoon, eating potato scallops and chips with the seagulls, too! Thanks, Mr Stewart, for organising a fun and educational day!
Year 8 - PASS Excursion - 25th November 2020
Year 8 PASS (Physical Activity and Sport Studies) students enjoyed a morning at Cables Wake Park. Throughout the unit of study, ‘Technology, Participation and Performance’, students have discussed the widespread applications of technology in physical activity and have examined through participating in kneeboarding and wakeboarding, how technology is used at Cables Wake Park.
Years 5 & 6 - Glenworth Valley - Thursday 3rd & Friday 4th December 2020
Grade 5 & 6 students had a wonderful time exploring the bush and trying horse riding at Glenworth Valley on Thursday and Friday this week. All students successfully rode the horses and thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Please talk with your children about what they have learnt from this experience.
Middle & Senior Term 4 Fundraiser & Free Dress Day - Friday 4th December 2020
Students were invited to come to School dressed in mufti today and donate a gold coin to help raise funds for the Movember Mental Health Foundation. We are very pleased to announce that the students managed to raise $1081! Well done everyone and a huge thanks for contributing to this worthy cause.
Kanya's Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
To anyone with whom I am not acquainted... Hi! I’m Kanya, and I believe that all people deserve to have a happy and healthy life, but I know that many people close to myself and my friends have had family members suffer from breast cancer or have suffered from breast cancer themselves. It is a debilitating illness that I and many others wish to abolish one day in the future.
For this reason, I have been raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation by promising that if I reach $1,000 in donations, I will shave my head and donate my hair to help make wigs for kids with cancer.
Well, thanks to my many friends, family and those I don’t even know, I have raised over $1,600 and this week I did shave my head; thank you so much for your support. The good news is that the foundation is willing to keep my fund raising site going a little longer if more people would like to donate to this worthy cause. It would be amazing if I could reach the $2,000 mark.
So, I would very much appreciate it if you could spread the word and even donate some money as well if you haven’t already had the chance. This foundation means a lot to both me and a lot of my friends and their families so even one dollar towards this honourable cause would mean the world! Here is the link for sharing:
PS All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Kanya
Upcoming Middle & Senior School Events
Year 5 & 6 - Fun Day - Cables Aqua Park - Monday 7th December 2020
The Year 5 & 6 students will get to enjoy a fun day on Monday! Sparrow Sports will be onsite in the morning to facilitate a variety of games, then at 10.30am students will head to Cables Aqua Park at Penrith. Students need to take their swimmers, towel, hat, sunscreen, lunch, snacks and plenty of water. Students are expected to return to School by 3pm. Please ensure you have signed and submitted your child's waiver form by Monday morning if you haven't already. The waiver form can be found under your child's class group on Skoolbag.
Year 6 Dinner - Wonderland @ Wahroonga - Tuesday 8th December 2020
The Year 6 Dinner is scheduled for Tuesday 8th December - please see below for details
Time: 6.00pm (canapes and photos with parents))
Finishing Time: 9.00pm pickup
Location: "The Rooftop" - Wahroonga Adventist School (Level 3)
Dress Code: Modest semi-formal - Boys: Collared shirt and tie; Girls: - Dresses (no midriffs etc..)
High School Sign Out Day - Tuesday 8th December 2020
High School Sign-Out day is scheduled for Tuesday, 8th December. Please ensure students have all their books, laptops, chargers, stylus pens etc.. with them that day ready to return so they can be deregistered for 2020.
High School Speech Night - Wednesday 9th December 2020
The link to the High School Speech Night will be emailed to parents on Wednesday 9th December so they can view the event with their children from the comfort of home that evening.
High School Fun Day - Raging Waters - Thursday 10th December 2020
Our High School Fun Day to Raging Waters is taking place on Thursday 10th December. Students need to be at school ready to depart by 8.15am, due to return approx 3.00pm. Students are to wear modest casual clothes (no short shorts or shoe string singlet tops, girls are to wear a one piece, no bikinis). Please ensure students take their swimmers, towel, sunscreen, hat, lunch, snacks and wet weather gear. There will be a shop open if students wish to purchase food on the day. A permission note with all the details will be emailed out today.
End of Year Reports for Years 5 to 11
Please note end of year reports for all students in Years 5 to 11 will be sent home (Years 5 & 6) /available on Seqta (Years 7 to 11) on Thursday 10th December 2020.
Student Spotlight - Year 12, 2021
Meet Zach...
1. How long have you been at Wahroonga?
I’ve been here since Kindergarten so it’s been 12 years.
2. What subjects are you studying in your HSC?
Biology, Chemistry, Advanced English, Maths Standard, Modern History.
3. What’s your greatest life achievement so far (either in school or out)?
Getting to CIS Athletics for the 400m.
4. What advice would you give your Year-seven-self who is starting high school?
Start and finish the work earlier!
5. What career would you like to do once you leave school?
Paramedicine or maybe Physiotherapy.
6. Any school study/survival tips for those in younger grades?
Have a weekly routine and give yourself structured blocks for spare time.
7. Best thing you’ve ever eaten for lunch?
Fruit salad from the canteen.
8. Favourite excursion?
Australian Federal Police Headquarters for Forensics in Year 8.
9. Favourite day at school and why?
The trip to Calmsley Hill City Farm for our Geography field work.
10. A quote from you...
“When is it due again?”
Meet Grace....
1. How long have you been at Wahroonga?
Since Year 4 so 8 years, but I took one year off to go overseas, so 7 in total.
2. What subjects are you studying in your HSC?
Music 1, Ancient History, English Advanced, English Extension, French Continuers, French Continuers Extension and Studies of Religion 1 which is 11 units in total.
3. What’s your greatest life achievement so far (either in school or out)?
A one-year exchange program in the North-East of France where I got to learn the language in 8 months.
4. What advice would you give your Year-seven-self who is starting high school?
Whatever is going on now will end, and it will get better! Also, the work will be worth it in the end.
5. What career would you like to do once you leave school?
Looking at a double major in Law and either Criminology, Political Science or Global Studies to hopefully get into Criminal or International Law.
6. Any school study/survival tips for those in younger grades?
Don’t do it the night before! And also, don’t focus on making your notes pretty which I learnt the hard way. Focus on learning the content first before you decorate your work. I was the worst at just highlighting my study notes all the time. So basically, don’t procrastinate!
7. Best thing you’ve ever eaten for lunch?
Definitely Mr Ed’s pancakes. He gave me his leftover caramel sauce and I ate breakfast pancakes with his caramel sauce for lunch.
8. Favourite excursion?
Our Year 9 Drama excursion to Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
9. Favourite day at school and why?
Probably Agriculture Day because there were baby animals and I got to dress up as a carrot.
10. A quote from you...
T.S. Elliot once said, ‘Criticism is as inevitable as breathing’ but I say, ‘it just builds an awful lot of resilience’.
Term Dates for 2020
- Term 4 - Monday, 12th October 2020 - Thursday, 10th December 2020
Term Dates for 2021
Return to School Dates - Term 1, 2021
Prep, Kindy, Year 7 & Year 12 - Wednesday, 27th January 2021
All Other Years (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 & 11) - Thursday, 28th January 2021
- Term 1 - Commencement Dates Above - Thursday, 1st April 2021
- Term 2 - Monday, 19th April 2021 - Friday, 25th June 2021
- Term 3 - Wednesday, 14th July 2021 - Friday, 17th September 2021
- Term 4 - Tuesday, 5th October 2021 - Friday, 10th December 2021
Library News
Book Returns
All library books were due back last week, so if your child still has library books at home please assist them in getting the books found and returned to the library. If books are lost please pay a $25 per book replacement fee at the school office, or alternatively buy a replacement copy of the lost book for the library. Thanking you.
High School Sign-Out Day
High School Sign-Out day is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8. Each student from Years 7-10 has been given a list of the books they need to return on this day to ensure that they are all found and cleaned beforehand. Current loans and a list of instructions for cleaning can also be accessed on the library WebApp (bit.ly/waslibrary).
Home and School
Gingerbread Competition
Thank you to everyone who entered the Gingerbread House Competition for 2020, run by Home and School. There were so many amazing Gingerbread houses, and some very creative ones. We had 40 entries and some categories were very tough to judge. We have made mention to a couple of Honourable Mentions as the competition was that close. Congratulations to our winners in each division. We hope you had fun creating your Gingerbread houses.
1) Most Creative - Junior School: James and Lilly A
Honourable Mention: Gabriel G
2) Most Creative - Middle School: Sophie C
3) Most Creative - Senior School: Jessica M
4) Best Nativity House: Ella R
5) Best Summer House: Kyle and Peyton S
Honourable Mention: Liam C
6) Best Winter House - Junior School: Caleb and Jasmin L
7) Best Winter House - Middle School: Charlotte S
8) Best Winter House - Senior School: Charlotte L
Beyond our School Yard
A huge thanks to everyone for their submissions and donations to Operation Christmas Child, Dignity and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women's Shelter.
If you could please bring in any final donations by Wednesday morning 9th December it would be greatly appreciated. That will be the final day for collections.
Any questions in relation to these initiatives, please contact Mel Harris - melinda@spect.com.au
Meals with Love
Thank you to the school families that donated homecooked meals at the beginning of the year. Thanks also to our amazing Canteen and School office staff for their support and distribution of meals.
Don't forget - if you'd like to be part of the Meals with Love Team in 2021 we would be thrilled to hear from you. We hope the meals brightened the day of the families that received them. Have a blessed Christmas and wonderful holiday break.
Nicola Binns: nicolasweetman@gmail.com
Tish Armstrong: tishiarmstrong@hotmail.com