Alpha then omega, the beginning and the end. This has been a theme this week with Year 12 celebrating the end of their school career. As our youngest Prep students placed lolly leis around the necks of the graduating Year 12’s, the symbolism was apparent. The promise of what is to come and the recognition of what has been achieved.

The inaugural valedictory dinner was a highlight for families followed by graduation chapel where the Year 12’s shone. Thank you to Ms Small, a Year 12 parent, for championing the dinner which will now be a wonderful tradition.

Recently a stranger commented to me about the quality of our Year 12 students, and I couldn’t agree more. They are a talented group in a variety of fields from academic pursuits to sailing in world championships, to playing basketball at Nationals.

Six of the Year 12’s have been nominated for the prestigious HSC Showcase, which is an outstanding effort. Two for Music ENCORE, three for Industrial Technology SHAPE and one for Textiles Design SHAPE. Congratulations to the students and their teachers.

In other Year groups there is a lot happening – Year 11 finished exams and flew out to Fiji for their service-learning trip, Primary students recorded their songs for the upcoming Primary concert, Year 9 returned from an adventurous camp in the Royal National Park, Year 8 attended a musical, Year 10 Geography spent a day at Cronulla and the list goes on.

Beginning and endings – all part of life’s journey for students to make the most of as they learn through varied experiences. For one of our Office Staff, Jen, this is the end of her time at Wahroonga. Jen has brought another level of organisation to our team, and we wish her all the best.

I look forward to another beginning in Term 4 with all students returning on Tuesday.

God bless,

Julia Heise

This Thursday, our Year 11 students embarked on an exciting adventure to Vatuvonu Adventist School in Fiji. This mission trip is a unique opportunity for our students to serve the local community and gain firsthand experience of life in rural Fiji. The excitement among the students is palpable as they prepare to immerse themselves in this enriching experience.

Our mission trips are a cornerstone of our school's commitment to fostering a spirit of service and global awareness. As a Christian school, we believe in the importance of reaching out and making a positive impact on communities in need. These trips not only provide invaluable life lessons but also help our students grow in their faith and understanding of God’s love in action.

In Week 1 of Term 4, we will be hosting a special Fiji Chapel to share the experiences and stories from the trip. We warmly invite all parents to join us for this event and witness the transformative power of service through the eyes of our students.

Reflecting on the purpose of our mission trips, we are reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

This verse encapsulates the heart of our mission – to serve others as an expression of our faith and love for God.

We look forward to seeing the positive impact this trip will have on both the Vatuvonu community and our students. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for our Year 11’s as they embark on this meaningful journey.

Pr. Nick Kross

You can access the list of upcoming School events via the link below. The School Calendar is also available under the Parent Information tab on the School website.

Please click on the link below to view the school term dates and public holiday information for 2024.

It is with sadness that we say farewell to Jen from our front office.  Even though she has only been in the office for a short time, she has made a long lasting impression with our students and staff.  Thank you for your positive contribution to our School and we wish you well for your future.

Flexischool orders for lunches are available until 8am each morning. After this time, you are unable to order via the app.

If you wish to contact the office to order a lunch for your child because you have missed the timeframe you will be charged a $10 fee and the canteen are only able to offer a cheese toastie, cookie and fruit cup. The canteen can do this for Primary school students only.

If your child is in High School and you miss the cut-off time to order, please send them with cash or card to purchase lunch at the canteen window.

We will no longer be taking late orders for High School students.

Kelly Oldfield,

Operations Co-ordinator

This week our Primary school classes were privileged to visit the Adventist Media Centre's recording studio to record our songs for our upcoming Primary concert. It was such a fun experience! The students loved singing and hearing their voices with their songs! A big thank you to Dale from the Media Centre for recording our songs!

Primary School Teachers

This term 2A have been learning about persuasive writing. This week our chairs decided to go on strike instructing us to write a persuasive letter convincing them why we should get them back! In the end, our letters must have been pretty convincing as they decided to let us have them back!

Well done, 2A!

Mrs Ah-You

Anyone who has completed a major project—or lived with someone who has—understands the incredible effort required to bring an idea to life. The countless hours of dedication often go unnoticed, but today we are thrilled to recognise our very own Katie M for her outstanding work. Katie has been nominated for outstanding work in HSC Textiles and Design.

What makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is that Katie balanced her project with the many responsibilities of being our school captain. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence are truly commendable, and we are all incredibly proud of her success.

Peta Tamms

We have received some wonderful news from NESA nominating two of our students for Encore.

Jett O and Ryan C have both been awarded this nomination. Encore is a concert that is held at the Sydney Opera House where some of the best HSC performances and compositions are displayed. These two students will now record their performances and send them off to NESA where they will be watched and potentially chosen for the concert. This is a big achievement from these two students. Thousands of students sat the music 1, music 2 and extension courses in NSW and only a small number have been nominated in the whole state, including our very own Jett and Ryan.

Jett completed four performances which were contemporary in style however all encompassed different subgenres within his program. He has worked closely in lessons and in performances with our guitar tutor and session musician Mr Mitchell Clews to refine his playing and performance skills. Under Mitchell’s tutelage Jett has been given the opportunity to perform with him and other professional musicians at various school events and the HSC practical examination. Throughout this time, he has been afforded the opportunity to learn and play from the some of the best contemporary musicians in Australia resulting in immense growth and training as a young musician. He has risen to the occasion and explored his passion for guitar performance resulting in this nomination.

Ryan also completed 4 performances and worked closely with his accompanist. Ryan was fortunate to perform a piece which is yet to be premiered by his violin teacher. This composer allowed Ryan to perform her piece at the HSC performance exam. The composer in question is none other than Elana Kats-Chernin. This is a wonderful opportunity given to Ryan and he has really risen to the occasion and is to be commended on his highly skilful violin performance skills, which he has explored throughout his time at our school and really embodied in his HSC performance examination. Throughout his time at the school Ryan has been concert master in both the school orchestra and Camerata strings.

A big congratulations to both Jett and Ryan on this wonderful accomplishment!

Mrs Vuceski

This year our HSC Industrial Technology students created some amazing projects.  Students are tasked with designing and constructing a custom piece of furniture made primarily from timber.  The kids sourced and ordered all their own timber, drew up CAD models and working drawings and created cut lists.  It is a large task to undertake and the whole class managed to complete their projects this year.  They were all very dedicated and spent many hours after school, during free periods and throughout the holidays to ensure completion on time.

Three of our Industrial Technology students were nominated this year for the SHAPE exhibition.  The SHAPE exhibition features a selection of students’ exemplary 2024 HSC major projects from Design and Technology, Industrial Technology and Textiles and Design. Congratulation to Alexander M, Abbey S and Lachlan W for this outstanding recognition from NESA and to the whole class for your phenomenal work ethic, positive attitudes and amazing Major Projects.

Mr Coyte

After a busy few weeks of basketball, our Open Girls Basketball Team were invited to attend another basketball competition, the CSSA State Basketball Gala Day for the third year in a row. Last Friday, our girls went out to Penrith and competed against the winning teams from the other zones around the State. The girls started the competition well with 2 convincing wins and then falling short in their last. They finished 2nd place in their pool and qualified for the semi-final. They competed against Inaburra which was the rematch from last year's Grand Final. The girls showed heart and walked away with the win for a chance to win it all in the Grand Final. Our girls versed an elite team from Maitland. The game was intense with multiple lead changes. Unfortunately, our girls fell short, losing the game by 4 points. Congratulations to our Open Girls Basketball team!

Mr Ah-You

On Tuesday, we had 4 students compete at the CIS Athletics Championship; Jimmy T, Alessandra P, Sam K & Joel R. Representing CSSA, each student competed with class and passion performing to the best of their ability. Congratulations to our athletes!

Mr Ah-You

This week Year 7 students Callum Hosford and Ayrick Hosseinnejad are representing Hornsby Kuringai Spiders at the U14 Footlocker Club Championships in Melbourne.

Their Under 14 Spiders team is one of the top teams in New South Wales this season which has qualified them for the national tournament.

Good luck boys!

Coach Jere

This term, our Year 5 and 6 students have launched an exciting new project called LibraryBag , where they created podcasts to share their love of reading. As part of this initiative, students paired up to interview each other about the books they've been reading, using thoughtful questions to delve deeper into plot, characters, and themes. The project has not only sharpened their interview skills but has also fostered a greater appreciation for books across the year groups. We are so proud of their creativity and enthusiasm for sharing stories!

Mr Cowley, Mrs Costa and Ms Andrews (on behalf of Mrs Savage)

This is a friendly reminder that all students are required to wear their summer uniforms when Term 4 begins.

Now is an ideal time to ensure that your uniform still fits and to purchase any additional items you may need.

We have a variety of second-hand uniforms available in our shop. You can also buy new items through Flexischools.com.au or during our regular opening hours.

The Uniform Shop is open on Tuesdays from 8:20 to 9:20 am and Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.

Please note that the shop will be closed during the school holidays.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Mrs Kelly Oldfield,

Operations Co-ordinator

Working Bee

On Sunday 15th September members of our school community gathered to improve and maintain our green school environment. Many jobs were completed including mulching of gardens, updating the shade cloth around the chickens, cleaning the fishponds, vegetable gardening, planting new seedlings, transplanting plants and more. We all then celebrated our work by sharing a morning tea together. It was wonderful to see so many of our families, students and school staff attend this lovely occasion.

Call for Help

Our chicken coop is degrading quickly. We really need a new (or second hand) coop. Are you a builder or have handy skills to build a chicken coop? Or do you have one or can transport one to school? Please reach out if you can. We can help but just need some expertise in this area. Please contact Home and School if you can help with this at [email protected]

Thanks,

Brad and the Garden Committee

Last year the wholehearted giving of the school community meant that Fusion could distribute Christmas Hampers to ALL of their 150 community food program families. Looking Beyond our School Yard has led to this spirit of Christmas giving and the tradition of Christmas Hampers in term 4 each year.

Your level of support has meant that Fusion don't deplete their regular pantry stocks for the new year. Watch for the information about donating this year. Fusion have been extremely appreciative of the support provided by the Wahroonga School Community

Jodie L