‘Can I help?’  The question was asked as I was digging in the Primary Sensory Garden with some Environmental Ambassadors. Soon there was a large group of enthusiastic gardeners discovering worms and even a ring as they prepared the soil for planting.

The enthusiasm of the students was heartwarming. The attitude of willingly being involved in a purpose bigger than themselves, is a characteristic we deliberately encourage in our students.

As Mission Australia so eloquently stated in their 2023 focus – Choose ‘we’ instead of ‘me’. Philippians 2:4 encourages us to look out for the interest of others, not our own and this resonates in our school community.

This morning, we celebrated our fathers, both present and past, with a wonderful Father’s Day Breakfast. It was great to see so many dads, and all made possible by our community coming together and thinking of ‘we’ instead of ‘me’. Happy Father’s Day.

God bless

Julia Heise

In the ever-shifting sands of life that we all know well - we find stability in Jesus—the unshaken cornerstone. Just as an architect ensures a building’s stability by anchoring it to solid ground, we too have to build our lives on Jesus. His teachings carry through time, showing us how to be wise builders.

For all the dads out there, we mirror God’s love and guidance. We’re called to be spiritual leaders, nurturing faith in our children. Like the wise man who built on rock, we anchor our families in prayer, grace, and integrity. Our legacy isn’t in grand gestures but in daily acts of kindness, forgiveness, and consistent and available love for our families.

This Father’s Day let’s celebrate the dads who model Christ’s unwavering love. May our homes be havens of laughter, grace, and shared faith—a legacy built on the Rock that withstands life’s storms. 🏠🙏

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

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

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.

RUOK? Day is a day dedicated to fostering conversations that could change a life. It's a reminder to check in on our friends, family, and colleagues—not just today, but every day.

At WAS we will come together to raise awareness and support every student’s mental health. The SRC will be running the day and have exciting activities lined up.

Sport Uniform & Yellow Accessory: Show your support by wearing a yellow accessory with a gold coin donation. We hope to brighten up the day with a splash of yellow!

Cupcake and Other Treats Sale: Indulge in some delicious cupcakes, with all proceeds going towards the organisation.

Games & Activities: Get involved in fun games and activities throughout lunch break. Students will participate for a chance to win exciting prizes!

Please keep an eye out for information that will be sent home soon. For more resources head HERE

SRC Coordinators,

Miss McCartney, Mrs Ah-You, Mr Tait

With RUOK? DAY approaching, it is a great opportunity to reflect on the importance of building strong, positive relationships with the children and young people in our care. Research shows that children and young people thrive in environments where they feel loved, supported, and understood.

One way that we can build a trusting relationship is by being is present in the moment and showing acceptance. Being present means listening actively, responding thoughtfully, and focusing on the moment, so they feel truly heard and supported.

Here are some tips for to remember when communicating with your child and young person.

1. Find the Right Time: Choose a moment when you’re not distracted by work or household tasks. Dinner time, car rides, or during a walk are often great opportunities to engage in meaningful conversation.

2. Put Away Devices: Set aside phones, laptops, and other distractions. This helps signal to your child that they have your undivided attention.

3. Listen Without Interrupting: Let your child express themselves without jumping in to offer solutions or corrections. Sometimes, they simply need to feel heard.

4. Respond with Empathy: Acknowledge their feelings by saying things like, “That sounds tough” or “I can see how you’d feel that way.” Validating their emotions is key to building trust.

5. Be Mindful of Body Language: Sometimes, being present is more than just listening to words. Lean in, maintain eye contact, and nod to show you're engaged in what they’re saying.

6. Follow Up: Checking in after the conversation can show that you really care. Asking how they’re doing a few days later keeps the lines of communication open.

As we mark RUOK? Day this year, let’s remember that the simple act of being present can have a lasting impact on our children’s emotional well-being. The more we model active listening and genuine engagement, the more likely our kids will feel safe to come to us with their concerns.

Let’s keep the conversation going.

For more tips on starting meaningful conversations with your children, visit the RUOK? website at HERE

Miss Rogers

It is with great excitement that we share the news that Tamika Sutton, our Head of PDHPE, is currently representing Australia in the IFAF Flag Football World Championship. She is presently in Lahti, Finland along with 22 other women’s teams from 6 continents around the world.  Flag Football is one of the new sports being introduced to the LA Olympics in 2028.  Please click the link below for an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday August 25 that features the newest growing sport and our very own Tamika!  Check the next newsletter for news from the Finland games.

SMH Article

It is with great sadness that we farewell beloved Nerolie, our kind and efficient Student Services person, as she starts her next chapter.  Nerolie has been working at the school for the last 5 years and has been part of our community for a lot longer.  We wish her well for what the future holds and thank her for her years of great service.  She will be missed by all.

All Primary students, Prep to Year 6, are to be collected from the basement UNLESS they have Secondary siblings at school .

Primary students who have Secondary siblings will wait on the synthetic grass area with a duty staff member until 3:10pm when they will be taken to the back gate to meet their Secondary siblings for collection by parents. The back gate will only open at 3:10pm.

Only students who are being picked up by car in the Kiss & Drop Lane are to exit via the back gate. All other students must leave through the front ramp gate and walk to the back car park via the lane between the School and Church, including student drivers.

Parents are to remain in their car when collecting students from the basement or back gate. Staff in the basement will assist students to cars.

Front gate pick up is for any parents walking to collect students. If parking near school to meet students on foot, please park in the student driver parking area and walk up the lane between the School and Church to meet students at the front gate. Please be patient as your children cannot leave until a teacher is on duty.

No cars are to use the lane between the School and Church as a pickup, drop off or turning area as this places others at risk.

For the safety of all students and to minimise delays, parents are asked to use pick up lines for the collection of all students at the end of each day. Please refer to the diagram below for a visual outline of these procedures and flow of traffic.

Entry and Exit to School

From 7.20am, the only pedestrian entry to the school is via the ramp gate next to the basement driveway. This early entry is ONLY for students who have morning classes or co-curricular activities. ALL other students are not to be onsite until 8am as there is no supervision.

Supervision in the playground commences at 8am and pedestrians are to enter the school via the front gate or through the basement by car.

At no time are students permitted to walk up or down the driveway to the basement carpark - this is for vehicle access only and is not safe for pedestrians.

The front gate is accessible from 8am to 4pm only.

Thank you for noting these procedures and for your assistance in keeping our students and community safe as they enter and leave the school grounds.

Seventh-day Adventist Schools (Greater Sydney) Ltd operates a Deductible Gift Fund for its Scholarship Program. Generous funds are received from Seventh-day Adventist churches, school communities and individuals for the purpose of supporting students in Adventist Schools in Sydney. Scholarships are awarded annually to students who face financial hardship in coming to our schools, by paying their tuition fees.

Today is the last opportunity to apply. Please use link below.

Scholarships

Applications close on 31 August 2024.

In Kindy, we just keep getting smarter and smarter. Recently we celebrated our 100 days of school! We have been counting each day from the beginning of the year ready to celebrate that we are now 100 days smarter. We dressed up like we were 100 years old and practised counting by 10’s and 5’s to 100. We made fairy bread with 100s and thousands, we wrote about what we would look like when we are 100 years old, we strung together 100 fruit loops to make necklaces and ended the day by making some special crowns!

Kindy is super fun!

Miss Dowe

In Kindy, we have been learning to read. Each week we learn new sounds and digraphs. We practice reading and writing these sounds. A big part of learning to read is recognising and using spelling rules. Recently we learnt that wherever Q goes U follows. To celebrate the union of these two letters we had a Quaint and Quiet wedding ceremony. All the students were in attendance with their very own q and u wedding crowns. We had our super ring bearer Elijah and Iris our lovely flower girl who led the happy Q and U couple down the Quilted aisle. They exchanged vows and rings, promising never to go anywhere without each other again. The happy couple received gifts such as a beautiful quilt, quail, quill and queen!

Congratulations goes to Q and U!

Miss Dowe

Dear Parents and Carers

We are pleased to announce Coach Jere and Mr Fulton will be running a multisport holiday camp in the first week of Term 3 school holidays.

Below is a flyer with information regarding what will occur over the 3 days.

Please fill out the form below for an expression of interest.

EOI Form

Coach Jere and Mr Fulton

Year 2 enjoyed creating artworks featuring their book week character. They had so much fun, and their creations looked amazing!

Mrs Ah-You

A big congratulations to Flynn M who recently competed at the 2024 SASMO (Singapore & Asian Schools Math Olympiad) competition, representing Wahroonga Adventist School.  Well done Flynn for doing so well and receiving the Silver Award for year 3 group.

Miss Kohama

To cap off our Book Week celebrations, published author, Andrew Dittmer, visited our school on Friday, August 23 to release his new book ‘Eight at a time.’ The students enjoyed listening to the story during Chapel and were then able to purchase their own copy of the book and get it signed by the author in the library during lunch time.

The book tackles some important issues around modern slavery and social justice in a very easy to digest way. It enables you, as parents, to have those conversations about how there are people who may live in similar situations to Jack and Ruby, the two octopus' characters in the book who ended up making bricks… eight at a time.

Signs publish the book, and it is available from the Adventist Book Center website HERE

Chaplaincy Team and Mrs Savage

Stage 1 Bush Tucker Incursion:
Last week, students in Years 1 and 2 had an exciting time during their Bush Tucker Incursion! They eagerly explored the rich traditions of Indigenous Australian cuisine, viewing a range of native foods and hunting tools. They also had a blast playing traditional games and cooking damper, a type of bread. The incursion was not only educational but also a fun and memorable way for students to connect with Australian’s natural heritage.

Year 1 and 2 Teachers

ACA Health Resource Competition:

Our Primary school classes had the opportunity to enter the Adventist Primary Schools Health Resource Competition! Three Wahroonga Primary classes have been working hard and using the Live More Happy Kids Journals in their classrooms and have entered this competition to win; 1L/C, 2A and 3/4R.

Videos have been uploaded and posted on the ACA Health Facebook Page. Voting is now open and will close on 20 September 2024. The video with the highest number of ‘Likes’ on Facebook will win a prize for their school or class.

Head to the Facebook page to support our wonderful Primary classes by liking and commenting on the post (The link to the Facebook page can be found below). Good luck to our wonderful classes!

LINK HERE

This week saw the launch of our ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ games for all primary students to come along and enjoy and what a beautiful day it was! It was great to see some of our SRC students leading out these games and encouraging everyone to get in and have a go!

Mrs Ah-You

Our Primary Chess Captains have been busy planning and running our first inter-house chess competition with four houses. 36 keen chess players from Year 1 to Year 6 have been stretching their game play in three levels form Beginner to Advanced. It is exciting to see the younger students playing with older ones and the mentoring that is occurring.

Mrs Heise

Year 11 Economics students recently participated in an education tour of the national capital, delving into the heart of Australian democracy and economics. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s legal and democratic heritage.  A visit to both Parliament and Old Parliament, the Royal Mint and the National Electoral Education Commission highlighted the role of government and democracy in action.  The highlight was seeing the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader debating a Bill in Parliament, then meeting our Federal member of Parliament the Hon. Paul Fletcher.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributed funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards the overall excursion costs. This rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Mrs McTernan

Over the course of this term, the Year 10 students have been studying the topic of Challenge, Risk and Safety: Empowering Young People. This topic includes a variety of subtopics that are relevant for young students coming of age. A key subtopic this term has been 'Road Safety'. Last Wednesday, students attended the Bstreetsmart event which was held at Qudos Bank Arena. This event is catered to young drivers about road safety. Our students witnessed a real-life skit of a car accident, listened to several guest speakers and then interacted with the different services the community offers. The students enjoyed their day learning about the importance of staying safe on the road.

Mr Ah-You

Last Friday evening a group of 20 students jumped on the bus and travelled to Hills for our Combined Worship Night.  It was a celebration to end their week of worship, which as we know is a special event for the entire school. Their theme was royalty, as we learned how Jesus is our King!

Students had a great time catching up with friends across our sisterhood of schools and heard from Pr. Jonny Ghosn, a guest from Gilson Collage, Victoria.

Chaplaincy Team

This year we had a handful of Year 7 & 8 students attend Space Camp at Western Sydney University. These students were able to participate in a variety of space simulations, presentations and activities. Below are some highlights from some of the students that attended. Congratulations to Francis G, Max L, Robbie L, Phoebe H and Makan W!

“The Space Camp was an extremely fun, confidence boosting and interactive experience. I connected with others very positively and joyfully. I am so glad I got to meet people that liked the same things as me. We learnt a lot about the different branches of science including the dates of inventions, quantum mechanics, robotics, the construction of spaceships, how astronauts live in space and what astronauts need to survive. We also met with many guest speakers that do a specific branch of science and lectured us about it, as we took many notes. My favourite guest speaker was a retired astronaut named Gregory Chamitoff who talked about his experience in space, it was such an honour. On the second last day we got invited into a planetarium (which is a big air-filled dome) where we watched a movie about NASA planning to go back to the moon. Overall, I learnt a lot, made new friendships and gave me a new week full of memories.” – Phoebe H

“I enjoyed making new friends, playing the simulations and learning more about space and science. The simulations were challenging and required critical thinking.” - Max L

“Space teams was the best program about space I have experienced yet. I connected with many new people, and met many guest speakers, who were all professionals in their area. We got to meet an astronaut who told us about his experience with space. At the end of all the talks, there was a Q and A. It was really helpful to be able to have a professor answer my questions about quantum entanglement. We played many simulators, which gave you a score based on how well you did the task. Teams competed to get the highest score on the tasks, which kept things competitive. We got a bunch of free stuff, including a notebook, pens, a special space teams mission patch, a NASA magazine, cards depicting all the planets, some stickers and a certificate with my name on it.” - Makan W

Space camp was a fantastic way for me to learn more about many branches of space and science along with connecting with others. Throughout the 7 day camp we listened to many lectures and took notes along with experimenting with virtual simulations which tested our knowledge and skills. This experience was a joy to participate in and will never be forgotten.

Robbie L

More Exciting News in Music

Amellia D a year 9 music student received the 2nd place in the 13–14-year-old, orchestra strings solo, in the Ryde Eisteddfod competition. This is a wonderful achievement showing her dedication and love for her instrument the violin. This is a large Eisteddfod which includes many students from all over Sydney. She is a budding musician who is active within our school ensembles and engaged in elective music.

Well Done, Amellia!

Mrs Vuceski

This past week, we had 14 students represent our school at the CSSA State Athletics Championships. The event was held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre which is a fantastic venue to compete at. Some of our students put on an amazing display of talent and were awarded a top 3 place which qualifies them for the NSW CIS Athletics Championships in 3 weeks.

Congratulations to all our athletes!

A special mention to Nathanael R for accumulating the most points in his age in which he was awarded Age Champion!

Mr Ah-You

On Monday 26 August, our 4 basketball teams (junior girls, junior boys, senior girls and senior boys) attended the CSSA North Met Basketball Gala Day. Jeremiah and the basketball program have been working with our teams to develop fundamental skills and set plays for basketball competitions like this. Many points were scored, and some great teamwork was on display. Special mention to the Senior girls' team who were able to make it to the Grand Final, but unfortunately fell short to Northern Beaches Christian School by 4 points.

Congratulations to all our basketballers!

Mr Ah-You

Congratulations to Emily L (KD), Ariyan S (KD), Bramma A (1L/C), Milana A (2J), Aston C (2A), Ethan M (2J), Isla N (2J), Judah P (2A), Cole A (3R), Scarlett A (3K), Lissy G (3K), Eliana S (3K), Cade T (3K), Harrison A (4R), Sabir C (4W), Hayley M (4R), Anwen M (4W), Aarav S (4W), Vihaan S (4W), Aimee D (5M), Madison E (5C), Hunter H (5M), Eden M (5M), Shreya N (5C), Olivia W (5M), Moksha Y (5M), Tate G (6A), Laura O (6A), Lachlan P (7A), Holly F (7W), Sebastian B (8A) and Amellia D (9A) who have all finished the Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Well done to all 150 students who have completed the Challenge this year!

PLEASE NOTE:  Student access to the Premier’s Reading Challenge is now closed! Mrs Savage will have access to the PRC website until Friday, September 6, so if you missed the cutoff date, please send her a list of the books you have read so she can enter them for you - email Mrs Savage ( [email protected] ). Entries can no longer be accepted after September 6.

On Monday morning, August 19, the primary school was packed full of wonderful book characters that arrived for our annual Book Week Dress-up Parade. The students’ imaginations and creativity were certainly on display with the huge array of interesting costumes and characters – Willy Wonka, Tin Man, minions, princesses, spiderman and many, many other fun characters all turned up for the parade. Thank you, students and parents, for letting your imaginations run wild and creating such wonderful memories.

Mrs Savage

Last week, our primary school students enjoyed a special VIP Story Time in the Library each lunch time as an extra Book Week celebration. Mrs Heise, Mr St Mart, Katie M (School Captain), Mrs Deppeler and Pr Renee all visited the library to share stories with the students. Our VIPs chose a wonderful selection of books to share, and each story was brought alive with some very interesting accents and sound effects. Katie M even chose to read a book she wrote herself as a seven-year-old.

During Book Week, Years 5 and 6 students started off their Library Bag project with a workshop presented by Suzanne Milne. In the next few weeks Brenden Lovett will be recording the students’ podcasts where they interview each other about what they are reading, ready for editing and broadcasting via the Library WebAPP at the beginning of Term 4.

The options for purchasing uniforms for Term 3 are:

Shop Open Hours: Tuesday morning 8.20am – 9.30am and Thursday afternoon 2pm – 3.20pm.

Online orders via Flexischools: Every Tuesday and Thursday Flexischool orders will be processed and available for collection. All orders close at 8pm the night before. Secondary School orders can be collected from the office. Primary School orders will be delivered to the student's classroom.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] .

Mrs Kelly Oldfield - Uniform Shop Manager

For more information or to arrange a fitting please contact Mrs Kelly Oldfield via email at [email protected].

Mrs Kelly Oldfield- Uniform Shop Manager

Dear Parents and Carers

We are excited to announce that we will be adding female navy trousers to our suite of uniforms from Term 3. These can be worn in Terms 2 and 3 as part of our winter uniform.

The trousers are to be ordered through the Uniform Shop or through Flexischools. There is at least a 2-week turnaround from date of payment and no exchanges or refunds will be granted for incorrect purchases.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Kind regards,

Kelly Oldfield - Uniform Shop Manager

We have a Working Bee coming up on September 15th from 9.00-12.00. Come for an hour or stay for the 3 hours. It is a relaxing way to meet some others from our school community and a great way to enhance our environmental opportunities.

Please RSVP below by September 6th to ensure we have numbers for morning tea.

Working Bee RSVP

Michelle Roberts - Home and School President

Term 4 we will be doing our Beyond Our School Yard Christmas Hamper food collection. This has become a Home and School tradition where we donate food hampers prior to Christmas to local charity services

Watch this space for an opportunity to complete a survey to help Home and School continue to develop and provide us with feedback. We are always looking for new volunteers so feel free to reach out and let us know how you feel you could be part of our school community.

Michelle Roberts

Home and School President