At Wahroonga Adventist School we are committed to ensuring that the online learning environment is both safe and conducive for students to achieve their best. Limiting distractions and providing a secure online space are important parts of our commitment and our responsibility to students.

We are trialing a suite of tools to create a safer, more productive, distraction-free online environment that supports learning, wellbeing and helps students achieve their best.  The trial at Wahroonga is to prepare for the roll out in all Sydney Adventist schools in 2026.

Starting this term, Linewize Monitor, Connect and Classwize will be automatically installed on school-managed devices. Parents or students won't need to do anything for this to happen. We will, however, be sending out a feedback survey next term.

Linewize Connect applies our acceptable-use settings to student devices, supports age-appropriate browsing, reduces exposure to harmful content, and limits distractions (e.g., locking to a specific site or activity when directed by the teacher).

Linewize Monitor detects and alerts staff to concerning digital activity and risks (such as potential self-harm, bullying, or exploitation) on school accounts and school-managed devices. Alerts are sent to designated school staff for review and follow-up during school hours.

Classwize empowers teachers to monitor student activity during class, provide discreet support, and ensure students remain on task.

Linewize includes a feature that is not currently part of our trial but will be implemented later that allows parents to monitor devices when not at school by providing an individual licence to the aligned platform, Qustodio . This will enable parents to protect their child’s personal device, such as a mobile phone or tablet, in the same way Linewize will protect your child’s School-issued device. Control of the school-owned student devices will be handed over to parents outside of school hours, enabling them to manage internet access and restrict certain sites as needed.

The roll out on devices and information to Year 3-6 students has started this week, and Year 7-9 students will commence in the next two weeks, followed by Years 10-12 students in Term 4.

Students are encouraged to discuss any concerns with you or their teachers. We believe these improvements support a focused, safe, and supportive environment, helping each student to thrive (our mission).

For information about Linewize visit: The Leading Cyber Safety Partner For Schools | Linewize . If you have any further questions, please reach out me or our Heads of Schools.

Yours sincerely,

Craig Young

Principal

With less than two weeks to go, excitement is building for our third annual Fiji Mission Trip to Vatuvonu Adventist School! Our team of 54 students, staff, and volunteers is preparing to serve the local school and surrounding community, continuing a meaningful partnership that grows stronger each year.

We’re calling on our community to support this year’s efforts through our GoFundMe campaign: Support Our Mission. Every dollar raised directly funds service projects on the ground. In our first year, we tackled repairs across the school and painted the entire girls’ dormitory. Last year, we rodent-proofed the kitchen storage rooms—a major undertaking—completed roofing repairs with our skilled tradesman, and handled numerous smaller fixes. This year, we’re returning with an list of projects to make a lasting impact.

https://gofund.me/53f3c30a4

Please keep our team in your prayers as we prepare for this journey. Pray for safety, meaningful experiences, character growth, and the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of both our students and the Vatuvonu community. We’re eager to share a snapshot of our team at Sydney International Airport in the next newsletter!

Back at school, our staff continues to pour their hearts into revealing Jesus to everyone who walks through our gates each day. If you’re a parent looking to get more involved in our chaplaincy ministry, we’d love to connect! Reach out to Pr Nick, Pr Justin, Pr Renee, or our Home and School President, Karen Doust, to explore opportunities to serve alongside us.

Bible Verse : “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23

Pr Nick
Lead Chaplain

Father’s Day Big Breakfast

What a wonderful morning we had celebrating our dads and father figures at the Father’s Day Big Breakfast ! The school grounds were filled with smiles, laughter, and the smell of delicious breakky burgers and muffins. It was heartwarming to see so many families come together to honour the special men in our children’s lives.

A big Thank You to:

Mr Nick Coyte, for creating the Father’s Day gifts — the dads truly appreciated the thoughtful touch.

Mick Monteleone , for his many years of faithful service at the BBQ — your dedication is such a blessing to our community.

Michael St Mart for all his help behind the scenes with logistics, keeping everything running smoothly.

Jeremiah Amoah for rallying dads and students into the lively basketball games — a highlight of the morning!

And of course, all our wonderful Parent and Teacher volunteers who gave their time and energy to make this event a success. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in making this Father’s Day such a memorable and joy-filled celebration!

Home and School

RUOK Day Celebration
Yesterday our school recently celebrated RUOK Day with a vibrant yellow mufti day, delicious cupcakes for sale, and a variety of engaging activity rooms for students to enjoy during lunch.

Throughout the week leading up to the event, we participated in activities focused on the importance of checking in with each other.

Students were given the opportunity to send anonymous affirmation cards to their peers and to staff alike. The vast number of kind words being shared around the school emphasised the compassionate students we have here at Wahroonga.

A huge thank you to the SRC students for their incredible effort in decorating the cupcakes and for all their hard work behind the scenes. Your dedication truly made the day special!

Here are some thoughts from our students:
“My favourite part about RUOK Day was selling the cupcakes because it didn’t just make their day, it made my own day!” - Lucy 5L

“RUOK Day is important because someone might seem happy and joyful on the outside but they might be having a hard time on the inside so we have to be there for them.” - Martina 5L

Thank you to everyone who participated and made RUOK Day a memorable and meaningful event!

We are busy planning for next year, and new student orientations that occur in Term 4. If you wish to enrol a sibling for 2026, please submit your application ASAP. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind families of our Notice of Withdrawal Policy.

Notice of Withdrawal Policy:
Once a student is enrolled at the school, at least one term’s notice (10 weeks) of withdrawal must be given, in writing, to the Registrar at [email protected] . Failure to do so will incur a charge of one term’s fees. Holiday periods do not constitute adequate notice of withdrawal.

If your circumstances are changing and you wish to withdraw your child from Wahroonga Adventist School, we kindly ask that you notify us in writing as soon as possible, and no later than Friday, 26 September 2025, to avoid incurring any withdrawal fees. Should you have any questions or wish to discuss your child’s enrolment, please contact the enrolments office at [email protected] .

We are proud to celebrate Thomas B, who over the weekend won gold at the State Target Championships. This remarkable accomplishment is a testament to Thomas’ dedication, hard work, and talent. Congratulations, Thomas, on this fantastic achievement!

A devious criminal was trapped by the brilliant crime scene investigation crew from Wahroonga Adventist School Year 12 Chemistry class. Through detailed analysis of clues, the Chemistry students made great use of the sophisticated analysis tools available at Avondale University to perform complicated processes such as Infrared spectroscopy, colourimetry and esterification. The students were exposed to the real-world application of the material studied in school and experience the beautiful Avondale Campus.

Our Year 11 and Year 12 Physics students visited the University of New South Wales for a day of practical investigations using university-grade equipment and facilities. The focus was simple: apply theory, collect real data, and sharpen analysis.

Year 11

Electrostatic Field Plotting: Students mapped equipotential lines and inferred electric field directions around conductors, linking field strength to spacing and discussing sources of error.

Standing Waves on a String: By varying tension and frequency, students measured wavelengths, identified nodes/antinodes, and used v=fλv to connect results with wave models and resonance.

Year 12

Digital vs Analog Spectroscopy: Comparing instruments, students examined emission lines, resolution, and calibration, then related spectra to electron energy levels and quantisation.

Photoelectric Effect: Measuring stopping potential versus frequency, students determined work function and discussed threshold frequency—direct evidence for photon theory and key HSC content.

Thank you to the UNSW School of Physics staff and lab demonstrators for their support and clear guidance. Our students left with stronger practical confidence, better data skills, and a clearer view of Physics beyond the classroom.

The visit provided students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Australia’s political and legal systems by exploring some of the nation’s most significant institutions. At Parliament House, students observed democracy in action,  gaining insights into the law-making process and meeting the newly elected MP Nicolette Boele, while Old Parliament House offered a glimpse into Australia’s rich political history.

The tour also included visits to the High Court, where students learned about the role of the judiciary in shaping the law, and the Royal Australian Mint, where they discovered the process of designing and producing Australia’s currency. A highlight for many was the Australian War Memorial, which provided a moving and powerful reflection on the sacrifices made in service of our nation. Overall, the excursion was a highly valuable experience that brought classroom learning to life in an engaging and memorable way.

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 contributed funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards the overall excursion costs, paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Year 12 Visual Arts has wrapped up with a big week of packing away their Bodies of Work. After months of painting, sculpting, building and refining, the room was turned into packing space as students carefully boxed up their artworks. With their practical projects complete, they’re now switching gears and getting stuck into HSC exam prep, annotating artworks. We’re so proud of them and wish them all the best!

On Thursday 28 August, 21 students qualified to represent not only our school, but the CSSA North Met Zone at the CSSA State Athletics. The event was held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre with all our students competing to the best of their ability. Special mentions to the students who have now qualified for CIS by placing in the top 3 of their event, and to Nathanael R (Year 12) for achieving Age Champion! Congratulations to all our athletes!

Our Open Boys and Open Girls teams recently represented the school at the CSSA State Oztag Gala Day. While victories were hard to come by against some tough competition, both teams displayed skill, determination, and great sportsmanship throughout the day. There were plenty of highlights, including some impressive tries that showcased teamwork and creativity on the field. We are proud of the effort and enthusiasm our students brought to the tournament.

Last week, our school proudly sent four teams to compete at the CSSA North Met Zone Basketball Gala Day.

Across the day, our players faced strong competition, pushing themselves at a consistently high level. Their teamwork, resilience, and energy were evident in every game, and it was inspiring to see both experienced athletes and emerging talent stepping up to the challenge.

While results varied, what stood out was the way our students encouraged one another, demonstrated respect, and represented the school with pride. We congratulate all players for their fantastic effort and extend thanks to our coaches and supporting staff for their guidance and encouragement along the way.

Our school had a strong showing at the recent Flag Football Gala Day, sending teams in the Open Boys, two U15s Boys, and U15s Girls divisions. Most of our teams enjoyed success on the field with some excellent performances and plenty of highlights. The U15s Boys team came agonisingly close to making the semi-finals, missing out by just 2 points after a hard-fought competition. Congratulations to all students who represented the school with skill, determination, and great spirit.

Congratulations to Salani S (year 11), who had an outstanding swim meet at the 2025 Speedo NSW Senior State Championships. Competing against some of the fastest swimmers in the state, Salani showed her determination and skill in the backstroke events, bringing home three medals:

🥈 Silver in the 50m Backstroke

🥉 Bronze in the 100m Backstroke

🥉 Bronze in the 200m Backstroke

A fantastic achievement and a reflection of her hard work in training. Well done Salani.

Congratulations to Seb A (KD), Ned B (KD), Clara C (KD), Jack D (KC), Zoe D (KC), Noah L (KC), Iva S (KD), Leah W (KD), Raymon Y (KD), Callum B (1C), Isabella T (1B), Marina G (2A), Keyur N (2C), Hannah W (2A), Ira W (2A), Maxwell Z (2C), Oliver L (3J), Brody L (5L) and Phoebe H (8S) who have finished the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Well done!

PLEASE NOTE : The Premier’s Reading Challenge closes for student entries on Friday, September 19 . Please ensure your child’s reading list is entered before this date as Mrs Savage will be on leave from Thursday, September 18 and will not be available to add any entries after this date.

This week is the last week of borrowing for Term 3 for our Prep students – please ensure all your books are returned to the library before the end of term. For all other classes, borrowing continues up to and over the school holidays.

Monday CLOSED

Tuesday CLOSED

Wednesday 8:20 - 9:30 AM

Thursday 2.30 - 3:30 PM

Friday CLOSED

Please order through Flexischools for any orders where you know your sizing and what you may need. Flexischool orders will be collected from the office for High School and dropped to classes for Primary school on Thursdays and Fridays.