As I write this final Principal's message, I find myself reflecting on the many memorable moments we've shared over the past four years. It has been a rewarding journey, and it’s been a privilege to see our school community continue to grow and flourish. This progress has been made possible only through the unwavering support of you, our dedicated parents, the hard work of our dedicated staff, and the enthusiasm and commitment of our students.

On Friday our school was a sea of red and green as we celebrated Christmas, reminding us of the joy found in sharing. Whether it's sharing a smile, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, or our beliefs, it’s these simple acts that truly matter—far more than any material gift.

I am deeply proud of the people in our school—both big and small—for their kindness, their aspirations, and the way they support one another in their learning. I am also proud of the traditions we have established, such as our four core values, which guide us in our mission to develop young men and women of character. These values are the foundation of what truly matters in education: preparing individuals who will go on to make a meaningful difference in their communities and the world.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as your Principal. I leave with a heart full of gratitude for all the wonderful moments we've shared. I wish each and every one of you God's blessings—both now and in the years to come.

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Number 6:24-26

Julia Heise

As we come to the close of yet another year, our team pauses to say, “Thank you, Jesus.” Thank you, Jesus, for coming to this world when we were utterly helpless. Thank you, God, for showing your great love for us in Jesus laying down His life for us on the cross (Romans 5:6,8).

We are profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve our God in this beautiful school, filled with the next generation holding the future in their hands. Throughout the year, we have been blessed to witness God shining through so many young hearts. It has been a privilege to see His love and grace manifest in the lives of our students.

We are also excited to announce the release of two original congregational worship songs written and performed by our chapel team. These songs have already been submitted for release, and will be live within 3-5 days. Follow this link to the Spotify Pre-Save https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/waschapel/crown-of-victory-2 The 2-song release will be available on all streaming platforms.

As we celebrate this season of Christmas, let us remember the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ. His birth brought hope and salvation to the world. As the Bible says:

Isaiah 9:6 : "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

May this Christmas season fill your hearts with joy and peace. Let us continue to live for Jesus, sharing His love and light with everyone around us. Thank you for being a part of our school community and for your unwavering investment throughout the year.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year from the chaplains!

Environmental Ambassadors Explore Bobbin Head National Park

Last Thursday, our Primary and Secondary Environmental Ambassadors embarked on an inspiring excursion to Bobbin Head National Park. The day was filled with hands-on learning, exploration, and creativity, as students immersed themselves in the natural beauty and history of the area.

The ambassadors had the opportunity to learn about the diverse flora and fauna of the national park, discovering its ecological significance and appreciating its cultural heritage. One of the highlights of the day was visiting historical Aboriginal art and work sites, where students gained a deeper understanding of the connection between the land and its traditional custodians.

The adventure continued on the rainforest trail, where students spotted crayfish, spiders, and other fascinating wildlife. Inspired by their surroundings, they created stunning collage art pieces, capturing the beauty of their discoveries. They also tried their hand at watercolour painting, depicting native Australian plant species in vivid detail, and kept a nature journal to document their observations and reflections throughout the day.

A special thank you to Brad Crossman, one of our school parents and a member of the gardening committee, for leading the students through all the fun activities. His knowledge and enthusiasm made the day truly unforgettable.

This excursion was a wonderful opportunity for our Environmental Ambassadors to engage with the natural world, learn about conservation, and develop a greater appreciation for Australia’s rich biodiversity. It was a day of exploration, education, and inspiration that left everyone with a renewed passion for protecting our environment.

This week, Year 4 had the opportunity to interact the Advocacy Masks Year 5 had created. Students heard about the important messages behind these creative and meaningful masks. Some messages included advocating for mental health, gender equality, refugee rights, deforestation and water conservation. It was a valuable learning experience for all. Well done Year 5!

Year 4 & 5 Teachers

This term the year 4 students continued learning about our impact on the environment and how we can make a positive impact for a brighter future.

The focus was on plastic and the negative impact it has had not only in our oceans but also in our local bush reserve behind the school. We learnt from collecting rubbish, that most of the pollution that ends up in the bushland, comes from food packages that we often include in our lunchboxes.

Students created posters to inform and persuade students to consider bringing less plastic items in our lunchboxes looking at the advantages of doing so.

It was great to see the student’s passion about wanting to make a difference and recognising that even a small step in the right direction, can lead to a big impact in the future.

Chess has been a growing sport among our Primary students and Term 3 saw our very first Primary House Chess Competition. Ably led by the Chess Captains, 38 students from Year 1 to Year 6 played twice weekly in three categories – beginner, intermediate and advanced.

The games were keenly contested, and the House results were as follows:

4th – Robinson

3rd – Sisley

2nd – Stockton

1st – Irwin

There were only 3 points between the top two houses and we look forward to the next round of games in 2025.

The three-day intense swimming program was a great success. It was great to see our primary students learning new swimming techniques. The students showed enthusiasm and participated at their full potential. I was extremely pleased to see everyone giving it their best effort cannot wait for next years’ intense swimming program.

Jack Fulton

For more photos, please access the Parent Gallery sent to you separately via email.

Congratulations to Kloe I (12A) who received the ‘First in Photography, Video and Digital Imaging Award’ from the Sydney School of Distance Education on Thursday, November 21. This is the second year in a row that Kloe has achieved first in course which showcases her passion for and dedication to photography, video and digital imaging. Kloe will be further pursuing this passion as she begins her tertiary education journey starting a ‘Bachelor of Screen Production’ course in 2025. We wish her every success for her future studies.

We are thrilled to announce that four of our students have been recognised with CSIRO CREST Awards this year for their outstanding STEM investigations.

Elijah V received the Orange Award for his Water Flocculation investigation.

Amellia D was awarded the Blue Award and Medallion for her study of Household Food Waste.

Makan W earned the Bronze Award and Medallion for his research into Plastic Degradation,

Aojie L received a Bronze Award and Medallion for her investigation into Aeroplanes.

These awards highlight the exceptional dedication and creativity our students have shown in completing open-ended STEM projects. Congratulations to all!

Our Year 10 Commerce students showcased their entrepreneurial talents during this year’s exciting Market Day , transforming the school grounds into a vibrant marketplace. From DIY desserts and treats to pizzas, pancakes and baked delights, the event highlighted weeks of planning and learning about business operations, including budgeting, marketing, and customer service.

The event provided a practical application of key concepts from the Commerce curriculum, including business planning, budgeting, marketing, and customer service. Students experienced firsthand the rewards and challenges of running a business while developing essential skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.

The markets were a great success, raising funds for their Year 11 Mission trip.  A big thank you to the Year 10 Commerce students for their teamwork, creativity and enthusiasm.  Thanks also to the school community for supporting the event and helping make it a fun, memorable event.

Select students from Years 7 and 8 participated in this year’s Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO), a competition which gives students half an hour to attempt sets of five challenging mathematical problems without the aide of a calculator. Special mention goes to Evangeline D, Christopher D, Nethya W, Makan W and Max L, who each achieved a top 25% result, and to Declan C and Rithwik J, who each achieved a top 10% result. Congratulations goes to Tiffany L on scoring the highest individual result for the team. Well done to everyone who participated.

This week, our Year 7 students embarked on a cross-curricula STEM Challenge Day that showcased the power of creativity and innovation through the lens of the design thinking process! They worked diligently to empathise with users, define the problem, and then ideate and prototype their very own solar ovens. It was amazing to see their ideas come to life as they explored the principles of science and engineering.

Throughout the day, they embraced testing their designs, learning through iteration and refinement. After this hands-on journey, the students presented their findings to their peers, showcasing not only their innovative designs but also the science and thought processes behind them.

A special thank you to our Year 9 students, who stepped up as group leaders, guiding and mentoring their younger peers throughout the day. What a fantastic example of collaborative learning!

Our Student Leaders recently participated in a transformative day dedicated to enhancing their leadership skills. The event featured a diverse lineup of motivational speakers who emphasised the power of leadership and reminded students that age is no barrier to making a difference. Throughout the day, our student leaders were inspired to embrace their potential and step into roles of influence.

In addition to the thought-provoking online presentations, students had the valuable opportunity to collaborate with their peers from our sister Adventist schools, fostering a sense of community and connection.

Our School Captain, Toby P, shared his key takeaways from the summit:

"Be overly grateful for what you have, then double it!"

"Unique influence can motivate and enlighten a universe inside people."

These powerful messages serve as a reminder of the impact that gratitude and individual leadership can have on both ourselves and those around us.

To see all the photos from the event, please access the Parent Gallery.

WAS Basketball had an eventful and exciting week taking 3 teams to the Australian Schools Championships on the Gold Coast to compete against different schools all over the country.

Every player involved did our school very proud and represented  our school the right way.

I look forward to seeing the  continual growth of the players through this amazing experience given.

We had 4 teams compete today with special mentions to our senior Open Boys team beating Pacific Hills Christian, Covenant Christian, Northern Beaches Christian and tied against Oxford Falls which qualified us for the grand final in a rematch with Northern beaches.

The grand final was intense, and the game needed to go overtime with the score 1-1. Northern Beaches scored and we were not able to get one back and unfortunately suffered a 2-1 loss. A huge achievement as this was the first time we’ve made a Touch Grand Final! Congratulations to all touch teams.

Thank you to all families that have finalised your accounts with us this year.  We will be emailing your final statements later this week which need to be cleared by the end of the year.  If you will not be paying all of your account this year or have any queries, please email [email protected] as soon as possible to arrange a payment plan.

Kind regards

Kelly

Congratulations to David L (9A), who has achieved his Premier’s Reading Challenge Medallion for completing the Premier’s Reading Challenge every year from Year 3 to Year 9.

Well done also to the following students who received special certificates this year:

Gold (Completed the PRC 4 times): Cole A (3R), James B (3R), Samuel B (3K), Chloe C (3K), Lissy G (3K), Max G (3K), Amelia K (3K), Chandler L (3K), Hugh A (5M), Amrit G (5C), Oscar L (5C), James R (5C), Jahanaz G (6A), Mila J (6A) and Ian W (6A).

Platinum (Completed the PRC 7 times): Charlie B (6A), Eliza C (6A), Gaba G (6A), Tate G (6A), Nicolas J (6A), Jasmine L (6A), Ryan L (6A), Aleah M (6A), Laura O (6A) and Nethya W (7W).

Many congratulations to all 155 students who completed the 2024 Premier’s Reading Challenge. All certificates were handed out during assembly on Monday morning, so if your child was away that day please ask them to come and collect their certificate from Mrs Savage.

Our Year 5 and 6 ‘Library Bag’ podcasts are continuing to be loaded onto the Library WebApp ( bit.ly/waslibrary ). There are 10 podcasts available to listen to on the library WebApp homepage or click on the link to be directed to the ‘Library Bag’ website where all the podcasts that have been broadcast so far are available.

All library books were due back two weeks ago, so if your child still has library books at home please assist them in getting the books found and returned to the library – you can access your child’s borrowing records on the Library WebApp ( bit.ly/waslibrary ).  If books are lost or not returned, a $25 per book replacement fee will be applied to your school account, or alternatively please buy a replacement copy of the lost book for the library.  Thanking you.

As we approach the joyous season of Advent, we are excited to invite you to a very special event celebrating the spirit of Christmas. Mark your calendars for December 14, 2024 , as we come together to reflect, rejoice, and embrace the true meaning of this blessed season.

Event Details:

Date : Saturday, December 14, 2024

Time : 10:30am

Location : Thornleigh Adventist Church, 10 Yarrara Road Pennant Hills NSW 2120

Theme : Here Comes the Son

We have a wonderful program planned for this advent service, including:

Advent Reflections and Prayers

Christmas Carols

Community Fellowship and lunch afterwards

A Special Message of Hope and Joy

This event is open to all, so please feel free to bring your family and friends to share in this festive time of year. It will be a perfect opportunity to prepare our hearts for the Christmas season and to celebrate the gift of hope that Advent brings.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Thornleigh Pastoral & Worship Team