A Message from Mr Holden

Last week we had the pleasure of a visit from Newington Year 12 senior leaders, many of whom are ex Wyvern boys. The reason for their return to Wyvern was to participate in National Simultaneous Storytime with students from our Kindergarten to Year 2 classes. National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual campaign that aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes and bookshops. This year the book was Hickory Dickory Dash written by Tony Wilson and illustrated by Laura Wood. Apart from the excitement of the event and spending time with our Year 12 ‘giants’, it was wonderful for our boys to see first-hand the pleasure our eldest Newington students still derive from reading and storytelling.

This week our students have been immersed in a range of STEM activities as part of the Wyvern STEM week. From a Light and Sound Show, to Astronomy Night, to Go Cart construction as well as many other Science challenges, there has certainly been an exciting buzz of learning and fun in the STEM room. My thanks to the Wyvern Parents and Friends for their practical support of this bi-annual event.

Currently Newington’s Early Learning Centre is conducting 2019 enrolment interviews for the 3 Year old and 4 Year old programs. Should you or any of your friends or relatives be interested in securing a place, please contact our Director of Admissions Mrs Yvonne Kaloterakis on 9568 9337.

A reminder that Friday 8 June is a pupil free day followed by the public holiday on Monday 11 June. I do hope that you are able to catch your breath over this long weekend after what has been a very busy few weeks at Wyvern.

Ian Holden
Head of Wyvern House

Achievement Awards and House Points

 The following achievement awards were awarded at Assembly:

House Points

Artists of the Week

K – 2 Artists of the Week

Ross Tsaloukas 2H
Jacob Lim 2S
Jarryd Stanoff 2S

As the saying goes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and Year 2 have proven just that.  The boys have really enjoyed working on their mixed media self-portrait sculptures.  They have explored the idea of drawing the viewer into their artwork by the careful placement of objects and by the layering of materials to create interest.  There has been quite a buzz along the hallway with students stopping to explore these sculptures.  Ross, Jacob and Jarryd have shown great craftsmanship in the making of their sculptures. 

Yelena Rubi
K-2 Visual Arts Teacher

Donut Day Flyer

Clubs and Extra Curricular Activities at Wyvern – Term 2

Dear Parents,

Please find the 2018 Clubs and Extra Curricular Activities at Wyvern – Term 2 below. 

Term 2 Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities at Wyvern

Kind regards

Wyvern Office

da Vinci Decathlon 2018

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition held every year at Knox Grammar School for the students lucky enough to be selected to compete. In the theme of a decathlon, it has ten events that da Vinci was famous for. This year’s Decathlon was centred around ‘the Unexpected’. So on the 24th of May, two teams of eight, one from Year 5 and one from Year 6 set off for Knox. With a 7.00am departure and not arriving back until 4.30pm in the afternoon, it was a long and tiring day. We had been training for months and were extremely excited and happy to be going to Knox for this great day.  We were very proud to be going to represent the school. The bus ride took about an hour, after arriving we had a team photo, gave out our badges and had a pep talk before heading into Knox’s amazing Great Hall. In Year 5 and Year 6, there were over 1,500 kids in this amazing hall. In the first session we did Science, English, Creative Producers and Ideation. In the second session we did Maths, Cartography, Engineering and Art and Poetry, before finally doing General Knowledge and Code Breaking in the final session.

During recess and lunch we saw lots of friends we had at other schools also there for the decathlon. Their were also fun activities such as pop quizzes and activities such as decorating the tablecloth throughout the day. These made the day very enjoyable and exciting. But we were all excited and looking forward to the biggest event of the day, the awards ceremony. and we were very happy and proud to get 3rd in Mathematics for the Year 6 team. and a 3rd in Cartography and 2nd in English for the Year 5 team. We were also happy to learn that Lindfield also had some fantastic results. So we headed back to Wyvern at the end of the day tired, happy and and proud.  We really enjoyed the mateship of the day and the opportunity for such growth in academics.

Results
Year 5 – 3^rd Cartography, 2^nd English
Year 6 – 3^rd Mathematics

William Verden, Andrew Vasilaras and Andrew Wayling, da Vinci Decathlon Captains

Faith Matters

The Power of Words

‘Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.’ Proverbs 15:4

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’ Right? The Bible suggests otherwise. Words have so much influence. They can build up or tear down, inspire or discourage; heal or hurt.

Words have the power to shape people’s entire lives: how they act, what they choose to do and, most importantly, what they think about themselves. So, let’s check that our words are not tearing down, spreading rumours or damaging others. 

The good news is, negative words are always superseded by God’s truth. God’s words are positive and life-giving: words that encourage, strengthen our faith and keep us going. Any words of condemnation, guilt or negativity don’t come from God. If we’ve experienced the power of negative words, we are more able to value the power of positive words. And we’re in a good place to share God’s life-giving words with those who need to hear them most.

So where to from here? Well I think it is perfectly summed up in this sentiment from the Apostle Paul: ‘Don’t say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed’ (Ephesians 4:29). 

Isaac Williams
Assistant Chaplain – Wyvern House

ISDA Debating Finals Round 1

On Friday 25th of May the first round of the Independent Schools Debating Association (ISDA) debating finals were held at Newington Senior Campus. Despite having to adapt to a new type of debating with only one hour to prepare and practise before the debate, both B and A teams qualified for finals. The B team were on the negative side with the topic Primary aged students should learn self-defence. They were up against Kincoppal, a school that had only lost once. After an extremely challenging debate the B team lost unfortunately being knocked out of the finals.

The A team had the same topic and were on the affirmative side debating Ascham. The Wyvern team were trying a widespread selection of our best tactics such as anecdotes, jokes, Jake even talked about the movie Karate Kid, but Ascham kept hammering down the point that we shouldn’t be teaching victims violence but rather teaching criminals the wrongs of violence. Not even 3 rebuttals and a quote from Winston Churchill was enough to really stop that point, and in the end, not even Finlay’s Two peanuts were walking down the street, one was a-salted joke, was not enough to convince the adjudicator and we faced a loss and were also knocked out of the finals.

Despite this I am still very proud of the way both teams debated, especially because of having to work with a new style of debating and am looking forward to next season.

Isaac Holmes 6B

Next Two Weeks

Oshclub – Wyvern’s Before and Afterschool Care Provider

Wyvern’s Before and After School Care Program is run by OSHClub. Enrolment for all students is recommended and allows parents to easily manage their before and after school care needs via an online account. Visit www.oshclub.com.au to use the free enrolment service.

For all late bookings, please contact the Coordinator Rebecca Leontios on 0428 131 700. OSHClub’s head office number is (03) 8564 9000 Click here for the OSHClub Information Flyer.

Newsletter, Click here

Kind regards

Rebecca Leontios
Program Co-ordinator

Sausage Sizzle

Sport

Sports Draw, Click here

Sport Newsletter, Click here

Sports Results and Match Reports, Click here

Sporting Venue Addresses, Click here

2018 Sports Handbook, Click here

STEM Week at Wyvern

Wyvern held it’s own STEM week for K-6 students this week. Activities were planned that linked directly with curriculum areas the boys are exploring this term. We hope this focus will continue to inspire a love of learning and a passion for Science.

Kindergarten enjoyed a visit from ‘Ranger Mick’ and some of his reptilian friends from the Australian Reptile Park as they explore what makes things ‘living’ this term.

Year 1 were very involved in a ‘Sound and Light Spectacular’ with 12 different investigations that were led by seven Year 11 students from the Senior School. The boys experienced how sounds are vibrations that travel in waves when they saw tuning forks magically displace water, hundreds and thousands bounced and vibrated to noise and Star Wars sounds were made with slinkies and cups. During the light segment, boys made Star Wars light sabres and observed a laser to see how light travels in a straight line. Fibre optic cabling and ultra violet light as well as colour mixing were explored. Investigating reflection and refraction with mirrors and lenses was particularly interesting to the boys.

Year 3 had a visit from ‘Fizzics Education’, they applied what we had learnt about design principles and teamwork to build highly complex Rube Goldberg machines that ended up ringing a bell. The boys had great fun constructing their machines.

On Friday, Year 4 will visit two Senior School Super Labs for a ‘RockFest’ with two Senior School teachers, Mr Ian Oosterhoff and Mr David Cameron. The boys will enjoy a rock demonstration with acid and limestone and then with powdered limestone (CaCO3) to show the release of carbon dioxide. This is to teach a bit about erosion, acid rain and the effects of CO2 in atmosphere. Mining and extraction as well as why we study rocks will be investigated. The boys will then look closely at the rock collection at Senior School after being clear about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks types. These activities are linked to our work on soil and rock formation in Year 4 currently.

Year 5 boys attended the first of a series of ‘Telescope and Space ‘evenings at the Senior School this week. These workshops will run fortnightly for the rest of Term 2 and 3 and small groups of Year 5 boys will attend. The boys saw Jupiter’s striations and some of its moons and experienced amazing views of the moon. Mr Andrew Miller, Head of Science at Newington, showcased along with some Year 9 boys, our brand new Newington Telescope. This will be the start of a great partnership between Wyvern and the Senior School. Several Year 5 students at STEM Club built rockets from simple foam piping and once launched some of the rockets flew an amazing 4 to 5 metres across the playground.

Year 6 have started working on series and parallel circuits and have enthusiastically started to build circuits within our electricity unit to get lights, buzzers and motors going at various intensities.

These rich learning activities provide our learners with the opportunity to master the four essential skills required for a successful future, as it requires them to think critically and creatively, communicate and work collaboratively. The boys have been able to display a passion for ‘Everything Science’ which will continue to foster a confidence that we hope will have our boys taking up all types and levels of Science in the future.

Lindsay Bosch
STEM Teacher

Kindergarten Visit from Ranger Mick

Year 1 Sound and Light Show with Year 11

Year 3 Rube Goldberg Machines

Year 5 STEM Club Rockets                        

Astronomy Night Year 5

Term Dates 2018

Tuckshop Menu and Roster

Please click here for the Spotless Food Safety Information for Volunteers Guidelines

Tuckshop Menu and Roster Term 2 Weeks 6 and 7, Click here

Everyday Menu and Price List, Click here

Online Ordering Instructions, Click here

Online Ordering FAQs, Click here

Kind regards

Wyvern Office

Uniform Shop

Wyvern Uniform Roster Term 2 Weeks 6 and 7 Click here
Wyvern Uniform Shop Order Form  Click here
Wyvern Uniform Shop Summer Price List 2017/2018 Click here

Nicole Williams
Uniform Shop Manager
Mon & Thurs   7:30 am  to 9:00 am 
Tues  2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

Wyvern Student Absences

Dear Wyvern Parents

Due to the cold and flu season we are experiencing a large number of absentees. A gentle reminder that if your son is unwell and not attending school you are legally required to contact the front office to confirm their absence before 9.00am.

The best way to do this is via email wyvern@newington.nsw.edu.au or phone 9568 9444. 

We thank you in advance for your assistance.

Warm regards

The Wyvern Office

Year 3 Building Project

Year 3 have begun a major project for Term 2. Drawing on a wide range of skills and knowledge, students need to build a sample of a N.S.W. town. There are many steps involved in the production of these towns and the boys are patiently working through each one to be successful. Collaboration is paramount for this task, but other skills taught, refined and maintained are measuring with ratios, researching census data, spatial awareness, perseverance, creativity, problem solving, engineering, building – the list goes on.

These are the initial, and very important, phases where students are working together to magnify their maps. Accurate maps will allow for accurate representations of their settlement. The boys are finding this is easier said than done.

It has been wonderful to hear the positivity and encouragement among the boys as they strive for success.

Hugh Scott
Year 3 Teacher & Team Leader

Year 4 Camp Recount Stories and Photos

Year 4 Camp Recount Story – By Rhys Howard-Jones 4P

We boarded the bus ready for the fun days ahead…

The bus trip took a few hours, but when we got to Kincumber we were sorted out into cabins then put into groups. Our first activity was power fan. The instructor of our group, Becky, told us how to put the harness on, which was a full body harness. We had to climb a pole then go off a metal grid up the top. Imagine this…

You put your harness on and adjust the helmet so that you will be safe when you jump off. As Becky connects you up to the rope you feel nervous about whether this is actually safe. Becky’s words float through your mind. No-one has ever been injured on this activity. Now you remember but still you are a bit scared. You start climbing and you are only about halfway when you suddenly are paralysed with fear. You hear your classmates cheering you on from below “Just one more step”. You climb up further then look below you, and after some time you jump. You feel the air rushing up from beneath you, not like you are falling, but like you are gliding slowly down. You feel like a bird! When you land you decide to climb to the top this time. You just manage! Now you just lean back and drop. You glide all the way to the bottom. Full of smiles you hand your harness over to the next person.

After Power Fan we went to do fencing. We were taught the words they use, the equipment, how to score points, and where it came from. After we had dinner we went down to play Commando. Commando was a game we played in a bushy area which was teachers vs students. The students had to find the hostage base and bring all the hostages back without being caught, but the rules were: You can only take one hostage at a time, you can only take a hostage if you return to the base camp with a life token and your full group, when a teacher shines a torch on you, you are caught and have to give your life token to the teacher, the only way to get a life token is to tell the instructor a joke or perform a dance, you can only have one token per group of  five or six. Playing Commando was fun and by the time we got back, we were all very tired and fell asleep right away.

The next day we were woken up at six-thirty and got dressed quickly in time for breakfast. Our first activity was Bush Tucker, where we cooked damper and made shelters and had a conversation about being stuck in the bush for a night. After Bush Tucker we went to rock climbing, where we had to climb a wall. Becky showed us how to put on a harness the people there called a blue waist harness. It was trickier than usual, because we had a pole with a rope and a ‘belay’ team had to pull to ensure safety for the climber. Being part of the belay team posed a challenge and made it fun.

Next we had lunch and then went over to the mud run. The mud run was an obstacle course with lots of mud. There was a slide that went into mud and a tightrope over mud. We had to cross monkey bars and a wall with holds that turn around when you step on them. At the end we did a game of tug of war. Our group was split into teams and had to get the most rope to win. Because we were covered with mud, we had to have showers to wash the mud off, nevertheless we had a really fun time getting covered with mud.

When we had washed all the mud off, we went over to the high ropes course everyone had a go and a great time. We had to click the things that connect you to the wire on and off (they called them clickets), so it was a bit like the adult courses and made it a bit more challenging. The high ropes course was full of obstacles three to seven metres above the ground. What was fun was at the end they had a zipline which we had to connect our flying fox to. Imagine this…

You connect your clicket and climb the ladder. The first obstacle is lots of planks of wood connected by a long stretch of rope. Easy peasy! Like a ladder. After that there is an empty space. You figure out that you must jump to make it. Then there is a tunnel made of wood – crawling through was simple. You are beginning to enjoy yourself. Later you come to an ‘X’ made of wood. You cross it. Then at the end you get to the zipline. You see your classmates below you and they challenge you to a race. You adjust your flying fox and go down. They just beat you. You found that really fun and challenging.

After a day full of fun activities, we went to have dinner then went to do the county fair. The county fair was a fair where we ran all the activities. We had a milkshake stand, a nail salon, a massage station, a bakery with a chocolate mud cake and fairy bread, a jumping castle and an arcade and sock-wrestling place. We paid for the things there using play money. They had rules and fines if you didn’t follow them. The team that won would have to have the most play money by the end of the fair. The three teams that won the most money were: in first place bakery, second place milkshakes and in third place nail salon. Finally it was time to go to bed.

The next day we were woken up at 6:30 and our first activity was Orienteering. We were given a sheet that said what compass bearing we had to make it towards and how many paces we should go. Becky showed us how to use a compass and what we would write in the clue box. It was a fun challenge that we had to work through and a little different to what we were used to.

When we were all gathered up, we went up the hill to the giant swing, our last activity. We had to put on a full body harness to do the activity. It was really fun and we all had a great time. Imagine this…

You get yourself clipped up to the giant swing and hang there waiting for the swing to start. You get passed the orange handle of the ripcord and watch as your classmates run with the rope in their hands and slowly you get pulled up. Then you reach the top and your teacher yells “Just one more step”. You watch as your classmates squeeze in one more step rising you up by a bit. “3,2,1, PULL!” Becky yells from bellow you. Your fingers are trembling as you pull the orange ripcord and everything happens at once. You are no longer held by the rope which was holding you up before, a jolt is sent down the rope toppling your classmates over like dominoes and you start swinging. “Whoohoo this is so fun” You yell over the sound of the rushing wind. Slowly the swings get less and less. Becky unclips you and as you take your harness off you wish you could do that again. Sometime…

After we did the giant swing we collected our bags and went on the bus back to school where we got picked up by our parents then had a well earned rest. Camp was fun and very enjoyed by everyone. Thank you teachers for taking us to camp and all the people who put effort or used time to get us there and look after us at camp. We couldn’t have had such a fun and safe time without you.

Year 4 Camp Recount Story – By Fergus FitzSimons 4T

On Wednesday 16th May, Year 4 went on a journey to the Great Aussie Bush Camp at Tea Gardens. We had to be at school early so that we would not miss the bus. Everyone was chatting excitedly. 

When we arrived at The Great Aussie Bush Camp we unpacked and went to our cabins. The top three cabins had ensuites that were given to three lucky groups of boys. The rest of us had average cabins that had toilets and showers a mile away. Some boys came home cleaner than others! 

The first activity that group 4T did was orienteering. This was an activity where we needed to find clues to break a code. We used compasses and numbered paces to find the clues. My group was first to break the code and find the answer.

Later that day we went on the giant swing. This was my personal favourite activity. It was 17 metres high and we were pulled to the top by a rope. When I got to the top I needed to pull a cord and doom myself to an exhilarating drop. I was quite scared but the instant I pulled the cord I knew this was going to be my favourite activity. I was disappointed that we only got one turn each on the giant swing. Before bed we did Commando. We were in the dark wood and we needed to find hostages and bring them back to the Commando Base. The teachers had spotlights that they used to catch us. If you were caught you had to give away one of your life tokens. Commando was extremely fun although some of the teachers (mostly Mr Martin) enjoyed jumping out at us and giving us a fright. 

Each meal at camp was absolutely amazing. We had pancakes, meatballs, BBQs and snow cones after every activity. My sister had warned me about the food at the Great Aussie Bush Camp but I thought it was exceptionally tasty! At night l slept quite well although within the confinement of my sleeping bag the heat was almost unbearable and I nearly roasted.

On day two of camp, group 4T went on the power fan. This was a 15 metre high pole that we climbed up using the semi-circle like handles. We were strapped to a fan like structure at the top of the pole and when we reached the platform we stepped off and the rope slowed our fall. After that activity we went on the Lost Island Mud Run. This was a long run through mud filled pits and obstacles to the end of the course. The water at the bottom of the pits was dirty and freezing cold and as if this wasn’t bad enough, as we came down the slide the instructors threw buckets of water on us. Our final activity of the day was fencing. We had to wear a face mask and jacket. The swords were called foils and they had a small ball on the end to stop them poking through the vest. We were only allowed to jab forward or parry a blow to the ground but we were not allowed to slash. The fencing was a lot of fun because it was just like having a real sword fight although without the risk of death.

On day three we only had two activities. By then I was so tired I barely remember the activities we did that day. We also had to pack up and tidy our cabins and leave on the bus. The bus ride home was much more silent that the trip up, everyone was happily exhausted and some boys even fell asleep. The Great Aussie Bush Camp was amazing and I can’t wait to go again in Year 6.