A Message from Mr Holden

Last Friday the P&F hosted a very special Mother’s Day breakfast which was enjoyed by both Wyvern mums and their sons. Such functions cannot go ahead without tremendous effort and hard work from parent volunteers. I thank the P&F executive team and especially Monica Baird and Sara Flaksbard for putting on a superb event and for organising the Mother’s Day gifts.  

With NAPLAN testing completed for this year I wish to congratulate the students and staff in Year 3 and Year 5 for their calm approach with the testing arrangements last week. We seek to strike a good balance between ensuring the boys are adequately prepared for the NAPLAN testing format whilst providing an environment which is calm and as stress free as possible. Results of the NAPLAN tests are due back late in Term 3. Whilst our NAPLAN results are normally very strong we will nonetheless carefully analyse the data to assist us to continually improve our teaching and learning strategies.

We look forward to this evening’s Music showcase for all students in Years 3 – 6 to be held at the senior school in Centenary Hall at 6.00pm. The theme is ‘Terra Australis’ and having overheard some of the music pieces, I know we are in for a terrific evening.

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

Artists of the Week K – 2

Congratulations to Lachlan Knox KS, Arya Amit KW and Austin Li KW who have all created wonderful pinch pots and have glazed and decorated them with so much care. Outstanding craftsmanship, boys!

Heather Brodie
K-2 Visual Arts Teacher

Artists of the Week 3 – 6

This weeks ‘artist of the week’ comes from Year 3. Last term they made ceramic frogs in conjunction with their ‘Amphibians’ unit. The frogs were fired over the holidays, then glazed with ‘Colourburst’ glazes that have mini oxide specks in the main glaze. This means that the colours are varied and exciting.

Congratulations to Fergus FitzSimons for his award winning Red Frog.

Meredith Buining
3-6 Visual Art Teacher

Clubs & Extra Curricular Activities at Wyvern Term 2

Dear Parents,

Please find attached Club and Extra Curricular Activities at Wyvern – Term 2 below. Once you click on the link below select the activity you are interested in and it will take you to the relevant Space Page on SPACES. Please note that not all activities are linked yet as. Will update again when this is all finalised. 

Term 2 Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities at Wyvern

Please refer to SPACES for more information regarding the Clubs and Activities.

Kind regards

Wyvern Office

Faith Matters

When you meet someone who needs encouragement, give it to them! Why? Because more people die of broken hearts than swelled heads. And that’s true, whether they live in a mansion or a mud hut. The story is told of a little boy who wanted to play darts with his father. He said, ‘Come on, dad, let’s play darts. I’ll throw, and you shout “wonderful!”‘ You may smile, but we tend to become what the most important people in our lives think of us. So think the best, believe the best, and express the best toward them – for your words are helping to shape their destiny.

God is at the heart of all change. In any relationships there is only one person that you can change – yourself. We can’t change people with our words but we can help them to consider changing themselves. With God’s help we can all change for the better and our words can act as a catalyst. Maybe we should all shout “wonderful” a bit more often.

Rev Peter Morphew
Chaplain

Does programming and learning code have a place in our school curriculum?

This is a hot topic at the moment in education and needs to be discussed by all stakeholders. Does teaching coding and programming to primary students benefit the educational experience and enhance outcomes?

The answer is yes, and there are many reasons why. Let me build a little bit of a picture of Wyvern at the moment for you.

Currently Year 1 students at Wyvern are spending Friday afternoon’s programming Bee Bots. Now this might sound like a lot of fun but there is something deeper in this learning experience. Whilst the boys are excited and engaged we are teaching concepts of, and building their capacity to, work mathematically. The students are run through the specifics of an algorithm and also the outcome if there is a mistake. At a Year 1 level students are already collaborating and problem solving complex algorithms in order to have their Bee Bot complete a task. Whilst learning about algorithms students are also building their learning power muscles. Guy Claxton’s Building Learning Power Framework is tied directly to the sessions. Revising errors, displaying empathy and listening to others, perseverance and managing distractions are high on the agenda. Even if coding is not a particular interest of the student, the 21st Century learning skills that are being developed in these sessions are of a high quality. 

Let’s have a look at the top end of our school. Boys in Year 6 are learning how to write Java Script. With the use of Arduino microcontrollers, students are writing code to perform tasks such as turning lights and motors on, understanding complex algorithms and, you guessed it, building their learning power. It has been amazing to see the engagement of the students through these sessions and reading their weekly reflections has demonstrated that all boys are challenged and motivated to continue to learn. At the same time as learning about programming students are drawing clear links to their science unit on Power and Electricity. The blended learning experience here offers another insight to new knowledge and another medium to express their understanding. Being a part of these lessons allows me to see the interaction between peers and I can draw strong connections to my own collaborative practices at school. These students are essentially learning how to participate effectively to achieve a desired outcome. Sound familiar to what people in the workforce do every day?

If you’re thinking that coding would be something great for your son to experience in their spare time but don’t know where to look, then I have a great starting point for you. If you head on over to code.org you’ll be greeted with a large collection of age appropriate games that build coding knowledge. The service is free and is a lot of fun. For students that have had a little experience with coding I encourage them to look into pencilcode.net. Here they will be challenged and engaged in higher levels of programming. If this is still not a challenge I encourage your son to visit me in my office and have a look at the Arduino’s that the Year 6 boys are using.  

I look forward to continuing the coding conversation with everyone throughout the year.

Tony Cross
eLearning – Wyvern House and Lindfield Preparatory School

Flyers in Bookstand

Martial Arts – Kung Fu Action at Wyvern

Term 2 Clubs and Extra Curricular Activities at Wyvern 

Sport

Greek School

School Student Opal Information

OshClub

Uniform Shop

• Summer Price List
• Winter Price List
• Order Form

Kids and Co Psychology

Literature Festival

It’s a Wrap

The lights have dimmed, the applause has gone quiet, the book Parade costumes have been packed away until another Festival, the authors have returned home to write their next bestseller, as our 7th Newington College Literature Festival comes to a brilliant end.  Wyvern boys, however, continue their enthusiasm for reading, borrowing the books written by the visiting authors or bought at our latest Book Fair. The feedback from the boys was they were most impressed with this year’s line-up of authors. Joaquin (4K) summed it up best when he said, ‘I liked the author talks cause my imagination flew like an eagle’. I would like to thank all of the authors for their enthusiastic and entertaining sessions with our boys, their generous sharing of reading and writing ideas and the lasting impression they have left with the Wyvern community.

If you would like to read more about the author sessions during the Literature Festival please click on Postscript, the Newington College Literature Festival daily paper, written by the Senior School students.

Years 5 & 6 Spelling Bee

The boys in Years 5 & 6 participated in the Literature Festival Spelling Bee. Class rounds were held before the week of the Literature Festival with four boys from each class going through to the final.

Congratulations to:

• 1st Place: Nicholas Maratos (6R)
• 2nd Place: Sebastian Parhash (6R)

The Newington College Literature Festival Writing Competition

Boys in Years 5 & 6 were invited to submit entries in Prose or Poetry Categories. This year, Susanne Gervay, author of the I Am Jack series, was our guest judge. Congratulations to the following boys for their writing pieces:

Prose Category:

• 1st Place – Finlay Fitzsimons (5D) 
• 2nd Place – Hugo Sharkey (5P) 
• Honourable Mention  – James Adams (6R) and Adam Cooper (5P)

Poetry Category:

• 1st Place – Anton Bromwich (6R)
•  2nd Place – Joshua Bryne (6R)

The Book Character Parade

Once again, there was fun and excitement on the day of the Book Character Parade. Boys, parents and teachers used their creative skills to choose and design character costumes around the theme Fables, Fairy Tales, Folklore and Fabulous Fictional Characters in Literature. The overall consensus from boys’ and parents’ feedback was that this year’s parade was a huge success.  In addition to participating in this grand event, Wyvern raised $705.25 for the Room to Read organisation. Thank you to everyone for supporting this endeavour. Please enjoy looking at the Book Parade photos taken on the day.

The success of an event like the Newington College Literature Festival is dependent on the people involved. I would sincerely like to thank the boys, the parents, the authors, the Wyvern executive and staff and the Literature Festival planning committee for their support and enthusiasm for this year’s Festival. My heartfelt thanks goes to the Wyvern P & F for their generosity and patronage of our biennial Literature Festivals.

Sincerely,

Mrs Joanne Barnes
Librarian 

National Simultaneous Storytime

On Wednesday May 24th at 11.00am over 500,000 Australian children all across the country, including the Wyvern boys from Kindy to Year 2, will participate in National Simultaneous Storytime. In libraries, classrooms, preschools and bookstores children will read the same book, The Cow Tripped Over the Moon, at the same time. In its 17th year, this initiative of the Australian Library and Information Association is part of its annually held Library and Information Week.  

The aim of National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is to promote literacy amongst children and expose them to the magic and excitement of reading. It addresses key learning areas in the Australian Curriculum such as: interpreting, analysing and evaluating texts, and placing texts in context. It also provides a way for families and communities to get involved in children’s literacy by sharing in their reading experience and introducing age appropriate themes for discussion.

For more information, please click here.

Mrs Joanne Barnes
Librarian 

News & Events

Many thanks to all the mums and grandmothers who were able to join us for the Mother’s Day breakfast. We trust you and the boys had an enjoyable time. A special thank you to the band who entertained us and to Sara, Monica, Paul, Fotis and Katia – your commitment and effort to organising and running this event is very appreciated.
 
I’d also like to thank Monica and Ana for organising the Mother’s Day gifts – I thoroughly enjoyed receiving my present on Sunday morning. To Emma, Karen and Suzanne in the front office – we are thankful for all your assistance.

Lillian Fadel
President Wyvern P&F

Next Two Weeks

Oshclub – Wyvern’s Before and After School 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 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

OSHClub Team

Sport

Sports Draws, Click here

Sports Results and Match Reports, Click here

Sports Newsletter, Click here

Sporting Venue Addresses, Click here

2017 Sports Handbook, Click here

Tuckshop Menu & Roster

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

Tuckshop Menu and Roster TERM 2 Weeks 5 and 6, 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

UNIFORM SHOP TRADING HOURS

Wyvern Uniform Roster Term 2 Weeks 5 and 6, Click here

Wyvern Uniform Shop Order Form, Click here

Wyvern Uniform Shop Winter Price List 2016, Click here

Wyvern Uniform Shop Summer Price List 2016/2017, Click here

Kind regards

Nicole Williams
Uniform Shop Convenor

Year 1 STEM Class at the Senior School

Year 1 boys made their way to the Senior School last week with much excitement. Year 11 students currently undertaking the International Baccalaureate (IB) ran a science experiment bonanza about Sound and Light, which supports the science unit ‘Look! Listen!’. The six Year 11 students completed 11 experiments overall in 5 minute rotations. Some of the experiments included revealing laser light with talcum powder, exploring cool fibre optics, making Star Wars light sabres, vibrating phones in boxes and slinkys and styrofoam cups making Star Wars sounds. By the end of the rotations, the boys were using scientific language such as ‘vibrations’ and knew about waves and air particles. The boys had visibly and audibly experienced how light and sound travel in the air. Follow up lessons back at Wyvern demonstrated the educational and motivational impact of these hands on experiments. The mentoring and modelling that the Year 11 students provided was part of the appeal. The experiments link closely with syllabus outcomes but we were able to extend the students’ thinking in this small group approach with mature student mentorship. The Year 1 boys cannot wait to go back.

We would like to thank the following Year 11 boys for working with the teachers at Wyvern to develop the program: Sam Wyrill, Angus Crump, Richard Ge, Jock Ferguson, Kenny Chen and Kelvin Du.

“I enjoyed teaching them about something as fundamental to science as light and sound. It was a great experience to see the boys’ eyes lighting up, when they finally understood their long standing questions about the world.” Angus Crump (Year 11 Student)

“I really enjoyed mentoring the Year 1 boys and guiding them in the right direction of thinking about light and sound. I believe the experience was valuable for Year 1’s and for me personally, and seeing them look so fascinated about what we had to show was really worth the effort.” Kelvin Du (Year 11 Student)

Lindsay Bosch, Aimee Parkinson and Jenny Yoon

2017 Term Dates

2018 Term Dates