Dean of Waterford | Mr Luke Gribble
Firstly, I would like to extend a big thank you to all of the teachers and parents/caregivers for working together to gather for the one-on-one Pastoral Care Mentor Interviews last week. The opportunity to put a face to a name and meet your son’s new Mentor and share information certainly enhances our ability to maintain an atmosphere of care at Waterford.
I would also like to extend a thank you to Ms Natalie Twine for presenting the Career talks. Ms Twine plays a key role in supporting our students as we start the transition from Waterford to the Senior School. Later in Formation classes, we will start the Senior Education and Training (SET) plan which maps out a plan of action to put our young men on track for senior secondary and post-school education success. If you would like to book an appointment to see Ms Twine for a more in-depth discussion about your son’s future subject and career choices, please utilise the following link to book an appointment time online - Book Here
This week we celebrated our Waterford Place Mass and the Ash Wednesday Liturgy in the Edmund Rice Theatre. The Lenten period, which precedes Easter, provides us with the opportunity for both personal and communal reflection. The symbol of ashes on Ash Wednesday signifies our commitment to being open to renewal. I was very pleased with the way our young men engaged as I challenged them to be outward thinking and mindful of our role to serve and be kind to others.
On Wednesday some of our Physical Education classes were fortunate to listen to guest speaker Harry Wilson (GT 2017 and current Queensland Reds Rugby and Australian Wallaby representative). Harry shared his insight into improving performance, and I was pleased to hear Harry’s response when asked about the importance of sleep and rest to performance. Harry said he doesn’t perform at his best if he doesn’t get 10 hours of sleep. With many of our young men juggling multiple co-curricular pursuits and training commitments, coupled with the distraction and addictive nature of mobile devices, many of our young men need support and guidance to ensure they get adequate sleep.
Today our students will receive their Mathematics mid-term review, which is due next Monday. The Science task is due next Thursday. This is a great opportunity for you to check on your son’s progress and a reminder to all students that they need to stay organised and on top of any assessment tasks. If your son wants further support or tutorial assistance for any subject, please consult the Year 10 Orientation Booklet (Page 10) for further details. This can be found via the College App under the Notices tab (entitled Information – Waterford Place Orientation Info Booklet). We also have several poster-sized versions of the Tutorial Timetable located on the Ground Floor for students to peruse in their own time.