Dear Parents and Carers

In Acts 19, we witness the Apostle Paul faithfully sharing the message of Jesus in the city of Ephesus - a place filled with spiritual confusion, competing beliefs, and resistance to change. Despite the challenges Paul faced, he spent years teaching the people about Jesus, as a result, the truth of the Gospel spread with power and purpose, transforming the lives of many and even reshaping the city. After some severe hardship, as Paul leaves to continue his work in other towns, he speaks with deep love and encourages them to stay faithful, watch over one another, and hold fast to God’s Word.

These chapters give us a glimpse into the heart of a community being transformed by the Gospel and God’s word, and the deep care Paul had for them. It is my prayer that we, like the early Christians in Ephesus, will be encouraged to grow in faith, support one another, and live lives shaped by the love and truth of Christ. Over the next ten weeks, I will be exploring the letter of Ephesians with staff and considering what it means to find our identity in Christ and to live out our faith. I invite you to follow along using a simple guide found in The Gospel Coalition here, or you may like the Bible Project’s overview of Ephesians here.

Staff News – Welcome Mason Cunningham!

The College is excited to share the news that Mr & Mrs Cunningham have welcomed a beautiful new addition to their family. Baby Mason and parents are doing well – please join us in thanking God for Mason and praying for the Cunningham family!

Parent Survey Feedback

Thank you for your feedback in the recent parent survey. The parents’ responses demonstrated overall a strong positive regard for the College, with parents on average giving over 4 stars out of 5 for satisfaction with the College, see some of the results below:

Almost every item in the survey received an average rating of approximately 4 stars out of 5 from staff, parents and students. These are very positive results, and I am grateful for the community's strong support.

Your comments in the survey were also very helpful in identifying areas for us to focus on improving.

The most commented on issue was student uniform, with consistent feedback that parents want a clear, simple uniform standard that is well enforced. The main concern raised was the current clarity of the uniform and the volume of variations. Parents (and students) raised questions about the white shirt, particularly for the girls and some areas where clarity has been lacking. There is concern with keeping the cost low, the clothes comfortable and practical, while also being durable, presentable and worn appropriately. As an immediate step, the Executive team will review the existing guidelines to consider options for simplifying and clarifying expectations.

The most common facilities raised by parents to consider for the masterplan included renovation of buildings in the Secondary School (particularly Science and Food Technology), adding more covered areas, green spaces, and seating, and reviewing carpark traffic flow and safety. This will all be discussed in our building master plan that we are working on now.

Other areas noted by parents were the confusion about the role of the Board and College Company, some communication issues and increasing the academic program, including more differentiation to support students (particularly gifted students).

Last week, the College Board and Executive spent some time together reflecting on the progress we’ve made on our Strategic Plan and considering possible next steps. We reflected on the feedback we’ve received, our own walkthrough of the site and are now working on plans moving forward.

Strengthening Communication

Firstly, an apology from me, as we reviewed our newsletter settings recently, we realised that some families may not have received recent issues of the College Newsletter. If you have missed a previous newsletter, it can be accessed here - you can also click on the grey 'subscribe' button in the top right-hand corner on that page too.

The College has several methods we use to communicate with families, and we’ve been reviewing their separate purposes. Moving forward, our plan is:

College Newsletter – Fortnightly updates from the Principal, including highlights, events, and key information.
Seesaw – For Primary School class learning activities and announcements.
Canvas – For Secondary students, parents can observe their child’s learning.
OWNA – Preschool learning activities and official records.
Compass – is for official student records including: attendance, parent-teacher interviews, excursions, College calendar, student academic reports, etc.
Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) – Celebrating College events and achievements.
Email – For direct communication relevant to your child.
SMS – For urgent notifications and absence alerts.

If you have any issues accessing any of these platforms, the College Office can help (call 6923 8888 or email wwcc@wwcc.nsw.edu.au).

A Reminder of Winter Uniform

The cool weather has begun, and students should now be fully transitioned into the winter uniform. Details of our winter uniform rules are on our website here.

Some frequently asked questions are answered below:

Students may not wear non-uniform jumpers, hoodies, or jackets
To increase warmth on very cold days, students are encouraged to wear appropriate layers under their uniform, e.g., singlets or thermal underwear. Under layers should be plain coloured white or flesh-toned with no slogans or images.
Students may not wear jumpers as an underlayer.
Students may wear College coloured beanies, scarves or gloves (navy blue or maroon) when outside on especially cold days.
Skirt/dress length is expected to be knee length
Shorts are expected to reflect a modest standard. As a guide, shorts should be mid-thigh length.

If, for any reason, a student cannot be in the correct uniform, we do ask for a parent note to explain the circumstances so that we can consider them.

If there is a medical or other special reason why you believe your child should have an exemption to a uniform rule, please email me at principal@wwcc.nsw.edu.au, and I will consider the request.

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