College Life

All school camps, seminars and Father & Son camps organised by Wollemi College are formational activities which reinforce the teaching of virtues, in particular, the spirit of service to other people. They give all students opportunity to get to know other people in greater depth. In addition, Class Camps facilitate the effectiveness of the mentoring system by also providing mentors with the opportunity to get to know the character of each boy in depth. Finally the nature of the camps and their locations are used to provide appropriate educational experiences and activities.

• Years 4 and 5 participate in a school camp each year. The class teachers are responsible for these camps,
• Year 6 have the Euroka Camp, in which the students go camping overnight to the Blue Mountains and are taught basic survival skills such as how to set up a tent,
• Years 7 and 8 participate in a two-night outdoor camp involving several teamwork activities designed especially for their class,
• Year 9 complete a three-day Ski Camp where they are taught how to ski as well as survive the cold weather. This is a great experience that takes each student out of their comfort zone, building each student's leadership skills and resilience,
• Year 10 complete a five-day service learning camp in Griffith, NSW. They support local farmers and community groups with work that includes fence building, landscaping, painting, and sheep shearing,
• Years 9-12 participate in a class seminar each year. The Director of Formation is responsible for these seminars.

In addition to these, each year the much-anticipated Father & Son camps for Years 2-8 take place over a weekend. These camps aim to strengthen the relationship between fathers and sons by providing them with dedicated quality time, opportunities for the building of friendships between the dads in the cohort, as well as helpful talks about the task of raising men of good character.

Students at Wollemi have the opportunity to learn music at all stages of their education with our Primary, Secondary and HSC programs all designed to help students excel and grow through a complete and inclusive musical experience.

Music plays a vivid role in the life of Wollemi College. We have a variety of programs that provide opportunities for the students in both solo and ensemble settings. Our Primary Band program has brought music to our Year 6 classes, exploring a range of pieces across brass, woodwind and percussion which is continued by our optional Secondary Ensemble.

The House system plays an integral role in the life of the College. Each student, from Year 2-12, are a member of one of four Houses:

• Araluen Eagles (Gold)
• Echuca Goannas (Blue)
• Mundoora Crocs (Green)
• Wyuna Sharks (Red)

In addition to the weekly timetabled sport and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE ) lessons, the College encourages all boys to participate in at least one sports team yearly with all the associated commitments to training.

Sporting clubs associated with Wollemi College see themselves as a support to the mission of the school. Boys have the opportunity to play sports for Wollemi's Sporting Clubs, competing in local competitions or within the various school sporting associations to which Wollemi belongs.

There are representative pathways to NSW and Australian Schoolboy teams for the above sports through the associations of IPSHA, HZSA, AICES and CIS.

There are three compulsory House events: Swimming, Athletics (Track and Field) and Cross-Country. In these, boys represent their House in their respective age groups and have the opportunity to win points for their House through their effort and participation.  Co-operation and dedication are required in all the sporting activities of the school.

Boys with ability in Swimming, Cross Country and Track and Field will be identified as candidates for the School representative team in these sports. Boys have representative opportunities in Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country through HZSA Carnivals to CIS and beyond.

House sport competitions are also conducted during lunchtime including cricket, football, basketball and touch football. Selections for House teams are conducted by the various House Captains.

HZSA (Hills Zone Sports Association) - hzsa.com.au
Wollemi participates in the Hills Zone for carnivals in Athletics, Swimming, Cross Country and Triathlon, providing our students with pathways for higher selection.

AICES (Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools) - aices.com.au
Students chosen to represent HZSA progress to AICES carnivals.

CIS (CombinedlndependentSchools) - cis.nsw.edu.au
The NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council, known as CIS, aims to provide a pathway to state and national level competition in a wide variety of sports for students and staff in the independent sector.

The cooperation of parents and teachers in the co-curricular life of the school is illustrated in their management of teams, and their support reinforces their esteem in the eyes of the students.

Parents, whenever possible, are asked to attend games to help with the duties of managing, umpiring, etc, in addition to the in dispensible benefits of spending time with their sons.

Organised under the Leadership Program, all boys are involved in a wide variety of experiences that include:

• Fundraising activities for various charities throughout the year,
• Community service activities including regular visits to local nursing homes and Special Needs Schools, participating in Bushcare, delivering Primary catechism programs and volunteering at local parishes.
• Local and regional service learning trips

Through the various service activities the school hopes that the boys will learn to develop an awareness of the needs of the community and those around them, whereby they then feel confident in addressing those in need in later life.

Australia’s future requires leaders of strong character and skills to successfully guide and direct the nation and its institutions for the good of all Australians. With effective leadership education, leaders of the future can be nurtured from an early age.

The Wollemi Leadership and Community Service Program is setting out to achieve this:

• Delivered through the curriculum, the program offers a wide variety of workshops and guest speakers, community service experiences, and mentored placements in business, politics, and industry. In addition to this, students have the opportunity to be part of the Wollemi Student Representative Council.
• The Program provides Leadership Education that emphasises character and the specific skills of leadership. We say that true leadership is the product of virtues and specific skills. It is motivated by a spirit of service and responsibility guided by a strong sense of justice. It involves superior mastery of one’s self (temperance), determination to overcome external difficulties (fortitude) and right judgement (prudence). There is no genuine leadership without the depth of character.
• In addition, specific skills that contribute to effective leadership which are cultivated through the program include effective communication, planning, goal setting, people management, the development of political awareness.
• The Program is a continuation of the character education program at the school. The program is directed to all students and extends to the Old Boys of the school as well.