Your transition to high school
Starting Year 7 in 2023? Join us on our 3 step transition journey to help you get prepared, make connections, build confidence and get off to a great start at Waratah Campus.
SQUARE 1 - Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 April, 2022
Square 1 is designed to give you an introduction to the high school environment. You will participate in a number of fun activities to help you make connections and get familliar with Waratah Campus. There will be team-based treasure hunt, a 'Who Am I' connection activity, a fun movement-based activity with our PDHPE staff, as well as a Q&A forum where you can get all your burning questions about high school answered.
Partner primary schools attending Square 1 from 9:30am to 12:15pm: Mayfield East PS, Mayfield West PS, Islington PS, Tighes Hill PS, Tighes Hill PS and Waratah PS.
Partner primary schools attending Square 1 from 12:00pm to 2:30pm: Heaton PS, Jesmond PS, Hamilton North PS, Shortland PS, Waratah West PS.
BASECAMP - Year 6 Orientation Day - Tuesday 29 November, 2022
Basecamp gets you ready for day 1 of Year 7. You will meet your teachers, learn to navigate your way around campus, experience high school learning, receive your orientation handbook and find out what to expect in your first few weeks of high school.
CONNECTION POINT - Year 7 COMMENCES - Tuesday 31 January, 2023
Connection Point gets you off to a great start at Waratah. You will participate in fun, team based activities to help you get to know your new classmates, learn how to use our school’s technology platforms and understand your influence in creating a vibrant learning culture.
Orientation video series
Watch our orientation video series. We'll be releasing a new episode every week during term 4.
Year 7 orientation handbook
This booklet contains all the information you need to know to get off to a great start at Waratah Campus. You will receive a hard copy of this booklet in your orientation packs.
Download Year 7 2023 Orientation Booklet
How to Enrol
Apply online. If you are an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident you are eligible to complete the online enrolment application. You will then need to finalise the application at the school.
If you are not eligible or prefer not to enrol online, use the application to enrol (PDF 768.4KB) form. Please complete the form in English. A translated application to enrol may help you do this.
For more information, visit high school enrolment.
ASPIRE High Achiever's Program
Interested in applying for our ASPIRE program for 2023? Visit our ASPIRE program page for information and application details.
Applications for the 2023 ASPIRE class are now closed.
Key Transition Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Term 1, Week 7 | ASPIRE High Achiever's Program 2023 application packs distributed to partner primary schools. |
| Monday 4 April 2022 | ASPIRE 2023 applications due. |
| Thursday 28 April | Square 1 transition event at Waratah Campus. |
| Thursday 28 April 2022 | Open Night for Year 5 and 6 families. |
| Term 2 weeks 2-5 | ASPIRE program applicant interviews. |
| Term 2 week 8 | Offer letters sent to successful ASPIRE applicants. |
| Term 2 week 10 | Acceptance of ASPIRE offers due. |
| Tuesday 16 August 9:30am - 12:30pm | BrightSparks Workshop at Waratah Campus for students in 2023 ASPIRE and Opportunity Classes. |
| Friday 19 August 9:30am - 11:30am | BrightSparks catch up date for students unable to attend Tuesday event. |
| Term 3 week 10 | Partner Primary Schools notified of dates/times for Great Start Program |
| Term 4 weeks 3-5 (Tues, Wed, Thurs or Friday for EALD students) | Great Start Program for students requiring additional support with transition. |
| Tuesday 29 November | Basecamp - Year 6 Transition Day at Waratah Campus. |
Our answers to your questions about high school
Do we buy the uniforms, or do you give us uniforms?
Waratah Campus introduced a new uniform in 2022.
The uniform can be purchased at the School Locker online shop, at our Campus Uniform Shop or the School Locker Shop at the University of Newcastle.
Please see the uniform page of our website for more details.
How many people are there going to be?
We usually have between 215 and 230 students in Year 7. Across the our campus there are approximately 900 students.
How many students per class?
Approximately 25-27 students.
Will there be lots of walking?
Waratah Campus is bigger than your primary school so there’ll be more walking between classes that you are used to. Having said that, our buildings are multi levelled so it’s very manageable to get to each class on time within the 5 minute changeover time between periods.
Is the homework hard and if it is may I have a little extra support on some subjects?
Our teachers work really hard to get to know all their students so they can tailor the work (including homework) to where you are at in your learning.
If you are struggling or have concerns about any aspect of your school work (including homework) we encourage you to talk to your teachers about your concerns as soon as you can. Tell them what you find challenging and what support you need.
Our school also has a Learning and Support team who are available to support students who are experiencing learning or wellbeing difficulties. Your family can discuss with your teachers if they think you need this additional support.
Our Mathematics teachers offer additional maths support every morning from 8:15 - 8:40am before classes. In these sessions you can get help with maths homework, classwork, designing summary sheets and revising for assessment tasks.
What do we call you?
You’ll be introduced to all your teachers and we generally ask you to call them by their surname e.g. Mr Ellul, Miss Milat, Mrs Maher or Mr Morrow. If you can’t remember your teacher’s name, you can just call them ‘Miss’ or ‘Sir.’
What food do you have at the canteen?
We are very lucky to have a great canteen at Waratah with a good variety of items. You can read what's available on our canteen price list.
On our first day do you show us our classes and teachers?
We commence our school year with Year 7 starting before all other year groups, to allow you to become more familiar with the school and meet the staff and your new peers before all the other students start back for the year.
To help everyone get off to a great start we spend the first week of the school year engaging in a new program called Connection Point. This is a fun, year group boot camp focused on cultivating empathy and teamwork and helping each of you understand your influence in creating a vibrant learning culture.
We will introduce to your teachers, visit your learning spaces, teach you how to use our technology platforms, Sentral and Canvas and show you how to connect with the many support services available on campus.
On day 1, please meet in the hall at 8:50am so we can welcome you, mark the rolls and tell you more about the Connection Point program.
Do girls get to play soccer too?
Absolutely! Year 7 girls can trial to play in our Campus team for the Bill Turner Cup 15’s and under competition. In addition, you can participate in the Year 7 Soccer Gala Day and there maybe a Futsal Gala Day next year for you to get involved in too.
If you choose Sports Academy or CrossFit as your Year 7 elective, you will also have an opportunity to attend a Multi-sports Gala Day (which usually includes soccer) hosted by students from our Jesmond Senior Campus.
How many styles of art will we be doing?
Visual Arts is one of the core subjects you will study in Year 7. It covers the topics ‘Portraits in Art’ and ‘Signs and Symbols.’ As part of these topics, you will have the opportunity to explore different styles of art, including Cubism and Functional Ceramics.
If you have a specific passion or interest in Art, you can also apply to do Visual Arts EXCEL as your Year 7 elective. In this subject you complete two body of works that are self-directed, which means you have a lot of control of what you make and explore in your artmaking.
We recommend you watch the video about our Creative and Performing Arts faculty on our website.
How much science stuff are we going to learn?
There are loads of opportunities for learning in Science at Waratah Campus and you can choose how much you get involved. As a minimum, all Year 7 students will study Science as one of their 7 core subjects. In this subject you will explore units on matter, separation techniques, living things, energy and space.
If you have a particular passion or interest in science, you may also apply to select a science based elective. Check out the electives page on our website for more details.
We also recommend you watch the video about our Science faculty on our website.
How many classes will we attend in a day?
There will be 4 classes in a day.
Can we pick one friend to be in our class?
The Year 7 team at Waratah Campus work really hard to make sure your classes provide opportunities for old and new friendships to flourish. We liaise closely with your Year 6 teachers to decide on the best class placements for all students.
On our first day next year, will we just get a tour and get introduced to our teachers or will we actually do classes?
We commence our school year with Year 7 starting before all other year groups, to allow you to become more familiar with the school and meet the staff before all the other students start back for the year.
The first day will start in the hall so we can welcome you, introduce you to key staff and tell you about the Connect Point program which all of Year 7 will participate in for your first week. You're going to love it!
You won’t do lessons as such during the first week.
When it’s time to attend classes, our Peer Support Leaders will be available to help you find your way.
When is Orientation Day?
Our Orientation Day (BASECAMP) is on Tuesday 29th November 2022 at Waratah Campus.
Do Year 7 get to participate in athletics and swimming carnivals?
Yes! Year 7 are encouraged to participate in our athletics, swimming and College cross country carnivals.
Are there school buses?
There are school buses that deliver students to and from school every day. More specific information will be provided in your Orientation Day information packs.
How long is each period and what times do we get breaks?
Lessons on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will be 75 minutes long and Wednesday lessons will go for 6o minutes. We can give you more details about break times at Orientation Day.
What sports teams are available to try out for?
There are loads of different opportunities if you enjoy sport. You can try out for our representative rugby league, soccer, netball (girls), basketball, cricket (boys), Touch and Futsal teams. Year 7 also feature in our College Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country teams.
Will Year 7 go on a school camp or excursion?
Yes! Year 7 2023 will have a camp in term 1. Check out your Orientation informaiton pack for more details.
When do we get to make our sport choices?
Our school sport coordinator will make sure you have all the details to make your sport choices in the first few days of school next year. There is a lot of information to take in when you first start, so we will also guide you through the process of submitting your sport choices.
How many different teachers will I have in Year 7?
We are still working on the 2023 timetable but most Year 7 students will have around 3 core teachers (1 teacher for English/HSIE, 1 for Maths/PDHPE and 1 for Science). You will also have different teachers for mandatory Technology and Applied Science (TAS), Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), your EXCEL elective and sport. In addition, you will have wellbeing activities throughout each term with our school's wellbeing team.
Where do I go if I need help?
Your first stop is likely to be your class teacher and then your Year Advisor, Head Teacher of Wellbeing or Year 7 Deputy Principal. We have a tight support network and encourage you to call out early if you are troubled about anything! Year 7 will also have a peer support leader they can approach for help with smaller issues.
What subjects will we have to do?
In Year 7 and 8 (stage 4) you will study Mathematics, Science, PDHPE, Languages other than English (LOTE), Human Society and its Environment (History and Geography), Creative and Performing Arts (Music and Visual Arts), Technology and Applied Science (TAS), as well as your EXCEL elective subject. In addition, Year 7 will participate in Sport, library lessons and wellbeing activities.
When will we be able to look at what teachers we will have next year?
You will receive your timetable and find out your teachers for next year on your first day of Year 7.
What language are we going to learn in Year 7?
All Year 7 students will study German.