Between the 2nd and 4th of May the Making the News class was assigned the job of reporting on various STEM Festival events. The class had been taught many journalistic skills that would assist us in covering the event, but this was our first chance to put them into action. We were provided with the opportunity to replicate the role of a qualified journalist, collecting information and media on a STEM topic and then using it to form an entertaining story. In particular, as a class, we became aware of the time pressures which occur alongside publishing multiple articles each day. Many of us were scrambling to compound our ideas and put together high-quality pieces, a valuable lesson to take away from our tasks.

At the closure of each day at 3:30 PM, our class assembled within the ‘newsroom’ with members of the communications staff to discuss and pitch our stories from the day. After pooling our images together we also created ‘sells’ for Newington’s Facebook and Instagram social media pages. Upon completion, we had ‘the pitch’, where each writer spoke to the news editors as to why their story was the best and should be published in the daily newsletters. This was tough but allowed us to focus on the core of journalistic writing: know your audience.

Even though covering the Festival was quite strenuous at times, it did have its perks. A few of us were ecstatic to be allocated the role of covering the N2 Gelato taste testing. The N2 Gelato franchise held a lesson on the science behind creating their innovative flavours and those present savoured the final product. There were many memories that were created over the course of the festival, but without a doubt, the N2 Gelato taste testing conquers them all!

Sebastian Vardavas (10/MO) and Max Langford (10/LE) 

Click here to view the Making the News blog.

Sunday, March 25 will remain etched in the minds of many Australian sports lovers as one of those moments that challenges, and potentially changes, perspective.  It was the day when the captain of our National cricket team, Steve Smith, Vice Captain David Warner and newcomer Cameron Bancroft were thrust into the limelight due to Cameron Bancroft being caught tampering with the ball in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage over the South African Cricket team.

On the Monday staff briefing following the incident I spoke about things staff may wish to consider should this discussion come up in their Mentor Group. Over the weekend I had spent time ferrying my son to cricket games with the travel time spent engaged in long discussions about the actions of the three Australians.  I knew he had taken the Steve Smith poster down from his wall and so I was keen to explore why.

It was an exploration I had with my son, and subsequently with many other Newington boys. More recently I even had the opportunity whilst interviewing some cricket mad grade 5 boys for entry to the College in 2020, to seek their thoughts on what the Australian cricketer’s motivation for cheating might have been. The responses were certainly varied, although the most common view was that the actions were due to an overbearing pressure to win.

We are blessed at Newington to have Ross Turner as the Director of Cricket. He ensures that coaches and boys understand that cricket is just a game, providing an opportunity for our boys to not only have fun, but to lead, to show integrity, to demonstrate good sportsmanship, and to win and lose with dignity. Ross often says that you learn more from a loss than a win, but do not be mistaken, he is a fiercely competitive individual who was an elite Cricketer. His exemplary modelling in approaching sport is founded in a desire to be competitive, complemented by an awareness that this should never be at any cost. He is uncompromising with his expectation of fair play and sportsmanship.

We may never know what happened in the Australian Cricket team’s dressing room that led to three people, who must love the game, to do what they did.  We do know that at some point the sense of perspective was lost, the ability to control actions was no longer present and in the face of hardship rather than persevering the option was to cheat. Our Newington school motto, ‘In fide scientiam’, tells us “to your faith add knowledge”. This motto comes from the second epistle of Peter who adds further in his epistle that to knowledge we should add self-control, and to self-control we should add perseverance. We applaud success at Newington, but we also embrace the struggle, and as an extension of our motto invites, retain self-control and be willing to persevere.

Mr David Roberts
Head of Stanmore / Deputy Headmaster

I have 20 boys in my senior Economics class, all with their own laptop. What proportion of them do you think have screensavers of images of cars? 

I am not sure the answer would be different had I done a survey years ago of cut-out pictures stuck on the covers of foolscap folders or hard-copy diaries.

Cars have a pivotal, even mythical, place in the lives of young men as they slip into adulthood. When I talk to my father about what it was like learning to drive, he drags out the photo albums and shows me pictures of himself standing next to a Mini Cooper in the mid-1960s. He tells me about driving it to Queensland with a transistor radio sitting on the passenger seat because the car didn’t have a radio, and how many layers of clothes he wore on the trips to Canberra because it wasn’t just music it came without – it didn’t have a heater either.

The same conversation with me would draw out photos from the 1980s of a 16 year old standing next to a Datsun 200B with L-plates, pastel yellow exterior, beige inside as far as the eye could see. It had retractable seatbelts (a revelation). It was air-conditioned… if you wound the windows down and weren’t stopped at the lights. That airflow frequently meant I lost my page on the street directory perched on my lap as the speed picked up.

Friends recently told me their son had just got his licence and was getting to and from school in a nondescript, late-model hatchback. They felt good about him driving it – it is full of airbags and the anti-lock brakes give him more control than I ever had at his age.  He has sat-nav and his music is being streamed via Bluetooth.

It is fun to reminisce, but we don’t really want to be back in those days, driving cars with questionable brakes. Research, development and technology have made our commutes safer, more comfortable and, well, better.

We could have the same conversations about our school days. We remember what it was like to sit in a classroom, where we sat and who we sat with. We remember the teachers whose attention we avoided, those who made us laugh, and those who inspired us.

How often, when we look at the journey our boys are on at school, do we wish our boys were having the same experience we had?

Would we hope they were driving the same cars we were?

I hope the classrooms of 2018 do not resemble the ones I sat in during the 1980s. 

Educational researcher Steven Heppell (2005) observes that in the past 30 years we have become very good at designing rooms to minimise heat-loss, but questions whether we have put the same thought into designing spaces that minimise the ‘learning-loss’ of the students that sit within them. 

Over the past six years we have relooked at each of the teaching spaces at Newington, from the Science laboratories to the library through to the classrooms in buildings that were first put up in the 1930s. Teaching in the rooms in the Nesbitt Block when Sydney hosted the Olympics was a very different experience to the ones I had yesterday. Four solid walls and solid doors hid everything that went on in my classes from the outside world. There was a raised platform (the ‘stage’) at the front of the room under the whiteboard that literally put me on a pedestal, and the room was full of rows of the heaviest furniture I have ever seen in a classroom. I didn’t go to Newington as a boy, but it was the same as countless classrooms I sat in during my high school years.

The change in our learning spaces is visible, and makes the learning that boys are engaged in accessible. In some ways all the glass embodies our long-standing partnership with Mark Church from Harvard University, which has challenged staff to make their students’ thinking visible so they better understand how they learn and their teachers can work alongside them rather than in front of them. Yesterday, there was no desk for me as the teacher and what I projected on the big screen was also on the boys’ devices. The layout of the furniture changed twice during the lesson as what we did changed. Maybe that is our way of saying there are different things that should happen in a room at different times of the day.  Maybe it is saying, as Walden (2009) would argue, that in any school the spaces we put our students in are their ‘third teacher’ alongside their staff member and their peers in the classroom.

Organisational theorists would argue that our ideas about what schooling looks like is underpinned by “big assumptions” – deeply held beliefs about the way things are (and possibly should be) born from our own experience. The Datsun was dependable, outside of one Friday-night that was remedied by a call to the NRMA from a payphone. It took us from home and then back again pretty successfully. High school was the same for me: it took me from a 12 year old to an 18 year old ready, and inspired, to go to Sydney University. My car did not have BYO devices, and neither did my school’s classrooms.  By the end of my Year 12 both had sheafs of handwritten notes scattered through them that I had copied from boards or summarised from books. Experiences like these shaped my view of what learning looked like.

Kegan and Lahey (2001) in the Harvard Business Review note we all hold “big assumptions” because they help us “put an order to the world”, but also to identify things that are “out of order”. A deeply held belief we all share is that we want every student in the College to make meaningful and substantial academic progress as a learner, and at any point in time be capable of more than they were the day before. It is in many ways our core ideology, or the ‘defining character’ of the College, as Collins and Poras (1996) would phrase it. We want our boys to be better, and we make a commitment to it.

So how often do we as a school and community recognise the tension between us wanting the best for our boys and wanting them to have an experience that is familiar and comfortable to us? Is one of the biggest challenges we face as a school community acknowledging that our commitment to our students’ success may be at odds with our assumptions of what schooling looks like?

Maybe the conversations we have about what schools are like should be more focussed on the core aims of schools across generations rather than the things we see. The ability to consume and analyse information, to critically reflect on it, to draw diverse threads together to solve problems and to communicate it all succinctly and substantively is what schools are about, not the pattern of how the desks are laid out. Or, the chance to build (and learn how to build) significant relationships with people, be they our teachers or our peers, then to navigate them when they become tricky. At each point in our history, I hope our school brought all the research and expertise it could access to bear to ensure it was best preparing its boys for the world they were graduating into as men. As a goal, I don’t think continuing to do that is big or audacious. Innovation for the sake of better outcomes for our boys does not stop when we have done something different, it will only stop when we no longer challenge ourselves to do better.

I don’t think that I would show my Economics class a picture of me with my first car – I worry they’d only remember the hair of the 1980s P-plater in the shot, then remind me of it in class for the rest of the year). I am glad none of them need to start that Datsun, then let it run for 10 minutes on a cold morning before they could put it in gear without it stalling. I am glad educational researchers have done their part as well. And I hope we can all make the big assumptions that we will use their work and learn from it to give the best opportunities to our boys. 

Trent Driver 
Deputy Head of Stanmore (Academic)

• Walden R (2009), Schools for the Future, Washington, Hogrefe and Huber, Ch.8
• Collins J and Porras J (1996), Building your company’s vision, Harvard Business Review, Sept-Oct 1996
• Kegan R and Lahey L (2001), The real reason why people won’t change, Harvard Business Review, November 2001

Sydney turned on a magnificent sunny Autumn day on Sunday, 27 May for the annual Red Shield Appeal.

A ‘Newington Army’ of over 300 boys, 75 Parents and staff drivers, joined forces with a team of volunteers from the Salvos and Rotary to hit the streets and bravely knock on early morning doors.

Our boys ‘looked a million dollars’ in their Blazers and the general public wilted under their charms.

They raised $16,414 with still more to come from the donation envelopes left in mailboxes and on doorsteps.

Sincere thanks to all of our volunteers.

You have reminded us all that we are very fortunate to be a part of such a selfless and generous College community.

Mick Madden 
Head of Service Learning

A full gallery of photos is available on Spaces

The contemporary music program at Newington College is a truly magical thing. Picture this…Centenary Hall, flashing all the different colours you can think of, light bouncing off the walls. Boys and girls jumping up and down, screaming their enjoyment at the stage. Vibrations travelling through the floor, up your body and consuming you in the booming but beautiful music created from those delicate strings. The scene is utterly astonishing.

Every year at Newington, under the supervision of Mr Paton, over 100 boys from years 7-12 come together to form bands with the goal of performing at Rockfest, a riveting annual concert that is the face of the contemporary music program. Those fortunate enough to be involved invest numberless hours over the year preparing for this brilliant showcase of talent and ability. It all comes down to one night, where the boys have the opportunity to play for and entertain a proper audience, there to witness the true passion that is projected. Mr Paton, creator and organiser of the contemporary music program for ten years running sacrifices his own time to give us as aspiring musicians the opportunity he wishes he had but never did: the chance to experience performing at a professional level concert. “[He] wants to create a sense of magic for the boys.”

The contemporary music programme is so much more than ‘one of the many co- curricular opportunities that Newington offers’. It is the chance for us to escape our normal lives consisting of school work and any other dramas and really let loose doing something we want to do. Every aspect of the program is amazing, from discussing songs and their merits at the beginning of the year, through numerous band practises that start at 3:30 PM and only end when we feel we ought to do our homework, until finally, that one night, that one exhilarating frenzy of raw power and emotion. You feel the energy from the crowd wash all over you and you just let it drive you. When the lights hit you and you see the never-ending rows of silhouetted heads all turned towards you, waiting eagerly for the clapping of drumsticks to bring them back to life again; when your ears ring with the delicate and beautiful, yet powerful sound of the guitar solo; when you clasp the mic with both hands and feel the music travel elegantly through the air, you truly appreciate the magnificence.

The ‘magic’ of performing is not the only thing the contemporary music program offers. Playing in a Rockband for over 3 years now, I have discovered the endless benefits that come with the experience. This includes learning and refining multiple skills and attributes such as memorising important information, hand-eye coordination, comprehension skills, listening skills, perseverance and of course, confidence. It has an incredible impact on self-esteem because, in a band, you really feel valued. Everyone has an important role and we all rely on each other to make our performance the best it can be. Being part of a band has presented me the opportunity to develop as a leader. Once in the music room, we are away from the regular world where we have to answer to a higher authority.

We become our own bosses, and with that freedom comes the choice, the choice that decides what Rockfest really means to us. Do we mess around and come away from Rockfest disappointed in ourselves, or do we practise until we can’t get it wrong? We progress as leaders by making this choice, but that in no way means I don’t cherish every minute of rehearsals. As a guitarist, I play my guitar at any given opportunity. I play when I’m sad, I play when I’m happy. I play when I want to feel the sensation of the strings vibrating and the delightful sound of the different harmonies played perfectly in a chord. I play when I just want to take a break and relax because it gives me the relief of doing something that thrills me in a way that TV and Playstation could never come close to doing. So naturally, an afternoon of playing guitar alongside my mates is one of the biggest highlights of my week. These rehearsals develop friendships dramatically as the bonding that comes with expressing yourself musically is a bonding like no other. My fellow contemporary musicians are people that I would regard as some of my closest friends for this very reason. As Albert Hammond Jr. says, “When you get together in a group, it becomes like a family, with the different personalities and the politics that comes with being in a band. It’s different than bringing something in by yourself.” There is a sense of community that wouldn’t be found anywhere else.

Rockfest is one of the biggest events in the calendar as everyone in the vibrant audience of over a thousand people love it so much. Whether you are a parent coming to show how proud you are of your son for his amazing talent, an avid Rock music fan who jumps at every chance you get to watch quality live performances or just someone there to have a good time dancing around with your mates, it is a great experience for everyone and they all thoroughly enjoy it. With the immense support from audience members and the expression of what Rockfest means to us as musicians, it seems inevitable that contemporary music at Newington will grow to become a program admired by other schools across the state. 

It is evident how much playing contemporary music means to those involved and how we all long to showcase our performance passion. I look forward to witnessing the growth of the program as it truly is a magical thing.

Charlie Timpson (11/JN)

Newington prides itself on providing an educational environment and culture that promotes and celebrates both diversity and inclusion. Although I have just begun my journey here, I can already see evidence of this imbued in conversations, customs, practices and procedures in almost all facets of school life. This article is inspired by the notion of diversity and a beautiful series of photos from the Has Potential art exhibition 2015, taken by Fin Thompson (ON 2017)[1].    

Psychologists, particularly from the field of positive psychology, have long advocated and defended the importance of cultivating positive emotions as a way of improving wellbeing, resilience and enhanced physical health[2]. Not surprisingly, when people are asked what emotions they want to feel, they place importance on wanting to feel predominantly positive emotions[3].

Recent research, however, posits that the choice may be more complicated. Work by psychologists suggests there is a benefit in experiencing a diversity of emotions, both positive and negative. Just as the natural world flourishes through a biodiversity of flora and fauna, this work – termed “emodiversity”[4] –  compares the human mind to an internal psychological ecosystem that may profit from experiencing a broad diversity of emotions. This is evidenced in adults who report experiencing a greater diversity of both positive and negative emotions also presenting with fewer symptoms of depression. This is consistent with what has long been expounded about emotions: namely, that emotions serve as a guidepost on the map of human experience, drawing our senses to important indicators in our environments – the warning signs, things that need to be differentiated, altered, managed and understood[5]. Extrapolating further, the emotional ingredients underlying wellbeing might well be more diverse than simply feeling good or positive emotions.

If experiencing different emotions is beneficial for our health as adults, then shouldn’t we be fostering a diverse range of emotions in young children too? Yet the research suggests we as a society are not fostering emotional diversity from a young age, especially when it comes to raising young boys. This is echoed by Australian author and expert, Steve Biddulph:

“There is still a very widespread suppression of emotion in boys, and its only very enlightened parents …… who are aware of how crying protects mental health and heals the brain after loss. If boys don’t cry, it will come out in other ways, often as anger or violence.”[6]

Irrespective of whether gender differences in adult behaviour result from conscious or unconscious psychological processes, one thing is clear: boys grow up in a world populated by a narrower range of emotions, one in which their experiences of anger are observed, inferred and possibly even cultured. This renders other emotions, chiefly the more vulnerable emotions as diminished or absent in their developing minds.

While this is a concern, research from Harvard Medical School shows that boys are at least equally if not more emotionally expressive than girls[7]. This commences in infancy and continues through early childhood. So, it is plausible that boys might actually begin with a comparable intensity and range of emotional expressions. The corollary is that something is occurring in these early years, when children are the most receptive to messages regarding emotion displays, that might very well have a longer-term impact on their emotional growth.

Indeed, a lack of nurturing emotional diversity in children may have long-term consequences. As early as primary school, the avoidance of strong emotions (apart from anger) results in academic underperformance in boys[8]. Psychologists purport that children who block emotional vulnerability are more likely to become adolescents who engage in risk-taking behaviours such as drug and alcohol use. Later in development, men suppress their emotions more than women; and men in turn experience greater depressive symptoms and resort more often to physical violence[9]. Scientists venture that difficulty regulating emotions may explain the link between restricted emotions and aggressive behaviour toward others in men[10]. Given that the skills to regulate emotion are gained through reiteration, which boys may be less likely to possess if they are not permitted to experience the full range of emotions, this outcome appears to be more than likely.

Unfortunately, men’s restriction in emotional expression has extended, at least in Australia, to a rigorous and necessary debate about notions of masculinity. If any progress is to be made, one might suggest that fostering emotional diversity in boys is a good place to start. Australian author Tim Winton captures this beautifully:

“Children are born wild….. it’s wondrous, regardless of gender. Even when they’re feral creatures, kids are reservoirs of tenderness and empathy. But some do turn into savages. And sadly, most of those are boys. They’re trained into it. Because of neglect or indulgence…..Yes, boys need their unexamined privilege curtailed. Just as they need certain proscribed privileges and behaviours made available to them. But the first step is to notice them. To find them worthy of our interest. As subjects, not objects. How else can we hope to take responsibility for them? And it’s men who need to step up and finally take their full share of that responsibility.” [11]

It is heartening to note that the Love and Anger workshops experienced by Year 10 students in 2015 had a profound effect on the boys and staff involved:

“The Love and Anger workshop, was most enlightening for me, to observe the practical ways we can acknowledge and physically experience emotions and share them in a with trusted community. It was that vulnerability with others that was so powerful.” [12]

As I gaze upon those provocative documentary photos outside my office, I see an affirmation and a constant reminder of the importance of boys being able to experience a diversity of emotions. These works of art inspire me to be less judgemental, accepting and tolerant of the vast range of emotions and emotional states that walk through the office door. Rather than attempt to dismiss them or immediately temper them, I need to be mindful of what they represent, what lies behind them and what they are signalling. They are indeed signposts and they are the kernels of growth and development.

Andy Quinane
Deputy Head of Stanmore (Students)

[1] The photos were taken by a Year 10 Photographic Digital Media student, Fin Thompson, who documented the Visual Arts students participating in the Anger and love workshop that preceded the Has Potential exhibition.

[2] Fredrickson, B. L. (2000). Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3(1). Article ID 1.

[3] Tsai, L Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 2, 3: pp. 242-259.  Sep 1, 2007.

[4] Quoidbach, J., Gruber, J., Mikolajczak, M., Kogan, A., Kotsou, I., & Norton, M. I. (2014). Emodiversity and the emotional ecosystem. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(6), 2057-2066.

[5] Greenberg, Leslie S Safran, Jeremy D. American Psychologist, Vol 44(1), Jan 1989, 19-29

[6] https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/steve-biddulphs-incredible-new-findings-on-raising-boys-today

[7] Weinberg, M. K., Tronick, E. Z., Cohn, J. F., & Olson, K. L. (1999). Gender differences in emotional expressivity and self-regulation during early infancy. Developmental Psychology, 35(1), 175-188.

[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/education/edlife/teaching-men-to-be-emotionally-honest.html

[9] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/education/edlife/teaching-men-to-be-emotionally-honest.html

[10] Cohn, A. M., Jakupcak, M., Seibert, L. A., Hildebrandt, T. B., & Zeichner, A. (2010). The role of emotion dysregulation in the association between men’s restrictive emotionality and use of physical aggression. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 11(1), 53-64.

[11] https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/09/about-the-boys-tim-winton-on-how-toxic-masculinity-is-shackling-men-to-misogyny

[12] Quote from Newington Visual Arts teacher Hannah Chapman

A huge congratulations to the Year 12 HSC Drama students who performed at the College’s HSC Drama Expo on 17 September.

The expo opened with a short film that perfectly encapsulated the agonies of romance by text message (will she ever reply?!) followed by a night of brilliant solo performances, nonsensical physical comedy and incredible group performances. 

Among them were boys whose outstanding performances have been recognised with nominations for inclusion in OnSTAGE, a showcase of exemplary HSC work.

OnSTAGE nominees include Joshua Bowd(12/LE), Ryan Dive (12/FL), Will Dotson (12/LE) and Lachlan McIntyre (12/JN) for their piece #TheSecondComing, Matt Dyster (12/FL), Andrew Liu (12/PR) and Liam Taylor (12/PR) for their piece Bath Time! and Nicholas Fitzsimmons (12/FL), Simon James (12/PR), James Roach (12/MA) and Ben Taylor (12/MA) for their piece Land of the Free.

Simon James, Andrew Liu and James Roach have also been nominated for their Individual Performances, an incredible result for both the boys and the College.

Special thanks to Head of Drama Ms Tamara Smith who has worked so hard to help our students achieve such great results.

Images courtesy of Chris Hayles Photography.

What do you do when the Headmaster decides to retire? Have a gala ball to mark his incredible contribution!

At the recent Newington P&F Ball more than 450 Stanmore, Wyvern and Lindfield parents and Old Boys raised a glass to Dr and Mrs Mulford.

The night began with a version of “This is Your Life” presented by Newington parents Kylie Gillies and Craig Reucassel, who took Dr Mulford on a trip down memory lane. Dr Mulford took prime position on an outsized red throne to review proceedings.

As part of his heartfelt response, he told guests: “Leading the College for the past 10 years has been a highlight in my career”. Dr Mulford received a well-earned standing ovation in recognition of his contribution to Newington.

A key purpose of the ball was to raise funds for the College Endowment Fund. Bidding on silent and live auction items was competitive and there was much interest in tickets to win a $10,000 cash prize in the raffle. Congratulations to the lucky winners.

Thank you to the 110 Year 12 parents who attended the VIP drinks before the ball and enjoyed the opportunity to converse with Dr Mulford and Mr Roberts in a relaxed environment, and to all those who made the evening so special.

As a parting gift, the Newington P&F is putting together is an ebook of messages to Dr Mulford that he can reflect upon during his retirement. To include your message in this custom book,  click here. We also welcome any donation you wish to make that will go towards the Mulford Bursary – Celebrating Diversity.

Our Remembrance Day service on Friday 9 November will mark the centenary of the Armistice that ended the fighting on 11 November 1918. We know that, as news of the signing of the Armistice spread, crowds gathered to celebrate in public places across the Allied nations. The jubilant crowd photographed in Martin Place (image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial) captured the mood in Sydney that...

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Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally...

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As part of their International Baccalaureate (IB) program, students are required to conduct an Internal Assessment (IA) for each subject. In Physics, as with the other sciences, this involves conducting an extended laboratory investigation to produce a comprehensive formal report which is submitted for assessment. Kelvin Du (12/ME) submitted an IA report of such high quality that we decided to...

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On Wednesday, 14 November the Newington College’s Senior Leaders revealed the motto for 2019 during Assembly. “In white and black, we’ve got your back”. Its aim is to promote support for one another, and a significant part of that will focus on mental health. Senior Prefect Mark Elwaw addressed staff and students to provide context around their decision. His speech is below.

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Congratulations to the cast and crew of the 2018 Junior Production, Luke Lloyd: Alienoid, which was performed in the Drama Theatre last week. For many of the year 7 and 8 boys involved, this was their first production and all boys involved from performers to crew members did an outstanding job. A big thank you to all of the staff, boys and family members who came along to see the show!

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As we head toward the summer holidays, our hearts and minds turn towards taking a breath, relaxing and for those of us lucky enough, taking advantage of some time-out from our busy lives. For our boys, the extra downtime can be both a blessing and a time of risk. Longer holidays, present adolescents with opportunities to take risks they might not otherwise (Kann, et al., 2014).

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Year 7 have just experienced their first Growth Mindset Week in Mathematics. Instead of beginning the year with what you may recall from your high school days as ‘the history of number’ with Roman numerals and the basics of our Hindu-Arabic system of numbers, we began with a week of Inspirational Mathematics lessons developed by Professor Jo Boaler from Stanford University. In previous years we...

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As Toni Morrison once said, “At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough”. For three weeks, the beauty of Nepal certainly was enough for the students and staff who were fortunate enough to go on this Service Learning tour. Digital screens were replaced by scenes of beauty that took our breath away.

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Newington College is committed to supporting Clean Up Australia Day but this year we were impressed and overwhelmed by how many students were keen to give up their Sunday morning for such a good cause. Over 180 students from all year groups met on Sunday 3 March at 8am to begin the clean up of our own school grounds and the surrounding streets of Stanmore. Armed with gloves and garbage bags (non...

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Confused? That was kind of the point! Last week the Senior Production Love and Information by Caryl Churchill, took place in the Drama theatre. An ambitious project involving boys from Years 11 and 12, and girls from PLC Sydney, the show was performed on a revolving stage and featured complex technical design. But perhaps the most talked about component of this unique show was the seemingly...

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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45) With the Easter celebration fast approaching, the chapel message has turned to the essence of what Easter is all about; namely the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Death is a difficult thing to talk about, especially when we have lost loved ones. It also touches a raw...

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At an all boys school, Newington students seldom hear what girls themselves have to say about what International Women’s Day means to them. In the week of International Women’s Day, Newington boys from Years 10-12 joined senior girls from MLC and PLC Sydney in a forum that looked to raise awareness and celebrate women in society. The open forum was therefore a great opportunity for us boys to...

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