It’s great to be back at Newington after twelve months leave. In this, my first contribution to Black and White for 2017, I wish to share a few reflections, gleaned from my time away from the College last year and to inform parents of our middle years’ boys some of the topics which Year 8, in particular, will be focussing on in the Well-being program this year.

Upon returning to Newington, I have been reminded every day what a special community this is. On the first few days of my return, each time I walked down the driveway, I was greeted with a series of hugs and kisses, handshakes and smiles from my colleagues and our students alike. I was also greeted by many parent emails wishing me well and everywhere, “Welcome back” rang in my ears and I was aware of the sense of being embraced by this extraordinary community. I am so grateful to be back and have been humbled by the care and support I have received from everyone.

I also had the privilege of travelling quite extensively through Europe and the USA last year and this only confirmed my opinion that Australia is the best country in the world; a fact I shared all too often on my travels with anyone who would listen; especially the Russian taxi driver named Vladimir who drove me from New York’s JFK airport to Manhattan. On hearing my accent, Vladimir launched into his list of reasons why he would like to migrate to Australia, the top one being that “all the Australians who get into my taxi are so happy”, to which I replied, “that’s because we live in the best country in the world!” Vladimir agreed; therefore it must be true. With each passing airport security check, I appreciated more and more the relative freedom, safety and security that most Australians enjoy in our lives on a day to day basis. This was all too apparent to me when my son, Chris, who is currently living in the U.S.A, took me to his local Walmart, just so I could see how easy it was to buy a gun over the counter. It was a very confronting experience and even though Chris thought my look of shock and horror was a bit of a giggle, I thank the Lord for the gun laws and controls we have in place to keep our community safe. I couldn’t help but feel that whilst life in Australia is far from perfect, we have so much to be grateful for compared to the rest of the world. And like Dorothy clicking her red shoes together, there really is “no place like home”.   

It’s wonderful to be back with our Year 8 students and this year, we are graced with an exceptional team of mentors to help look after and nurture our boys as they grow. Year 8 is typically the year when the onset of changes due to adolescence often reach their peak.  With this in mind, our Wellbeing program has been specifically designed to provide a learning space where some of the most common issues can be explored. For example, Year 8 is sometimes marked by upheavals in friendship groups. As boys grow and mature at different rates, they sometimes, temporarily, outgrow a friendship that may have been with them for many years through primary school. Through our Wellbeing program we discuss these changes and seek to educate the boys on what constitutes healthy differences of opinion and ways to manage change, allowing freedom for themselves and others to develop new friendships, thereby building a stronger community. In addition, we discuss when to be on guard against disagreements that may fester and degenerate into negative, bullying-type behaviours and how to seek help if this occurs. 

In the weeks to come, the boys will be involved in a “kindness challenge” which is aimed at teaching them skills in order to build positive relationships and develop a positive, strong and resilient Year 8 community. 

Later in the year, the Year 8 Wellbeing program will begin to focus on each individual boy’s own personal journey towards becoming the man that he wants to be; helping the boys to begin considering what kind of man this is for them and what their purpose could be. I’m sure you will agree, to borrow a line of thought from our Headmaster, there’s never been a more exciting time to be at Newington College!

Ms Julie Burke
Head of Middle Years