25 Jul 2012

P&F Speaker: Paul Dillon

When near 200 parents gathered in Centenary Hall, to hear the third speaker in the P&F’s series of Parent Forums for 2012, they were warned by Paul Dillon that he would be delivering a “brutal wake-up call”. Founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia and a former school teacher, Paul has been working in the area of drug education for the past 25 years conducting drug information sessions and workshops for school students and parents across Australia and internationally. His best-selling book for parents Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs was released in 2009.

“I believe we are on the cusp of significant change,” he predicted at the timely sessions held at Newington College last week for our Years 10 -12 boys. “While schools have a role to deliver education about the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse it is firmly parents’ role to navigate the permissions and consequences for their children.”

Some of Paul’s statistics were initially reassuring. The number of young people 12 -17 years who report NOT using illicit drugs is the lowest it has been for 20 years. However the position on alcohol is very different and Paul has found, “parents are not keen to hear the message that research suggests ‘parent influence’ is firmly a cause of increased alcohol abuse in underage drinkers”.

Social influence, advertising and sport culture have always been identified as causal in the early uptake of alcohol. Now more worryingly Paul suggests that images on Facebook of intoxicated behaviour being seen as a badge of honour, few social situations without alcohol in the home and 65% of 12 year olds reporting they have had alcoholic drink with adult supervision, means we are in a new and dangerous area of acceptance.

“Children need parents who make tough decisions, who accept not being ‘liked’, who delay for as long as possible any alcohol consumption by their children,” said Paul.

So what can parents do when challenged by their disgruntled teens to supply alcohol or accept that other parents do? From Paul’s point of view, having seen so many families who have suffered the consequences of alcohol related tragedy, the answer is simple.

“I wish I could give you the answer you want to hear but – you’re an adolescent – so I cant.”

Paul Dillion believes there can be a shift in parenting from high level warmth until 10 years of age to a firm, high expectation discipline through to at least 16 years: where no means no; where actions speak louder than words; where you expect a lot from your children and where you afford them a lot of responsibility – all because you love them very much.”

And because your children need you to be the adult – always be willing to be the solution to your children’s social challenges. “My parents won’t let me”…is very acceptable.

Theatresports Success

Newington was well represented at the Theatresports Schools Challenge Grand Final by the Senior Theatresports team: Jack Scott (12/LE), Tom Crotty (12/PR), Jack Hirst (12/KL), Greg Koumoukelis (12/LE) and Reuben Ward (12/KL). The boys performed brilliantly throughout their improvisations, winning over the judges and audience with their wit and quick-thinking. They were awarded second place, a phenomenal achievement for the team and Newington.

A selection of photos from their performances leading up to and from the Grand-Final are included below. Congratulations boys!

Women’s Group Update

The Newington Women’s Group is a dynamic group of women that welcomes mothers, aunts and grandmothers of current and former Newington College students. We aim to provide the opportunity for women to engage with the Newington community through fellowship with women of past and present students of Newington College and other women who wish to further the welfare of the students and the College. This is achieved primarily by organising and holding social events, such as the Year 7 Mother & Son Dinner, the Annual Women’s Dinner and a Trivia Night. We also have a number of community initiatives that are designed to be fun as well such as ‘Wrap with Love’, a Baking Bee for the Black and White Café and cake stall at Back to Newington Day. Both events are designed to be an opportunity for the mothers to socialise with other mothers, in an informal setting.

This year’s Women’s Dinner is scheduled for Friday 24 August. Come and join us for an evening of food and entertainment in the ‘Prescott Nightclub’. We would love to have as many as possible celebrate the women of Newington.

After a hiatus of a few years, we are hosting a trivia night on Friday 7 September for the whole community. There will be all types of quizzes, games, and great prizes. An antipasto platter will be provided to start and tea and coffee will be available, however please bring drinks and anything else you and your team members would like to share. Seating is tables of ten, so please come and join us for an evening of brain teasers, laughs and prizes.

The ‘Wrap with Love’ project is a community initiative that the Newington Women’s  Group has recently become involved with. This project is part of the Wrap With Love Charity. Wrap With Love was formed in 1992 to distribute wraps to people suffering extreme weather conditions. A small group of knitters meets regularly to knit squares that are turned into lovely wraps. Even if you cannot join us, knitting is something that can be done when watching our sons from the sidelines or at home. There are a large number of knitters who cannot join us at school and so choose to work on their own. We are looking for knitters and sewers to help out.

The Newington Women’s Group is also currently working on forming a pool of scribes and readers to help the College’s Literacy Support Department. We are seeking volunteers from the community who would like to participate in this very important task. We will be holding an information night in August where a Literacy Support member will speak.

For more information, please contact Rollanda Rosenstrauss.

The Popular Mechanicals

What do you get when you cross Shakespeare, garden gnomes, rubber chickens, questionable singing and boys gallivanting across stage in brightly coloured pantaloons?

Why it’s The Popular Mechanicals, of course!

Last week the Old Chapel Theatre was transformed into Shakespearean England as part of the Senior School Production of this old new play.

Much in the same spirit of Tom Stoppard’s better known Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Popular Mechanicals tells the other story from A Midsummer Night’s Dream—that of Nick Bottom and his fellow tradesmen (“the mechanicals”).

Written by Tony Taylor and Keith Robinson and originally directed by Geoffrey Rush at the Belvoir Street Theatre in 1987, the story of Bottom and his men was brought to Newington with the help of Director Ms Tamara Smith, Mr Bernard Harris and Ms Rosalind McKenzie, as well as an ensemble of willing (and very able) young thespians.

The production was a hilariously post-modern examination of both Shakespeare and theatre itself, intertwining vaudevillian humour with clever wordplay and some inventive use of the aforementioned rubber chickens.

Big thanks and congratulations must go to all the boys and staff involved for such a successful Senior Production, particularly Tamara Smith for conceptualising the play from start to finish. For those who missed it—bad luck—but don’t fret because at the very least you can feast your eyes on some delicious photos from the play below!

Call for Sponsors

ZipperEffect is the new professional team representing Newington College in the F1 in Schools Competition. We are looking for companies who we can collaborate with to incorporate their ideas into our strategies.

This year the regionals will be held at Newington; this means that your company will have an ideal opportunity to be advertised to the Newington community and around the school. If you or your business are interested in providing us with any sponsorship please contact Alastair Bate (9/ME) or send an email to zippereffect@newington.nsw.edu.au. We look forward to hearing from you!

Woodbridge Exchange

Year 9 Boys Edward Henderson (9/LE) and Fin McAvoy (9/LE) recently returned from a six week exchange to The Woodbridge School in England. Featured below is a short summary of their experiences.

For the past 6 weeks we have been over in England on exchange, an amazing experience and one we won’t forget. We were dropped off at the airport by our families and said our last goodbyes to all of them. From that point onwards we were independent young men and we had a lot more responsibility to carry on our shoulders.

We were anxious as we boarded the flight to Hong Kong as this was going to be the longest flight that we had ever embarked upon. However, we were both really excited on meeting back up with our exchanges and their friends. Before this Sam and Jack (our exchanges from England) had arrived in Australia and we had an excellent time. They both really loved coming over to Australia and meeting all of our friends, family and seeing our beautiful country. It was really sad to see them go but we knew that we would get to see them again in 3 weeks.

We were not disappointed, the people were extremely nice, helpful and took great care of us from day one. Once we had arrived at Heathrow we were picked up by both Sam and Jack and it was so good and fulfilling to see them again. We had a long drive to get back to both of their houses and we had a great opportunity to catch up on memories and the times that we had shared together. Arriving at the house for the first time and meeting our exchange family was full of mixed emotions.

School was very different to Newington, mainly the fact that it was co-educational which was completely different to what we were used to. They also had school lunches provided to them everyday and they were actually very tasty. The only disadvantage was that this meant we had to queue up for a while. All of the people that we met over in England were extremely nice and always there for us if we needed any help around school. This also included the other Australian exchanges from Melbourne and Tasmania that we met whilst over there. We all became really close friends.

Whilst we were there, England was experiencing the wettest April on record and we were both really surprised by how cold, wet and miserable the weather was. Another big thing that we noticed was the greenness of the countryside. Everywhere we went we were surrounded by endless fields of green grass. Despite the weather we still had an amazing time.

Most of our stay consisted of going to school each day of the working week and although it might sound boring it was actually really fun. It was good getting really into the culture of England and how everything works. On the weekends we had a lot of planned activities that our exchange families wanted us to see, such as going to the motorcycle racing, learning pieces of history in the local area such as nearby castles as well as visiting London.

Personal observations

On the last weekend before the last week of school, Jack’s family booked us a hotel that was right in the heart of London. In fact we had a room that looked out on Tower Bridge, which is one of the famous landmarks in London. The weekend was one of the biggest highlights of my trip. It is so good to finally see in real life the things that you’ve heard or learnt about in London, such as Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, Nelsons Column, Pall Mall, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, London Wall, The Underground, The London Eye, The River Thames and lots of other famous sights. I was fortunate enough to go in an open topped bus tour around all of London seeing all of these sights and it was amazing, something that I will never ever forget.

Edward Henderson (9/LE)

My trip to Le Touquet France was amazing. This was a perfect time to practise my French, as I do it as an elective. To get there we drove to Dover where we parked our car on the train and waited twenty minutes and we had arrived in France. The first thing we did was head straight to the beach. The French beaches were a lot different to Australian beaches and there were no red and yellow flags and no surfers. After a weekend of beautiful food, scenery and awesome beaches it was time to head home.

Fin McAvoy (9/LE)

Fin McAvoy and Edward Henderson

History Debating Success

For the first time in Newington history, a group of four Year 10 boys (Ben Adams (10/FL), Sean Hatten (10/ME), Sebastian Rees (10/PR), Samuel Wallace (10/MO)) have been involved in a state wide history debating competition.

The competition requires a team to debate three other schools within a group. If all debates are won, the school progresses to the semi-finals. Recently, our team won their last debate of the group stage and thus progressed to the final four schools in the competition.

Along the way, the boys have debated topics such as “Japan never intended to invade Australia during WW2” and “Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a mistake.” Our semi-final opponent has not been decided as yet, but we do know that the other schools that have progressed are Barker, Tara and James Ruse.

The final will take place early in Term 4. The boys should be congratulated on their fine efforts thus far, especially considering that this is the first year Newington has entered this competition. Watch this space for the semi-final result!

Mark Scali
History Department

Languages Poetry Competition 2012

The Languages Poetry Finals Evening was held on Thursday 19 July in a number of venues throughout the school. It gave boys the opportunity to showcase their talent by reciting poetry in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Latin. The students who achieved first place in each category were presented with a gift card from the Languages Bookshop.

The calibre of this year’s finalists was extraordinary and I would like to thank the Language Staff and parents for their support in this competition.

The aim of the learning a poem provides boys with a challenge, an extension task that takes them often into unfamiliar territory, but at the same time provides students with a real sense of achievement.

The winners of the 2012 Languages Poetry Competition are:

Year 7 French – Jack Crawford (7/KL)
Year 7 Japanese – Ashutosh Bidkar (7/FL)
Year 7 Latin – Ashutosh Bidkar (7/FL)

Year 8 French – Fletcher Howell (8/JN)
Year 8 Japanese – Elliot Ulm (8/LE)
Year 8 Latin – Sebastian Iannuzzi (8/MO)

Year 9 French – Ashan Karunagaran (9/KL)
Year 9 German – Jeremy Sreejayan (9/KL)
Year 9 Japanese – Fergus McKenna (9/JN)
Year 9 Latin – Saahil Parekh (9/MO)

Year 10 French – Thomas Van Der Welde (10/JN)
Year 10 German – Sebastian Rees (10/PR)
Year 10 Japanese – Michael Choi (10/FL)
Year 10 Latin – Aki Flame (10/KL)

Year 11 French – Franklin Floratos (11/FL)
Year 11German – Christopher Kerr (11/MA)
Year 11 Italian – Benjamin Robinson (11/FL)
Year 11 Japanese – James Ong (11/MA)
Year 11 Latin – Theodore Iannuzzi (11/MO)

Michael Bennett
Head of Languages

Centre for Ethics

Centre for Ethics Public Lecture Program

On Wednesday 1 August Newington will welcome Dr Simon Longstaff, the Executive Director at St James Ethics Centre, Sydney to present his lecture: On Living an Examined Life.

Dr Simon Longstaff is a philosopher whose focus is in the field of applied ethics. He has been Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre since 1991. The lecture will be held in Prescott Hall at 7pm. It promises to be a thought-provoking evening and all members of the Newington Community are encouraged to attend. Please click here for more information.

Year 10 Parents Function

Parents of boys in Year 10 are warmly invited to the 2012 Year 10 Parents Function, to be held at the Pyrmont Point Hotel. The event is to be held on Friday 17 August 2012, and the final date for RSVP is Friday the 10th. For more information, including payment options, please refer to the flyer below.

Changes to School Fees Correspondence Methods

Feedback received from some people who responded to the recent parent survey has prompted the College to plan improvements in the way in which we communicate regarding school fees.

Over time, we plan to provide more information to parents and guardians, whilst aiming to reduce the College’s carbon footprint. To achieve these improvements and efficiencies, we will rely more on communicating electronically.

The first step in this process is to send school fee invoices and statements via email, rather than in hard copy. The ultimate goal is to provide electronic school fee account information in real time via the parent portal. Doing so will enable parents to view their account status at any time without the need for hard copy and historical print outs.

In the coming weeks and months the College will review its database to ensure that every family has an email address and we will endeavour to check that the address is both current and appropriate for emailing school fee account information.

If you know that the College does not have an email address for you, or the email address is out of date or not appropriate for the emailing of school fee account information, please contact either Ms Coral Balmer or Mrs Pina Biazzo via the Reception telephone number (9568 9333) to provide the new email address.

I’m confident that we will ultimately improve the supply of information to parents and others and I look forward to your assistance in us achieving that goal.

Peter Yates
Head of Corporate Services

ICT Young Explorers

A select few of our student’s ranging from Years 7 – 10 have entered the ‘NSW Young ICT Explorers’ competition. It has been designed to enable students in Years 4 – 12 to put forward an ‘Information Communication Technology’ project individually or in a group.

This select group had the opportunity to go to the SAP building in North Sydney and meet Australian Cricket legend Mark Taylor. As a former Australian cricket captain and an SAP ambassador, Mark provided the boys with some fantastic stories and advised them on the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and developing leadership skills in young people.

These boys really are the future of technology with some of our students designing some superb items such as Apps, Games, and Solar Chargers for Macbooks to name but a few. I encourage the entire Newington Community to get behind these boys in the final stages of the competition in August!

Adam Carron
ICT Facilitator

Student Services

Welcome back to Semester 2! Term 3 resumes with a busy schedule. Key information can be found in a number of sources including the Black and White, the Newington Website and Dr Hirst’s weekly email to all parents. Direct contact with relevant staff is also most welcome. 

Home and School Contact

We remind you that the first point of contact is normally your son’s Mentor. A complete list of Mentors can be found on our website by clicking here. You are most welcome to contact them at any time within school term dates, preferably via email as teachers juggle many tasks in a given day.

Student School Email Account

All students have access to their own individual account. An increasing amount of communication to students is occurring by this medium. Please check that your son is using this account as otherwise he may miss important information. Any student who needs assistance with this account should report to the IT help desk.

Middle School 

The Year 8 2013 Curriculum

Parents of boys presently in Year 7 would be aware that their sons are soon going to be asked to choose two electives to study in Year 8. The full details of this will be announced at the special evening to be held on 7 August. This is a new initiative designed to overcome the disengagement often experienced by boys at a crucial stage in their adolescent development. Previously, they were forced into a curriculum that in some cases led them nowhere, resulting in distraction and poor behaviour. We have been able to reshape our Year 7 curriculum to cater for this change and we are hopeful that by providing ownership and subjects of interest, that these issues we have experienced in the past will be avoided.

Year 9 2013

An information night will be held on Tuesday, 31 July for all boys in Year 8 entering Year 9 in 2013. The purpose of this evening is to offer advice and information regarding the selection of three electives for study in Year 9.

Middle School Dances

During this term, Newington will host two Dances in conjunction with local girls’ schools. The first for Years 8 & 9 boys will be held on Friday, 10 August and the second for Year 7 only, on Friday, 7 September. These follow on the success of last year’s venture. Information appears elsewhere in this publication relevant to the 10 August date.

Year 9

There are a number of important dates coming up for Year 9 families. Firstly, all boys are expected to attend the home match against St Joseph’s College on Saturday, 11 August to support our senior teams and secondly the Year 9 Parent Teacher Evening is set down for Monday, 13 August from 4.00pm.

Jeff Snare
Head of Middle School

Senior School 

Students in the Senior School are encouraged to become more independent as they approach life outside of school. One obvious signal of this development is the gaining of a drivers licence. By Term 3 many senior boys are driving to school but with this comes numerous responsibilities, including the completion of a school ‘Permission to Drive Form’ and driving in a safe and courteous manner. Permission forms can be obtained from Heads of House, Mrs Thomas, General Duty Officers, the Portal on Year 11/12 pages or student email accounts. They need to cover drivers and passengers.  Our major concern is for the safety and wellbeing of students and safe driving is vital to this objective. Parental support with this is greatly valued.

Term 3 is a particularly busy and challenging time for senior students. Winter co-curricular commitments, leadership roles and academic pursuits compete for the time and energy of students. Working in an organised and consistent manner is the best way to establish a sound platform for success. Year 11 and 12 HSC/IB students have major exams starting on Monday, 20 August while Year 10 are making course subject choices for 2013.

Year 12 House Honour Colours

At a recent School Assembly I was able to acknowledge boys for their outstanding contribution to their House and School over the last five and half years. They have received the highest level of recognition from the House Colours points system with the awarding of House Honour Colours. Every student at Newington has the opportunity to reach this level but they must invest time and effort in their school. Typically the boys participate in a minimum of four co-curricular activities and demonstrate a strong commitment to Service Learning over a number of years. Full details can be found on page four of the Student Diary. Boys receiving this recognition were Spiro Augoustinos (12/FL), Jonathan Ciofani (12/PR), Lucais Haldane (12/JN), Sinclair Hill (12/MO), Jack Hirst (12/KL), Lewis Holey (12/MO), Nathan Kelly (12/PR), Ben Milic (12/KL), Max Miller Bock (12/MA), Bryce Moon (12/ME), James Palmer (12/KL), Andrew See (12/ME), Hugh Shouldice (12/ME) and Jack Van De Vegt (12/FL).

Year 11

Over the holiday a number of students attended the National Leadership Camp, returning with overwhelmingly positive feedback, as indicated by the extracts below. The good news is that The Rising Generations organisers will be coming to Newington later this term to work with 50 Year 11 boys on a leadership workshop. To read more about Rising Generations, click here.

The greatest thing about the camp was the fantastic people we got to meet. Students from all around Australia attended and as part of a “tribe” many of us, even after 24 hours, came as close as best friends could ever become. One thing I’d like to encourage everyone in the community to realise is “We are not the leaders of tomorrow, rather we ARE the leaders of today!”

Lachlan McKirdy (11/LE)

The NLC camp made me realise that all students can contribute—whether in leadership positions or not. All can give their upmost and perhaps it is my role as a leader to gel that group under a common goal or ideal through being an exemplary role model in all aspects of school life. It is vital to be able to translate these experiences to both Newington and myself. I have commented to my family that this was one of the best times I had ever had as it was stimulating, different and challenging.

Lachlan Cox (11/MO)

I, along with 200 other young students from across Australia and New Zealand spent the half week together, forming one of the most amazing and inspirational environments I’ve ever been a part of. Each of the days were packed full of incredible experiences.

Max Schultz (11/PR)

Paul Bourke
Head of Senior School 

Music

NSW School Band Festival: A Gold Medal Event!

Six of Newington’s seven High School Wind bands and Jazz ensembles went off with a bang at the NSW School Band Festival last weekend. Approximately 150 high school boys participated in performances across a variety of musical styles over the entire weekend, with Gold medals won and stunning music performed.

The festival began on Saturday evening with the prestigious Percy Grainger Event for premier Wind ensembles. This section featured performances by ten groups whose repertoire is judged to be of an appropriate standard. All bands performed at an exceptional level and the Newington Symphonic Winds group certainly held their own. I had chosen a repertoire most often performed by university ensembles, requiring of the boys high-level technical mastery and excellent ensemble skill. The performance exhibited magnificent playing by Symphonic Winds and featured moving solos by many of the boys. Newington was rewarded with a Gold medal!

Sunday saw the performances of five other groups in their respective divisions. The Big Band and Junior Jazz Ensemble each received a Gold award under the direction of Mr Stephen Foxe. The Intermediate Jazz Ensemble and Wind Orchestra also did the College proud receiving Silver and Bronze awards respectively. Special thanks also goes to Ms Rebecca Grubb for her assistance in leading and conducting the bands through the first half of 2012.

Congratulations to all the boys who participated. The hard work put in since the start of the school year resulted in very fine performances! We can proudly boast not only first class ensembles at the highest level, but also enviable depth in the College’s Band and Jazz programs!

Concerto Competition

The Annual Concerto Competition was held over the last two weeks. The junior section was conducted on 16 July and the seniors the following Monday, 23 July. This annual event has always attracted the cream of our instrumental talent eager to display the fruits of long practice hours. Both of this year’s competitions were hotly contested while maintaining the Newington ethos of celebrating the fine achievements of others.

The adjudicators for the 2012 Concerto Competitions were Mr Goetz Richter (Associate Professor of Violin at the Sydney Conservatorium) for the Junior Division and Mr Francesco Celata (Associate Principal Clarinettist with Sydney Symphony Orchestra) adjudicated the Senior Division. Both were impressed with the outstanding level of music making from all competitors. All entrants in this year’s competitions should feel proud of their achievements.

Music is not about competition, however the following boys were selected as outstanding performances by the adjudicators on the night:

Junior Section:

Winner: Ari Volovelsky (7/ME)
Runner up: Victor Dai (9/FL)

Senior Section:

Winner: Michael Choi (10/FL)
Equal Second: Dominic Longhurst (10/JN) and Valeriy Suraev (10/MA)
Third: Steven Xu (10/ME)
Highly Commended: Ciaran Frame (12/JN), Chris Yap (10/FL)

In addition to this, Dominic Longhurst (pictured below) won several divisions and was named Champion of Champions for the Concert Bands (Trumpet) and Brass (cornet) at the State Band Championships on Sunday.

All in all it was a great weekend for Newington Bands!

   

Luke Gilmour
Director of Bands

From the Chaplain

Tragedy at The Cross

Today as I write this piece The King’s School are in deep mourning and holding the funeral for recently graduated Thomas Kelly. Thomas died as a result of a drunken attack on him in The Cross earlier this month. Our hearts go out to the Kelly family and to The King’s School community, staff and boys. Our prayers have been and will continue to be with them—this of course could easily have been us.

It was quite apposite this week to have Dr Paul Dillon delivering lectures to both our senior boys, college staff and parents, on the topic of “drugs and alcohol”. One of Dr Dillon’s clear messages was that alcohol is by far the most dangerous of all social drugs. Another surprising finding, from international research that he brought to us, was that the culture of gradual exposure to alcohol of young people in European countries like France is not working as people have concluded. Incidents of liver cancer, for instance, are disproportionally high in these countries and the French government is now recognising the huge medical and social cost that its “normalising of alcohol use” has on the country.

Of course this begs the question of how we raise our kids safely and with mature and responsible attitudes to drinking. Research suggests there is clear evidence to show that the developing brain of the adolescent is incredibly vulnerable to permanent damage from alcohol use. The hippocampus, which resides deep within the basal part of the brain, is particularly at risk of shrinkage and damage. This will impair a person’s memory and ability to learn. There are many other obvious dangers associated with alcohol abuse such as alcohol poisoning (in my time as a minister I have had to officiate at two funerals of teenagers who have died this way), and the consequence of teenage binge-drinking and associated high risk behaviours of teenagers under the influence.

Again I try to give you some suggestions as to how to manage our own monitoring of our young peoples’ social lives—and the following are consistent with what Paul Dillon shared with us—monitoring (through being inquisitive) is the key word. Ask them (in a calm and non-interrogative way) questions like:

i) Where are you going?
ii) Who are you going to be with?
iii) When will you be home? (When can I come and pick you up from the party?)

Don’t be afraid to contact parents who might be hosting a “gathering” (see also my Black and White article in March 2012, and I promise no more on this subject this year).

As Dr Dillon said, “Teenagers don’t want us to be their best friend but they do want us to genuinely care and be involved in their lives”.

Isn’t it incredible that the human species, for thousands of years, has been seeking ways to distort or enhance our experience and feelings through the use of substances that are not natural to our normal sources of nutrition and hydration. I recently chatted with a colleague about how as far back as the Incas of South America, who experimented with poisonous toads and the first magic mushrooms, humanity has been seeking ways to get a buzz from strange substances, and searching for fulfilment and meaning in life.

Allow me to end this piece, on a slightly philosophical note, by quoting from Jesus, “everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

David N Williams
Chaplain

 

News from Archives, Alumni and Foundation

The Chaplain Peter Swain Archives Exhibition Room

The Reverend Dr Peter Swain’s work in preserving and promoting Newington’s archives over thirty years was celebrated last Saturday, 21 July with the formal naming of the new Archives Exhibition Room in his honour. Many of Peter’s family, friends and colleagues shared the joyful occasion with him.  A plaque marking the event was unveiled by his Honour Magistrate Greg Grogin (ON ’76), Secretary of the College Council.

Peter served as Newington’s Chaplain from 1970 to 1996.  Among a range of other roles, he became the College’s unofficial historian and archivist.  After retiring as Chaplain he was appointed part-time Archivist for the next three years and, subsequently, worked in the Archives for a further decade as a volunteer.

During this long period, Peter ensured the survival of the existing archives, built up the collection by encouraging transfers and donations of archival material, and mounted numerous displays to enable students and other members of the Newington community to engage with the College’s rich past. The Chaplain Peter Swain Archives Exhibition Room will be a fitting reminder of Peter’s passion for Newington’s history and documentary heritage and of his work over many years to make them an important part of the College’s life.

The Chaplain Peter Swain Archives Exhibition Room, located in the ONU Centre on the second floor of the Founders Wing is open from 2pm to 4pm each weekday and at other times by appointment.

Class of 1972 – 40 Year Reunion

The Class of 1972 held their 40 Year Reunion on Saturday, 21 July 2012. Many members of this class took the opportunity to also attend the naming of the Chaplain Peter Swain Archives Exhibition Room to share the experience with Peter and to thank him for his dedication to them when they were young men. Many of the group attended some of the thousands of weddings and christenings Peter conducted during his time here. All of those present attributed Peter with being an inspiration in their lives and having a long and profound impact on the men that they are today.

After the opening the group gathered to watch the Rugby, toured the College and then had dinner in Prescott Hall. The Senior Prefect of 1972, Tony Bosman, addressed his old school mates and then asked Rev Dr Peter Swain to Toast the Class—Peter remembered a group of vibrant young men who were committed to Newington College. They were responsible for the introduction of the Student Representative Council and also of a summer uniform which we are sure all students are still grateful for.

Class of 2002 – 10 Year Reunion

Whilst the Class of 1972 gathered to remember days of long ago, the Class of 2002 caught up to remember days that only seemed “like yesterday”. All still easily recognisable to each other and feeling like they had never left, the Class of 2002 enjoyed watching the Rugby from the banks of the Johnson and then held an event off site. The College looks forward to welcoming these boys back in another five years.

End of Financial Year Update

As at the end of financial year, the Foundation reports that the Sesquicentenary Capital Campaign has raised $4,411,231 in gifts and pledges of the $10,000,000 goal for the Building Fund and Scholarship/Bursary Funds since November 2009. The building works have commenced on the Pyke Science Building and the AJ Rae Library & Resource Centre and are now in full swing. The project will be completed for the Sesquicentenary in 2013. In addition to the building works, various Scholarships and Bursaries have been established with student selection to occur in 2013.

In addition to this figure, this year’s Annual Giving, to date, has raised $118,727. Donations to the Building Fund through Annual Giving are used for smaller but immediate projects such as the fit-out of computer labs and the Glasson Pavilion refurbishment. Donations to the Scholarship/Bursary funds are more long-term and are in conjunction with the above mentioned Scholarships and Bursaries.

Any donation to any of the funds are greatly welcomed and warmly received.

Vive la Légion

The white ‘legionnaire-style’ caps with neck flaps worn by many of our younger boys in the summer months are not as recent an innovation as we might think. In the late nineteenth century Newington’s Cadet Corps wore a white cover and neck flap over their dark blue peaked caps in summer as a protection from the sun.

Below is a studio portrait of a group of Cadets in martial pose taken some time in the 1880s. Another portrait in our archives shows older boys in the newer slouch hats and the younger boys still in covered caps. While we associate this headgear with the French Foreign Legion, it was a popular military style across the British Empire and was known as a ‘Havelock’, after the British commander who popularised its use in the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

David Roberts
College Archivist 

From the School Nurse

Year 7 Vaccinations

NSW Health nurses will visit the school again on 2 August to give the second dose of Hepatitis B vaccine and the chicken pox vaccine. Any Year 10 student who missed out in March on their Boostrix vaccination can catch up at this visit. Consent forms are available from the clinic.

Exam/Study Advice

With exams getting closer here are some recommended guidelines:

  • Try to maintain your normal sleep routine; optimal sleep time is between seven and nine hours. Don’t study too late into the night; it’s counterproductive.
  • Always eat breakfast and lunch during the exam period and snack every few hours on energy food such as a handful of mixed nuts or fresh fruit. Drink two to three litres of plain water every day. Don’t eat a heavy fatty lunch before an afternoon exam as it will make you feel sleepy.
  • Do something you enjoy; it’s not wasted time away from study. Watch or read something funny.
  • Coffee is a stimulant and can make you feel more alert. If you normally have a cup of coffee, then have what you would normally drink. Too much caffeine can give you headaches, nausea, increased heart rate and make it difficult to get to sleep. Stimulant drinks should be avoided too as they can make you jittery and restless.
  • Do some exercise; aim for at least half an hour a day of some type of physical activity (a brisk walk, a stretch session).
  • Think positively about the exams.
  • A few deep breaths really help to calm the nerves by slowing your heart rate. Here’s one very simple way of deep-breathing. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth. Breathe in slowly through you nose to the count of five. Hold your breath to the count of seven. Then exhale slowly and audibly through pursed lips to the count of eight. If you put your hands to your abdomen you can feel it rise as you inhale. By the fourth exhale, you should feel noticeably relaxed.
  • Keep healthy prior to and during the exam period. Being healthy helps you cope with exam pressure. It improves your ability to concentrate and increases your energy.
  • Don’t forget to include your family, they are concerned for you so let them know how you are going.

 Sister Margaret Bates
School Nurse


Pathways to the Future

Newington Careers Expo 2012 – BIG THANK YOU TO ALL

Our biggest event of the year, the Newington Careers Expo, was held last Tuesday, 17 July. I would like to thank all the Year 10, 11 and 12 boys, and their parents and mentors for attending the event. Sabine Tanase and I have received very positive feedback on the level of engagement and interest by our senior boys from the 56 exhibitors and more than 45 Old Boys and parents who offered career advice at the Expo.

I would like to extend a big thank you to the Old Boys and parents who volunteered to share their education and career journey with senior students on the evening. It is your assistance which enables our boys to develop an understanding of what might lay ahead for them. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak with a great many boys and their parents during the course of the Careers Expo. Please see below for some photos from the evening.

Why is Work Experience important?

Work Experience is great way for boys, particularly in Year 10 to explore potential career/job opportunities that they may want to pursue after finishing school. It will not only assist in clarifying what things they might like to do in a job but importantly in identifying what things they would not like to do! The ‘don’t like’ aspect is equally, if not more, important than the ‘things they would like to do’.

Work Experience is voluntary for boys to undertake and requires for boys and parents to coordinate with a Host Employer. Work Experience is undertaken by boys during school holidays. The Careers Office provides the formal documentation including Student Insurance coverage to cover all parties whilst the students undertake the Work Experience.

If you would like to discuss what is involved with Work Experience please visit the Careers Office during school hours or contact me on 9568 9429.

Year 12: Applying for University 2013

  • All Boys in Year 12 should have received a copy of the UAC 2013 Guide at the Year 12 Tertiary Options night Wednesday, 25 July. If you missed out, please pick up a copy from the Careers Office.
  • For all the latest up-to-date information regarding applying for University in 2013 including International student UAC applications, Equity Scholarships and Year 12 checklist, click here to get the latest UAC Newsletter.
  • UAC applications open early August and close Friday 28 September 2012.

GAP Year 2013 Information

Camp America: Information Night 7 August

Camp America has been a US Summer Camp job provider in Australia since 1972. Camp America is a nine-week adventure at a US Summer Camp. The program includes: food and accommodation during placement, sponsorship to obtain J-1 visa, medical insurance up to five months and much more. For more information visit www.campamerica.com.au or contact Petra Janouskova, Marketing Coordinator on 1300 889 067. Camp America Information Evenings take place on Tuesday, 7 August (Sydney & Melbourne).

Year 11 – Study in the USA 2014

Practice SAT test: 20 October 2012

It’s time to register for the PSAT (practice SAT). The test is only given once a year and will take place on Saturday 20 October at 8.00am at St. Vincents College in Potts Point. The PSAT will last approximately three hours. It consists of three areas, Critical Reading (two 25 minute sections), Math (two 25 minute sections, and Writing (30 minutes). Students will need to register by Saturday 1 September. To register for the PSAT, students can log on to www.trybooking.com/BQFI. Registration will close on 1 September or when the test seating is full. Please register early to avoid disappointment.

US College Night at Sydney University, 22 August 2012

The event provides extensive information on the US admissions process for students considering University study in the United States. To register, students can log-on to www.trybooking.com/BOWK to reserve tickets for their family.

Apprenticeship and Traineeship Information

Free Apprenticeship & Traineeship Expo 2012

Meet training organisations and employers, pick up job applications and interview tips and find a career that suits your interests. The Expo will be held on Wednesday 25 July from 4pm to 7.30pm, at the PCYC Performing Arts Centre, (cnr Edgeworth David Avenue and Waitara Avenue, Waitara). Young people aged 15 years and older are welcome and should bring several copies of their resume and a pen. Parents are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Rachelle Elphick on 0439 041 020.

If you would like to make further enquiries or to make an appointment with the Careers Office, please contact me on 02 9568 9429 or email jbreden@newington.nsw.edu.au. For boys at school, please drop by the Careers Office located above the Prescott House lockers area, Level 1 at the back of
Le Couteur Wing (Library).

Mr Jamie Breden
Careers and VET Coordinator

Newington Artist of the Week

Artist of the Week features organic form sculpture by Peter Lee (8/PR). Year 8 has been working through a series of exercises that culminated in sculpture making. Their works utilised line to create forms reminiscent of a shell or plant.

Andrew Thompson
Head of Art 

Sport

Above: The 16D’s Football side following their 14 July match against St Patrick’s College. Newington won 4-1 in a great contest against not only the other team but the elements as well!

Football

During the July holidays Newington participated in the Annual lBC Football Cup Festival which was held in Canberra. The team was accommodated in the boarding house at Canberra Grammar School, who proved to be excellent hosts with their outstanding facilities and hospitality.

Despite the freezing temperatures, the team performed with distinction winning the tournament against teams from Brisbane Grammar School, St Peters College Adelaide and Canberra Grammar School. The tournament allowed for a high level of football to be played in a competitive and friendly spirit.

Aside from football some of the highlights were the visit to the Australian War Memorial and watching the State of Origin match, which brought all the schools together.

A big thank you to Mr Burgess and Mr Honeywill for giving up a week of their holidays to allow us the opportunity to participate in the tournament.

Stephen Hrysanthos (12/ME)
2012 Captain of Football

To view more photos from the trip to Canberra, please click here

Cross Country

On Friday, 20 July Newington boys competed in the NSW All Schools Championships at Eastern Creek. The boys were competing in the NSW All Schools Cross Country competition.

We had five boys competing in various age groups. Morgan McDonald (11/MO) won the U16’s age group and Jack Hiscox (12/PR) came 3rd in the U17’s.

Both boys have qualified for the National Cross Country Championships (top six selected) to be held in Adelaide at Oakbank Racecourse on Saturday, 25 August.

Sutherland 2 Surf

Last weekend Patrick Elliot (11/ME) and Hayden Farrell (12/ME) finished in the top 50 and top 100 respectively in the Sutherland2Surf. The event saw in excess of 5000 competitors, and the fact that this was an Open event makes it all the more noteworthy!

Fencing

The Newington Senior A Foil team as well as the Senior Sabre team have both qualified for the National School Team Championships in Brisbane on Saturday, 4 August. The Foil team of Lewis Jones (12/PR), Max Schultz (11/PR), Alex Mei (10/JN), Max Nicola Woods (10/MA) as well as the Sabre team of Jasper Rowley (11/ME), Boston Fawkes (8/ME) and Jayce Carrano (10/MA) will be representing the College. Good luck to both teams.

Cycling

Chris Hageman (10/LE) participated in the NSW Junior Metropolitan Road Cycling Championships. This event was a major race for  the upcoming NSW and Australian Championships. Chris finished with a 3rd place finish.

Snow Sports

Over the holidays, representatives from all three Newington campuses have been present at the Sydney Interschool Championships at Perisher, competing in various events both in Snowboarding and Skiing. From our 21 competitors, 13 made the NSW State finals to be held at Thredbo from 23 – 26 August.

Those individuals were:

Keanu Blunden (8/JN) for Snowboard GS and Snowboard X, Eden Bradford (7/LE) for Snowboard GS and Snowboard X, Cameron Kirk (8/KL) for Snowboard GS and Snowboard X, Denali Blunden (Wyvern) for Snowboard GS and Snowboard X, Oscar Lynch (Wyvern) for Snowboard GS and Snowboard X, Flynn Gannon (Wyvern) for Snowboard GS Victor Magiros (9/ME) for Snowboard X, Alex Woolley (Lindfield) for Moguls, Alpine and Ski X, Harry Quinn (Lindfield) for Alpine and Ski X, James Moore (Lindfield) for Alpine Julian Heaven (Lindfield) for Moguls and Ski X Sam Martin (Wyvern) for Moguls Cameron Sloan (11/JN) for Ski X

Our Primary school racers finished 3rd overall, beating schools with a much stronger Snowsports program such as Cranbrook and Shore. Whilst our Secondary racers finished 3rd in Category 2 (i.e. teams with 10 participants or less) schools overall.

A fantastic representation across all campuses, all the very best for the upcoming State Championships.

Rifle Shooting

Newington Rifle Shooting program made a return to AAGPS Large Bore shooting at the Hornsby Range, it was the first time since 1971 Newington had competed. The boys had a great time and acquitted themselves very well. Thanks you Messrs Watson, Pike and Tredinnick for their time and support of the boys.

Rugby

The Rugby Season Launch and ONU Annual Lunch will be held this Friday 27 July at Dockside, Darling Harbour. The lunch will be complemented by special guests Berrick Barnes and Scott Bowen. For more information about the event, please click here.

At the end of Term 2 there was plenty of representative rugby played. Newington ended up with the following representation:

AAGPS Representatives:

Oscar Pryor Lees (12MA), Tevita Vea (12/MA), Taane Milne (11/JN), George Prassas (11/MO), David Morris (12/ME), Rohan O Regan (12/ME), Will Ahosivi (12/FL), Oscar Pople (12/JN), Alex Vlahos (12/MA), Lachlan Cannell (11/FL), Joey Lussick (11/JN) and Matt Hood (12/ME).

NSW All Schools:

Oscar Pryor Lees, Tevita Vea, Taane Milne, Tepai Moeroa, Joey Lussick

Combined States:

Matt Hood, David Morris

Presidents XV:

Robbie Townsend (12/MA)

Australian Schools A:

Oscar Pryor Lees, Tepai Moeroa, Taane Milne (pictured below)

AAGPS Presidents U16:

Matt Serhon (11/FL), Vuni Fifita (11/FL), Michael Kambas (10/KL) and Liam Eruini-Bennett (10/MO)

NSW Schools All Schools U16:

Vuni Fifita

Congratulations to the above mentioned boys and to those boys who have represented outside of the school competition.

AAGPS Rugby Starts Saturday, July  28

The AAGPS Rugby Competition starts for boys in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XV teams. We wish all teams them all the very best!

Congratulations

National Geography Finals

On Monday 18 June, Yianni Van Gelder (10/MA) as the NSW State Champion, was a contestant on the live taping of the National Geographic Channel’s Australian Geography Competition. Yianni was required to report to Foxtel Studios for the recording and compete against other finalists representing the other states and territories. In an intense ‘quiz show’ format, all contestants were required to answer several challenging questions about both Australian and World Geography. Yianni performed brilliantly throughout, even leading at several stages during the competition, and ended up finishing in third place—only narrowly missing out on a place on the National Team to represent Australia in the world finals in
St. Petersburg, Russia.

Yianni was ably supported by fellow members of his Year 10 Civics class as well as Miss Matthew, who were in the audience for the taping. The program was aired on Monday 16 July at 10.30am on the National Geographic Channel. Throughout the whole competition, Yianni has been an outstanding representative of the College Community and his achievement of placing third in the nation is something both he and the whole College can be proud of. Well done Yianni!

 Justin Verco
Geography Department 

Black and White goes Green and Gold

Newington is very proud to advise that two Old Boys are currently in London representing Australia at the 2012 Olympics in their chosen sports. Let’s all get behind these Old Boys as they chase Gold. By clicking on the links below you will be able to meet each athlete and read more about their paths to the Olympics.

Rowing for Gold—James Chapman (ON ’97)

James Chapman started rowing in 1993 at Newington College and it was here that his passion for the sport was ignited. In 2012, Chapman won his fifth King’s Cup, having also taken the prestigious prize with NSW in 2011, 2010, 2008 and 2004.  To read more about James Chapman, click here.

Water Polo Olympic Debut—James Clark (ON ’08)

James Clark has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the sport of Water Polo, having made his senior international debut in 2012. Clark heads into his first Olympic Games having played a little over 15 matches manning the goals for the Australian team. In that time however, he has collected a silver medal at the 2012 Water Polo Pan Pacs in Melbourne. For more information about James Clark, click here.

Alicia Toogood
Alumni Manager

National Rope Skipping 

Felix Officer-McIntyre (7/MO) was very busy these school holidays, skipping himself to glory at the recent Australian National Rope Skipping Competition at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, held from 23 June–25 June.

Felix placed exceptionally well in his 11-14 year-old male age group with 1st place in Freestyle, 2nd place in 30 second speed and 4th place in 3 minute speed. These results led him to finish 2nd place overall, an outstanding achievement.

Banjo Paterson’s Writing Competition

Some months ago Parris Hammond (7/KL) entered into a writers competition called “The ABC Radio Children’s Banjo Paterson’s Writing Competition”, now in its 21st year. This is done through the Central West Libraries (Orange) as this was the home of Banjo Paterson (also where Parris’ grandparents live).

Parris took first place for his story “Letter to the moon”, receiving a certificate and a cheque for $200, which was presented by the local Mayor for Orange. This is Parris’ second recognition/win for writing, as last year he took second place in the NSW Schools Writing Competition. An amazing result considering there were over 350 entries for the Banjo competition and over 2000 for the NSW Schools Competition. Well Done Parris!

 Colleen Scalone
Head of Year 7

A Message from the Head of Secondary

“If we long for our sons to reach their full potential—why give them alcoholic drinks on the weekend, when we know it will have an adverse impact on their developing brain?”

P&F Special Presentation

My sincere thanks to the P&F Executive who sponsored our most recent guest speaker, Australia’s leading drug & alcohol commentator Mr Paul Dillon. Last Wednesday, Paul spoke to Years 10, 11 & 12 as separate year groups and shattered many popular myths that related to the drinking culture. He provided key tips focusing on how to care for friends when they are in need and clearly warned Year 12 of the perils of ‘schoolies’! As one year 12 student reflected, Paul’s presentation was ‘intense’.

The message to staff reinforced many of these themes and provided real strategies for how we can better prevent our boys from short & long term harm. Finally, to almost 200 parents, Paul reiterated the importance of parents providing the ‘tough love’ if we are to be effective in reducing future risk and long term harm. As he stated, “If we long for our sons to reach their full potential—why give them alcoholic drinks on the weekend, when we know it will have an adverse impact on their developing brain”.

Paul concluded, permitting drinking is the choice of parents but if you permit your son to drink, then you must monitor them and particularly establish clear times for when they must come home. It was a wonderful community initiative and already the College has booked Paul in 2013 to speak with our Years 10-12. Please check Paul’s fact sheets and his ‘Ten Tips for Parents’ at www.darta.net.au.

Senior Drama Performance

I commend all the cast and crew of The Popular Mechanicals who gave a comical performance of epic proportions in the Old Chapel Theatre. Well done Ms Smith, Mr Harris and Ms McKenzie.

Music ensembles win more medals

Music continues to excel at the College and under the watchful eye of Mr Luke Gilmour, last weekend our Wind Ensembles won 3 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal at the NSW Festival of Bands. A fabulous feat indeed, following the Symphonic Winds success in the Secondary School Premium Concert Band section of the Sydney Eisteddfod.

New Absentee Protocol:            

To make communication more immediate, convenient and effective, this week Newington College successfully launched a designated mobile phone number for SMS notification of student absence and a dedicated mobile number for news and arrangement updates. At this stage, only Years 7-12 will receive SMS absence notification. If you have any further enquiries, please call our Communications Director, Ms Pam Hatfield on 9568 9371.

I extend a warm invitation to our annual RockFest Concert this Thursday, 26 July commencing at 7.00pm in Centenary Hall.

Finally, I wish all winter sport and debating teams every success as the GPS competition commences this weekend. I look forward to seeing plenty of ‘character’ on show.

Dr Andrew Hirst
Head of Secondary

Forthcoming events:

Year 8 Subject Information Night: Tuesday, 31 July
Ethics Centre Lecture: Wednesday, 1 August
Year 7 Subject Information Night: Tuesday, 7 August
Year 9 Parent/Teacher Night: Monday, 13 August
Annual Outdoor Camps: 14-18 September