This year’s Women’s Dinner has been rescheduled for Friday 12 October at 7.30pm. 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. For more info please click here.
From Term 4, Newington College will be running a Water Polo academy for students in Years 4, 5 and 6 (Primary) and Year 7 (Secondary). The academy will start on Friday 12 October at 7.00pm, at the Newington College Pool.
Students interesting in enrolling or finding out more about the academy should contact:
Carol Stephens
mcstephens@bigpond.com
0409 994 749
Throughout the Holidays, Newington will also be hosting an intensive two day camp on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 October. Spots are limited, for more information please click here.
In May 2012, as part of the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), national tests were held in literacy and numeracy for all students in Australia at Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
In Years 7 and 9, Literacy was assessed via a 45 minute test on Language Conventions (comprising spelling, grammar and punctuation), a 40 minute test on Writing and a 65 minute test on Reading. Numeracy was assessed via an 80 minute test comprising Number, Algebra, Functions and Patterns, Space, Measurement and Chance and Data. The test was broken into two 40 minute sessions. Students were not able to use calculators in the first session but they were allowed the use of a calculator in the second session.
Student results were posted home on Monday 17 September.
Results are reported in Band Levels—Band 10 is the highest possible band for students in Year 9 and Band 9 is the highest level for students in Year 7. The percentage of Newington boys achieving results in the top bands is indicated in the tables below. State percentages have been stated to allow you to make a comparison with the school cohort.
Aspects of Literacy—Year 9:
|
Reading |
Writing |
Spelling |
Grammar & Punctuation |
||
| Band 10 | Newington |
16.4 |
22.1 |
9.8 |
12.9 |
| State |
7.5 |
9.0 |
7.6 |
7.5 |
|
| Band 9 | Newington |
25.5 |
18.4 |
33.1 |
30.7 |
| State |
16.5 |
11.2 |
21.8 |
15.2 |
These are some very strong results, particularly in Reading and Writing where the percentage of boys achieving the top band level is more than the double the statewide figure.
Aspects of Literacy—Year 7:
|
Reading |
Writing |
Spelling |
Grammar & Punctuation |
||
| Band 9 | Newington |
31.4 |
13.7 |
20.9 |
26.8 |
| State |
11.5 |
7.5 |
11.9 |
14.8 |
|
| Band 8 | Newington |
33.2 |
31.5 |
41.4 |
18.9 |
| State |
22.1 |
15.4 |
25.2 |
35.9 |
As expected, the percentage of Newington boys achieving the top band across all four strands was close to double the figure recorded statewide, with the Reading figure being more than two and half times that recorded across NSW.
Aspects of Numeracy—Year 9:
| Number, Patterns & Algebra | Measurement, Data, Space & Geometry | Numeracy | ||
| Band 10 | Newington |
44.2 |
30.9 |
35.8 |
| State |
16.4 |
12.2 |
13.1 |
|
| Band 9 | Newington |
21.2 |
30.3 |
29.7 |
| State |
13.8 |
15.6 |
14.7 |
The percentage of Newington boys achieving Band 10 in all three categories was at least two and half times the figure recorded statewide – an outstanding result!
Aspects of Numeracy—Year 7:
| Number, Patterns & Algebra | Measurement,Data, Space & Geometry | Numeracy | ||
| Band 9 | Newington |
45.9 |
35.5 |
42.7 |
| State |
15.6 |
12.3 |
14.5 |
|
| Band 8 | Newington |
27.3 |
25.9 |
29.5 |
| State |
14.1 |
15.6 |
15.1 |
The percentage of Newington boys achieving Band 9 in all categories was close to three times the percentage recorded statewide.
Whilst comparisons with the state offer a useful insight, comparing the Newington results with those achieved by other boys in the state is perhaps more meaningful.
The following table lists the school mean in comparison to the mean score achieved by all boys across the state:
Year 7:
|
Section |
School Mean |
State Mean (Boys) |
| Reading |
598.9 |
541.1 |
| Writing |
568.6 |
504.2 |
| Spelling |
592.2 |
547.3 |
| Grammar & Punctuation |
599.3 |
542.6 |
| Number, Patterns & Algebra |
626.7 |
551.8 |
| Measurement, Data, Space & Geometry |
614.3 |
550.7 |
| Numeracy |
626.3 |
551.9 |
Year 9:
|
Section |
School Mean |
State Mean (Boys) |
| Reading |
619.9 |
572.4 |
| Writing |
614.4 |
536.4 |
| Spelling |
617.5 |
576.2 |
| Grammar & Punctuation |
620.8 |
569.3 |
| Number, Patterns & Algebra |
674.6 |
602.7 |
| Measurement, Data, Space & Geometry |
661.5 |
599.8 |
| Numeracy |
665.4 |
600.9 |
Clearly the Newington boys in Years 7 and 9 2012 have very strong literacy and numeracy skills in comparison to their statewide cohort, particularly when compared with their male counterparts. They are to be congratulated on these outstanding results.
Ms Julia Shea
Head of Curriculum
I have been very appreciative of all the support that parents have given in writing to their local Liberal MPs and Ministers, voicing concern regarding the proposed changes to private education funding for 2013.
As you may be aware, in light of widespread outrage the Education Minister has since been forced to water down the original policy. However, the implications remain serious.
The State Government now intends to freeze private education funding at current levels for the next four years. Although we are undoubtedly relieved that the full brunt of the policy changes have been restricted, as a community we must remain wary of the intentions of this Government and make sure they understand our position on this.
Given your already considerable support for all children being educated in NSW, by having your child attend a fee paying school, you may wish to make clear to the State Government your views on this decision. The Parents Council are advocating a number of methods:
To quote from Dr Geoff Newcombe, Executive Director of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, “It is very disturbing that a government would consider an overall funding cut of 8% to non-government schools (6%-53% for individual independent schools) at a time when there is a national focus on additional investment in education to lift teacher quality and improve student outcomes.”
I do remain concerned about the reduction of funding to all forms and systems of education. Cuts to state, private and TAFE education in NSW is extremely short sighted.
I will keep you informed of further communications and decisions for our community.
Dr David Mulford
Headmaster
On Tuesday 23 October, political commentator and SMH journalist Annabel Crabb will visit Newington for the next Centre for Ethics Lecture. With her unique style of writing and natural wit, Annabel provides distinctive observations and analysis in her reporting on political events of the day. Chief political writer for ABC online and Walkley Award winning journalist with over 10 years covering national politics, Annabel has worked extensively in radio, television and print media as a political commentator. A regular on the ABC’s Insiders program since its inception in 2001, she is interested in new platforms for political reporting and has established a regular live “Twittercast” of parliamentary question time.
For more information about the night, or the Newington College Centre for Ethics, please visit our specially dedicated Centre for Ethics INSITE.
Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can also infect the mouth and throat.
The HPV vaccine (Gardasil) works by preventing the most common types of HPV (Types 6,11,16 and 18) that cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Warts on other parts of the body, such as the hands, are caused by different HPV types.
Anyone who has ever had sexual contact could have HPV—it is so common that four in five people will have had genital HPV infection at some time in their lives. That is why it is important to vaccinate young people before they have been exposed to the virus, before they have had any sexual contact.
The school based program for boys aged 12 to 13 years old (Year 7) will commence in 2013. Year 9 boys will also be able to have the vaccine at school under a 2 year catch-up program.
Immunisation against HPV is achieved with a course of three doses of vaccine, over a 6 month period.
Please click here for more information regarding HPV vaccinations.
Register your interest for the 6 Stitcher Spring Holiday Camp at www.sixstitcher.com.au/register.
Newington’s Stage Band and Jazz Combo will be performing at the Manly International Jazz Festival on Saturday 29 September. Catch the Jazz Combo between 1.15pm and 2.30pm, or the Stage Band between 3.00pm and 4.00pm!
The Manly International Jazz Festival, is attended by jazz lovers all round the globe. Thousands of music fans throng to his festival every year. This festival originally started in 1978 and today it is one of the most popular music events in Sydney. Visitors can enjoy a range of variety jazz performances ranging from classical jazz through to coeval renditions. There are many of the performances free of cost so visitors can take their pick of the program executed over respective outdoor stages.
Concordia gallery is a site of possibilities.
It recently revealed some of these possibilities in an arrangement of contemporary art and archival objects in an exhibition titled 149; Watching Time Take Form. The exhibition opened in Concordia Gallery on Tuesday 4 September to a Sydney art and education audience. The gallery was open to the public daily from 10.00am–3.00pm excluding Sundays. The exhibition included two installations from Aniss Fakhri, a room video projection by Sarah Jamieson and digital photography from Alex Kiers.
As the curatorial statement suggests, the intention of the exhibition was to acknowledge the journey of Newington’s 149 year history in anticipation of its Sesquicentenary. Artists selected specific archival images and objects which they responded to in light of their own artistic practice.
The exhibition engaged three spaces within Concordia to communicate ideas of the past as a means of becoming the future. The first room was pierced by two bows of victorious Newington rowing boats standing vertically obedient, as a suggestion of the discipline required by the sportsmen. It also displayed a human scaled black kaleidoscope which presented some of the 1866 Astronomical Lantern Slides (as discussed in David Roberts’ article in this edition of Black and White) in a steady rotation. The second work by Fakhri in this first room was a hovering 2.5 x 2.3 m concertina photo of students in the Newington gym in 1935, an image depicting a repetition of suspended bodies. Two large scale wooden gymnastics bars from the archive further mimic this rhythm with their shadow and own horizontality. They lean against the back and side wall, altering the viewer’s line of perspective. These dominant objects of strength and presence are precariously positioned to reflect their role in the College’s history.
Sarah Jamieson’s practice has traversed film, photography, installation and architectural interventions. For this exhibition she employed the curatorial lens of change and development to directly engage with the physical and philosophical position of the gallery and its relationship to the school. Jamieson often seeks to provoke new conceptual and pragmatic possibilities within the framework of pre-existing opportunities. Within Concordia she repositioned a small office-style room into a film projection. Jamieson used the blinds as a screen to project another representation of the blinds; the work looked out to Newington as a provocation for the kind of generative relationship Newington and Concordia might have concerning art and education. The audience peered from outside the room through the glass and observed the agitation as questioning; a trembling of anticipation.
As visitors followed the long line of the exhibition signage they were taken to a previous life of the gallery, the third exhibition space. The flooring changes from commercial carpet squares to cement, the walls change from brick to unpainted MDF and a light indicates the beginning of a lineage. A series of tables serve 11 black velvet Rugby caps dating from 1884, ending at a digital print of a face with only sunglasses and hair. This rearranged chronology and faceless end point allowed viewers the chance to consider the future possibilities of these players and men.
Standing on the eve of the school’s 150th Anniversary, 149; Watching Time Take Form, celebrated the accumulative nature of history and held historical objects critically as a means of both reflecting on and orientating a future trajectory.
The exhibition was supported by the expertise of David Roberts, Newington College Archivist. Many thanks to Andrew Thompson, Head of Visual Arts, for his logistical assistance and patronage.
Ms Hannah Burns
Curator of 149: Watching Time Take Form
We are now just a few judges short for the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge, where students design, make and race their CO2 powered model vehicles. Tuesday 16 October is your chance to step up to the plate! We are looking for people willing to be judges at the Regionals of the Competition, held at Newington College.
Being a judge is a challenging role. You will meet some of the top technology students in the world. Your knowledge will be challenged by students as young as 12. There is much that the students will teach you and at the end of the day you will be exhausted, but you will be inspired beyond your imagination.
REA hosts State-wide competitions of the F1inSchools Technology Challenge in most states and territories.
At this level of the competition, student are assessed on a full range of marking criteria including Engineering knowledge, marketing, verbal presentations and pit displays. The top scoring teams are then invited to represent their State or Territory at the National Final.
If you, or someone you know, would like to help as a judge at one of our events please email Mr Paul Honeywill.
Last week was the culmination of two terms of love, sweat and tears in developing an F1 in Schools team to compete at the Metropolitan Sydney Regional Finals. This competition will be held at Newington on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 October. In preparation for the event, 14 Newington teams have been engaged in designing a CO2 powered car using CAD (Solidworks), a CNC milling machine to manufacture their cars and completing a poster or a portfolio outlining the design process. These teams competed against each other to determine our team for the Regionals. I would like to formally congratulate the following boys:
MEAQ – Evan Favos (7/ME), Mitchell Fitzsimmons (7/FL) and Alex Bulley (7/LE)
SpeedDemons – Joshua Laffer (7/MA), Anton Maraldo (7/ME) and Roger Li (7/FL)
Sonic – Arthur Baris (8/ME), Alexander Barrat (8/JN), and Cooper Thomas (8/MA)
Kinetic – Ashan Karunagaran (9/KL), Anooj Ghadge (9/MA), Rowan Smith (9/PR), Kishain Pather (9/MO) and Tom Creevey (9/ME)
Vector – Sebastian Iannuzzi (8/MO), Sam Gilfedder (8/MO), Peter Ioannou (8/PR), Lachlan Garner (8/LE) and Adam Goodman (8/LE)
Zipper Effect – Alastair Bate (9/ME), Zi Chen (9/PR), Felix Shannon (9/PR) and Justin Tran (9/PR) and ‘Zippy’
For more information regarding this world wide competition, please see http://www.f1inschools.com/.
We are now just a few judges short … Tuesday 16 October is your chance to step up to the plate! We are looking for people willing to be judges at the Regionals of the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge, held at Newington College.
Being a judge is a challenging role. You will meet some of the top technology students in the world. Your knowledge will be challenged by students as young as 12. There is much that the students will teach you and at the end of the day you will be exhausted, but you will be inspired beyond your imagination.
REA hosts State-wide competitions of the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge in most states and territories.
At this level of the competition, students are assessed on a full range of marking criteria including Engineering knowledge, marketing, verbal presentations and pit displays. The top scoring teams are then invited to represent their State or Territory at the National Final.
If you, or someone you know, would like to help as a judge at one of our events please email Mr Paul Honeywill.
On Saturday September 8th Newington defeated a gallant Riverview by 36-29 to become undefeated GPS Rugby Champions for 2012.
The Newington College 1st XV side of 2012 now enters into the school’s History as GPS champions for only the second time in 149 years and have gained the school’s 9th premiership. Well done boys—you have done your team, your school and yourselves proud.
The game was a tight contest with Riverview keen to finish the season on a high after a disappointing year. Both teams traded points during the 1st half with scores locked at 22-22 at half time. A couple of early tries to Newington took the score to 36-22. A try to Riverview saw Newington defending a 36-29 lead for the last ten minutes of the game.
1st XV Captain David Vea (12/MA) in his speech at the winter sports assembly said, “We are very proud to represent the school, the 26 rugby teams from the 13Fs to the 6ths, and the 400 boys in the school who play rugby for Newington College.”
Well done to all boys who represented the College playing rugby this year.
Rugby picture: Back Row: Joel Wilson, Oscar Pryor-Lees (12/MA), Olivier Damas (11/LE), Alex Vlahos (12/MA), Luke Gardner (12/ME), David Morris (12/KL), Rohan O’Regan (12/ME), Ben Chahoud (12/MA), Joey Lussick (11/JN), Brad Gill, Mark Bell.
Front Row: Taane Milne (11/JN), Alan Latunipulu (12/MA), Tepai Moeroa (11/JN), Matthew Hood (12/ME), David Vea (Captain)(12/MA), Will Ahosivi (12/FL), Ellis Abrahams (11/ME), Lachlan Cannell (12/FL).
The Newington Cross Country Age Championships were run on Tuesday September 11 at Sydney Park. This event is open to all boys in the school. Over 40 boys contested the three divisions.
Results:
U14 Champion Taylor McDonald (9/MO)
U16 Champion Ed Penrose (9/KL)
Open Champion Patrick Elliott (11/ME)
Well done to all competitors!
The football season ended with the Newington 1st XI finishing in third spot and the 2nd XI fourth in the AAGPS competition. The respective competitions were very tight with St. Josephs College winning both titles. Congratulations to St. Josephs on their season.
There were also a number of Newington teams undefeated during the season:
4th XI, 16A, 16B, 16D, 16E, 14A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13F
Congratulations to the boys who played in these teams.
On Sat 8th Sept our New Fit students participated in their final session at CrossFit Geo to round up Term 3 and their chosen Winter sport.
Congratulations must be in order for all those students who participated in this on a weekly basis throughout the term. Each student pushed themselves beyond their limits, and supported each other in the process.
Most of all it was an exciting, new, dynamic way to challenge themselves and have FUN in the process.
Check out the gallery below for some shots of the boys in action
At the Winter Sports Assembly Year 12 student Oscar Pryor Lees (12/MA) was presented with Triple Colours.
This award recognises a boy who has gained colours in three or more sports and has been selected in two or more combined AAGPS 1sts teams
Oscar has represented the school in the following:
1st XV Rugby 2010–2012
1st VIII rowing 2011 – 2012
Senior Athletics Team 2011-2012
He has represented AAGPS in 1st XV Rugby in 2012 and 1st VIII rowing in 2011.
The last Newington student to achieve this award was Lachlan Turner (ON ’06).
Congratulations to Oscar on his contribution to Newington sport during his time at the school.
Oscar is pictured above with Olympian James Chapman (ON ’97) and his mother, Louise.
Boys should now be registered for their summer sport and attending training. There is a full round of fixtures on the first weekend, Saturday October 13, in Term 4. Any boy who has not registered for a sport needs to see Mr Dickens in the Sports Dept. immediately on their return in Term 4.
Last Thursday, our Year 10 History Debating team of Ben Adams (10/FL), Sean Hatten (10/ME), Sebastian Rees (10/PR) and Sam Wallace (10/MO) (pictured above) won their Semi-Final against St. Paul’s Grammar of Penrith in this year’s Inter-School History Debating Competition. The boys successfully negated the proposition that “Australia played a crucial role in the Pacific War.” The debate was fiercely contested with both teams displaying exceptional knowledge of the subject area. The St. Paul’s Grammar team showed why they had defeated Knox, Barker and Roseville College on their way to the Semi-Final gaining full marks for debating manner for all three of their speakers. Fortunately, so too did the Newington boys, eventually winning the debate on their stronger ability to persuade the adjudicator and their deeper knowledge gained from wider research. The team will now proceed to the Grand Final early next term which will be contested against either Tara or Loreto Normanhurst (Semi-Final takes place this week). Reaching the Grand Final is an excellent achievement for Newington considering it is a state wide competition which we have entered for the first time this year. Stay tuned for Grand Final details in the coming weeks.
Mr Mark Scali
History Department
Congratulations to Sean Towers (12/MO) who has been a recipient of the 2012 Pierre de Coubertin Award. The award, named after the founder of the modern Olympics Pierre de Coubertin, recognises the excellence of students across different categories of sport, academia and leadership. Congratulations Sean!
Sean is pictured above with Olympian James Chapman (ON ’97).
Harry Carr (7/ME) has been selected as a finalist in the Art and About little lives photography competition. To read more about the competition click here, or check out Harry’s wonderful work, entitled Bondi to Bronte, between Friday 21 September and Sunday 21 October in Sandringham Gardens, Hyde Park!
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Year 12 HSC and IBDP students the very best in the lead up to their exams in Term 3, 2012. Focus on what you can control; your preparation and commitment to study leading up to your exams. Be sure to take ‘time-outs’ during the day, walk outside, stretch the legs etc for at least 10mins at a time to give yourself a physical and mental break.
In this edition of Black & White you can read about the following:
Avoid paying the $119 late fee; on time applications close 28 September 2012.
Click here to read more. Some Applications close Sunday 30 September 2012
If you’ve thought about applying to various institutions for Scholarships, ATAR Bonus Point Entry Schemes or Flexible Entry it’s not too late to apply. Now is the time to get the required paperwork together for these applications. The majority of institutions have applications close after the end of September.
Graduating Year 12, 2012 Boys and Parents are invited to contact Mr Breden and make an appointment to assist with any post secondary planning for 2013 after the completion of HSC and IBDP exams, and release of HSC results and ATAR. Discussions may include:
Appointments can be scheduled at school after the completion of the HSC and IBDP exams until the end of Term 4, Thursday 6 December 2012 and on the following days after the release of HSC results and ATAR Rank Thursday 20 and Friday 21 December 2012. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Breden to discuss anything career and education related.
If you would like to make further enquiries or to make an appointment, 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 on Level 1, above Prescott House locker area at the back of the Le Couteur Wing (Library).
Once again, Good Luck to all Year 12 as you prepare and sit your final High School exams – HSC and IBDP.
Mr Jamie Breden
Careers and VET Coordinator
The first day of Spring 2012…
…what a day to have a reunion! The crowd that lined the banks of the Johnson was incredible; there was not a space left of green grass. The crowd cheered the 1st XV through a heart stopping final three minutes, as the Black & White’s defense was put to the test resulting in a win against Shore 27 – 24. This placed the 1st XV in the Championship round.
Warwick ‘Gibbo’ Gibson (ON ’82) and Rob Tredinnick (ON ’82) led the tour of the College. As current teachers they were able to provide their peer year with an insight into their day to day lives.
Moving into Prescott Hall for the evening, Chaplain Michael Bennett (ON ’87) recognised some faces from the past and led them in grace. The evening was attended by 70 guests; some who had even travelled from interstate. The reunion provided the chance for many of the Old Boys to reconnect with their long lost peers.
A special thank you to Bruce Millar (ON ’82) and James Fisher (ON ’82) for coordinating the event. A fantastic day was had by all.
Spring was in the air and the magnificent weather could not be faulted. It was just made to order!
Morning tea was held on the steps of Centenary Hall and guests gazed out onto the Johnson with students rushing by to get to their next class and the building works in full swing. It is safe to say Newington was seen at its best; alive and buzzing. All in all 115 guest—including special guests from the Laying of the Foundation Stones Ceremony that preceded the luncheon—moved into Centenary Hall.
The Annual General Meeting was also held. Congratulations to The 70 Club Committee:
COMMITTEE:
A special thank you to Reverend Vernon Prowse (ON ’57) for providing Grace, Gil Morgan (ON ’58) for the Loyal Toast, Ron Leckie (ON ’39) for delivering the Toast to Newington College, and to Phil Davis for adding in Any other Business to the AGM agenda with his “crown jewels” joke.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the next luncheon on 12 March 2013.
Michelle Tanti
Alumni Assistant
The exhibition ‘149: Watching Time Take Form’ (reported on in detail here) featured both works inspired by material from the College’s Archives collection and collection objects themselves.
One of Aniss Fakhri’s works, Kaleidoscope, used images from one of the gems of our collection, a set of astronomical lantern slides dating from 1866. The lantern slides belonged to Rev Dr James Egan Moulton, who served as Newington’s first ‘Head Master’ in 1863 and as President from 1893 to 1900. He served as a Wesleyan missionary in Tonga from 1865 to 1888, establishing Tupou College under the patronage of the King. We know that he taught astronomy while in Tonga and it is almost certain that he used these lantern slides for this purpose.
24 of the original 38 slides have survived, along with their sturdy box and an accompanying booklet. The slides are hand painted and each is set in a mahogany panel. Subjects include the planets, the phases of the moon, comets, constellations, eclipses, the tides, and the Ptolemaic, Pythagorean and Newtonian Systems.
The slides, along with a slide show of their digitised images, are on display in the Chaplain Peter Swain Exhibition Room, on the top floor of the Founders Wing and open from 2-4pm each weekday and at other times by arrangement.
David Roberts
College Archivist
In Term 3 Year 10 Visual Arts students did a study of Still-life genre. The boys completed a long-term tonal drawing. The most outstanding works were produced by Henry Markwick (10/MA), Jasper Nour (10/MA) and Jean-Luc Poidevin (9/MO). Excellent effort, boys!
Ms Marina Hinves
Art Department
Since our discussion about TROLLS (internet trolls, that is) in the last edition of Black and White, there has been much discussion in the media on this very topical problem. I would love to take credit for this but I think Robbie Farah, and even the Prime Minister’s office, are both more worthy of the honour. It seems that Farah, the very famous and popular Wests’ Tigers rugby league captain, has become a figurehead for the cause. This is great as I am sure many young people will take notice of what he has to say.
I was reflecting again on this phenomenon—the decision of a person to take what they think to be anonymous pot-shots at another person in order to take them down; to denigrate them in some way; to shame them. This really is very close to a metaphorical sniper taking aim at someone in order to destroy that person. What is heartening now is to see that even government policy makers and authorities are actually seeking to bring these trolls to account—to at least identify such individuals and make public their miserable activities that have potential to bring so much harm to others.
To quote the Sydney Morning Herald (Tuesday 11 September p.4): “A Twitter user, or troll, found to ‘menace, harass or cause offence’ using social media could be jailed for up to three years” (Section 474.17 of the Criminal Code Act 1995, Part 10.6).
And so last time I promised you some “handy hints” to assist parents in supporting their children’s navigation of this challenging cyber-world.
Interestingly the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s Cybersmart program has developed actions to help Australian children and youth protect themselves and others against the impact of trolling—they suggest the following responses:
Our Newington ICT Department also have their own very wise advice – this also includes awareness on “spam” and “phishing”—this is located on our school portal’s facebook page. You can access this via our Newington Portal.
So this Chaplain is signing off now and just wanting to assure readers that I have not lost my spiritual and pastoral commitment by trespassing into an area that, like most of you, I often feel completely bamboozled by. Those of us involved specifically in the pastoral care of students at Newington realise that we do have a very important role to play in this dimension of our boys’ lives as how our boys relate to the internet, how much time they spend on the internet and how they behave there can have a huge impact upon their general wellbeing, including their mental health and their spiritual vitality.
I wish all parents well in this aspect of their parenting. Please do not hesitate to contact us at school should you find yourself out of your depth or overwhelmed. We have some very knowledgeable and supportive professionals who will be able to help you.
David N Williams
School Chaplain