A Message from the Head of Stanmore

‘Floreat Majestas’ – ‘May Newington Flourish’  for another 150 years.

Sesquicentenary Chapel Service:

I commend Rev David Williams, Rev Peter Morphew and Pastor Michael Bennett on the superb church service they organised to commemorate our 150th birthday last Sunday 3 February! In excess of 300 proud Newingtonians shared fellowship and proudly sang ‘Wesleyian’ hymns as we honoured the vision of our past founders! It was a fabulous morning and the music was quite exquisite! I congratulate the choir and all staff involved in the service! In fide scientiam

Important developments:

• Bag Tags: Boys have been issued with new identification tags in Mentor groups. Please remind your sons to affix their new tags to both their school and sports bags. Each disc is distinguishable by its house colour and numbered individually. Please make contact with your son’s Head of House or our General Duties Officers, Mr Kelly and Mr Dodson, should you have an enquiry.
• Student diary: Please take time to peruse through your son’s 2013 student diary, noting the new college layout on the inside front cover. There is now full access to the College classrooms, ovals and Sports Centre from all traditional entry points. I remind all commuters that the Stanmore Road entry is now strictly one-way.
• Homework Club and Evening Prep: Have now commenced in the Library. Homework Club offers assistance to boys in English and Maths on alternate days to their sports training from 3.30pm to 4.45pm. Similarly boys in Years 11 – 12 are invited to join designated teaching staff for private study from 6.00pm to 7.30pm from Monday to Thursday. If you have further enquiries please email Assistant to the Headmaster, Mr Paul Bourke on pbourke@newington.nsw.edu.au.
• Uniform Changes: It has been great to see the excitement generated by the new tracksuit and PE shirt and shorts for 2013. Please note there will be a phase in period and that our existing sports uniform and tracksuit is permissible until the end of Term 2, 2014.
• Late to School: May I please remind all families that boys late to school must swipe in with Mrs Brown in the Rae Centre near the Year 12 Common Room, whatever the reason! No exceptions!!
• Academic Leave Requests: Please also note that all applications for leave from school for one day or more, must be sent to myself in writing or by email. The request for leave should contain the dates being requested and reason, with as much notice as possible, to give the necessary time to consider the request. I will then confirm, in writing, whether or not leave has been granted.

I wish all our sportsmen every success this weekend and especially our swimmers as they start the defence of our Senior and Junior Swimming premierships and GPS relays.

Dr Andrew Hirst
Head of Stanmore 

Men and the Arts Forums

In 2013, the Creative Arts faculties are excited to launch the Men and the Arts Forums. These forums provide the chance for boys to hear firsthand from men at varying stages of their careers in the Arts. Forum guests will appear as part of a panel and discuss their training and experience, the challenges of working in the Arts and give advice to boys interested in pursuing creative positions across a variety of industries.

The first forum will feature men from a variety of fields. Each subsequent forum will be hosted by individual departments to give an even greater insight to working in their discipline beyond school. Actors, artists, musicians, directors, curators, composers…we will hear first-hand from them and many more about the possibilities for men in the arts!

CREATIVE ARTS:  Wednesday 13 March

ART: Wednesday 19 June

DRAMA: Wednesday 4 September

MUSIC: Wednesday 23 October

May Newington Flourish

(The Sesquicentennial Chapel Address by the Rev Peter Morphew)

On Sunday, the 3rd of February the College Chapel congregation exceeded 300 members of Newington’s community and special guests, eager to hear the Rev Peter Morphew deliver the homily at this very auspicious occasion. The following is a series of extracts from Rev Morphew’s notes, shared with those fortunate enough to be at this special service:

“Today for us is a day to rejoice and celebrate. Today is a day to commit again to the vision and faith of the founding fathers of this College as we remind ourselves what lies at the core of our identity as Newington College and as we face the challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead.”

“In the movie Salmon Fishing in the Yemen there is a character who is a sheikh and he has a vision of establishing salmon fishing in a dry barren place with the aim of transforming the desert into a vibrant agricultural region.

“It is a vision that is laughable. It is a vision that will require an enormous amount of resources, and an initial investment of 50 million pounds.”

“It is a vision that is ridiculed … “utter nonsense”, unfeasible, “a crazy enterprise”, absolutely absurd … one Yemeni tribesman calls it—an insult to God. Yet he persists because his greatest resource, even though at times it seems miniscule is FAITH.

“At one point he discusses his vision with his colleagues and says …’I intended to create a small miracle … something to glorify God, and bring our people together. Sometimes I wonder if we haven’t created something that glorifies man … it is a very fine line.’ ”

“Over a 150 years ago in the early 1860’s there was a vision to transform a house in urgent need of repairs and renovation. The kitchen had been turned into a piggery by its previous owners and the dining room was like a barn. The vision was to transform this run down mess into a school, a theological seminary and a university boarding facility. This vision was equally preposterous and foolhardy.

“And whilst many questioned and doubted that the available resources would be adequate … the greatest resource they had was FAITH …The faith that was the core of their identity. Faith in God who says I will be with you. Faith in God who proved the permanence of his promise by living with us and dying for us as Jesus.

“The Methodists also intended to create a small miracle … something to glorify God. They knew it would come to nothing without faith, without God.

“Prior to 1899 the motto was more akin to a prayer Floreat Newingtonia … May Newington Flourish. It was a prayer that by the grace of God was answered through the generosity of faithful people who shared a Biblical Christian worldview. So it is not surprising that in 1899 they chose the motto from 2 Peter 1:5 In Fide Scientiam … To Your Faith add knowledge. This motto has not simply been on the chests of our boys, our men throughout the years and decades it was intended to be written on their hearts and at the heart of everything truly Newington. A faith that was God-honouring, a faith that was Christ-centred, a faith that sought to glorify God not man.

“At one point in the movie the sheikh speaks about fishing as being an exercise of faith and he is doubted … fishing and religion are hardly the same thing … but he strongly disagrees as do I, for all things are spiritual.

“In the 21st century, seemingly light years from our roots in the 19th century with all the staggering advances in every aspect of humanity, there will be those who say … “schooling and religion are hardly the same thing.”

“However, we need to beware the fine line. If we ignore faith, the essential Christian faith; if we divorce knowledge from faith; we deprive ourselves of true wisdom and we cross the fine line. How can God be glorified without faith?

“Should our College become something that glorifies man and lose its heart of faith, its significance will be only passing, its glory only momentary, its praise will be swamped by eternity.

“It is right that we rejoice and celebrate today and this year. It is right that we are truly thankful for our history, our success, our College.We have so, so much to be grateful for that is not of our doing.

“Ultimately if our thanks is not directed to God, who do we thank?

“Ourselves? That smacks of arrogance, hubris that I’m sure we would shun. Do we thank the founding fathers who are long gone? Yes, but we would be doing them a grave injustice if we ignored the God who gave them faith in His promise “I am with you” and bestowed on them His grace and favour.

“It is right that we rejoice and celebrate today and this year. It is right that we are truly thankful to God for His extravagant generosity pre-eminently displayed in His Son. It is right that we commit ourselves afresh to the faith of those who established our College, whose prayer is our prayer. May Newington Flourish to God’s glory for the next 150 years and beyond.”

Sport Updates on Spaces

Photo: Joel Bedic (12/KE)  Captain of Tennis with Year 7 tennis boys at Saturday’s competition.

It’s been a successful start to the new year and we are pleased with the progress of our boys in sport. To keep up to date and find out more about important dates, sport fixtures and to see a copy of the sport handbook, please ensure to are registered in SPACES. Every SPACES user will need an individual email registered in the Newington College database.

The summer sport SPACES pages are as follows:

Stanmore Tennis

Stanmore Basketball

Stanmore Rowing

Stanmore Swimming

Stanmore Waterpolo

Stanmore Cricket

Johnstone leads at House Competition

On Monday 11 February the Stanmore Campus held the first of the two House Competition Days. Boys in each House were placed in to 12 teams of a vertical nature, with approximately 2 boys from each year per team. These teams competed at two of the three activities for the morning sessions; 4-Court Tennis, Softball and Volleyball. The afternoon session gave athletics coaches a chance to view the talent on display with the Houses being rearranged into horizontal years for the sprints, relays, 400m event and the field events of long jump and shot putt.

The day was a huge success with boys of all ages competing together and enjoying the company of new found friends. The seniors showed true leadership by organising their teams, supporting the juniors and assisting the staff in the smooth running of the events. The juniors had great fun and their enthusiasm was not only contagious but a lead for even the most non-sporting of our boys.

The results of the day (not that results are all important, but they do indicate that the activities have actually taken place) had Johnstone House winning with a much improved Le Couteur House Runners-Up and Moulton in third place.

Overall, the day was a huge success and the boys are now looking forward to the winter activities later in the year.

Mr Graham Potter
Head of Le Couteur House

Sport Report

Athletics

The NSW Junior State Athletics Championships were held on February 8-10 at Sydney Olympic Park. We congratulate the following boys who were selected to represent NSW at the Australian Championships in Perth in March.

Tepai Moeroa (12/JN) shot put

Lachlan Little (12/KL) long jump/relay

Patrick Elliott (12/ME) 5000 m

Brodie Mellor (11/PR) shot put

Sebastian Gray (11/JN) high jump

Ed Penrose (10/KL) 400 m

Baseball

Congratulations to Alex Perry (11/LE) on his selection in the NSW Country baseball team which participated at the 2013 National Youth Championships held in Geelong, Victoria. After the first round of games NSW Country was placed 6th overall but managed to work their way back through the rankings to play Victoria in the bronze medal game which they won 9 to 6.

Golf

Those boys interested in competing in the NSW All Schools Golf competition please register your interest with Mr Dickens next week.

Swimming

The 2013 AAGPS swimming season kicks off on Friday night with the Newington Invitational Carnival. The season started well for the Newington team with the first of the AAGPS Relays conducted at the Sydney High Carnival on Monday February 4. Newington won the 4 x 100 m Medley Relay event for the fourth year in succession, breaking the GPS Record by 3 seconds. The team members were Callum Lowe-Griffiths (9/PR), Alex O’Hare (12/FL), Sam Turner (11/MO) and Te Haumi Maxwell (12/PR). Congratulations to the teams.

The Newington Age Swimming Championships were conducted on Friday February 8 at the Newington pool with ten records being broken across the age groups. The 2013 age champions were also crowned.

12 years Jack Rudkins (7/MA)

13 years Jason Hartill (8/MO)

14 years Callum Lowe-Griffiths (9/PR)

15 years Charlie Hacker (10/KL)

16 years Simon Kennewell (11/ME)

17 years Sam Turner (11/MO)

Open Te Haumi Maxwell (12/PR)

Tricks on how to battle the common cold

Everyone knows the symptoms of the common cold—runny nose, sneezing and scratchy throat with symptoms lasting one to two weeks. It is caused by infectious viruses and spread by inhaling the infected mucus from the air or by touching items like the phone, stair rail and then touching your eyes or nose. Hand washing helps prevent the spread of the virus but what else can you do?

What to do

Once you feel the first symptom, go on the attack early

• Resting helps you fight off a cold.
• Drink plenty of fluids to keep the mucus linings hydrated. Limit caffeine and alcohol as they are dehydrating.
• Paracetamol or ibuprofen can relieve headache and fever
• Nasal decongestants can help the blocked or runny nose. Nasal sprays can only be used short term up to five days as rebound congestion can occur.
• Cough mixtures are not recommended so much these days as some have side effects. Lemon and honey drinks may soothe a dry irritating cough.
• Steam inhalations are wonderful for blocked noses and sinus pain. Be careful not to burn yourself or you will quickly forget about your cold. Try sleeping propped up a little to aid drainage of mucus.
• If you develop laryngitis, stop talking! Even whispering puts a lot of strain on the vocal cords. Add a few drops of Friar’s balsam to steaming water as an inhalation.
• Gargling warm salty water is excellent for a sore throat – ½ teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water works well.
• Keep the air environment at home moist. If you use a humidifier make sure you clean it regularly. Avoid cigarette smoke
• Echinacea might help at the very early stages but scientific evidence is inconclusive
• Zinc too has been proposed as helpful but again has not been proven
• Vitamin C in large doses will not prevent a cold
• Chicken soup it seems is beneficial! Canned or homemade, both work
• Watch for complications like middle ear infections, sinusitis and of course your asthma may be triggered by the cold.

Pathways to the Future

Key Dates in the Careers Diary

Newington Careers Expo & ONU/Parents Career Evening—Thursday 13 June 2013, 6.30pm-9.00pm.

1. Exhibitors from TAFE, universities and colleges in NSW and ACT and some from interstate will be showcasing post-Year 12 study options
2. GAP Year organisations and other Training Provider organisations
3. Old Boys and Parents providing insights and advice for boys in Years 10-12 about their working profession and educational requirements

Year 10 Career Assessments Interview Dates

All Year 10 boys who undertook the Career Assessment program will be allocated a 30 minute interview time with a Careers Counsellor from Career Avenues. Interviews will be held on the following days in Term 1 – 6,7, 13, 22, 25 and 27 March; 8 April and 6 May. Boys are encouraged to invite a parent to attend the interview session with them to go through the detailed Careers Report. A copy of a sample report is available on SPACES in the Careers section. To access, click here. Confirmation of interview times will be provided to boys and parents in the coming weeks.

Overseas Study Options 2014 and beyond

An information session will be organised later in Term 1 for students in Years 10-12 and parents interested in finding out more about UK and US tertiary studies options. To express your interest to attend the information session, please send an email to Mr Jamie Breden.

ADFA Education Award

I would encourage current Year 12 Boys who hold rank as a CUO to apply.

The Australian Defence Force Academy Education Award is presented annually to Year 12 students in recognition of leadership potential, and academic and sporting achievements exhibited during Year 11. The award comprises of a laptop computer and certificate for you, and a plaque of recognition for your school. There are up to 100 awards available on behalf of the Navy, Army and Air Force which will be presented to suitable applicants who have applied for entry to ADFA. The ADFA Education Award is unbonded, which means there is no obligation to accept an offer to attend ADFA, nor is the ADF obliged to offer appointment to an award winner. Applications close 28 February 2013. Click here for more details.

Tax File Number Applications

Boys aged 13 years old or over and still at school are eligible to apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) through the school. Applying for the TFN through the school requires less paperwork and is a quicker process. Please see Mr Jamie Breden to collect TFN information and an application form.

If you would like to make further enquiries or to make an appointment, please contact me on 02 9568 9429 or jbreden@newington.nsw.edu.au. The P & F Careers Centre is located next to the Year 12 Centre, Level 1, Rae Building.

Mr Jamie Breden
Careers and VET Coordinator

Morgan McDonald to compete in World Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to Morgan McDonald (12/MO) who trialled for the Australian cross country team in Canberra in mid-January this year and came second in the Men’s Junior–under 20 year old–race. He has now qualified to represent Australia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 24 March 2013.

This is the second time Morgan has been profiled in the last six months for his achievements in athletics. In October last year he was the Under 18 Australian Cross Country title holder in the 6 km race. Morgan came a clear first place in the time of 20 minutes, 42 seconds–a full 12 seconds ahead of his opponent.

We wish Morgan the very best in his training before flying to Poland.

New Parents Welcome Reception

It is tradition to welcome new families to Newington College 7-12 campus at a twilight reception. This year we took the event to an outdoor venue – what we now call Founders’ Courtyard. The piazza created by the boarders of Nesbitt Wing, War Memorial, the Pyke Centre and the Rae Centre makes for a lovely open, yet protected area for our Community Groups to gather. The Newington Jazz Band set the ambiance at “pleasantly chilled”.

The Headmaster, Dr David Mulford, introduced new families to members of the College Council who had called in especially. Deputy Headmaster, Head of Stanmore Dr Andrew Hirst introduced our new guests to the leaders of the Community Groups who donate their energies to volunteer work across the Parents & Friends Association and The Newington College Foundation.

Support Group representatives manned their tables (with Rowing manning a boat) to answer questions about Football, Tennis, Water Polo, Rubgy, Fencing and Basketball just to name a few.

Helen Burton, the President of ‘New Women’, in particular welcomed the women present and encouraged them to engage with the activities and information sessions that will be offered outside the co-curricular linked groups.

Dr Hirst then drew attention to many Executive Staff and the boys’ Mentors who were present to specifically find ‘their’ families and say a warm hello, again. This is the third occasion where parents have had the chance to get to know their son’s Mentor, in order to build strong links with each boy and his family.

Creative Arts Season Launch

Photo: Creative Arts Team, including Ms Hannah Chapman, Head of Visual Arts—Mr Andrew Thompson, Head of Music—Mr Mark Scott and Head of Drama—Ms Tamara Smith

Last Thursday, members of the Newington Creative Arts community came together for the inaugural Creative Arts Season Launch. The evening was designed to launch and highlight the main events on the co-curricular calendars of Music, Visual Arts and Drama for the upcoming year. Parents, staff and boys gathered in the Concordia Gallery to hear about what’s in store in each of the arts faculties for the Sesquicentenary. With numerous productions, concerts and exhibitions throughout the year, 2013 promises to be fulfilling for all boys who involve themselves in the Creative Arts.

Click here to view the full season program

John Manton's letter heralding the beginning of Newington College

On 18 February 1863, Rev. John Manton wrote a letter to Mr A MacArthur, one of two leading Wesleyan churchmen then visiting England. In December 1862 these men had been asked by the Church’s Education Committee to ‘…secure the services of two competent Masters, and send them out with the least possible delay.’

John Manton’s follow-up letter, his copy of which is held in the College Archives, provided MacArthur with news of developments in the last two months.  A contract had been let for £1,050 for repairs at Newington House, not including the fencing that was also needed. He reported rapid progress, with the slating of the main building completed, replacing the previous shingles, and some of the internal work also done. Several friends of the project had visited Newington House and were all ‘…much pleased with the situation and the place itself.’

Fundraising for the work was continuing: he and others, including Rev. William Kelynack, a later President of the College, had secured promises of £690 in the Sydney, Goulburn, Bathurst and Illawarra Districts. Manton hoped to raise ‘a respectable sum’ in Maitland, but noted that it would be ‘…some time before the money can be got, in consequence of the dulness [sic] of the times.’

‘I see nothing in the way to prevent our making a beginning in July next,’ Manton declared, ‘should the Masters arrive by that time, which I sincerely hope may be the case.’ He would soon begin to advertise the opening in July ‘…in full confidence that the Masters will be forthcoming by the time we want them.’  This, however, was clearly his major concern. He urged MacArthur to ‘give the subject your earliest attention, as we should not be able to find suitable persons here.’  In due course this question was to be resolved in an unexpected way.

David Roberts
College Archivist

Art Department acquires award-winning sculpture

This year Newington has initiated a unique venture to acquire artists works. These can be works that are already in another collection and on loan to the college or from our acquisition policy with the Concordia Gallery.

We have been fortunate enough to make contact with one of our old parents

Dr Richard Goodwin has lent the school his award-winning work Caraspace and has also agreed to be part of the inaugural advisory board for Newingtons Concordia gallery.

With oover 30 years of practice as an internationally exhibiting artist and architect, Goodwin has sustained a prolific and professional practice of art and architecture. His work ranges from freeway infrastructure to the gallery to “parasitic” architecture / public artworks. Fundamental to his work and philosophyis—the notion of adaptive re-use and radical transformations.

Goodwin established the Porosity Studio 1996 at the College of Fine Arts (UNSW) where he currently holds the position of professor. The studio enquires into a dynamic understanding of art, architecture and urban design: that the movement of people through the built environment and their patterns of inhabitation constitutes a politically rich layer of architecture. Since 2004 the studios were run as intensive, international, multi-disciplinary workshops and have been recognised and supported internationally by various universities and institutions such as the British Council.

In 2002 Goodwin was awarded the prestigious Discovery Grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC). This body of research, Porosity, has been widely published and exhibited in galleries across Sydney and has begun to influence the way designers, architects, artists and even emergency services view the city fabric. In 2009 the ARC awarded Richard Goodwin a Linkage Grant to develop Porosity using real-time technologies and gaming engines in collaboration with UNSW architecture academic, Russell Lowe.

About the work

Carapace is a seminal piece of public sculpture for Goodwin’s practice and for the Australian Sculptural canon. The work Carapace is made from a vintage Mercedes car, fiberglass and steel. It stands at 235 x 300 x 500 cm and is a monotone bright white. This was acquired by Sydney University directly after its success as the winner of Sculpture by the Sea in 2003.

The noun Carapace means a shield, test, or shell covering, usually of an animal. The explosive artwork Carapace extends and challenges ideas of sculpture. It both maintains a strong three dimensional, permanent form, and projects the internal car limbs beyond it’s covering. The artwork continues Goodwin’s investigation into the notion of Exoskeleton and habitation within a public park space.

We are extremely proud to have this work installed on the lawn outside the Le Couteur Wing on a three-year loan from Sydney University and hope its will stimulate critical conversations. Is art a discipline to protect ideas of culture? Can art as a secondary subject and academic field provide a material process to test ideas about ideas of truth and beauty?

Year 7 Mandarin classes welcome the Year of the Snake

Chinese New Year is the longest and one of the most important events on the Chinese calendar. Newington’s Year 7 Mandarin classes led by Ms Linda Gu and Ms Linda Wang learnt the traditional art of Chinese paper cutting, designed and made red lanterns and had a go at writing traditional Chinese couplets in the lead up to the big event.

To all families at Newington, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year!

Sustainable start to the New Year

The Newington College Sustainability Committee is a student organisation run by volunteers who both care about the environment and want to embrace active leadership within the school and community. The committee meets twice a term as a whole group and breaks into project teams. Some of the projects currently underway include organising paper recycling in the classrooms, exploring bottle refill stations around campus to avoid disposable bottle usage, Clean Up Australia Day 2013, 2013 Earth Hour activities, coordinating an educational campaigns committee and a Sustainability speaker to present at the Literature Festival.

Last year we had many successful initiatives. These included: Clean Up Australia Day, Earth Hour, an awareness tent at Back to Newington Day, an online petition on change.org to ask the major grocery stores to stop using non-biodegradable bags (see our Spaces page for the link to support this petition), the Swap party and the Battery Recycling initiative. All of these events came from student ideas and were run by students with my support.

We now have a battery recycling station in the foyer of the Founders Building and we ask that all families send their used batteries in to school with their child to be deposited in the box. A member of the Sustainability Committee will take the batteries to Marrickville Council offices where the used batteries will be safely disposed.

We would love to see greater participation both from students and families and encourage parents and students alike to join the group and see what new initiatives we can introduce to make our community and the world more sustainable.

Please contact me with any questions at mrandell@newingon.nsw.edu.au. We look forward to working with the entire Newington community to make changes and encourage more sustainable actions both at home and in school.

Mandi Randell
Sustainability Coordinator, English Department

HSC special provision applications due

Applications for Special Provisions for 2013 HSC students are due at the end of Term 1.
If your son has a medical or learning issue which may require access to Special Provisions for timed assessment tasks, please contact:

Mrs Rebecca Panagopoulos
Head of Learning Enhancement
RPanagopoulos@Newington.nsw.edu.au

Time to get your skis on

After a successful competition in 2012 with a relatively small team, we are looking to expand our representation at the NSW Interschools Snowsports championships this year, 10–13 July 2013 at Thredbo.

Last year’s team of 22 boys managed the impressive result of having 13 skiers and boarders qualifying for the State Finals and we are hoping to build on that result in this year’s competition. We are one of the only Newington College teams that include representatives from all three campuses competing for the one team.

The competition this year is a four day competition involving several disciplines in both skiing and snowboarding across all ages and skill levels. The competitors go down to the snow with their families and report for their respective races each morning in the Newington colours. Snowsports is a great social get-together involving the parents and boys and really it cements that famous Black and White spirit!

Our main goal this year is representation, so if your son(s) are interested in competing under the Newington banner this year in Thredbo, no matter the age or skill level, we would be happy to welcome them to the team!

To register your sons’ interest in the competition please contact the MIC of Snowsports, Mr Justin Verco

I look forward to seeing you on the slopes!

Justin Verco
MIC Snowsports