Dear parents and guardians,

I trust you have enjoyed the break. We look forward to seeing the boys back on campus on Monday 20 July in full blazer uniform with polished shoes and appropriate grooming.

Our grounds and facilities teams have used the time to complete major works all over the campus including a refit of the cafeteria, high pressure cleaning of every window and inch of paving, a refit of the Taylor Sports Centre office and function centre, and minor tweaks to the Year 12 study centre and classrooms.  They have been painting, repairing chimneys, working in the boarding house and undertaking major repairs to the boat storage units at the boatshed. Our gardens, trees and ovals look magnificent.

Many boys have been on campus during the break studying and training for Term 3 sport competitions.  The current Government restrictions mean the GPS Athletics Championships will now be held over two days at SOPAC.  The Senior Carnival will be on Saturday 1 August and the Junior and Intermediate Divisions on Sunday 2 August. In line with health advice, spectators will not be allowed at either event, however it will be live streamed. Details will be sent closer to the date. 

The winter sport program will start on 8 August.  At this stage, the GPS has indicated there will be no spectators permitted at fixtures until at least 22 August.  This will be reviewed by GPS headmasters next week, and further information will be sent as it is confirmed.

In other news, we are delighted to welcome Ms Briana Hennessy to Newington College as a member of the counselling team. Briana has worked hospitals, private practice and community clinics and has taught undergraduate psychology classes at Western Sydney University. She has extensive experience in school settings and joins us from the Scots College where she was a school counsellor and the Assistant Head of Counselling for more than 10 years. Briana’s list of sporting achievements includes representing Australia in women’s basketball.

We will continue with temperature checking this term and urge the boys to wash their hands and cover their coughs. If your son is unwell, please do not send him to school.