Dear parents and guardians,

It has been wonderful to have Year 12 2021 back on campus this week as they prepare for their exams. For our IB boys, exams start next Tuesday 26 October and we wish the boys all the best.

Next week we welcome Year 7-11 boys back to campus. Please remember to tell us if your son has been vaccinated by updating his details here.  We now know that vaccination status and mask wearing are both taken into consideration when determining a person’s contact status in the event of a positive case.

To assist in keeping our year groups separate we will introduce staggered start and finish times along with staggered recess and lunch times.  The day will look like this:

We held a series of parent webinars earlier in the week to outline our expectations for the return to school.  If you were unable to attend these webinars or would like to refresh your memory on what was discussed, you can find the webinar for Year 7 here, Year 8 here, Year 9 here, Year 10 here and Year 11 here.

On Wednesday I met with our 2022 Senior Leaders to discuss the weeks ahead.  We will start outdoor assemblies next Tuesday, and on Tuesday 2 November we will have a special assembly where our 8 new House captains and vice captains will select the name and colour of their new House.  It will be a unique moment in the history of the school, combining plenty of fun with respect for the importance of the moment.  Our Headmaster will provide more information later next week.

Sometimes, you encounter a story of resilience, cooperation and hard work.  This year we had a single Visual Arts IB student. Riley Fitzroy, a boarder, has just completed his course. His exhibition will be the first time we have had a solo student exhibition at Newington. Riley has not been on campus since June, when he returned to the family property in regional NSW. Since then, he has worked remotely with his teacher Mrs Marina Hinves. They have sent endless messages, made many Zoom calls, sent parcels backwards and forwards and shared numerous files and feedback. It has been a journey to say the least. Riley has worked hard, and shown the most remarkable level of resilience, cooperation and positive attitude throughout.  This is a great achievement from someone who had too many challenges to mention, yet persevered and achieved an excellent outcome with the support of the school.  Congratulations Riley, you are my ‘Man of the Week’.  Please enjoy Riley’s digital exhibition here.

Tonight at 7.00pm the Music Department invites you to a concert curated by three of our own talented and passionate musicians. Year 11 IB Music students Oscar Joyce Thomson, Aiden Love and Ryan McPhail have collected performances from several Newington instrumentalists, providing their fellow musicians with a much-needed opportunity to share their talents.  We would love to have you with us for this exciting event.  Well done, Oscar, Aiden and Ryan I look forward to joining you here.

To all our Newington families – have a great weekend.