Dear parents and guardians,

On Tuesday we held our first student-run assembly.  Kelynack House, in a brave yet clever move, offered to go first … and it was fabulous.  Kelynack Captain James Hedge and Chapel Prefect Kieran Casey, with support from their vice captains Denis Antipas and Christopher Tsolakis and our three senior leaders, created an event that was equal parts fun, information and a showcase of our boys’ talents.

A “spotlight on Kelynack” video featured Kelynack Head of House Mr Pyne, the Headmaster, a number of boys and me, and revealed a few things I’m sure most boys didn’t know. There was a segment titled “Did the Headmaster say that?”, which had us all on our feet guessing.  For the first time in more than a year we were able to enjoy a musical item: Blackbird was performed by the very talented Stage Band. We also recognised our Man of the Fortnight, Hamish Danks.

The captain of the 1^st XVI donned his white jacket to announce its final eight members: Sam Bristow, Seluini Fakaosifolau, Angus Montrose, Stefano Ottavio, Otavio Pereira Wood, Ashton Prowse, Lachie Sedgwick and Jack Singleton. Congratulations to these boys who, as part of the 1^st XVI, play an important role in making Newington what it is.

During the assembly I spoke with the boys about the College’s culture and the role we all play in establishing and maintaining our focus on inclusion, diversity and hard work. Specifically, I spoke about the role each boy plays and the standards we expect. I hope it will also help our Year 7s understand what makes the College special. I do not usually share video from our assemblies, but I thought you might like to get a sense of what we ask of our boys. You can view the video here.  I encourage you to have a conversation with your son about Newington’s culture and the language used in their friendship groups, locker rooms and sports teams.

Last year I contacted you to ensure you were aware of my availability to meet and my desire to maintain clear and open lines of communication.  Should you ever wish to discuss anything with me please contact my PA Ms Sandra Aiken 9568 9330 saiken@newington.nsw.edu.au to make a time.  I also do a campus update and briefing at the P&F meetings that all parents are welcome to attend.  You will find dates for those meetings here.

Enjoy the weekend and remember Valentine’s Day is this Sunday 14 February.