Dear parents and guardians,

It is our intention is to continue with no screen time on Tuesday and Thursday but to again modify it slightly, so we do not impact the same classes in this next cycle.

From Monday 23 August:

• On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Periods 5 and 6 will remain as screen-free time.
• For the next two weeks (7A and 8B), lessons usually scheduled for Periods 5 and 6 will do a direct swap with Periods 3 and 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we do not hit the same classes again in this cycle during the screen-free afternoons.
• However, there is an exception: the Year 7 timetable for Tuesdays will not change – sport will remain on Tuesday afternoon and Periods 1 and 2 will remain as is.
• Year 11 students will continue to be set work to go on with in their Period 5 and 6 classes as they prepare for their exams.
• Year 12 students will be sitting Trial exams.
• Your son’s timetables in Spaces, General Access and Synergetic will be changed to reflect this.

If you have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to contact the College.

From Week 7A to Week 9A students in Year 7 – 11 will take part in the Sports Department ‘SPRING INTO ACTION’ training sessions and challenges. The training sessions are compulsory with a focus on physical activity, creativity and competition. They will be run in year groups.

In addition to these compulsory sessions, a weekly challenge will be issued to students and families to complete. Please head to the Sports SPACES page for all information. 

Congratulations and well done to all our 2021 Winter Sports Award recipients. Please click here to see all the winners of their respective sports awards. We look forward to also acknowledging their efforts in person when we return to campus.

Our staff are doing some amazing work in the background to try and offer activities and assistance to boys and their families to help with this extended lockdown.  One such initiative is the ‘Black & White Pages’. In conjunction with the ONU and the P&F Association, we are pleased to share the first iteration of this small business directory here.  More than 40 small businesses owned and operated by Old Boys and College parents have added their details, which is an excellent start. Please check the listings and see if there is a business you might be able to support through these challenging times. We would also like to extend an invitation to the Newington community to have your business added to the next edition, which will be published early next week – you can do that by clicking here.

Now to our ‘Man of the Week’, Preston Leadon 9/JN.  On Monday afternoon during class Preston heard his elderly neighbour calling out for help as her husband had collapsed.  He managed to get over the locked fence and alerted his parents to what was happening.  He made sure emergency services were contacted and took instructions from multiple people calmly.  His mentor Mr Peter Laurence said this of Preston “Well done on your calm demeanour under pressure and your initiative to help out. For the record, I am not the least surprised that it was you who sprang into action. I have seen this concern for your peers in mentor group and on camp last year. Keep up the great work!”  Congratulations Preston.

We had our first meeting with our Year 12 parent advisory group last night. The group is helping to ensure we have a parent voice as we plan for the boys in heavily disrupted circumstances. We learned that while some parents are interested in the fine detail of their son’s experience and the information we send to him, others are content with more general updates. We know many people have groaning inboxes so rather than add to that we agreed we would use the Head of Stanmore newsletter to alert Year 12 families to non-urgent material that might be of interest on Spaces. Anything of high importance will, of course, continue to be communicated directly. My thanks to the group for their insights.

We are also meeting next week with the Year 7-11 Parent Ambassadors to gain their insight into how you are all going so that these views can be included in our decision making.

Don’t forget the Parent Book Borrowing initiative.  Did you know that seeing a parent regularly reading and enjoying books is one of the most powerful ways you can motivate and inspire your child to read for pleasure?  Please click here to find out more about joining the Stanmore campus library and how to start borrowing your favourite titles.

Thank you for the support of our teachers and, I hope you will stay safe, be patient and continue to follow all the health guidelines regardless of which LGA you live.