Carnival Atmosphere at Koola

Last Saturday was the launch of the Winter Sport season and despite the poor weather, Koola Park was buzzing with activity, people and atmosphere. Not only was Saturday the first week of the season, it was also the launching of the new IPSHA Modified (Sevens) Rugby Competition.

This season brings a new level of excitement as it seems we have moved significantly closer to finding a level playing field for our winter sports teams. Over the last few years our Rugby teams have faced an uphill battle to compete with larger primary schools in the 12 or 15-a-side game whilst our soccer teams, particular the Senior B’s have found their division to be stiff competition. I am pleased to say that Saturday was a major step in the right direction through the launching of the new Modified (Sevens) Rugby competition and some re-jigging of the draws to find more appropriate competition for our Football teams.

Last week we also hosted the College’s new Director of Rugby, Mr Ben Manion and our Director of Football and Mr Ian Crook, to work with our teachers on their coaching skills. Mr Manion was thrilled to hear that primary school rugby was headed in the direction of a modified competition. He noted the focus on skill development that this version of the game provided and highlight the Australian Rugby Union’s commitment to it for younger players.

One of the added benefits of the Modified Rugby competition is the use of a centralized venue, Koola Park, and it is fair to say our school community wasted no time in taking full advantage of this by making Saturday mornings at Koola Park the place to be. As I arrived I was greeted by the sight of people everywhere cheering and encouraging the boys, and the smell of the barbecue in full swing. I want to thank everyone who made it to Koola and encourage everyone to see this as a lovely extension of our school community whether your boys are playing or not. I particularly want to thank the parents who volunteered to run the canteen throughout the morning.

Newington is a special community and this was most certainly on display. And the season is only just getting started!

‘Raising Boys in Partnership with the School’ – Parent Workshop

I recall the day I became a parent. I recall the myriad of unknown situations I faced in those first few weeks without the support of a ‘user manual’. I would like to say that this becomes easier as children get older but my limited experience tells me otherwise.

I trust this feeling is a common one that we all share as parents as we navigate the complex task of supporting our children through their daily challenges.

As a school community we seek not to provide all of the answers but instead to partner with you in helping to raise your boys. It is this very idea that our next Parent Workshop will focus on – ‘Raising Boys in Partnership with the School’.

This workshop will be different to previous workshops. Instead of sharing answers we are going to facilitate a Q&A style workshop through a panel made up of a few Newington teachers who are also parents. The panel will consist of Mrs Gaspersic, mother of two boys, Mr Bob Meakin, Deputy Head of Stanmore / Head of Pastoral Care and father of two, Mrs Julie Burke, Head of Middle School at Stanmore and mother of three boys aged from 16 to 23 and myself, a father of two boys and one girl.

Throughout the evening we will share from our limited experiences about raising boys and the importance of partnership in education. We will highlight the positive support structures already in place here at Lindfield and that await the boys at Stanmore as they make the transition to Senior School. We also hope to discuss matters that are pertinent to the group. If you would like to suggest topics you think would be helpful to discuss please email me (cwyatt@newington.nsw.edu.au) and we will attempt to include them on the evening.

Details of the workshop are as follows:

Wednesday 21 May from 6:30pm – approximately 8:00pm in The Lookout (Library)