This week is scheduled as our first Prep Talk sharing for the 2015 school year – so it makes for an exciting week indeed.  Communication between school and home and home and school is at the very heart of defined excellence for a 21st century learning institution. Newington Lindfield, through its SPACES platform and and other shared electronic communication, has a bespoke network system designed to maximise these communication links for the benefit of all.  Prep Talk Week highlights the value placed upon this communication be it individual messages for specific grade levels/sporting teams/club groups or the generic sharing of the excitement and diversity of the week that was across the campus.

Parent Welcome Evening

This message will be one of the final reminders for all Lindfield parents and teachers to attend this Saturday evening’s 7:30pm Parent Welcome.  The Committee members of the Parents and Friends Association, along with Year 6 Parents, eagerly anticipate your company at this special social event. A memorable evening is promised.

International Baccalaureate PYP Induction

For all interested parents, both new and continuing, Induction Sessions into the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) will be presented next week by the school’s Teaching and Learning Leader, Ms Christina Lowe.  The sessions will be held on Wednesday, 25 February at 8:15am, with an evening session commencing at 6:30pm.  These information sessions will provide an invaluable overview of the curriculum/inquiry framework that drives the learning model practised in all classrooms.  Attendance is highly recommended.

Art Room Parent Assistants

Mrs Burnett has augmented a volunteer parent help system for the Art Room this year.  Over the course of each term there will be class art activities that will be more demanding of specific art tools and guidance/monitoring/assistance in the use of these tools.  In other year levels, more traditional art activities will not necessitate such additional help. Therefore, Mrs Burnett would like to have a roster of available parent helpers according to the demands of each of her art units.  Volunteer assistants would provide help for Mrs Burnett over particular art units rather than volunteering to help on a particular day, in a particular class.  This would mean that parents should not expect to work with their own child, or own child’s class, but more generally as an Art Room volunteer.  Interested parents are invited to contact Mrs Burnett directly to volunteer for this program.

Chinese New Year

Best wishes are extended to all our Asian heritage families celebrating the commencement of the Lunar Year of the Goat.  May the year ahead be one of great happiness and prosperity.

Leadership at Lindfield

Following the number of student leadership events in the calendar of last week, I share with all families the Oath of Office pledged by our three school leaders at last Friday’s Leadership Service attended by Dr Mulford, Rev. Morphew, all students and parents of the captains. Before their fellow students Gabriel Dickinson, School Captain and House Captains, Hamish Danks and Luke Dickinson recited the following:

Before God and in the presence of the school, I do solemnly promise that I will always try to lead in such a way as to uphold the honour and to maintain the interests of Newington College Preparatory School at Lindfield and to help all boys here to be truthful, cheerful, courteous and caring.

The school wishes all its leadership team members every success for the responsible journey before them.