Faith Matters

Listen up!

Jim Carrey got himself in all sorts of trouble in the movie “Liar, Liar” when he had to speak truth. I suspect in real life if we all treasured integrity as much as we do other things, our world would be a much better place. Nowadays we question the promises of politicians, business can no longer be conducted on a handshake, and some parents have good reason to doubt their children.

In some cases the problem is those people who have little or no regard for the truth. However, more often than not many of our relational problems stem from poor communications. You would expect with the vast array of communication technologies at our disposal good communication would be on the rise but I fear this is not the case.

Undoubtedly, many people can put words together well to express a point of view, to debate, to argue or merely to respond. We are good with putting words into circulation. The question is, “are we equally as good at the other side of communication?’’ Are we expert listeners, as well as being expert wordsmiths? A lot of time and effort is put into teaching us to speak but I doubt that our society has spend an equal amount of energy and dollars on teaching us to listen.

One great piece of advice from the Bible that is, “Be quick to listen and slow to speak.” The old adage is true; God gave us two ears but only one mouth for a very good reason. If you are striving to be a good communicator then you’ll be striving to be a good listener.

Peter Morphew – Chaplain

Aaron Blabey Visit – Junior Primary

The Junior Primary boys spent the afternoon (Wednesday 12 August) in the company of the renowned Australian author Aaron Blabey, and they had a wonderful time.

Aaron shared a selection of his stories, including favourites ‘Pig the Pug’ and ‘Pig the Fibber’. The boys were also privileged enough to be read ‘Pig the Winner’, the next book in the series which is still going through the drafting process. The boys were also very impressed with ‘The Bad Guys’, Aaron’s first chapter book and the first of seven in a series. Many of the boys now can’t wait until later in the year when the next book is published!

The boys had a whole array of questions to ask Aaron, and they were keen to find out what it’s like being a successful author and illustrator. Aaron taught the boys the techniques behind drawing some of his favourite characters, including Pig the Pug and Stanley Paste. He also produced some simple but lovely artworks for the school library in the process.

The boys learnt about the drafting and publication process for writing books, and were really interested to learn how books can go from ideas written down on toilet paper (true story), through to a final, successful product. Aaron also taught the boys that getting published is not easy and can take many attempts, but that perseverance is really important!

All in all, it was a great afternoon and a fantastic way to conclude Stage One’s current Unit of Inquiry on stories. There are already many budding authors in Junior Primary, and I know like me, many of them would have been inspired by Aaron’s visit.

Sam Watson – Year 1 Teacher

Social Action Expo – Stage 3

On Thursday 13 August, five of our Stage 3 boys (Nilanka Abbey-6C, Angus Bourne-5L, Harry O’Connor-5E, Aditya Apana-5L and Jett Leong-5E) were involved in the IPSHA Social Action Expo at The Kings’ School.

The Social Action Expo is a biannual event where various service organisations and students are able to share the action they take to help others. The boys listened to talks from Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Ozharvest and Kids Give-Inspired by School Aid.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

“I learnt a lot about Diabetes, what it is, what it is like to live with it and how if you have diabetes you need insulin injections to help process the sugar in your body and turn it into energy. I also learnt that Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease that simply develops over time and Type 2 Diabetes is caused by over-eating, not enough exercise and bad lifestyle habits.

The people at JDRF are working hard to find a cure to Type 1 diabetes and this can only be done by raising funds and continuing medical research. Their slogan is “Type None Diabetes”. Harry

Ozharvest

“When the people from Ozharvest spoke they shared a number of mind-blowing statistics about how much food we waste in Australia every year. Did you know that in Australia every year 8 to 10 billion dollars worth of food is wasted?

The aim of Ozharvest is to collect left over food from restaurants, food outlets and corporate kitchens and deliver it directly to over 680 charities that feed the disadvantaged and homeless.

The remarkable thing is that over 14 million Australians are obese and over 2 million people in Australia are going hungry each and every day.

My advice to all of us at Newington is to not waste our food. We hope to devise a plan to reduce food waste in our school.” Aditya

Kids Give – Inspired by School Aid

“School Aid have raised millions of dollars for people in need across Australia and have started a new crowd funding initiative called Kids Give where kids make up their own projects to raise funds and awareness for various charities that they have a passion about.

Some of the projects saw people making second hand book shops, bake sales, car washes and many other things. They do this through school KAT teams (Kids Advisory Team) who work together to come up with an idea that best supports those in need.

I look forward to starting a KAT team at school.” Angus

Inspired by Action

“I was lucky enough to get the chance to represent Newington at the Social Action Expo through some action I have taken on my own. After visiting Canberra earlier this year I noticed that there was no Aboriginal Flag in the Federal Senate so I sent a letter to our local member of parliament, Mr Paul Fletcher, asking him why there was no flag. He responded to me saying he did not know why there was no flag and that he would find out why there was not one by asking the President of the Senate. After Mr Fletcher asked the President of the Senate, we were lucky enough to have him come to school and share his discussions with us. We are now awaiting his response and hopefully we will see an Aboriginal Flag in the Senate sooner rather than later.

“I really enjoyed presenting to other schools about personal action I have taken and look forward to doing it again in the upcoming PYP Exhibition.” Nilanka

The Day in General

“Being able to go to the Social Action Expo was an eye-opening experience because I learned that there are so many people who are taking action for those who really need it.

I look forward to learning more about what action is and sharing that with others at our school. The last words on the day from one of the speakers was “From little things, big things grow”. These are words from an Australian song by Paul Kelly but it makes me realise that we can make a real change if we put our minds to it. To do this we have to start small and grow things by woking together.” Jett

We look forward to seeing the boys who were part of the Social Action Expo sharing what they learned with the Newington Lindfield community so we can all be actively involved in Service Learning Programs that support those in need.

Jackson English – Year 6 Teacher

Stage 1 – Art

Stage 1 have almost completed their UOI How We Express Ourselves with a focus on Australian animals through Aboriginal art.  In their art lessons, Years 1 and 2 listened to stories by Sally Morgan and Bronwyn Bancroft and were able to determine a common theme in the books that we read: animals as the main character!  The boys chose their own Australian animal and created a visual story in watercolour, using Aboriginal symbols they had seen and learned about. Boys discovered abstract dot and line painting with acrylic paints to recreate symbols and explained their selection in the key that will accompany their artworks. The artworks are amazing – the use of bright, vivid colours and interesting layers to tell a story visually is a unique way to explore storytelling. From this, the boys will use oral storytelling to share the story of their animal with their classmates. I am looking forward to hearing the boys’ stories shared and to see the connections made between visual and spoken traditions.

Phoebe Burnett – Art Teacher

A Message from the Head of Lindfield Prep

Dreams: Set some goals, make them happen!

The ability to set goals and achieve them is an extremely useful skill to have in many aspects of our lives.  For some of us this comes naturally, others find it more difficult to structure their lives in order to achieve their dreams.  The good news is that we can all learn to be better at goal-setting by taking some very deliberate steps.

Part of achieving goals is the feeling of mastery and a sense of having control over one’s own destiny. Youngsters benefit greatly from learning goal-setting skills and at Newington we intend for our boys to have this element of mastery and internal locus of control in different facets of their lives.  We, as the Newington community, can all help the boys to set and achieve their own goals.

How can we help?

They’re doing it already! All of us are motivated to achieve in particular areas.  Look for ways that your child is already using goal-setting techniques.  If a child has shown great success in their favourite subject at school, or saving up to buy a particular toy, talk about how good it feels to achieve.  Apply what they do in that aspect of their lives to improving in another area they believe could be developed, like their relationship with a sibling, for example.

Know what they dream about!  As adults we can be alert to the wishes and desires of our boys.  What do they wish to learn, do, create, have, change or overcome? If there is something that your child really wants, why not practice the art of goal-setting to make it happen?

Be the change you want to see!  Young people learn more from us than just what we intend to teach them explicitly.  As parents and teachers, if we set our own goals and include the boys in our planning for how to achieve them, we can become a great goal-setting role model.

Be SMART

Before we all head out to set our lofty goals, let’s look at one way that we can structure our goals to make it more likely that we will achieve them.  Goals may be in any area of our lives be it relationships, health and fitness, homework, sport, reading etc.  What is common in our pursuit of any goal is the way we structure our plan for the greatest chance of success.

S – A specific goal is more manageable than a big, broad goal.  Saying that you want to get better at Math is not as meaningful as wanting to get better at 6 and 7 times tables.

M – A measurable goal is one that you can gauge as you work towards achieving it.  Knowing that you are getting closer to success inspires you to keep trying to get there even though it’s sometimes hard work.  How will you know if you’ve achieved your goal?  Are you shaving seconds off a run?  Do you want to learn to play 3 tunes on the flute?

A – An attainable goal is challenging, but realistic.  If we set goals that are too big, or that we could only achieve one day far off into the future, we are less likely to stick to our plan.  Choose something that is almost (but not quite) within reach.

R – If we are to have a sense of mastery and self-control, then the goals that are set must be relevant to us.  In the case of our boys, they need to be able to choose their own goals and then our job is to support their journey.

T – Giving goals a time frame is also important.  If we set ourselves a boundary within which we would like to achieve our goal, we are more likely to take the necessary steps toward success.

There are many benefits to goal-setting.  It provides structure, encourages persistence, increases problem solving and unleashes potential among other things.  In the following weeks I hope that you get the opportunity to discuss your children’s goals at their student led conference.  Be inspired by your son and why not set your own goals and together you can work together towards achieving them!

Ben Barrington-Higgs – Head of Lindfield Prep

The Learner Profile

Before you begin reading try this…

This activity will help you become familiar with the attributes of the Learner Profile as well as thinking about each attribute in relation to your vision for your son.

What sort of boy do you want your son to be both now and in the future?

What would your answer be if you were asked this question?

• Write one response to this question on separate pieces of paper or post-it notes. For example, if you want your son to be better at Mathematics, write just that.
• Write as many notes as you can.
• Read about the attributes of the Learner Profile in this article.
• As you read the attributes of the Learner Profile, refer back to your notes and on each one write the Learner Profile attribute that your comment relates to. For example, using the above Mathematics example, the Learner Profile that might relate to this is Knowledgeable.
• Once you have completed the task, ask yourself:

o   Are there any gaps?

o   Are any attributes over-represented?

o   Are any attributes under-represented?

o   Why do you think they may be over/under represented?

As parents we have dreams for our children – something along the lines of “to be happy, healthy and safe in their lives”. But is this sufficient for their future?

As educators (parents and teachers) we must have aspirations that are richer and more specific than this, a complementary set of goals that are explicit and detailed, that provide a road map of values and characteristics which our children will be able to uphold all their lives and that we, as educators, uphold, value and feel are imperative for our children to be the lifelong learners that they will need to be to be happy, healthy and safe in their lives.

The mission statement of the IBO for its educational programmes, the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP) is this road map. The mission states:

The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

A mission statement is a formal expression of the aims and values of a company, organisation, or individual. The challenge becomes how to live this mission. But how can we achieve this mission? How is it possible to encourage students to “become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right”? This is not an easy undertaking – but it is possible.

As an IB World School that offers our students the opportunity to fulfill this mission we are committed to learn, model and teach this mission. We can do this through the Learner Profile.

What is the Learner Profile?

The Learner Profile is the heart of the PYP. It is an explicit description of our dreams for our children and their future. It is also the realisation of the IB’s mission, a way that the mission can be achievable. This mission statement and Learner Profile work together in providing a long-term vision of education – a set of principles that inspires, motivates and focuses our learning and teaching which we actively promote in all facets of our lives at NCL.

The Learner Profile describes the kind of person necessary to make a better and more peaceful world as well as representing the best expression of the core values of teaching and learning in PYP. They shape the principles and practices of our school – our vision, mission and commitment to learning for the twenty-first century – for our children as global citizens.

The attributes and descriptors of the Learner Profile define the type of learner the IB and Newington College endeavours to develop through the PYP.

Therefore, as learners we strive to be:

INQUIRERS:                 We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.

KNOWLEDGEABLE:    We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

THINKERS:                   We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

COMMUNICATORS:    We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

PRINCIPLED:               We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

OPEN-MINDED:           We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.

CARING:                      We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.

RISK-TAKERS:            We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.

BALANCED:                We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognise our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

REFLECTIVE:              We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

When we look at the visual representation of the PYP, there is a very clear statement of the importance of the Learner Profile to the programme and the type of learner we are developing throughout our school community by placing it at the centre of the diagram. Underlying the programme is the concept of education of the whole person as a lifelong process. You will notice that the language of ‘we’ is used to describe each of the Learner Profiles. This is to recognise that we are all learners and learning does not stop when we complete our formal education.

In PYP schools teachers are required, on behalf of all students, to assess and report on progress in the development of the attributes of the learner profile. At NCL there is a reflection of this importance at the conclusion of each Unit of Inquiry. The Learner Profile can be used for self and peer assessment, as the basis for teacher/student/parent conferences and through reporting to parents. We attempt to develop a clear understanding of each Learner Profile through our Units of Inquiry helping to make connections to learning and life.

In developing these traits, students build both the motivation and capacity to make the world a better place.

As IB teachers, students and parents, we believe wholeheartedly in this philosophy.

“Only you can control your future.” – Dr Seuss

Sue Gough – PYP Co-ordinator

Newington Prep Athletics Carnival – 2015

It has been 4 years since an Athletics Carnival at Newington has had to be adjusted due to the weather and the early predictions had us set up for another brilliant warm, sun-drenched day to savour……how things can change! But, despite the near arctic temperatures felt around the vast stadium at Homebush, the fire burning inside the heats of the Newington competitors was sure to cure the winter blues.

First up, as per usual, the 800m events and it was time to see if there was a new breed of junior distance runners to rival the brilliant Bili Robertson from years past. And a young man by the name of Matthew Torrible showed us just that, leaving all behind him in running a super time of 2 min 47 sec. Second was Henry Isherwood, with Thomas Blanken close behind in third.

A hush came over the crowd as the next runners took to the line.  A record was on the cards as young Robertson took centre stage once more in his premier event. A lightning fast start saw Bili well clear by the 200m point, but the blustery conditions meant he had to work for every step. James McGregor had sewn up second place by the end of the first lap and it was a tight run for third. A powerful last 100m saw Bili storm home in 2min 30.34 Seconds, breaking the previous record by just 0.43 of a second….but a record nonetheless in less than ideal conditions. Second was the multi-talented McGregor and third was new kid on the block Dimitri Vallas.

In the 12 years Philip Blanken and Gaelen Dorigo battled it out for the top billing, with Blanken just having enough over the final third of the race to push clear and win a time of 2min 41 seconds. Dorigo was second with National swimming sensation Chris Mina in third.

A sea of colour on a now bleak day greeted us as the final athletes entered the arena for the first of four rotations. The most youthful of these athletes (8/9 years) took to the track for the heats of the 100m and 200m events. Of all the events on the day, the track events were the most densely populated, with all boys taking part in at least one of the premier events.

In the field, strength, power, speed, poise and grace were the special ingredients required to achieve greatness in the shot put, discus and long jump events. One such athlete of greatness was young Joel Zipeure, who managed to through an incredible 18.54m in the 8/9 years Discus and take out the event. Such was the impressiveness of the throw from this young 8 year old that he actually qualified for IPSHA in the junior event which features mainly 10 year-olds! Other great performing Discus throwers were Eric Carney in the 10 year age group, Jacob Awada taking out the 11 years age group with a throw of 18.28m and Oliver Kleppich rounded things out for the 12 years with an impressive throw of 20.77m.

In the Shot Put events, a stellar field this time in the 10 years saw a battle between speed and power. Speedster Alec Peterson and powerhouse Lipina Ata went throw for throw before Ata pushed ahead with an impressive winning throw of 8.81m. Let the games begin again when the Invitationals come around. Elsewhere it was Quinn Mersal taking out the 8/9 years age group with a throw of 5.90m. Tom Stone then took out the 11 years with a throw of 8.93m, just ahead of Reuben Palmer. Finally in the 12 years it was Angus Ole with a winning throw of 8.78m.

The long jump was next and this battle was between three supremely talented athletes in Aiden Mostofi, Tom Stone and Bili Robertson. The multi-talented Robertson would have to take a back seat to the duel between two Lindfield heavyweights. Mostofi threw the gauntlet out early with a 4.13m jump, to which Stone responded with a 4.11m jump. Despite both putting in massive jumps to finish, they could not push towards the record jump of 4.39m of some 30 years previous and instead settled for 1st and 2nd place in the event. In the other long jump events it was Toby Torrible taking out the 8/9 years event, before Henry Isherwood took out the 10 years event. Finally Vincent De Souza rounded out the long jump with a jump of 3.88m to take out the 2015 competition.

So this left the sprints finals and the relays, and with so many heats to accumulate, there was some delay for the older age groups, and a hush fell over the large crowd, as the start of the Colour House cheers began. Howe and Coates were in full voice as Rydal tried in vain to counter. The men in green and gold were in fine song, taking out the House cheer for 2015. By this stage, the first of the finals was ready to be run!

In the 8 years it was a race to remember as Sam Chittendon held off wonder kid Joel Zipeure while the mass of bodies followed. Third place went to Hadi Beydoun. In the 9 years it was new kid on the block Will Fisher with a beautiful strong action as he powered to victory ahead of Cameron Davey-Webb in second and Richard Hunt in third. The 10 years saw a great battle between 2014 State finalist Alec Peterson and a rejuvenated Mitchell Cope who was only a shade behind Peterson as they crossed the line. Third in this race was Matthew Torrible.

The battle of the heavyweights resumed in the 11 years as Aiden Mostofi battled it out with Bili Robertson amidst a stellar field in the 100m final. Mostofi’s blinding acceleration off the start was enough to see him clearly ahead at the halfway point. And once there he never relinquished it, winning in a time of 14.43 sec ahead of Robertson and third placed James McGregor. The 12 years saw Vincent De Souza show his class as he streaked ahead of Jean-Paul Gonios in second and Sam Sullivan in third.

The 200m finals saw Chittendon pipped at the post by Zipeure in the 8 years event, with Hadi Beydoun again finishing third. Will Fisher then completed the sprint double as he took out the 9 years 200m, ahead of Vasili Filippatos and Richard Hunt in third. The 10 years saw a reverse of the 100m result as Mitchell Cope showed his class over the longer distance, finishing ahead of Alec Peterson, with Matthew Torrible in third. Aiden Mostofi continued his excellent form when he again accelerated with consummate ease around the bend to hold on to take out the 11 years 200m event ahead of Bili Robertson and James McGregor. Finally in the 12 years it was Philip Blanken ahead of Sam Sullivan and Willem Rumi in third.

Although run before the 11 years and 12 years 200m events, the relays were still the much-anticipated events of the day, and featured the best of the best on show for each House. In the Junior event it was Howe who had all the answers in each of the changes, winning comfortably ahead of Coates and Williams in third. In the senior event it was the crafty Coates team that stormed home to victory, thanks to a stellar leg from comeback king Stefano Ottavio and a clever last leg from Bili Robertson. Taking the baton right on the edge of the start of the change over point, Robertson gave himself the furthest distance to power home ahead of his rivals. Aiden Mostofi ensured that Kingswood would be second in this event with Williams again coming through in third.

So after these memorable triumphs and once everyone was rugged up, out of the wind and safely back at each campus, we finally found ourselves a winner. And the winner was Coates!!! And few would argue that they didn’t deserve it after so many stellar performances. Second was a very impressive Howe with Rydal third. For the Wyvern houses, this was redemption for 8 years of utter dominance from their counterparts at Lindfield. This is shaping up to be a rivalry etched in Newington folklore, but until next year, this is Mr Caulfield signing off!

ATHLETICS RESULTS 2015

Mark Caulfield – Sports Master

Book Week Character Parade

Book Week will be celebrated across Australia in Week 7 this term, 22-28 August 2015. The students will be involved in a variety of activities based on this year’s theme Books Light Up Our World. Book Week is a traditional celebration held at our school promoting reading for enjoyment and recognising notable Australian children’s authors and illustrators.

One of the highlights of our week is the Book Character Parade which will be held on Thursday 27 August 2015 on the JP playground commencing at 8:45am. Family and friends are welcome to attend this popular event.

Students and teachers are encouraged to participate in this fun-filled event. This year’s theme challenges us to choose to represent book characters who light up our world. This may include characters of stories that have meant something to us at any time in our lives – as a young baby, the favourite story that had to be shared, or as recently as this year. Book character parades help us to recognise and make connections with characters in stories that exercise our imaginations. They highlight experiences shared, values and attitudes that characters hold, hopes, dreams, aspirations and qualities recognised in them.

It is important that the boys be able to express how the character they choose to represent lights up their world. In our library sessions we have begun to share stories and characters that fulfil this year’s theme. Students are being encouraged to bring in the book that lights up their world so that a class display can be set up and these treasured books shared with each other. Students have also been encouraged to discuss possible books and their characters with family members to assist them in finding the character and story that lights up their world.

Students will come to school dressed as their book character and may remain dressed that way for the rest of the day. It is important to remember that the boys need to be comfortably dressed for their learning after this event.

Please join us for our Book Parade.

When:   27 August 2015 (Thursday Week 7)

Where:  JP Playground (Don Brown Hall if wet)

Time:     8:45am

Sue Gough – Teacher Librarian