Faith Matters

Thanks for the fleas!

Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch woman in The Hiding Place, relates an incident that taught her always to be thankful. She and her sister Betsy, had been transferred to the worst German prison camp they seen yet, Ravensbruck. On entering the barracks, they found them extremely over-crowded and flea-infested. Fourteen hundred prisoners were crammed into a barracks designed to sleep four hundred people.

That morning they had read a section in the Bible from 1 Thessalonians that had reminded them to rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in ALL circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and give thanks to God for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas! However, Betsy persisted, and Corrie finally succumbed to her pleadings. During the ensuing months that they spent in the torturous conditions in the camp, they were surprise to find how much freedom they had each evening in the barracks. They were able to study the Bible and conduct prayer meetings without any interference from the guards. It was not until several months later that they learned the reason the guards would not enter the barracks was because of the fleas!

Rev Peter Morphew – Chaplain 

Martial Arts Club – Leadership Program

We have been invited to by the School to promote our Leadership Program, which is available to existing or past martial arts students presently in Year 3 and above to participate in the YK-Y2 class on Fridays from 3:15-4:15pm.  Involvement in this program is free of charge.

We have had amazing success with our program, developing exceptional young people who are capable of managing student groups of all different ages, including their peers, with grace, confidence and great poise. Shy, quiet young people develop into assured and independent individuals.

Leaders begin with simple activities such as assisting with stretches, moving to leading whole sections of a class, then to more complex drills and techniques at the advanced levels.

Assistant Junior Instructors learn to direct classes, including managing the various levels of leaders while doing so, looking like they were born to it.

Through involvement in this Program, Leaders and Instructors discover the enormous benefit to their own martial arts and their leadership skills, and that stepping outside one’s comfort zone is very rewarding!

Our Leadership courses also count toward Duke of Edinburgh certification.

The commitment is to the YK-Y2 class at 3:15-4:15 on Fridays during school term.  If you would like your son to participate, or would like to know more, please contact Sensei Marice directly, either by telephone (0416 13 13 25) or email (sensei@fushicho.com.au).

A Moment In Time – Year 6 Reflection

Someone I Care For…

A brave refugee, a widow at 38 and an amazing chef! These words describe a person that unquestionably inspires me and sticks in my mind…my grandmother, Dr Maneesha Patel. I have many fond memories of spending time with her, eating her mouth-watering food, laughing and sharing stories about her very colourful life.

One night when she came to say goodnight to me, as she often does, she sat beside me and shared a story that I will never forget. It was her story of being a refugee, a story of how she escaped from a horrible dictator named Idi Amin. It was quite an elaborate story, but here is a brief summation of it:

My grandparents both worked as doctors in Uganda helping the African community.

In 1972, Idi Amin demanded that all Asians, Europeans and Indians leave the country otherwise they would be killed. As my grandmother recalled the memories her hand that was resting on my arm started to tremble. She had a slight quiver in her voice when she explained how she had to hide under the table when Idi Amin’s soldiers burst into her surgery, shooting everyone in sight.

(I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It sounded like a Bollywood movie.)

My grandparents had to flee the country immediately. No time to get their belongings. Just leave with the clothes on their backs and their four young children. One of whom was my mother.

On the way to the airport the Ugandan soldiers stopped them. I was excited to hear more of her story yet I was petrified of what was to come next. My mother’s family was taken to a holding cell. I was astounded at what I was hearing, my mother had been in a cell! After much negotiating and pleading from my grandparents the soldiers came to an agreement. My grandparents had to help some injured soldiers in exchange for their lives. They didn’t know if the soldiers would hold up to their end of the deal but what choice did they have? My grandmother was holding back her tears as she continued. To my relief they were released after a few days. They fled Uganda. My grandparents wanted to get far away as possible from Idi Amin. They landed up in Australia, in a small country town where my grandmother worked as a general practitioner for 33 years.

This is just one of very dynamic life stories my grandmother has shared with me, but I’m sure you would agree this one is unforgettable.

After hearing such an emotive story, it really made me think about the world around me and the struggles people have to go through. It made me appreciate the life I have.

Adi Apana – Year 6B

A Message from the Head of Lindfield Campus

Behaviour Management

I read an article recently that focused on students with chronic behaviour issues and it reminded me of when I was teaching second grade and I had a particularly challenging student. I was not sure what to do with him. It was tempting to focus on the misbehaviour, but if I did that I was never going to get to the source of the issue. In the end, I began to read the signs and work out in which situations this student was going to act out. A set of procedures was devised that allowed him the opportunity to self-regulate. He was given a picture of a dolphin, which he would flash if he was going to melt down. He was also taught to go to a designated quiet area, take some deep breaths and read a book. He was also able to go for a quick run to the playground and back to regulate himself, if he needed a break.

This article I read, focused not on misbehaviour but on the idea that it is a lack of skills that is often the cause of the misbehaviour. It starts with asking ‘why was the student misbehaving?’ and the presumption is that the student is misbehaving because they lack the skills to behave in the appropriate ways. It may be that the student has difficulty with transitions, social cues, sequencing, organisation or emotional regulation. If there are missing skills, the result may lead to misbehaviour that is either ignored or punished.  These reactions do not eliminate behaviours or endow students with the necessary skills for learning. If we think about it from a skills and timing approach, we can identify unsolved problems, predict problem situations and help students develop skills to prevent them. Very interesting food for thought as it questions the effectiveness of systems of punishment or reward.

Discipline is an opportunity for students to learn from their mistakes, understand the relationship between actions and consequences and to develop pro-social decision making skills. Here at Newington, we try to establish a school characterised by: emotional and physical safety, connectedness, authentic challenges and a responsible peer climate. An effective discipline policy facilitates positive behavioural support, positive relationships, engaging teaching and social-emotional learning.

The elements that are necessary in order to enhance these attributes are based on three premises:

Environment – Effective classroom teaching is essential in order to create energy, focus and high levels of student engagement. If a class is engaged, then most behavioural issues will decline as a result. There are many complex elements that affect this classroom environment but lesson planning, teaching conceptually, giving students choice and lesson pacing are some of the considerations in classroom management.

School-Wide Behavioural Supports – As a school, it is important to develop systems that prevent misbehaviour and teach pro-social behaviour, through active teaching and the use of modelling and role plays. There needs to be a system of school-wide rules and interventions, clearly delineating what is dealt with directly by the classroom teacher and what is an issue that needs to be addressed by school leaders. There also needs to be selective intervention for students who have difficulty following behaviour protocols, and focused actions and supports for chronically at risk students. There are certain ‘bottom line’ behaviours that have no place in our school and that immediately result in a consequence, however, this process also involves student reflection about more appropriate choices that could be made in future.

Social-Emotional Learning – Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is the explicit teaching of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and decision making. Newington uses the Second Step program to help the boys develop the social and emotional skills needed to negotiate the complex situations that they will increasingly face.

Each of the three areas of school-wide discipline are not effective in isolation. The combination of a positive environment, school-wide behavioural supports and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) are essential for effective schools.

Effective schools share certain common characteristics: shared values based on mission/purpose and the traditions of the school, connectedness of students and staff, social-emotional learning, home-school partnerships and are fully responsive to the needs of children. Boys do not enter Newington College with a complete set of social-emotional skills. We hope that through the emphasis on explicit teaching through Second Step, unpacking the learner profile attributes, our discipline policy and effective teaching, we are providing a safe, connected environment for all of our boys.

“How Can We Improve School Discipline?” by David Ocher, George Bear, Jeffrey Sprague, and Walter Doyle in Educational Researcher, January/February 2010 (Vol. 39, #1, p. 48-58)

“Using a Discipline System to Promote Learning” by Marvin Marshall and Kerry Weisner, Phi Delta Kappan, March 2004 (Vol. 85, #7, p. 498-507)

“Calling All Frequent Flyers” by Ross Greene in Educational Leadership, October 2010 (Vol. 68, #2, p. 28-34)

Ben Barrington-Higgs

Primary Years Programme – Unit of Inquiry

Unpacking a Unit of Inquiry

As our students are commencing their second unit of inquiry for the year, this PrepTalk article will unpack some of its elements to increase our knowledge and understanding of this aspect of The Taught Curriculum – how best will we learn? Each unit is organised within a transdisciplinary theme which can vary across the stages of learning.

The Central Ideas for the next units are:

Kindergarten – Signs and symbols can be used to communicate a message.

Years 1 & 2 (Stage 1) – People share their feelings, beliefs and values through cultural traditions.

Years 3 & 4 (Stage 2) – Earth is a dynamic environment affected by human activity.

Years 5 & 6 (Stage 3) – The identity and demographics of a nation is influenced by decisions made in its past.

Teachers collaboratively plan units of inquiry using a planner – 

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The planning sessions entail discussions and decisions about learning and assessment over the six week period of the unit.

Learning is structured around the central idea and lines of inquiry. The central idea is a statement that guides the learning and teaching within the unit of inquiry. It makes connections to different subject areas (transdisciplinary) and is open-ended to promote questioning and inquiry. It states big picture concepts which occur in our lives and our world.

The lines of inquiry are designed to deconstruct the central idea and encourage student questioning. Usually there are three lines of inquiry and these are connected to the key concepts that the learning draws upon for knowledge and understanding. Each line of inquiry is assessed for knowledge, understanding and critical thinking as the unit progresses. This provides valuable information about the student’s understanding of the central idea and is assists in making adjustments to learning as the unit continues.

The key concepts are chosen to increase coherence across the learning and provide an opportunity to move beyond content to extend and challenge students to engage with significant ideas. These concepts support the inquiry through critical thinking.

The summative assessment task not only assesses student knowledge but also their understanding of the central idea and will be evidence of the concepts, skills, attitudes and learner profile that has been the focus of the unit. An important aspect throughout PYP is the opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and using this to determine learning goals/next steps.

The units and the related elements of the PYP (concepts, skills, knowledge, attitudes, action) can be found on SPACES Lindfield Learning. If you are able to support any of the learning that will take place in these units we would love to hear from you.

Sue Gough – Teacher/Librarian and PYP Co-ordinator

Newington Lindfield Primary Swimming Carnival 2016

On Wednesday 17 March 2016 a new and exciting event occurred at Newington Lindfield. The school that has forever been caught in the shadow of ‘big brother’ Wyvern has pushed ahead and conducted their own swimming carnival for its inaugural year in the beautiful surrounds of Newington Stanmore. 134 keen and eager swimmers took to centre stage for what was to be a enthralling battle between Rydal and Kingswood.

In the 8 years age group, Matthew Webster held his own, challenged only by the fast finishing Hamish Johnston who was a constant threat in every event. In the 9 years it was the Diesel James show, as he scorched the pool in each event he was a part of. The technically correct Oliver Senior was a steady performer, placing in every event and claiming the runner up in the 9 years as a result. Other strong performers were Lachlan Tai, Aidan Chandler and Marcus Yoo.

In the 10 years age group, a superb battle ensued between Harry Forsyth, Nicklas Koehler and Ryan Ng. Ng got the better of Forsyth early as he took out his heat of the 50m freestyle, but it was Forsyth with the final laugh as he took out the final, and therefore the title. Koehler was a consistent performer, placing in each event he was a part of, and claiming the runner up tag. Other strong performers were Oscar Roche, Tom Gray, Mika Koskela, and Hugo Grehan.

The 11 years was even more intriguing than the 10’s as Ethan Hardwick and Owen Ng battled it out across two year groups. Ethan controlled the Year 5 side of things, entering every event and placing in every one, while Owen challenged Lachlan Hull in the Year 6 group. In the end it came down to one event…everyone’s personal favourite in Butterfly that decided the age championship and with Hardwick taking it out it went to him, with Ng close behind. Other strong performers were James Knight, Tas Meldrum, Luke Avati, Cooper Stewart, Christian Biasotto, Piran Barker, Kyle Halfpenny and Charlie Burt.

The 12 years saw the superstar Swim Captain, Lachlan Hull, sweep the pool with victories in every event, with a personal race tally of 9 races across the 3 hours. The surprise packet Joe Yoshida was not far behind Hull, finishing 2nd or 3rd in every event behind him. Other strong performers were Oliver Short, Eddie Hogg, Charlie Carr and Dimitri Vallas.

So after the fanfare had settled, the war cries were over, the points collated and the pool cleared, it was Rydal in a landslide victory, showing once again that you have to be in it to win it. Rydal had a greater contingent of swimmers in every event and this ultimately led to their eventual victory. Time for a quick breath, and it is off to the QUAD Carnival for a select few on the 15 March!

Mark Caulfield – Sports Master

National Youth Leaders Day

“Master The Little”

At the 2016 National Young Leaders Day our Newington Leaders for 2016, Owen, Eddie and Laksh, were able to develop an understanding of what it means to “Master the Little” and be leaders who can work together in teams to achieve the goals set out for not only themselves but also everyone around them.

The boys were part of an audience of 6000 students, teachers and parents who heard from a wide range of speakers such as Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, Paralympian Ben Austin and youth mentor Nathan Want. Although they shared differing stories about their lives and experiences, the recurring theme of never giving up and having a growth mindset in everything you do has left a strong impression on our boys.

Another thing that the guest speakers kept reminding the boys about was that as a leader it is important to “break everything down” into small chunks and identify the steps needed to achieve not only personal goals but also goals for the people you lead. They also spoke about taking risks, not being afraid to make mistakes and staying brave when you are not sure about what to do next.

“Today I learnt that being a leader isn’t about me taking charge, it is more about me empowering others.” Owen, School Captain.

“Listening to Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione was very inspiring because he spoke a lot about how leaders need to be fair and act with integrity. He told us of the importance to lead by example and make good choices.” Laksh, Kingswood Captain.

“Being someone who really likes sports I was inspired to hear the story of Ben Austin, a Paralympian and World Record Swimmer. Ben spoke about how when things get really tough to never give up. It’s only when you are trying new things and doing something you have never done before you learn who you are.” Eddie, Rydal Captain.

The day reinforced to the boys that all of us can be leaders and that when you “Master the Little”, great things can happen.

Jackson English – Year 6 Teacher

Year 1 – Teamwork

Over the course of two lessons, the boys in Year One focused on their teamwork skills as part of their unit of inquiry on relationships and communication.

With a little guidance, the boys were set the challenge of building the tallest tower made from spaghetti and marshmallows in teams. Before starting the boys reflected on what makes a good team player. Although most teams were able to build some sort of structure, many of the boys agreed at the end of the session that there was not much evidence of teamwork throughout!

In the next lesson, the boys identified areas that needed improving with regards to teamwork – choosing a leader, better communication, agreeing on a plan first before building, minimal arguing…! They then tried to build the tallest tower using only paper and masking tape. It proved a lot harder for the boys to build a freestanding structure, but there was much more evidence of better teamwork and the boys working harmoniously.

Explicitly taught ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork and communication are vital areas of importance for good social and emotional development, starting from a young age. The unit has focused heavily on building relationship and communication skills, so it was good for the boys to be able to put what they had learnt into practise, whilst having some fun at the same time!

Sam Watson – Year 1 Teacher

Homework

Learning from Homework

Although homework researchers such as Kohn (2006) state that there is absolutely no evidence of academic benefit from assigning homework in primary school, there is much research today that exists about how children learn and the factors that influence learning (Vatterott, 2009).

Using the experience that the teachers and leadership team at Newington College Lindfield have can allow for us to use the research available and put it into perspective for our students. Our teachers plan homework collaboratively and then reflect on the experience to provide creative and interactive tasks that engage the students at home.

If the boys are provided with such tasks they can successfully complete their homework using self-control, direction and regulation. When students can successfully plan and prepare their learning into small time frames using the support available to them without any distractions it would be hoped that the students are not bored by the homework but rather excited because they are using their own autonomy to complete the tasks that have been prepared for them.

As we are very aware, our parent body have a variety of opinions about the importance of homework in the daily life of their children. Although Pomerantz, Moorman & Litwack (2007) state that parental involvement in schooling generally (at school) positively influences student achievement, results for parental involvement at home positively influencing student achievement are much less consistent and quite mixed.

With this in mind it is important that for student success parents are actively engaged with their child and classroom teacher so they can involve themselves in their children’s homework to help maximise student learning regardless of any preconceived thoughts they may have on the value of homework.

For student success, take the time to talk to your boy about their learning. Some questions that you could ask your boy from time to time when they complete their homework could be:

• What are you learning?
• What are you learning about?
• What are you learning to do?
• Why are you learning this?
• Are you learning something new or practicing something you already know?
• Are you learning anything new?
• Have you learnt anything new today?
• What do you know now that you did not know this morning?
• Is the learning interesting for you?
• How does this build on your previous learning?
• Is the learning easy, difficult or just right for you?
• Do you think this the right kind of learning for you?

Enjoy listening to the responses your boys provide as it can give you a deep insight into the learning they are doing. It can also help you find out where your boy is heading as a learner which is very exciting.

Kohn, A. (2007). The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad thing. Da Capo Press.

Pomerantz, E. M., Moorman, E. A., & Litwack, S. D. (2007). The how, whom, and why of parents’ involvement in children’s academic lives: More is not always better. Review of educational research, 77(3), 373-410.

Vatterott, C. (2009). Rethinking homework: Best practices that support diverse needs. ASCD.

Jackson English – Year 6 Teacher

Service – Ethan Hardwick Year 5B

“Learning to save lives as a Nipper @ Bilgola Beach”

I have been a Nipper or Junior Surf Life Saver now for five years at Bilgola Beach. It is a really interesting, challenging and rewarding way to learn to help our community. Surf Club members train us and as we learn more we do more. Besides teaching me rescue and first aid skills it’s a fun and healthy lifestyle. I do this every Sunday morning and have been taught how to run quickly on the sand, all about rips in the ocean, how to duck dive through waves, swimming in the ocean, and using boards to catch waves. We also do lots of competition.

Surf Life Saving is a real community activity and there are many families involved in our club, mums, dads and the kids. We are all volunteers. My dad has been my Age Manager for five years and mum comes along for support.This season my team mates have started being taught how to use rescue boards to help people in trouble in the water and also all about D.R.S.A.B.C.D. This stands for Danger, Response, Send for help, Airways, Breathing, Cardio and Defibrillator. We use this when we need to treat an unconscious person. The boys that joined when I did are now my friends and we are a good team. We also like it when new guys join us and it makes me feel good when they improve.

I am very lucky to be learning these important skills because I can use them anywhere in the world and not just at the beach. It makes me feel good that I can help people and also think that everyone should learn these skills because you can save someone’s life. My dad inspired and encouraged me to join because he has been a Surf Life Saver for many years. I know that in a few years I will join his patrol when I start doing my Surf Rescue Certificate (Cadet).

If anyone is wondering how you can make a valuable difference in your community while having some healthy fun, then joining Nippers at your nearest club is the best way to do it. If you have free time this Easter Sunday morning come down to Bilgola Beach because dad’s running his patrol and mum and I will be in the surf. See you on the beach!

Ethan Hardwick – Year 5B