From the Head of Lindfield Campus

EFFECTIVE PARENT INVOLVEMENT

In a thought-provoking Teachers College Record article, William Jeynes argues that, while traditional forms of parent involvement are important (attending school events, checking homework and rules about how children spend their downtime), more indirect, “warm” kinds of at-home involvement – parental expectations, parent-child communication, and parental style – are more important to foster student achievement. What do these forms of involvement look like?

• Subtle types of parental involvement – parent attendance at school functions and establishing rules for household study has some impact on student achievement but parental expectations for effort, improvement and accomplishments are much more important at the primary level and secondary level. What do these parent expectations look like?

It is not the idea that a mother or father pushes expectations upon her or his children, such as, ‘You must live up to these standards,” says Jeynes. The types of expectations that have the greatest impact are those that are subtle but understood by the child, such as parental sacrifice to save for the child’s school fees/education, low-stress communication, and a general agreement between the child and the parents on the value of education with a focus on further study at a university/tertiary level.

“These expectations are consistently there day after day, week after week, month after month,” he says, communicating “a supportive atmosphere which values school effort and achievement on which other aspects of parental involvement can be erected”.

The two other subtle forms of parental involvement are less powerful than high expectations, but still have more impact than traditional forms of involvement. Parental style that is supportive and encouraging and loving communication between parents and children.

Jeynes stresses that the underlying factor here is time spent with children, clearly communicating love and support – playing board games, watching movies, kicking the soccer ball, playing music, sharing interests. “These activities may not be directly related to scholarly pursuits,” he says, “but they are nevertheless crucial facets of parent involvement.”

Our parents at Lindfield make large sacrifices to send their children to Newington. It is important that we try to find ‘downtime’ to spend with our children and that we communicate the importance of putting maximum effort into learning.  With parental support, and a shared understanding of the value of education, every boy can achieve great things.

“The Salience of the Subtle Aspects of Parental Involvement and Encouraging That Involvement: Implications for School-Based Programs” by William Jeynes in Teachers College Record, March 2010

Benjamin Barrington-Higgs

Pastoral Care

Helping your kids learn to be responsible is one of the greatest life tools you can provide them with!

Responsibility for personal belongings, interactions with others and learning are important components of what we teach and model to our students and ones that teachers at Lindfield value highly. This is closely linked to the high expectations that we hold for each other and our students.

Teaching your kids to be responsible, and giving them more important responsibilities as they get older, isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it! By teaching children to do things for themselves you’re teaching them to be people who have confidence that they are capable and competent.

Respect for All

Mr Pascal Czerwenka – Year 5 Teacher/Deputy Head

Faith Matters

When you meet someone who needs encouragement, give it to them! Why? Because more people die of broken hearts than swelled heads. And that’s true, whether they live in a mansion or a mud hut.

The story is told of a little boy who wanted to play darts with his father. He said, ‘Come on, dad, let’s play darts. I’ll throw, and you shout “wonderful!”‘ You may smile, but we tend to become what the most important people in our lives think of us. So think the best, believe the best, and express the best toward them – for your words are helping to shape their destiny.

God is at the heart of all change. In any relationships there is only one person that you can change – yourself. We can’t change people with our words but we can help them to consider changing themselves. With God’s help we can all change for the better and our words can act as a catalyst. Maybe we should all shout “wonderful” a bit more often.

Rev Peter Morphew

Sport

Some strong performances from Newington Lindfield boys in the past few weeks as they represented the school at selection trials as well as local competition.  

Combined Independent Schools

The following boys trialled at Combined Independent Schools (CIS) events: 

CIS Rugby Trials                     Charles Brown, Charlie Burt, Finn Dundon, James Knight

CIS Touch Football Trials        Charles Brown, Finn Dundon, Harry Dundon, James Knight, Louis Quarello,

CIS Hockey Trials                    Max Yeoland

CIS AFL Team                          Max Yeoland

As with any selection, be it a school team or representative team, there is a sense of nervousness, anticipation, excitement, hope and (possibly) expectation.  Having the opportunity to attend a selection trial is a reward for good strong play as well as for perceived potential.

At the CIS level, there may be 70-100+ triallists for 12-22 places.  Already, the numbers show the odds of success are long for most participants.  CIS ask that schools send only those who are realistic chances of competing at that level.  Therefore, to be selected by the school to attend is recognition of strong play and perceived potential.  It is, in itself, an achievement. 

Selection trials are a challenge for selectors and players alike.  By this stage, there are many more triallists who could be considered than not.  However, as the final team must have a limit on numbers, some miss out who may well be able to perform at the level required.  That is sport.   

As a school we congratulate all our boys for their positive attitude to sport.  We congratulate the boys who went to CIS selection trials. All did the best they possibly could and, while not all were successful in gaining final selection, they should reflect on the experience and use it to help the next time they front up for a similar situation.  Finally, we congratulate James Knight on his selection in the CIS Rugby Team and Max Yeoland  on his selection in the CIS AFL Team.

Northern Suburbs Tennis Association (NSTA) Tennis Competition

A number of boys recently competed in the Northern Suburbs Tennis Association (NSTA) Tennis.  Toby Ashworth, Max Tian, Oscar Roche, Hugo Grehan, Flynn Clatworthy and Stylianos Vasili all competed in the doubles tournament.

Toby and Max progressed due to a tie situation for second and were required to play a sudden death “first to 7” play off. Playing Mosman Prep, they managed to get to 6 all but were just edged out.. A silver medal was a great reward for excellent play.

Mr David Musgrove – PDHPE Teacher

Lindfield Concert – Preparation

All the boys in the school are preparing for the Lindfield Concert which is being held on Tuesday 20 June in Centenary Hall on the Stanmore Senior School Campus beginning at 6:30pm.

The vocal items and the instrumental pieces are songs that are generally recognizable. The whole school items are “Circle of Life” from The Lion King and “Turn the World Around” by Harry Belafonte.

Each stage choir is also singing a song – the Junior Primary students are performing an arrangement of “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree”, students in Years 3 and 4 are singing “Tum Balalaika” and the senior students are singing Toto’s “Africa”.

All the boys in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 will also be playing the instrument they are learning in the instrumental program. It is wonderful to see the progress that has been made in the last few weeks by a number of the boys, as the practice has become more consistent. Please remember to look at the Practice Guide that can be found on the Music Spaces Page.

The School Ensembles are also each performing a couple of items. Again the before school rehearsals are vital for the increased level of learning and playing together which is necessary to create a really good performance.

In preparation for the evening, all boys in K – 6 will be travelling by bus to Stanmore on the morning of the Concert to rehearse  their items. Centenary Hall is quite large and a very different sounding environment for the groups to perform in so it is really important for the boys to have the experience and time to rehearse and run through their items. A permission note containing all the important information will be coming home soon, please return it to your son’s class teacher.

Vanessa South – Music Mistress

Supporting Play in Junior Primary

The learning environment is not restricted to the classroom, learning environments are spaces where children have the opportunity to create, explore, communicate and/or share learning experiences.

We have been working to build different learning spaces in the JP playground. As we create different opportunities for the students to play we are encouraging them to try different playground activities and share their play experiences with others. By playing in shared experiences, students are building their communication and collaboration skills as they navigate play together.

In the JP playground we are trying to build different spaces for boys to play that incorporate areas of interest.

• The Lego Wall creates an opportunity for boys to either independently or collaboratively build creations on the wall. They develop their fine motor skills while building, express creativity and problem solving skills.

• The book area has been set to provide boys with the opportunity to share books and interests in a different environment. It enables boys of different year groups to share their knowledge or interest in similar books.

• The Pipe Wall is currently under construction and will create a space where boys can change the direction of the pipes and create different paths for the marbles to run down. This space assists boys in enhancing problem solving skills.

• The Mini-field is open to JP at recess to allow students to explore the natural environment and play. The boys have been particularly interested in how the ground changes depending on the weather. In this space boys have been playing various ball games together as well as creating constructions with natural materials and demonstrating they are being open-minded, thinkers and communicators.

As boy’s interests and seasons change, we will to continue to support their interests through creating different spaces in the JP playground that enable all types of play and investigation.

Isobelle Best – Learning Enhancement

Stage 1 – Going Green

Stage 1 have had a great start to their latest unit around plant life.  The boys have worked like botanists exploring and observing plant life in and around the school.  The intent has been for the boys to understand and appreciate the value of plants and why we need to ensure we act respectfully and responsibly in order to preserve and foster this vital natural resource.

To engage the students in this study we took advantage of the superb natural environment which surrounds the school grounds.  The boys were excited to explore beyond the school boundary into Swain Gardens and the bush which lies below.  They were astute in noticing and naming a variety of plant life as well as formulating questions around the reasons why certain plants thrive in these areas as well as the connection that the plants have to other wildlife.

In addition to developing an appreciation for the beauty of plant life, the boys have been developing their knowledge of plant based foods.  We all eat a variety of plants but do we know which part of the plant we are eating?  This has activated some interesting discussions and questions. For example when thinking about corn, what part of the plant are the corn kernels?  The boys have also brought in produce from their home gardens so we could look at the different parts of the plant that we eat.  

We are only two short weeks into the unit and already the boys are brimming with questions which will drive our inquiry over the weeks to come. Some of these questions include; Why are there different trees? Why do trees have flowers? What other plants have flowers? Do all plants have flowers? How do we know when a plant is an adult? The enthusiasm, engagement and curiosity of the boys reflects the power of inquiry learning. We look forward to growing our knowledge and appreciation of plant life!

Mrs Colleen Chan – Year 1 Teacher

Year 3 and 4 UOI – How We Express Ourselves

Years 3 and 4 boys have begun their third unit of inquiry with the transdisciplinary theme of “How we express ourselves” and are learning all about the arts. The three lines of inquiry are about expression through the Arts, the importance and relevance of the Arts and about its appreciation and personal reflection.

In this unit, the boys will come to understand that the performing arts are made up of acting, music, singing and dance and the visual arts represent paintings, images, sculptures and film making. Music can portray many feelings such as fear, suspense, happiness etc. Dance can tell a story through the choreography and costume choice and the interaction between the dancers. We have looked at the various ways and means whereby the performing arts portray meaning and narrative.

To facilitate the unit, the boys were placed in groups and were set the task of writing and creating a simple play with the theme of empathy and compassion. They were given some images to use that would encourage their ideas and stimulate their imagination. The boys immersed themselves in the creative process and they were really engaged with their writing which showed in the standard of their enthusiasm of their performances.  We have been very fortunate in this unit of work to have Marcus and Aiden Chan and Felix Lee’s grandmother to assist us in with her experience and ideas in supporting the boys with their learning.

Next in the unit we will be focusing on different forms of the visual arts where the boys will be shown a variety of painted images, sculptures and other forms of art and they will be asked for their response. We envisage the boys will continue their enthusiasm throughout the rest of the unit as their interest level has been excellent.

Mrs Leonie Russell – Year 4 Teacher

Mandarin

WHAT’S UP? MANDARIN UPDATE

Kindergarten

Our little Kindy may be young, but they are on their way to becoming good story tellers in Mandarin!

In unit 3, our Kindy boys learn about animals in Mandarin. Not only have they learnt to say the names of the animals but they have also learnt to recognise the characters as well. But wait! There’s more! They have learnt how to read a story book in Chinese as well. Next time you are in Kindy classroom, pick up our big book and let your son read you a story in Mandarin!

Years 1 and 2

Who is the most famous caterpillar in the whole world? The hungry, green one!

In unit 3 Mandarin, the boys have learnt about the life cycle, the names of food and built up their knowledge of characters by recognising the radicals (A radical is the key component of characters).

Year 1 boys had the chance to venture out to look for the REAL caterpillars around the school. We found them crawling on the ground, in the process of building their cocoon, and one that was already in the cocoon. Inspired by those lovely caterpillars around the school, we made our own caterpillars…

Year 3 and Year 4

Our Year 3 and 4 boys are learning poetry appreciation. They are learning one of the most famous poems by one of the most famous and talented poets called 李白. Throughout the learning, the boys have acquired their knowledge of Chinese characters and have further developed their deep understanding of the poem.

We also started to put our knowledge to use by writing to Year 3 and 4 children at P’uma Elementary School in Taiwan. Some of the students from P’uma Elementary School came and visited our school on our LOTE day. Our boys wrote a short paragraph each to introduce themselves and the letters have been sent. We are now waiting to hear from them soon.

Year 5 and 6

With Mr C’s superb technical support and persistence, we took a baby step to connect with other similar age students outside Australia and put “international mindedness” into practice.

5B boys had their first video conference with the Principal at Wen Lin Elementary School in Taiwan. Boys greeted her and sang a song in Mandarin that they learned in the class. We were thrilled with the experience and would love to do it on a more regular basis.

Some of our creative Year 5 boys were inspired by our past students who won the Lingufest Award. Several teams are competing for the position to represent Newington College Lindfield to enter this year’s Lingufest in September. We look forward to seeing those films!

Eva Angel – LOTE Teacher

The Visual Arts Classroom

If you would like a glimpse into what our Newington boys have been up to in the Visual Arts classroom please stop by the office and take a look at the wall of creativity! We have work from Kindy to Year 6 on display for your viewing. 

Kindergarten have filled the display cabinets in the corridor (outside the Year 6 classrooms) with a garden of colour. With a focus on small animals and insects that they find in the garden, the boys have been exploring the ways humans and animals interact. They have created symmetrical butterflies, whilst considering composition, shape and colour. We also have an array of rainbow caterpillars munching their way through paper leaves.   

The Stage One students have spent the term engaged in their Unit of Inquiry ‘Plants are a life-sustaining resource for us and for other living things’. During their art lessons, the boys have considered artwork from a range of artists and have specifically focused on plant life under the sea. The boys have designed their own coral reefs and constructed their own clay fish. We look forward to applying glaze to our bisque fired work.

Stage Two have been inquiring into the central idea, ‘The Arts are never static’. To gain a further understanding of how artwork has changed over time the boys started unpacking work of Renaissance period. Inquiring into what life would be like during the time of Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo. We discovered where the Ninja Turtles got their name. Creating their own chalk drawing of Henry VIII the boys enjoyed competing in a Kahoot exercise to determine who was the most knowledgeable about Henry VIII’s life. We have also investigated how Edward Munch’s work ‘The Scream’ expresses the artists’ emotional state.

Stage Three have almost completed their skateboard designs on their own skateboard decks. The finishing touches are being applied. They have all worked extremely hard, some applying two to three coats of acrylic paint to get the desired effect. We are looking forward to seeing them completed! 

Mrs Kylie Bain – Art Teacher

P&F Update

With 3 weeks to go, the end of Term 2 is nearly here. The P&F have had an eventful and successful first half of the year. Thank you to all our committees, parents and volunteers who have helped contribute to such a great start to 2017.

Events

The Easter Raffle donations total reached $1,850, which is a terrific effort.

Year 3 parents hosted a memorable Grandparents day and the Kindy and Year 4 parents put on a special Mother’s Day breakfast. Both events were well attended and extremely well received. Thanks to our volunteers for all their hard work and making both events memorable for all.

Mini Olympics

Fundraising forms were sent home with the boys last Monday. Special Olympics Australia does not receive any government funding (unlike the Paralympics) and rely on locally raised funds for their sports programs. Last year we raised over $14k and we hope to smash that this year.

The Mini Olympics will be held at the Lindfield Campus on Monday 19 June with a wet weather back-up date of Wednesday 21 June.

Reminder – P&F Meeting – Tuesday 6 June, 6pm in the Library.

We’ll be providing an update on what’s been happening with regards to the P&F, our contributions and events.

Ben Barrington-Higgs will also be present and will be speaking on the following topics.

• Enrolment numbers;
• Learning and Teaching;
• Exhibition;
• Professional Learning Groups;
• New playground structure;
• Playground Signage.

He has also allocated some time for an informal Q&A. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions regarding what he has covered in the meeting and any other questions that you may have.

Our next meeting will be our AGM on 7 November.  Therefore we’d encourage you to come along, as it’s quite a while before we next meet.

Save the Dates

• Wednesday 30 August – Father’s day Breakfast hosted by the Year 5 Parents

• Saturday 28 October – End of Year Social Event

Sports Committee Update

Koola Park BBQs

The Sports Committee have been incredibly busy hosting the BBQs at Koola Park on Saturday mornings. These have been an incredible success. At full capacity we have up to 60 matches running over a morning. This is great for our Lindfield campus as all funds raised come back to assisting our boys BUT we really need more volunteers to ensure the mornings run smoothly.

If you are able to give 1/2 hour or more before or after your games, please either sign up using the following link http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d4aa8a82fa3f58-winter or email Trudy Davison on trudyjdavison@gmail.com<mailto:trudyjdavison@gmail.com>.  We require a minimum of 4 helpers per shift. Roles include either BBQing or serving – you choose.

All volunteers so far have said how much they’ve enjoyed the BBQs. You’ll be kept busy but they’re a lot of fun!

A huge thanks to all those parents who have already helped out. It is much appreciated.

Donations needed – Back to Newington Day – Saturday 29 July

The Sports Committee are putting together a raffle for our “Back To Newington Day” stall at the Stanmore campus on Saturday 29th July.

We are asking the school community to assist with any sporting type of donations for the raffle. This could be jerseys, clothing, tickets or sporting equipment etc for any sport.
If you wish to donate, please email trudyjdavison@gmail.com or leave your donation in the office for Trudy to collect.

The Easter Raffle, the BBQs and the Back to Newington Day are fantastic fundraisers with all proceeds coming back to our Lindfield campus and will go a long way to helping the P&F fund their commitments to the school in 2017. These include contributing towards the IPAD keyboards for the boys and furniture and equipment as part of the move towards flexible learning spaces.  

Vicky Sharp – P&F Secretary

Prep Shop Update

Sales were brisk at the start of term and all the boys were equipped with winter uniforms and sports kit for the start of the season. Training T-shirts have been hugely popular with the boys doing sports training (and parents avoiding white washing) and we are now looking at getting more stock made-up in sizes 12 and 14, as we have sold out!

Please note that we now have an exchange form on our page on Spaces: https://spaces.newington.nsw.edu.au/lindfield/pages/247-prep-shop

If you need to send an item back for a change of size or in fact a change of style, you can fill one of these out to save time. 

Pippa Dorricott – Prep Shop Convenor