Hello!

I did get the coffee table – seat five of the Newingtonia VIII (and a Piamento dress) at BTN! Despite it raining for the first time since anyone can recall, Back to Newington Day was still loads of fun with wonderful food and a gorgeous display of wares in Centenary Hall, the floral display at the entrance in particular. Unfortunately, rain doesn’t mix too well with rides, sand, plaster and paint, so we closed the Wyvern stand early. Despite getting rather wet, or perhaps partly because of it…Emma Cope, Nicole Newson, Manuela Ayoub and I had a wonderful morning. A special thank you goes to Emma who gave away 300 balloons to surprised teenage boys and their girlfriends and to the Ampoulos family for their silent auction donation of a week at their villa in Greece.

Following that we had the Father’s Day Breakfast, which was a great hit with dads and boys. Year 2 parents – Lillian Fadel, Teresa Lewis, Dita Alafaci, Paola McLeod, Tahnee Shalak, Karen Saupin, Kathy Burshtein, Nicole Newson, Vicky Grillakis, Leisa Hayward, Kim Rixom and Soha Rewais – put a great deal of effort into the planning and successful execution of the event. A big thank you! The rain held out – and now we’ve all got our fingers and toes crossed for the Year 3-5 Father & Son Camp this weekend (so far, so good).

And what would Father’s Day be without the opportunity for our boys to take home a small gift from school for Dad? Selecting, ordering, processing and distributing the gifts is a fun but tricky task for which we need to thank Kindy mums Debra Zappacosta, Telma Tollemache, Melanie Lukin, Elizabeth McCrostie, Kate Macdessie, Rebecca Cook, and Christina Armstrong, with P&F Exec support from Tahnee Shalak and Emma Cope.

I’ve recently come across an interesting website, Raising Children, where parents will find reliable and scientifically validated information and resources to support them in the day-to-day work of raising children and looking after their own needs. The website is updated regularly and offers up-to-date, research-based material on more than 800 topics spanning child development, behaviour, health, nutrition and fitness, play and learning, connect-ing and communicating, school and education, entertainment and technology, sleep and safety. Worth a look.

Until next time, be well and happy

Natalie Mina
President, Wyvern P&F
natalie.mina@accenture.com; 0414 850 455

Dates for your diary

• 3-5 Father & Son Camp, 12-14 September at Milson Island Sport & Recreation Camp
• Year 2 Parents’ Dinner, 19 September, Buon Gusto Restaurant in Chippendale
• Year 1 Parents’ Dinner, 11 October, Vicinity
• Year 6 Mother & Son Dinner, 15 October, Waterview
• Year 4 Parents’ Dinner, 18 October, Vicinity
• Kindy mums meet at Paper Cup every Wednesday and Friday morning at 8:15am
• Year 3 Parents’ Coffee & Chat is on every Thursday from 8.15am at the Little Treasures Café, 313 Stanmore Rd, Petersham (up the road from the senior school, opposite the fruit market)