Changes to School Fees Correspondence Methods

Feedback received from some people who responded to the recent parent survey has prompted the College to plan improvements in the way in which we communicate regarding school fees.

Over time, we plan to provide more information to parents and guardians, whilst aiming to reduce the College’s carbon footprint. To achieve these improvements and efficiencies, we will rely more on communicating electronically.

The first step in this process is to send school fee invoices and statements via email, rather than in hard copy. The ultimate goal is to provide electronic school fee account information in real time via the parent portal. Doing so will enable parents to view their account status at any time without the need for hard copy and historical print outs.

In the coming weeks and months the College will review its database to ensure that every family has an email address and we will endeavour to check that the address is both current and appropriate for emailing school fee account information.

If you know that the College does not have an email address for you, or the email address is out of date or not appropriate for the emailing of school fee account information, please contact either Ms Coral Balmer or Mrs Pina Biazzo via the Reception telephone number (9568 9333) to provide the new email address.

I’m confident that we will ultimately improve the supply of information to parents and others and I look forward to your assistance in us achieving that goal.

Peter Yates
Head of Corporate Services

Kindy Pirate Day

During Week 4 down near the Kindy classrooms, the cross and skullbone flag was flying high. We could hear the cries of “Aargh!” and “Ahoy me hearties!” which were loud and very scary.

As part of our Phonemic Awareness Program, Kindy participated in our annual “Pirates, Peter Pan and Popcorn Day.”

The boys in KW & KB were dressed up as pirates with beards, eye patches and hats. The little pirates completed some pirate writing and pirate maths. Then we listened to a story about “Pirate Piggly Wiggly” and we played a pirate game. We then watched one of the most famous pirates of all in Peter Pan. We enjoyed eating our popcorn whilst watching Captain Hook  and the other pirates.

Kindy has decided that they would like Mr Holden to include an eye-patch with our uniforms. ARGHHHH!!!

Captains Wiseman and Burke

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Winter Sport Photo Order Form

For your Winter Sport Photo Order Form, click here.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following boys:

• Simon Jeon of class (5J) received 2nd place prize and a trophy at the 91st St.George Eisteddfod INC. performing arts (SECTION: P 211, 10 years and under Open Piano Solo).

• Jack Purkis of class (3G) who won the ‘Small Fry Division’ of the Sydney Game Fishing Cluk Mako Tournament by tagging and releasing a 100kg Mako Shark

Wyvern Achievement Awards & House Points

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS – 3 AUGUST 2012

WYVERN HOUSE POINTS

P&F News and Events

HELLO SUNSHINE, GOODBYE WINTER – 2 WEEKS UNTIL SPRING

The Olympics have finished and now we are back into the routine of sending the children to bed at the correct time! It was great to see so many countries unite as one to compete against each other and strive to achieve their best. The Paralympics start on August 30, watch and cheer these courageous and inspirational athletes with the same recognition. Back in our world, Winter sport has finished and we will be training for Summer sport. If you require a “top up uniform”, they will be available from the Uniform Shop. Thank you to all the teaching and coaching staff for the winter sport period and to all the parents for supporting their son in their winter sport. The tracksuit sale will continue until the end of Term 3 for those days when the boys are required to wear a full tracksuit home. The tracksuit style will NOT be changing at Wyvern.

The P&F Meeting will be held TONIGHT at 7.00pm. Child minding supervision will be available with pizza on the rooftop. The results of the parent survey will be reviewed by Mr Holden. If you have any questions or queries and cannot attend please send an email and we can pass on your questions.

Last Saturday night, the Year 1 boys were treated to a “Night at the Footy” to see the West Tigers defeat The Dragons. In the worst weather conditions, the boys made a Guard of Honour to bring on the West Tigers for the second half of the game where the Tigers clenched the game to win and push them into the top 8. Over 100 boys and parents had a great time and it shows another great way of having a social event for your year group. Below are some photos taken of the evening.

The Swimming towel is now available to order. Orders will close on 17 August.  Alll payments can be sent to the office, attention – Julie Gigg. For Order Form, click here.

Fathers’ Day breakfast will be held in Wyvern Hall and the Rooftop. Make sure you bring your ball skills and eating skills along to the breakfast. There will be a pass the ball competition and kick the goal competition to entertain the dads. Prizes will be given for the ball skills and the Waratahs will be taking photos for their website. If you do not wish to be included in these photos, please identify yourself to me (Julie Gigg) on the morning. Many thanks go to the Year 2 parents for organising yet another great social event at Wyvern.

Father & Son Camps
Lock in the dates:

• K-2  –  24 August until 26 August
• 3-6  –  21 September until 23 September

Information packs will be able at the P&F meeting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• P&F Meeting – Tonight 16 August – 7.00pm – Child minding & pizza!
• Father’s Day Gift orders due – 17 August
• Year 6 Parent Function, 3 Weeds – 17 August
• Women of Newington Dinner – 24 August
• K-2 Ladies Dinner – 25 August
• Fathers’ Day Breakfast – 31 August – 7:30am-9.00am
• Newington Trivia Night – 7 September
• Year 3 Parent Dinner – 8 September
• Wyvern Christmas Party – 24 November

Any comments or suggestions about the school and/or the P&F please email myself at djgigg@gmail.com Discover what is possible and feel proud to be a part of this social community.

The Black & White Cookbook

Don’t forget you are still able to get your copy of The Black & White Cookbook. The book contains recipes from the Newington College community.

Order forms are available from Wyvern Office or click here to download a form.

Julie Gigg
0411 240769
djgigg@gmail.com
President Wyvern P&F 2012

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Next Two Weeks

Term Dates 2012 – 2013

TERM DATES 2012

TERM ONE
Monday 30 January to Wednesday 4 April
(10 week term followed by a 2 week break)
(Classes commence – Monday 30 January)

TERM TWO
Monday 23 April to Friday 22 June
(9 week term followed by a 3 week break)
(Anzac Day Holiday – Wednesday 25 April)
(Queen’s Birthday (Public Holiday) – Monday 11 June )

TERM THREE
Monday 16 July to Thursday 20 September
(10 week term followed by a 2 week break)

TERM FOUR
Monday 8 October to Thursday 6 December
(9 week term followed by Christmas break)
(Annual Prize Giving – Thursday 6 December)

TERM DATES 2013

TERM ONE
Tuesday 29 January to Friday 12 April
(11 week term followed by a 2 week break)
(Classes commence – Tuesday 29 January)

TERM TWO
Monday 29 April to Friday 21 June
(8 week term followed by a 3 week break)
(Anzac Day Holiday – Thursday 25 April)
(Wyvern Staff Training Day (pupil free day) – Friday 7 June)
(Queen’s Birthday (Public Holiday) – Monday 10 June)

TERM THREE
Monday 15 July to Friday 20 September (Wyvern Campus)
(10 week term followed by a 2 week break)

TERM FOUR
Tuesday 8 October to Thursday 5 December
(9 week term followed by Christmas break)

Wyvern Sports Newsletter

For the Wyvern Sports Newsletter, click here.

Fathers' Day Breakfast

Wyvern’s Fathers’ Day Breakfast is on Friday 31 August 2012 commencing at 7.30am in Wyvern Hall. For flyer, click here.

Skate Caps For Sale

Year 6 have some caps left over for sale. Almost every boy in Year 6 has one of these very cool caps.

Featuring ‘The Wyvern’ on the front and ‘2012’ on the back. Perfect for the father/son camps or just a memento of your year so far!!

PLEASE NOTE: These Skate Caps are not to be worn at school or any school event.  These are a recreational cap only!

COST: $20

ON SALE: Wyvern Uniform Shop or at the upcoming Father’s Day Breakfast.

RoboCup Sydney Regional Competition

On Sunday 12 August, 16 boys represented Wyvern in the Sydney Regional RoboCup competition. The boys, who have been preparing all year for the event, competed against other schools in the areas of Junior Dance and Search and Rescue. I would like to congratulate all boys on their efforts in the competition. They all worked very hard to prepare and competed with excellent sportsmanship.

In the Search and Rescue Competition, Wyvern finished a credible 14^th, learning some valuable lessons as they continue to prepare for the NSW  RoboCup Junior Open.

In the Dance Competition, Wyvern was lucky to have two teams qualify for the finals after the initial rounds. Dominic Demyane and Joon Tae McFadden had an excellent performance to the music of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Congratulations to two Year 4 boys, Jackson Sumich and Rhett Schlappoff, who won the gold medal at the Junior Dance competition for their performance to the Michael Jackson classic, Thriller.

Both these teams will go onto represent Wyvern at the NSW RoboCup Junior Open.

I would like to thank all the boys who competed for their hard work and representing Wyvern with pride.

Justin Brayley
Year 6 Teacher

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Rugby and the ONU

For the first time, the Newington College Rugby Association and The Old Newingtonians’ Union combined forces to jointly host the Rugby Season Launch together with the ONU Annual Lunch/Dinner.

This event was attended by over 300 members of the Newington family, providing a perfect way for Old Boys, parents and our current boys to get together and celebrate the common bond of Newington and a love of Rugby.  The lunch was a wonderful success, attributable to the mammoth effort of Marisa Broome for the planning and execution of such a huge event.

Guest speakers included Berrick Barnes, Mark Bell, Wycliff Palu and two of Newington’s Rugby greats, Lachlan Turner (ON ’05) and Scott Turner (ON ’90).  The panel discussion led by Head of Sports, Mr James Godfrey (ON ’93), was an interesting foray into the running game. Shared experiences and some spilled secrets all provided for a thoroughly entertaining and humorous afternoon.

Above Photo Caption: L to R: Scott Turner (ON ’90), Wycliff Palu, Lachlan Turner (ON ’05), Berrick Barnes, Mark Bell and MC, James Godfrey (ON ’93)

News from Alumni

Silver Medal for Newington Olympian James Chapman

After sending the ‘heads up’ SMS message to the full Newington Community to watch the Men’s Coxless Four final at the 2012 Olympics last Saturday night, it was a united school community that willed James Chapman (ON’97) and his crew to give it their all as they pushed the British crew all the way down the beautiful Eton course.

Always a two crew race the Australians battled crosswinds but rowed an extraordinary race to take the Silver. We are so proud of James and will bring you a full Olympic summary in the Spring edition of News.

From the Archives

Newington’s first Olympian was Nigel Chase Barker, who attended the College from 1894 to 1901.  He was an outstanding athlete while at school, winning the College Cup (now the Warry Cup) as Athletics Champion two years in a row, and many events at GPS, State and Commonwealth schoolboy championships.  Three of his trophies are in the College Archives.

Barker was also an outstanding rugby player, playing in the 1^st XV four years in a row (our photo shows him in the 1899 team).  Having played for the University of Sydney and for New South Wales, he was selected for the 1907 Wallabies tour of the UK but elected to stay in Australia to finish his studies.

It was a rugby injury that prevented Barker from competing in the 1904 Olympics in St Louis.  The following year, however, he became the first Australian to hold a recognised world record in athletics when he ran the 440yds in 48.5 seconds.

A public subscription enabled Barker to compete at the 1906 Olympics in Athens.  Representing ‘Australasia’ (New Zealand did not have a separate team at this period) he won Bronze medals in the 100 and 400 metre races.  The 400 was a controversial race: the winning time, by an American who not a member of the official USA team, was five seconds slower than Barker’s times in Australia and Barker was subjected to severe interference during the race.

SRC

ROOM TO READ – GIVE UP TO GIVE BACK

This term, the SRC are supporting the ‘Room to Read’ program. This program is aiming to raise money to build libraries and supply books to Cambodian schools. For more information on how to donate, click here.

Wyvern Uniform Shop Roster

Wyvern Uniform Roster for Weeks 6 & 7, click here.

Wyvern Tuckshop Menus and Roster

Weeks 6 & 7

To view the Tuckshop Menu for Weeks 6 & 7, click here.

Book Week 27 – 30 August

The theme for this year’s Book Week is ‘Champions Read’ which ties nicely in with the Olympics Quiz Competition. At Wyvern we will be celebrating Book Week in Week 7 from Monday 27 August until Thursday 30 August.

What’s Happening at Wyvern for Book Week? 

For Book Week Order Forms, click here.

MONDAY – 27 AUGUST

• 8.30am – 9.00am – Rachel Robson – Parent Event in the Library, to RSVP,
  click here.

Rachel Robson is a knowledgeable children’s specialist bookseller with experience both in Australia and overseas. Rachel has spoken at the the CBCA Awards day and at other schools in the Sydney area about the best books for kids. Come along and hear her speak.

• 2.30pm – 4.00pm – Book Fair Grand Opening in Library

TUESDAY – 28 AUGUST 

• 7.30am – 9.00am – Book Fair in Library
• 9.30am – 10.30am – Years 3 & 4 – Ben Wood – Illustrator

Ben Wood has been illustrating for publishers and design studios for many years. He has been a speaker for nearly as long and enjoys creating books with students. In 2006 he was accepted into the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust Mentorship Program. He was introduced to the big world of publishing and children’s book illustration. He even got a chance to work alongside award winning illustrator Roland Harvey.

• 11.00am – 12.00pm – Years 5 & 6 – Oliver Phommavanh – Author

Oliver Phommavanh loves to make people laugh, whether it’s on the page writing humour for kids or on stage as a stand-up comedian. He also shares his passion for writing with the kids he teaches, at a primary school in Western Sydney. As a comedian, Oliver has appeared on stage and on national TV and radio.

• 2.30pm – 4.00pm – Book Fair in Library

WEDNESDAY – 29 AUGUST

• 7.30am – 9.00am – Book Fair in Library
• 9.30am – 10.30am – K-2 – Richard Tulloch – Author
• 11.00am – 12.00pm – Years 3 & 4 – Richard Tulloch – Author

Richard Tulloch is one of Australia’s most prolific and popular writers of books, plays, film and television for young audiences. His television series, which include 150 episodes of the phenomenal Bananas in Pyjamas, as well as episodes of Playschool, The Magic Mountain and stories for New McDonald’s Farm, have reached an audience of hundreds of  millions around the world.

Of his 60 children’s books, many of them published in a number of languages, Danny in the Toybox, Being Bad for the Babysitter, Cocky Colin and the Barry the Burglar series were nominated by children for KOALA awards as their most popular Australian books of all time. His popular series of Weird Stuff novels for 9-14 year olds are published by Random House.

• 2.30pm – 4.00pm – Book Fair in Library

THURSDAY – 30 AUGUST

• 7.30am – 9.00am – Last Chance for Book Fair in Library – Closing at 9.00am
• 11.00am – 12.00pm – K-2 Tiddalick the Frog – Story Performance in Library

TIDDALICK THE FROG is a well-known Australian indigenous story of the frog who drank all the water in the world. This dreamtime story is reworked into a fractured fairytale and brought to life with the turn of each giant 3D pop-up page, which serves as a backdrop to this unique theatre experience.

Conservation issues related specifically to the Australian environment are touched upon through this engaging gigantic book, as life size native animal puppets created by Ian Mortimer take the audience on a journey through tier eco-systems. The Great Big Story Book has performed in various arenas including the opening of Book Week 2005. The National Fold Festival, the Melbourne International Festival, Moomba Festival and at The Canberra National Museum.

• 2.00pm – 3.00pm – Years 5 & 6 – Ruben Meerman the Surfing Scientist – Climate Change

Ruben begins by answering the most basic question: why do we have weather on planet Earth? Using liquid nitrogen and a balloon, he demonstrates how the Sun’s heat, combined with the Earth’s rotation, generates every form of weather we experience. He explains the seasons, jet streams, the Coriolis Effect and the thermohaline circulation of our oceans.

By the end  of this introduction, audiences will understand that climate is the long-term average of a region’s weather and why both weather and climates are so incredibly difficult to predict. Next, Ruben presents the evidence of natural climate change cycles caused by changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and cataclysmic events such as asteroid impacts and volcanic activity.

BOOK FAIR

Shearer’s Bookshop on Norton Street will be helping us with our Book Fair. The short listed books for the Early Childhood, Picture Book of the Year and Younger Readers categories will all be available in the sale as well as many recently released and favourite books and series.

Pre-order forms for books of author’s speaking during the week have gone home already.

BOOK FAIR OPENING TIMES:

• Monday 27 August – 2.30pm – 4.00pm – GRAND OPENING
• Tuesday 28 August – 7.30am – 9.00am & 2.30pm – 4.00pm
• Wednesday 29 August – 7.30am – 9.00am & 2.30pm – 4.00pm
• Thursday 30 August – 7.30am – 9.00am – CLOSING

BOOK WEEK COMPETITION – K – 6 OLYMPICS TRIVIA QUIZ

All students will be able to compete in a take home Trivia Quiz on the Olympics. Twenty question about ‘all things to do with the Olympics’, both present and past, will be asked. Students will be required to identify ‘the Source’ (internet, book, newspaper, grandparent, brother, teacher, prior knowledge etc) of their answer. The first entry drawn that has answered all 20 questions correctly and identified the source for each answer will be the winner. Students may have assistance from home in completing this quiz. Quiz papers will be available in the Library on Monday 20 August. Completed quizzes should be returned no later than 4.00pm on Wednesday 29 August.

Mrs Barnes
Librarian

A Message from Mr Holden

Congratulations to all Wyvern students for their very fine efforts at our recent 3-6 Athletics Carnival. The weather was exceptionally kind to us and it was tremendous to see students, parents and staff enjoying a full day of athletic participation. We witnessed many outstanding individual performances as well as strong team spirit as the 6 houses of Wyvern and Lindfield Preparatory Schools competed. On the day Coates House triumphed to win the Wyvern Trophy.

At this evening’s P&F Meeting I will present the results of the recent Wyvern parent Survey. The overall profile for Wyvern House Preparatory School is exceptionally positive with 100% of parents stating that they would recommend Wyvern to other parents. As always there are some areas that have been identified for further improvement and I look forward to sharing our plans for these.

I have become increasingly concerned about the number of parents who are using the bus zone outside the front of the school as a drop off zone or pick up area. Road rules around  the Campus operate largely to ensure the safety of our students and, as such, I respectively request that all parents adhere to these. Marrickville Council have indicated that there will be an increased Ranger presence around Wyvern over the coming weeks.

Mr Ian Holden
Head of Wyvern House

Flyers in Bookstand

Martial Arts

• Kung Fu Action at Wyvern

Baseball

• Five Dock Falcons Baseball Club

Tennis

• Friday After School Tennis at Newington

Swimming

• Swim Squad Term 3

Hopalong Occupational Therapy

• Handwriting Skills Program Flyer
• Social Skills Program for 6-12 Years Flyer
• Hopalong Parent Flyer

Speech Pathology

• Gladesville Speeth Pathology and Learning Centre

Fitness

• Fitness for Life Boxing Classes, Friday Afternoon, Wyvern Rooftop, 3.30pm-4.30pm

Wyvern Faith Matters

Persistence and patience are what is called for in our “instant everything society”.We expect to have things sooner, and faster. However, building character takes time and devotion.

When Harry and Ada Mae Day brought their first child, Sandra, home from the hospital, it was to a tiny ranch house without running water, electricity, or a school within driving distance. But they refused to let their surroundings limit them. His father’s death had kept Harry from attending Stanford University, but he never lost hope that his daughter would study there. Ada Mae subscribed to educational newspapers and magazines, home-schooled her daughter and later sent her to the best boarding schools in America. Sandra did attend Stanford, then law school, and eventually became the first woman Supreme Court justice in America. The day she was sworn in, she donned her robes and took her place among the other justices. Then she locked eyes with her family, and the tears began.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it’. What made Sandra Day O’Connor successful? Intelligence and ambition undoubtedly played a part. But much of the credit goes to a determined little woman sitting in a four-room clay house, reading to her daughter for hour upon hour. Persistence paid off.

Mr Peter Morphew
Reverend

Wyvern Artists of the Week

K-2 ARTISTS OF THE WEEK

Marcus Tribastoni – Kindergarten
Kindergarten have been discovering print making techniques. Marcus cleverly created the idea of falling rain splashing in his Monoprint artwork. He used corrugated cardboard with recycled lids and acryklic paint on paper to complete  his work.

Sebastian Baudille – Year 2
After looking at examples of Tiwi Island art and thinking about the idea of decorating objects, Sebastian decorated two large pebbles. He was able to choose striking colours of Posca Pen and create his own personal design.

3-6 ARTISTS OF THE WEEK

Henry Cain and Timothy Prichard – Year 5
Both Henry and Timothy received their awards for their vibrant ‘Gold Rocks’ patterned oil pastel works. The boys gained their inspiration from photographs of gold-bearing rocks. They drew the observed strata of the rocks then developed a range of repeating patterns for each rock structure, using metallic oil pastels on black paper.

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News from the Library

National Year of Reading 2012

Get Caught Reading Competition – Open to all Wyvern Students, for more information on how to participate,
click here.

The Wyvern Reading Hour Family Tree

The Worldwide Reading Hour on 25 August 2012 from 6.00pm – 7.00pm. For more information, click here.

ICAS 2012 Science Results

HIGH DISTINCTION

Year 6
NIcholas Sims

Year 5
Xavier Hodge

Year 4
Adrian Lo

DISTINCTION

Year 6
Jason Archis, James Chan, Nick Kovacs

Year 5
James Arfanis, Marcel Chew, Mark Elwaw, Jesse Goh, Jonathan Lee, Mark Song

Year 4
James Evans

Year 3
Charles Lewis, Gabe Poidevin

Wyvern After School Care

Dear Newington Wyvern Families,

Wyvern’s After School Care Program is run by Camp Australia.  To enrol in your Outside School Care Service, please visit their website www.campaustralia.com.au and register your son.

To contact After School Care at Wyvern between 2.00pm-6.00pm, Monday to Friday their mobile number is
0411 298 360.

Kind regards
The Camp Australia Team

Year 6 Parent Drinks

Last year’s Year 5 parent social function was a big success. We hope to repeat that again with a very informal gathering in the next few weeks.

WHERE:        The Three Weeds Hotel, 197 Evans Street, Rozelle
WHEN:           Friday 17 August
TIME:             7.00pm
COST:            $30/head – covers food and venue. Drinks purchased separately from the bar

PAYMENT METHOD: Online preferred

Instructions for online payment:

1. Go to www.newingtoncollege.nsw.edu.au/payments
2. Select ‘P&F Stanmore’ under the ‘Community‘ section
3. Select ‘Wyvern Yr 6 Parent Drinks‘ from the ‘Purpose/Events Name’ drop-down menu
4. Indicate names of guests attending in the ‘participant names’ field.

Please RSVP and pay before Monday August 13.

Queries/RSVP Caroline McDonald (0417 446 055 or merrymacs@bigpond.com).

See you there!

Mrs Caroline McDonald
Year 6 Parent