Wyvern’s 2015 Kindy Boys

Here are some photos of our 2015 Kindy boys with parents in their classroom on their very first day at Wyvern.

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Our First Preparatory School

In 1919, Sir Samuel McCaughey, pastoralist and philanthropist, died, leaving £10,000 to Newington College. He left identical amounts to four other Sydney schools and, being a staunch Presbyterian, left £20,000 to Scots College.

After much debate, the College Council determined to use these funds to build a Preparatory School building. The College had an identifiable Preparatory School, organisationally separate from the ‘main school’, by 1903. But the Prep was housed in a small, undistinguished building on the College’s southern boundary.

The new Preparatory School, completed in 1921 in the same location, was a two-storey brick classroom block, ‘each storey containing two commodious well-appointed class-rooms, and a small study’, as The Newingtonian reported. Its appearance inspired a contributor to the magazine to describe it in the style of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kubla Khan:

‘…And there were wide verandahs high and spacious,

And looked out many a window high above the field,

And here were class rooms furnished well and gracious,

Enfolding views which nothing there could shield.’

Until recently we had no photograph of this building, only glimpses of it in the background of larger views of the College. Recently, Bob Fairley (ON 1954) made his father’s photographs available to us for copying, including this one. Bob’s father, Robert ‘Bugs’ Fairley was Newington’s Senior Prefect in 1921 and may have taken the photograph that year, explaining the building’s ‘brand new’ look.

The building was intended as only a temporary home for the Preparatory School, until a larger building planned for Stanmore Road was built. This did not eventuate, but in 1938 the Prep moved to Wyvern House, now the Le Couteur Centre.

The 1921 Preparatory School building is still with us. It was incorporated into the War Memorial Classroom Block when the latter was built in 1953 and thus is now part of the War Memorial Centre. Few traces of the old building, however, are visible today.

Mr David Roberts
College Archivist

Advanced Life Photography – Class, ID and Sibling Photos

Advanced Life Photography – Class, ID and Sibling Photos

Dear Parents,

Class, ID and sibling photos for Years 1-6 are scheduled for Friday 6^th February, 2015. Kindergarten Class and ID photos are scheduled for Thursday 19^th February 2015.

Wvyern Office

Term Dates 2015

Each year much thought goes into term dates to ensure the most appropriate balance across the year with a focus on the boys’ learning from Kindergarten to Year 12. This process, conducted by the College’s Senior Executive, takes many hours to ensure all options are considered. By now, you have probably realised that next year we have only a 2 week break between Terms 2 and 3 and a 3 week break between Terms 3 and 4.

Every year the calendar gets challenged by a number of factors. They include when Australia Day lands, when Easter lands, not wanting to start too early when it is hot, not wanting to finish too early at the end of the year with working parents, ensuring state school holidays coincide with our holidays, getting a balance of days between each Semester right (the aim is for 92 in one and 93 in the other), and finally getting maximum time possible for Year 12 for Terms 1, 2 and 3.

This balance is illustrated in the following summary:

2014 – Semester 1: 92 and Semester 2: 93

2015 – Semester 1: 93 and Semester 2: 92 (based on 3 week break between Terms 3 and 4)

2016 – Semester 1: 92 and Semester 2: 93

2017 – Semester 1: 93 and Semester 2: 92

Given the unusual situation of 2015, if we had a 3 week break between Terms 2 and 3 it would have resulted in 88 days in Semester 1 and 97 days in Semester 2 and Year 12 would have effectively lost a week.

It is important to understand that each school has different organisational and learning structures and requirements, thus the difference between other independent schools next year.

Please note that the change in holidays is only for 2015.  In 2016 we will return to a 3 week holiday break between Terms 2 and 3.

TERM DATES 2015

TERM ONE
Thursday 29 January to Thursday 2 April
Classes commence Thursday 29 January
10 week term followed by a 2 week break

TERM TWO
Monday 20 April to Friday 26 June
Classes commence Monday 20 April
Staff PD Day – Friday 3 June  – No students
Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday – Monday 8 June
10 week term followed by a 2 week break (for 2015 only)

TERM THREE
Tuesday 14 July to Friday 18 September
Staff PD Day – Monday 13 July
10 week term followed by a 3 week break (for 2015 only)

TERM FOUR
Monday 12 October to Tuesday 8 December
Classes commence Monday 12 October
Annual Prize Giving 3-6 – Tuesday 8 December

OSHClub – Wyvern’s Before and After School Care Program

Wyvern’s Before and After School Care Program is run by OSHClub. Enrolment for all students is recommended and allows parents to easily manage their before and after school care needs via an online account. Visit  www.oshclub.com.au to use the free enrolment service.

For all late bookings, please contact the Coordinator, Eleanor, on 0428 131 700. OSHClub’s head office number is (03) 8564 9000 Click here for the OSHClub Information Flyer.

For OSHClub Newsletter Term 1 – Week 2, click here

Oshclub Program 1

Oshclub Program 2

Kind regards
OSHClub Team

Newington Crested Ware

There are a range of crested ware on offer at the Black and White shop. They range from memorabilia, clothing, keepsakes as well as an exclusive Sesquicentenary line which can be found on the Sesquicentenrary site. For more information about crested ware, please contact Kylie Ann Mayer at kylieann@mayhemcorp.com.au

To download the crested ware catalogue and price list  click here

To view the crested ware page on the public website, click here

Flyers in Bookstand

Martial Arts

• Kung Fu Action at Wyvern

Clubs and Co-curricular Activities at Wyvern

• Co-curricular (Before and After School) Activities at Wyvern

Swim Squad

• Term 1 Swim Squad

Cricket

• Term 1 Years 3/4 Cricket Development Sessions
• Term 1 Years 5/6 Cricket Development Sessions

Basketball

• Term 1 Basketball Skills Sessions

Clubs and Co-curricular at Wyvern 2015

Dear Parents

Click here for the Clubs and Co-curricular at Wyvern 2015.

Please note that there is no Tennis on Friday afternoons as previously advertised.

BLP (Building Learning Power)

Equipping Your Son for a Lifetime of Learning

No doubt every corner of our Wyvern community – parents, staff and the boys themselves, would agree that one of the essential roles of quality education is to prepare students for the future. The role of education should be to help young people develop capacities to thrive throughout their lives.  To provide them with the confidence to tackle future challenges, the capability to think resourcefully when solving problems and to have an appetite for lifelong learning. In short, to equip students with 21^st century minds. This is no mean feat, given that the traditional model of ‘train a student for a lifetime profession’ for education no longer represents a comfortable fit.

Reflect for a moment on how society may look in the year 2028, when our current Kindergarten boys become young men. I think we’d all agree that the world in which we now live is evolving constantly and rapidly. For example, consider the role that technology plays in our daily lives and the change it has made over the past 5 years. It’s enough to make one’s head spin, just thinking about it! Given these exciting but uncertain future changes, as educators we can no longer apply traditional education models, especially if we consider that the jobs some our current Kindergarten boys may undertake don’t exist yet! Modern education must take on the mantle of equipping students with lifelong learning dispositions in order to thrive in an uncertain and complex future.

Here at Wyvern we have a Building Learning Power (BLP) framework. It’s something we’re extremely proud of because it champions the cause of teaching our boys to be more resilient, more resourceful, to reflect on their learning and to learn in a reciprocal and social environment. As educators it provides us with direction and heart.

Our BLP Learning Framework allows us equip your sons with essential lifelong learning skills by actively helping him to learn as well as actively strengthening his capacity to learn. We balance the task of teaching curriculum content with teaching skills of resourcefulness, resilience, reflectiveness and reciprocity.  In doing so, we hope to engender a passion for learning that will stay with him forever.

Throughout the year my Wyvern BLP articles will aim to inform and equip you as a parent of a 21^st century learner. I will also run parenting workshops each term to help shed more light on this interesting aspect of modern education. Our first workshop BLP at Wyvern is on Thursday 5th March at 8.30am in the Library.

This session will introduce you to how BLP works in our school and classrooms as a learning framework. I’ll also have suggestions for further reading and will touch on aspects of BLP that you can use at home. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all Wyvern community members.

I shall also be presenting at the P&F at 7pm on this same date.

The next Wyvern BLP article will focus on the importance of teaching empathy and how you can encourage empathic behaviours at home.

Cate Fryda
BLP Learning Framework Leader
cfryda@newington.nsw.edu.au

Uniform Shop

Wyvern Uniform Roster Term 1 Week  3 and 4 Click here

Wyvern Uniform Shop Order Form, Click here

Wyvern Uniform Shop Summer Price List 2015, Click here

Chess

Learn to be a chess champion! Coaching for students at Newington College (Wyvern House) is held on Tuesday and Fridays from 1.00pm – 1.40pm  in Mrs Ryan’s room. Chess coaching will commence in Week 3.

Learning and playing chess helps children develop their logical thinking and problem solving skills, improves their concentration and focus, whilst also being a great source of enjoyment. Activities include group lessons on a demonstration chess board or interactive whiteboard, puzzle solving and fun practice games.

Students earn merit awards by making checkmates, or by displaying skills and positive qualities, which all good chess players strive to develop.

If your child is interested in taking part, you can print an enrolment form from Spaces or email enrol@sydneyacademyofchess.com.au for a copy. For all enquiries, please contact Sydney Academy of Chess on (02) 9745 1170.

Joanna Ryan
Chess Co-ordinator

Tuckshop Menu,Roster & Online Ordering

Dear Parents,

As a parent volunteer working in the Tuckshop can you please make sure that you adhere to the rules and regulations regarding appropriate footwear – closed in footwear with a rubber grip sole (ideally leather trainers). No sandals, thongs, open toe shoes or fabric trainers (fabric shoes may bring bacteria) may be worn.

If your son suffers from an allergy it is imperative that you advise the Wyvern Office and the Tuckshop so that we are aware of it. Click here for the ‘Alliance Catering  – Food Allergens Advisory Statement’.

Please click here for the Spotless Food Safety Information for Volunteers Guidelines

Tuckshop Menu and Roster for  Term 1 Weeks 3 and 4, Click here

Everyday Menu and Price List, Click here  Please note that there have been a few changes made to this for ‘Items from the Freezer’

Online Ordering Instructions, Click here

Online Ordering FAQs, Click here

Sport

For all Saturday morning sport at Newington Senior School, parents are requested to park off site along the street. The schools onsite car park is maintained for officials, emergency vehicles and staff only. With the summer sport season upon us, the car park area can become very busy early in the morning. Please consider this simple request to ensure the smooth management of Saturday morning sport at Newington.

Wyvern Sports Draw, Click here

Wyvern Sports Newsletter, Click here

Sporting Venue Addresses, Click here

2015 Sports Handbook, Click here

P & F News and Events

Hello!

The long, hot summer holidays (unless you were skiing) seem but a distant memory now. While I enjoyed the time without homework, Saturday sport and after school activities, I must say that I have kind of, sort of, been excited about being back in a routine, so that I can remember where my children are on any given day and what the drop-off/pick-up arrangements are…

The first day of school is so exciting. Seemingly endless opportunity to excel, learn new things, hang out with all your friends for most of the week, a clean slate. School corridors and playgrounds are abuzz with boys sharing news of holiday escapades. For the Kindy boys, it’s an adventure the likes of which they’ve never had to face before and which will remain in their memories forever (hopefully with minimal tears and maximum joy).

Moving on to matters P&F… We only have four meetings each year and I’d really like all (or most) parents to attend at least one (if not four). We provide child minding and dinner for the boys, who have a great time playing on the roof top while the meeting is conducted in the hall.

Our first meeting is on Thursday, 5 March, 7:00-8:30pm. Mr Holden, Ms Gray and Mr Baker also attend the meetings and present an update on topical subjects of interest to parents, such as health and safety and the school’s approach relating to other areas of interest or current goings on. If there’s a topic you’d like discussed, please let me know in advance.

But, before then, I do hope to see you at this week’s cocktail party, where the Mary Andrews Garden will be abuzz with parents sharing stories of their own holiday escapades…

Until next time, be well and happy

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

Upcoming events

• Term 1 – 10 week term ending on 2 April, followed by a 2 week break
• 6 February – Welcome Cocktail Party (Mary Andrews)
• 19 February – P&F Exec Meeting (Newington Inn)
• 5 March – P&F General Meeting (Wyvern Hall)
• 20 March – WoW Dinner

Next Two Weeks

State Transit Bus and Rail Passes for 2015

Free Travel Grace Period to Sydney Trains and State Transit Buses

To allow sufficient time for distribution of student passes, free travel to and from school on school days will be granted to students using Sydney Trains network and State Transit bus services from Tuesday 27th January 2015 to Friday 20th February 2015 only. To receive free travel students must be in school uniform.

From Monday 23rd February 2015, all students without a current rail or bus pass will be required to pay for journeys to and from school.

All application forms received after the commencement of Term 1 will be processed as soon as possible.

Wyvern Office

Faith Matters

In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric hordes of the north. So they built the Great Wall of China. It was too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. Security achieved!

The only problem was that during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded three times. Was the wall a failure? Not really – for not once did the barbaric hordes climb over the wall, break it down or go around it.

How then did they get into China? The answer lies in human nature. They simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right through a gate. The final flaw in the Chinese defense was placing too much reliance on a wall and not putting enough effort into building character in the gatekeepers.

One of the aims of RE at Newington is to build the character of our boys through moral and spiritual development. Part of this of course, is to encourage them to be trustworthy and trusting of the right sort of role models. This term in chapel we are going to have a concertinaed look at Jesus life to see if he is indeed trustworthy, a man of integrity.

Peter Morphew
Chaplain

A Message from Mr Holden

Dear Parents

It has been really pleasing to see the boys make such a smooth start to the school year. I am acutely aware that a new academic year requires new routines to be quickly established and increased expectations to be taken on board. No more is this the case than for those boys and families who have just started their Wyvern journey.  When I asked a new Year 5 student how he had found the first few days he replied, “Challenging but fun!”  I suspect this rings true for many students as they settle into a busy term, but I am tremendously impressed with the positive approach our boys are displaying.

Likewise, establishing or reminding ourselves of some of the daily routines for parents is equally important for the smooth running of the school. With this in mind, I would very much appreciate your support with the below points:

1. Supervision of students starts at 8:00am each day. Students should not arrive at school before this time. The only exceptions to this are for students who are attending a school activity (e.g. music group), attending Before School Care or for those who travel to school on a school bus.
2. We encourage as many parents as possible to use the drop off facility through the car park from 8.00am. Staff and our Year 6 School leaders will be available to assist students exit vehicles as they arrive. Note, parents should stay in their vehicles at all times in the drive through.
3. At the end of the day, to assist with traffic flow in surrounding streets, it is important that parents of students in Years K-2 do not arrive in Harrow Road before 3:05pm. Parents of students in Years 3-6 should not arrive before 3:20pm. We request that parents use their windshield name sign as they enter the car park. Again, please stay in your car at all times.
4. Please do not drop off or park in the bus zone on Cambridge Street at 7:45am-8:45am and 2:45pm-3:45pm.
5. For security reasons, parents should not access the school building at the end of the day unless you have a specific appointment.

Parent Teacher Meetings

A quick reminder that there is an opportunity for parents to meet their son’s class teacher and specialist teaching staff (Year 1 – Year 6) next week on Tuesday 10 February, 3:30pm – 6:30pm or Thursday 12 February, 3:30pm – 6:30pm,  to set some initial targets and priorities  for the year. If you haven’t done so already, please use the online booking procedure to book your appointment time by following the instructions below:

Booking Parent Teacher Interviews through Community Admin

• Log into SPACES
• Hover over ‘go to’ in the top right-hand corner of the screen
• Click on ‘Community Admin’
• Click on the ‘interview’ tab at the top of the page
• Select appropriate timeslots for Classroom Teacher and Specialist Teachers if you wish
• Siblings will be listed on the right-hand side of the page to allow you to book appointments for each boy

Once selected, you have the option to print your appointments.

Congratulations to Melanie and Alex Bryden on the safe arrival of their precious son Edward Max Bryden born 5.1.15. He was 4.17kg and 53cm. Mum, dad and baby all doing well.

Finally, I thank Mrs Natalie Mina, President of the Wyvern Parent’s and Friends’ Association, and her executive team, for organising the Welcome Cocktail Party in the Wyvern Gardens tomorrow from 6:00pm. I hope the evening is a wonderful social occasion for all.

Ian Holden
Head of Wyvern House