28 November 2024
From the Deputy, Head of Preparatory Schools & ELC
Thank You Parents
I would like to thank all our families for your support and efforts in partnership with the school this year. Your efforts at home, partnering with the learning your child receives at school have been crucial in your child’s enjoyment and success at school.
Parents these days wear many hats; they work long hours, face long commutes, have financial and other pressures, and must juggle competing priorities to achieve a work-life balance with their family.
I think that parents are the great unsung heroes in the stories of your child and their development. Thank you for all your work this year, and I hope you and your families enjoy an opportunity to switch off and recharge during the summer break.
What Happened This Week
Academic Reports
Your child’s academic report will be available on their ‘Profile Page’ in New Spaces next week. Instructions on how to view reports in New Spaces can be found here. If you are using the mobile app, click on Learning, then Academic Reports.
Student ID Cards
Please keep your child’s Student ID card in a safe place over the holidays. We only issue cards to new students in Years 3-6 and new K-2 ‘opt ins’ each year.
If parents of students in Years K-2 do not want their child to be issued with a card, they will need to order all canteen items online. Please click here to ‘opt in’.
If your child has lost their card, it will need to be replaced. This service can be requested here.
If your child does not catch a bus, we suggest they only bring the Student ID card to school when they have your permission to go to the canteen. We also recommend that all parents set a daily spend limit and take the time to manage the prohibited items list.
Please do not hesitate to contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.
Last Day of Term 4
A friendly reminder that school concludes for K-2 on Tuesday 3 December at 3.00pm. Students in Years 3-6 conclude the school year after our Annual Prize Giving on Wednesday 4 December 2024.
Kids Giving Back
It was great to hear from Kids Giving Back that a number of individual students from the Lindfield and Wyvern campuses recently took part in the Kids Giving Back Holiday program, which is open to all ages and students from every school. Congratulations to the following students:
- Oscar B
- Paxton C
- Oliver H
- Ravi P
- Rishi P
- Sidney S
These students were part of a group of young people who helped provide over 7500 meals, snack packs and care packages and wrote heartfelt messages to support 21 charities across Sydney.
If you are looking for some service opportunities for your children over the next holidays, Kids Giving Back runs several initiatives weekly, monthly and during the upcoming break.
SRC Door Winners
Congratulations to KB, 6B and STEM who are our door decorating winners. The school community raised $265.35 for our World Vision sponsor Yuzakil.
Canteen Volunteers
The P&F are looking for some new canteen volunteers for 2025! The canteen requires volunteers on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each week from 12.00pm to 1.30pm. It’s a great way to get involved at the school, and the students love to see your smiling face at the canteen window during lunch. You can volunteer as little or as much as you like. Most of our current volunteers come in once or twice a term. All training is provided on the job, it is very easy! If you are interested in volunteering, please click here and fill out the form.
If you would like to know more, please contact Arabella Futcher at talk2arabella@gmail.com
Chapel Thought
As we approach the end of the school year and look toward Christmas, we remember the birth of a little baby who would change everything.
Here we have a king born to a peasant family,
A ruler born in a stable surrounded by hay and animal filth,
A saviour born for all people.
At that first Christmas it was the lowest in society, the shepherds, who first witnessed the birth. But it was the rich wise men who proclaimed him king.
Christmas is a time where we celebrate God’s light and God’s love coming into the world for all people, no matter who you are, where you come from or what your experience is, the gift of the Christ Child in the manger is a gift for all of us.
Let me wish everyone in our Newington community a happy and blessed Christmas season and a safe summer holiday.
– Pastor Richard La’Brooy
Co-Curricular Clubs – Semester 1 2025
In support of our commitment to providing a comprehensive, well-rounded education for your child, our Co-Curricular timetable with details, days, times, dates and locations for each club will be released on New Spaces in the New Year.
2025 Term Dates
The 2025 term dates are available to view on New Spaces, please click here to view the dates.
Vacation Care Programs
More info on New Spaces:
CommunityOSH Vacation Care
Christmas Holiday Art Classes
NewSport Rugby Camp
NewSport Tennis Camp
NewSport Tennis Camp
Sport News
Please click here to view the Wyvern Spirit recipients this week on New Spaces.
2025 Uniform Supplies
The uniform shop will be closed over the summer school holidays. All orders for school commencement in 2024 must be completed and collected by Monday 2 December 2024.
2024 Years 3-6 Annual Prize Giving
The Wyvern House Years 3-6 Annual Prize Giving Day will be held on Wednesday 4 December at 9.00am in Centenary Hall on the Stanmore Campus. Please click here on New Spaces to RSVP.
Click here on New Spaces for more information.
Welcome Picnic 2025
The Wyvern Community is warmly invited to the 2025 Welcome Picnic on Saturday 18 January from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Please click here for more information and to RSVP.
2025 Welcome Cocktail Evening – SAVE THE DATE
Join the entire Newington Community from 6.30pm on Friday 21 February for the Welcome Cocktail Evening. Tickets will go on sale mid-January.
Staff Profile
This week we are profiling Philosophy and Religious Studies Teacher Samuel Giles, who recently received the Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award 2024 from the Professional Teacher’s Council. A dedicated and passionate teacher, this was a well-deserved recognition of his commitment to shaping young minds.
Q. If you weren’t a teacher, what other career would you imagine yourself in?
A. My passion is for philosophy and the discussion of ideas, so I imagine I would still be a student or working in a university. If I were forced to branch out, I would like to work researching and writing for documentaries or films, perhaps investigating the boundary between games and sport.
Q. Which book, movie, or TV show do you think every student should experience at least once, and why?
A. There is a short film that we show in Year 7 called Flatland. It packages so many thought-provoking questions in a beautiful mix of considered scriptwriting, artistic creativity and geometrical thinking. Guaranteed to generate discussion, ideas and inspiration.
Q. What was your favourite subject in school when you were a student, and did you ever struggle with a subject yourself?
A. I liked English the most. I struggled a lot to get back up to speed with Maths and German after neglecting them in Years 9 and 10. I still find rehearsing and revising things difficult, but at least I have learned that it is necessary if you want to improve.
Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to students that you wish you had known when you were in school?
A. There is a limited amount of time in your life in which there are lots of people around you who are actively invested in making you a more interesting and successful person. Honest conversations with these people can change your life significantly. Seek them out and find out about more things!
