Term 4, Week 8

5 December 2024

From the Deputy Headmaster

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

It has been another great year at the College, filled with accomplishments and milestones. On Monday, we came together for the 162nd Annual Prize Giving, a wonderful celebration of our students and their achievements. A huge congratulations to all our award recipients, and we thank Mrs Monika Slobodova for all her hard work in ensuring this important event ran so beautifully. 

I look forward to sharing news of our 2024 IB and HSC cohorts, as their final results are released on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 December, respectively. We are so proud of the Class of 2024 and look forward to seeing them on Wednesday 18 for our HSC and IB Results Brunch. 

SONY Camp 

I also would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the 17 Year 11 students who, in partnership with MLC, will be participating in SONY Camp, a respite camp for families with children that have disabilities. For our students, this is not only an act of service but also an opportunity for personal growth and leadership development. They will gain valuable experience in empathy, responsibility and teamwork, making it a transformative experience for all. 

Holiday Tours, Competitions and Training Camps 

This is certainly a school that never stops, with many students and staff engaging in interstate and international competitions, tours and training camps over the summer break. Our French Exchange students have already landed in Paris, while our senior Basketball teams are currently doing very well at the National Championships on the Gold Coast. We have a group who will set off for Nepal to engage in a Service Program and teams travelling in the Basketball, USA Tour. Our Rowers will be hard at work in Tasmania, Taree and Victoria, while our Water Polo players participate in the Trans-Tasman Competition, and our Cricket players tour Adelaide. We wish safe travels and success to all our students and extend our thanks to all staff who have made these experiences possible for our students. 

Sport  

Last Saturday marked the final round of sports fixtures for the year. Despite challenging wet weather, many teams and sports were still in action. Congratulations to our 2nds Water Polo team on their 8-2 win over Shore, securing the 2024-25 AAGPS 2nds Water Polo Premiership. This result reflects their dedication and strong performance throughout the season. Our Year 8 and Year 9 Quads competed in their first Junior Regatta of the season, with many students representing the College for the first time. It was rewarding to see the crews’ hard work pay off, with several achieving race victories and contributing to the overall Junior Point Score. Thank you to all students, staff, coaches, parents and supporters for their efforts and commitment this term. Your support is integral to the success of our programs. We look forward to starting the 2025 season with the first round of fixtures on Saturday 1 February. 

Centre of Critical Thinking and Ethics 

It’s been a fabulous year for the Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics! This term we delivered a suite of professional learning workshops serving teachers of Newington and also external teachers who come to us for expertise in critical thinking pedagogy. One of the highlights from this term was World Philosophy Day. You can find more details here. Please save the date for our first public lecture of 2025, scheduled for 26 February.  

I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Newington community a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful start to the new year. Enjoy the holiday period, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year on Thursday 30 January. 

End of Term Video

Join Deputy Headmaster/Head of Senior School Andy Quinane as he recounts an exciting final term for the College. From performances to exams, markets to award nights, this term has been a celebration of the talent and hard work of our students, staff and community. Click below to watch.

Wishing you all a safe and relaxing holiday season with family and friends. 

Staff profile

This week we are profiling Adrian Pollard, a Year 5 Teacher at Wyvern House.

Q. Why teaching? What is it you enjoy about teaching?

A. The most valuable thing to me is the relationships you develop with students and the people you work with. I love the experience of getting a new class that you may know very little about and then getting to know their strengths, weaknesses, passions, what challenges them and what makes them shine. At the end of the year, there’s an enormous amount of satisfaction in seeing the growth students have made academically and socially.

Q. What is something people don’t know about you?

A. My African name is Hulisani, which was given to me when I taught in a rural school in northern South Africa in a village called Nngwekhulu. I taught in a classroom with up to 60 students, where they would squeeze onto benches, and chickens would regularly wander in. I played football for the local team, but our captain was sent off after 20 minutes. We lost.

Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to students that you wish you had known when you were in school?

A. Don’t be afraid to fail. At times when I was at school, I would worry about getting things wrong, and this would hold me back. Take a risk, and you might just surprise yourself with what you are capable of.