30 January 2025
From the Deputy, Head of Preparatory Schools & ELC
Welcome to all our new and current families for the 2025 school year. It has been a great few days, and we are very excited to have all our student and families back at the College. The students are settled, relaxed and are getting into the swing of the school year and their new learning environment. The New Parent Morning Teas have been a great way to get to know some of our new families, and we look forward to getting all our parents involved in our vibrant community. This newsletter is a reminder about all the different beginning of the school year activities that will help set you and your child up for a great year.

Developing the Whole Child
At Newington, we’re focused on developing the whole child. Mr Benjamin Barrington-Higgs speaks to this further in a video you can watch here.
What Happened This Week
Meet the Teacher Sessions
Today we had our first session of Meet the Teachers for Years 2, 4 and 5. We look forward to welcoming the parents of students in Kindergarten and Years 1, 3 and 6 tomorrow, Friday 31 January, starting at 8.30am.
Co-Curricular Activities
Co-Curricular Activities, including music ensembles, will commence next week. The schedule for Semester 1 can be found here and expressions of interest for clubs managed by Wyvern have closed.
Spaces for activities managed by Wyvern staff are not allocated on a ‘first in’ basis. Where possible, we plan to give students the opportunity to participate in at least one activity each semester. You will be notified via the Co-Curricular tile in the Newington App before the end of this week if your child is participating in an activity during Semester 1.
External companies (Chess, Public Speaking and Code Camp) will communicate with you directly regarding their registration confirmation process.
Wyvern Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher Interviews for Years K-6 will be held on Wednesday 5 February and Monday 10 February from 3.30pm–6.30pm. These interviews will be online.
The aim of this initial 10-minute meeting with your child’s class teacher is to provide an opportunity for you to discuss how they have settled into the classroom and establish shared goals for their learning and development in 2025. This is an opportunity for you to share anything important to your child’s development. Click here for more information on New Spaces.
Medication
The clinic (located at the front office) has Panadol and Claratyne on hand to administer to students as required. EpiPens and prescription medication will also be kept in the clinic and should be handed to the office as soon as possible. This medication must be labelled clearly with the correct child’s name and correct dosage. Alternatively, you may supply a letter from the child’s Medical Practitioner indicating the name of the child, the name of the medication and dosage required.
For students in K-2, Ventolin and spacers will be kept in the classroom. Parents of K-2 students are to hand their Ventolin, spacers and a copy of their current management plan to the front office.
Students in Years 3-6 are asked to keep their Ventolin and spacer, along with their current management plan, in the front pocket of their school bag.
School-Parent Communication
We encourage regular and informal opportunities for parents to meet or speak with staff whenever the need arises. When an issue needs to be discussed, either by parents or teachers, we prefer to talk or meet with parents rather than engage in lengthy email correspondence. Staff aim to acknowledge receipt of parent emails within 24 hours of the working week. They will then follow up, as appropriate, within the next 48 hours.
We request that parents share with the relevant staff at the school any information about their child that may affect their learning or behaviour at school. This may include changes to home routines, moving house, family illness or bereavement (including pets), parental separation or any other significant changes to normal family life.
White Hats
We have had record numbers of students coming to the office asking for a ‘spare white hat’ so they can join in the fun on the playground during recess and lunch. Please ensure your child brings his white hat to school.
Independent Travel
Parents of students who wish to travel independently to and/or from school (bike, walk, train or public government bus) are asked to complete this form to acknowledge the travel guidelines. For Duty of Care and safety reasons, students travelling independently are required to sign out with the staff member on playground duty that afternoon.
Sport Training and Team Allocation
Wyvern will hold an important summer sport team allocation training for students in Years 3-6 to help determine our teams for the upcoming season. This will be held on Saturday 1 February. The allocation process will continue at training in Weeks 2 and 3 before our first round of IPSHA sport on Saturday 15 February 2025.
More information about team selection can be found here on New Spaces.
Swimming Carnival (Years 3-6)
The Years 3-6 Wyvern Inter-House Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 12 February 2025. Additional information and a request for permission to attend will be provided in the coming days. In the meantime, please check New Spaces for additional information about trials.
Newington College Welcome Cocktail Party
All Newington parents from the ELC, Wyvern, Lindfield and Stanmore are warmly invited to the Newington College Welcome Cocktail Party on Friday 21 February 2025. The event will start at 6.30pm on Memorial Drive at Newington College Stanmore.
The event will be a great opportunity to welcome new parents and reconnect with old friends in a relaxed environment on campus. We’re excited and we hope to see you there!
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Please direct all enquires to community@newington.nsw.edu.au
Lunar New Year Celebration Day Stall

We’re excited to be part of this year’s Lunar New Year Celebration Day at Chatswood! Newington College will have a stall at the festival, and we’d love for you to stop by, say hello.
Whether you’re a current Newington family wanting to know more about co-education or have friends or family who may be curious about our school, come pay us a visit. We’ll be there to chat about all things Newington and the exciting co-education opportunities available at our Prep campuses from 2026.
New Spaces: Best Use and Settings
The New Spaces platform is integral in keeping our community informed, connected and well-coordinated, ensuring smooth and effective communication across all levels.
To best utilise the platform and ensure you have received all communications please visit the Parent ICT Guide page. We have recently added several content pieces to guide your understanding including an overview webinar, ‘New Spaces overview for parents’ and the ‘New Spaces Notifications Quick Guide’.
For further queries please contact the ICT Service Desk.
Enrolments Are Now Open for 2026 and 2027
We are accepting girls into Kindergarten and Year 5 from 2026 at our Lindfield and Stanmore Prep campuses, and Year 7 and Year 11 at our Senior campus in Stanmore from 2028.
If you are interested in enrolling your daughter, please call our Admissions team on 02 9568 9333

Staff Profile

This week we are profiling Deputy Head of Wyvern (Pastoral & Wellbeing) and Head of Early Years Sandra Gray, who is an important part of our College Leadership Group and a long-serving member of the Wyvern faculty.
Q. What is something people don’t know about you?
A. Many years ago I auditioned and did a screen test to be ‘Ms Sandra,’ the host of Romper Room on Channel 7 (my singing let me down!).
Q. What is one of your best memories of being a student?
A. The friends I made – I am still best friends with the six girls I met on my first day of Kindergarten all these years later.
Q. Did you have a favourite teacher growing up and why?
A. Yes, my Kindergarten teacher as she taught me to read and introduced me to the magic of books.