Newington College

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 school 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

Parent Information Evening BBQ Lindfield 

The Parent/Teacher Information Night and Welcome Family BBQ will be held tomorrow, Friday 31 January. This event will start at 3.30pm and concludes at 6.00pm. The Parent Information session will be held from 3.30pm–4.15pm in your child’s classroom, and the students will be supervised by Newington staff during this time, with Years K-2 in the Library and Years 3-6 in the Don Brown Hall. At the conclusion of the Parent Information Session, parents are to collect their children from the Library or Hall and are welcome to celebrate the beginning of the new school year at the Lindfield BBQ.  

Parent Teacher Interviews

The Parent Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 2 and Week 3. Further details and the booking guide is available here on New Spaces. Please note that these interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams and that Teams links will be made available via a New Spaces post.  

Co-Curricular Clubs

All external and teacher-led clubs will commence in Week 2, Monday 3 February 2025. Please refer to the Co-Curricular Club timetable for times and designated areas. Please ensure you collect your child promptly at the conclusion of their club. Please note that if you are running late to pick up your child, they will be taken to After School Care for supervision (a cost will be incurred). Therefore, it is essential that all students participating in Co-Curricular Clubs are registered for CommunityOSH. 

After School Care – CommunityOSH

We request that ALL families register for CommunityOSH. This will ensure the safety of your child and adhere to government guidelines. Once you are set up in their system, your child can be supervised and cared for by their experienced team in case you are unexpectedly running late for clubs or usual pickup times. 

Swimming Carnival – Years 3-6

The school swimming carnival for students in Years 3-6 is being held on Thursday 20 February at Stanmore. Every student will have multiple opportunities to swim and enjoy the carnival atmosphere. All students are required to wear their black swimmers to compete. We encourage all parents to come along and support our students at the Stanmore pool at the Senior school. Bus transport to Stanmore will leave from Lindfield at 8.30am. The individual medley events will start at 9.40am. The carnival run sheet with full information will be published in New Spaces prior to the event. 

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.

Transitions

The start of a new school year is a time of transition. Whether you are a new parent to the school, or your child is simply moving grades, a transition occurs. Every child will react differently, with some transitioning quickly and others needing more time.  

Transitions back to school from the long holiday takes time, and it is important to go over the routines and habits you want your child to do independently in these first couple of weeks. From day one, it is important to encourage them to organise their uniforms, help pack their lunch, implement a homework routine and help with household tasks. If you teach the desired routines in a positive way and walk them through these routines every day for the first couple of weeks, these routines will become a habit.  

There is a temptation to show your child once or twice and expect it to internalise. Unfortunately, it will take consistent teaching over time to become a habit, but it will set them up for a great year.  

Lunar New Year Celebration Day Stall

Click the image for more info.

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 

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.

Upcoming Events