Term 1, Week 11

1 May 2025

From the Deputy Headmaster

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome back! 

I hope all of our families had a wonderful Easter break and were able to enjoy some well-deserved rest and time with loved ones. As we step into Term 2, I’m pleased to see our school community return with renewed energy and enthusiasm.  

The holidays were filled with several sporting tours and camps in preparation for the upcoming winter season. Our rugby players were kept busy, with 31 of them travelling to Auckland for a leadership course with the Auckland Blues and some exciting games against local schools and clubs. Another 35 attended a rugby camp in Mudgee in preparation for the GPS season.  

34 of our footballers got the exciting opportunity to visit Japan over the Easter break, training with two professional clubs, participating in a tournament and playing against local schools, as well as enjoying several cultural activities. Looking to defend their 2024 title at the Sydney FC Cup, our 1st XI football team got through the round games and the quarter final before losing to Sydney Grammar in the semi-final. The GPS Plate Competition commences on Sat May 3 where Newington will be looking to defend its title once again.

Finally, several of our aquatic athletes attended the National Swimming championships in Brisbane and the National Water Polo Club Championships in Perth during the holidays with great success. 18 boys went to Perth for the Championships, and eight came back with gold medals, and two with bronze!

Year 7 Drama started back up this week in the Duckmanton Drama Theatre where 45 enthusiastic Year 7 students took part. We look forward to watching them develop their creative talents over the course of the year.  

Tickets for the Year 8 Play, The Trolleys, go on sale this week. The cast and crew have been working hard over the holidays with director Liam Dundon (ON21). Tickets can purchased at here.

The winners of the annual Year 8 Bull Hunt were awarded their pizza party with the Headmaster this week following their hard work. The now famous critical thinking activity sees students leave the classroom to engage in a campus-wide scavenger-style hunt to find and neutralise poor argumentation, since identifying and calling out fallacies is a central critical thinking skill. We celebrated seven teams of students who all achieved a perfect score, making them the highest scoring cohort of Year 8 students since we started the bull hunt some years ago! 

Headmaster Michael Parker wrote a piece to families this week about the extraordinary reality of our existence. Read his article, ‘From the big bang to school assembly’ here.  

We are looking forward to an exciting term of learning.

LitFest 2025 Speaker Panel

Join us for an exciting speaker panel at LitFest 2025, as we explore the evolving role of human storytelling in an era shaped by artificial intelligence.

Hosted by two student MCs, this conversation promises to ignite fresh perspectives on creativity, narrative, and the future of storytelling in a digital world.

Featuring renowned authors Joel McKerrow, Jack Heath, Rawah Arja and Sue Whiting.

7 May 2025

Newington College – Old Boys Lecture Theatre

Free!

LitFest Volunteer Call Out

As we prepare with excitement for the return of LitFest, we remember these grand events are made possible through the generosity of our parent community. There will be several opportunities for parents to volunteer during the festival, outlined below. These will include providing hospitality to authors and helping coordinate authors with their student buddies:

Author Services – Grove Room (Chapel):

Speaker Panel:

Co-education at Newington

Hear from Brigid Taylor, our Director of Co-education as we prepare to welcome our first cohort of girls in Kindergarten and Year 5 from 2026.

Discover the strengths and values that define Newington – and how the move to co-education will enrich and expand our community.

To learn more about co-education at Newington, including the Pioneer Scholarships for girls and boys in Year 5 2026, click here.

Co-ed Scholarships for Year 5 2026 Now Open

Staff Profile

This week we chatted with Meg Edwards, who has been a teacher at Newington for 10 years. While she spent the first 6 years at Wyvern, Meg has become an integral part of the Lindfield community since she began there 4 years ago. She is not only a passionate and kind teacher of our youngest students, but she also leads the Lindfield K-3 teaching team.

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

A. I absolutely love teaching because you form unforgettable relationships and get to see huge growth. It’s a really special thing to be part of.

Q. What is something about you that other people may not know? 

A. I can pick almost any song just from hearing the first few notes.

Q. What is one of your favourite memories of being a student? 

A. Going on school camp!