29 May 2025
What Happened This Week
Wyvern In Concert
This evening celebrated the sublime talents of our students, the transformational power of music, and the wonderful sense of community that embodies Wyvern House.
We believe in a holistic education, nurturing each child in mind, body, and spirit. Music, more than any other expressive art, speaks to all three, uplifting our spirits, amplifying emotions and uniting us as a community.
Our concert was a superb harmony of sound and joy. The students were incredible and our audience was wonderfully supportive of all the musicians and performers. The community came together for this joyful occasion that showcased the students’ creativity and talent. A special thank you to all the students from Years 3 to 6 for their enthusiasm and dedication in preparing for and performing during the concert, as well as to the teachers whose efforts ensured its success.
We also appreciate the Wyvern staff for their supervision in the afternoon leading up to the concert, which helped the evening run smoothly.
Special thanks to the ensemble conductors: Ashley George, Eva Evat, Michael Raper, Michael Wray, Adele Ohki, and Will Naayen, as well as Bradley Gilchrist for his piano accompaniment. Thanks also go to our music staff Henry Rigg-Smith, Mark Howard, and Ben Collinge, and the tutors who assisted with setup and tuning.
Well done to everyone involved.
National Reconciliation Week at Newington: Honouring Culture and Connection
This week, we joined the national observance of Reconciliation Week, held from 27 May to 3 June. The theme of this year’s commemoration centres on deepening our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contributions. Across the campuses, students are engaging with a rich array of learning experiences, including the story of Kakare, a Kempsey-based artist whose work features in the Years 3–6 student diary. Many students have also explored our ties to Eungai Creek and Uncle John, further grounding their learning in local Indigenous perspectives. This weekend we have the IPSHA Indigenous round and our Year 6 A teams will be proudly wearing our Indigenous jerseys developed in collaboration with a local artist and some of our Indigenous students in the senior school. Read about this collaboration here on New Spaces.
DaVinci Decathlon
Last Thursday a group of enthusiastic Grade 5 and 6 students from Wyvern and Lindfield competed in the NSW DaVinci Decathlon. They represented Newington beautifully, were polite, listened and persevered throughout every activity. There were 1,100 students that competed across NSW, the students completed tasks in Ideation, Creative Producers, Engineering, Art and Poetry, Mathematics, Code breaking, English, Cartography and Science.
Our students were completely absorbed with each of the tasks presented and performed extremely well, using creativity, teamwork and problem-solving skills to answer each of the tasks given. Thank you to Diana Usanmaz & Kellie Eccleston. The Year 5 students and their teachers are already hatching new plans for next year’s tournament!
Cool Kids Club
In Term 3, Wyvern House will be offering the Cool Kids program to selected students from Years 4-6. The club will run from 3.15–4.15pm on Thursday afternoons commencing in the first week of Term 3. It will be coordinated by Mr Sahil Sharma (School Psychologist) and Miss Elina Phamanivanh (Year 3 Classroom teacher).
Cool Kids is a structured program that teaches children and their parents how to better manage a child’s anxiety. The program is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), involves the participation of children and parents, and focuses on teaching practical skills. Topics covered in the program include:
- Learning about anxiety
- Learning to think realistically
- Parenting an anxious child
- Facing fears using stepladders and
- Learning coping skills such as relaxation or problem solving.
Please email Mr Sahil Sharma (School Psychologist) or the Wyvern Front Office for further information about the club and how you can register an expression of interest.
Student Medication
Last term we kindly asked all parents to check and confirm the details we have on file for you and your child. This includes advising us of regular medication your child may be taking at home. Having the correct information is essential for effective communication and the wellbeing of our students, especially if there is a medical emergency while they are at school. Please update your child’s medical details here.
Other than Ventolin, students should not carry any medication in their school bags. Please contact the front office if your child needs to take medication during school hours and they will confirm the process, from your consent to ensuring the medication is stored safely and being taken at the correct times.
My Mind Check
As mentioned in a message from Mr Barrington-Higgs, we’re pleased to continue our use of My Mind Check, a new student mental health and wellbeing check-in tool for Australian schools, developed by youth mental health experts and funded by the Australian Government.
All year levels will be invited to participate in 30-minute check-in sessions here at school, under supervision by school staff. They will use a computer or tablet to respond to age-appropriate questions about how they’re feeling and skip any questions they don’t want to answer. Only certain school staff will review their check-in outcomes and follow up on any identified needs.
We need your consent for your child to participate in the survey. If consent is given, your child will complete the survey at Wyvern, during school hours. We will not be taking students to our Lindfield Campus. All families were sent a Consent2Go regarding this check in on Sunday evening, please approve or decline as you would like.
To read more about it on New Spaces, click here.
Pupil Free Day
A reminder that the College will be closed for a pupil free day on Friday 6 June. CommunityOSH is now accepting bookings, please click here to book in.
Senior School Co-Education Parent Information Evening
We are delighted to invite families of future girl enrolments to an information evening at our Stanmore Senior school campus.
Building on our move to co-education in our Prep K-6 campuses from 2026, co-education will commence at our Senior School in Years 7 and 11 from 2028.
You will receive information about the College’s co-education journey and hear from our Headmaster Mr Michael Parker, and our Director of Co-education Ms Brigid Taylor.
Parent Learning Series: Boys, Girls, Brains & Behaviour with Justin Coulson
Newington College warmly invites our parents, and families outside our community, to an evening with Dr Justin Coulson on Thursday 5 June in the Old Boys Lecture Theatre, starting at 5.30pm with refreshments.
Stereotypes about boys and girls have been around for centuries. We all grew up learning that girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks, girls wear pink and boys wear blue, girls are good at reading and boys are good at maths, boys are active and use their bodies, but girls prefer to be sedentary and talk lots.
Despite the supposed gender revolution, boys and girls really do seem to be different. They relate to others differently, develop differently, play differently, receive diagnoses differently, experience mental health challenges differently, and more.
In this science-based presentation, Dr Justin Coulson unpacks brain, behaviour, and gender myths, truths, and rumours to help parents work with their children to uncover their strengths, build motivation, and maximise their resilience and wellbeing.
Staff Profile
This week we chatted to Lindfield Year 6 Teacher William Neville. William has a double degree in Education and Psychology from Macquarie University. He joined the Lindfield team from our Wyvern Campus in 2024 where he led our Year 5W class. This year he has continued with the cohort in Year 6W where the students have enjoyed his dedication, positive attitude and outstanding teaching abilities.
Q. What is one of your best memories of being a student?
A. Competing in a LEGO Robotics competition with my best mates in primary school. We managed to win our division, going on to represent Tasmania at the National Final on the Gold Coast. A surreal opportunity, with hindsight, and I didn’t realise at the time how fortunate I was. We were pipped for first by a team who recreated a Mission Impossible movie with their programmed LEGO, but the trip to Dreamworld afterwards certainly helped allay the pain of second place.
Q. Did you have a favourite teacher growing up and why?
A. I was lucky to have a host of wonderful educators during my time at school. My favourites were always nurturing, available to listen and happy to challenge me on my crazy ideas. One that stands out was my Year 3 teacher – we’ll call him ‘Mr Edmund.’ He made everyone in his class feel like they mattered and had some of the worst/best jokes of all time. In my own career, I’ve often borrowed from Mr Edmund’s playbook. I know the importance of connection and relationships for both cognitive and socioemotional development. Therefore, my classroom door will always be open in the morning for a check-in or chat. I want my students to feel like I know and care about them.
Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to students that you wish you had known when you were in school?
A. Doing small things the right way every day really adds up. People appreciate effort and attention to detail, so committing to good habits will serve you well. A great example is to work hard on your handwriting when you’re young or it’ll be too late for you… I’ve learned this the hard way. Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody had it right – ‘from little things, big things grow.’
