Leadership report

How fantastic was last Friday night? Empanadas and Zootopia playing on the grounds of Newlands was the perfect way to kick off the term. A huge thank you to all of the PFA for setting up, selling copious amounts of food, staying back, and cleaning everything up afterwards. We truly cannot thank you enough and deeply appreciate everything you do for our school community. Here is a classic Tom Civil photo that sums up the night perfectly. We are already looking forward to next year and seeing whether the requests for Scream actually come to fruition!

This morning was our way of saying thank you to all of our incredible parents, especially our mothers, ahead of their special day this Sunday. When our staff talk about Newlands with friends, family, and colleagues, the very first thing they mention is how supportive and connected our community is in helping make this school such a special place. A huge thank you also to all of the staff who got up early, fired up the BBQ, and created some truly Michelin-star-worthy breakfast buns.

Next Friday is IDAHOBIT Day, where we proudly celebrate and showcase our commitment to inclusivity. We are encouraging all students to come out of uniform and dress in a way that best represents who they are. We will also be collecting a gold coin donation, with all proceeds going towards organisations that support positive action and advocacy for this cause.

I promised last week that we would get back into the classrooms so here we go!

Foundation

This morning I walked into Luke’s room to find students gathered on the floor, happily drawing together. I asked Willa what her favourite thing about school this week had been, and she said it was having her dad and the other firefighters visit the school. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, all the students were buzzing with excitement, so I asked them:

“If you could give your mum any present in the world for Mother’s Day, what would it be?”

Zac – “I would give my mum a big hug because she loves them.”
Willa – “I would give my mum an unlimited supply of coffee beans because she loves coffee.”
Billie – “I would give my mum flowers, especially paper daisies, because they are her favourite.”
Emilia – “I would give my mum lots of dark chocolate because it’s her favourite.”
Bess – “I would give my mum a Cirque du Soleil ticket because she loves the circus.”
Nina – “I’d give my mum an ice cream truck. It would definitely have strawberry because that’s her favourite.”

1/2s

I then joined in for half the fun during snack time, where all the conversations were about Mother’s Day. The class were having a great time with Simon before I rudely interrupted. I promised I would be quick before the next class started, so I asked the following question:

“What is your favourite thing about your parents?”

Eva – “My favourite thing about my mum is that when I’m sad she gives me cuddles to make me happy again.”
Harriet – “My favourite thing is that she always makes me my favourite breakfast — toast with butter.”
Casper – “My favourite thing about my mum is that she symbolises a pink heart, which makes me think of love.”
Maeve – “My favourite thing about my mum is that she lets me do what I want.”
Saxon – “My favourite things about my mum are that when I’m scared she protects me so I don’t get hurt. She also helps me when things are too hard and supports me.”
Xanthie – “My favourite thing about my mum is that she has cold hands, so when I hurt myself she cools it straight away.”
Millie – “My mum gets up late, which means I can have screen time in the morning.”

3/4s

In the 3/4 area, my timing was impeccable, with Nerida running a quick brain break during Philosophy. Our students are incredibly lucky to be exposed to such thoughtful discussions and perspectives, and even luckier to have Nerida leading the class. The students responded brilliantly to the following question:

“When are your parents most proud of you?”

Holly – “When I do something mature without being asked, like making my bed.”
Zoe – “They are really proud when I try my best during sport, even if we lose.”
Liam – “They are most proud when I surprise them, like when I do a rainbow flick at soccer training or vacuum the house.”
Lilly – “I think my parents are proud of me when I do really well in a test and when I’ve tried my best.”
Sofia – “My parents are proud when I push myself to do something hard, like going swimming.”

5/6s

In the 5/6 area, I joined Flor’s class where students were working on biographies. It was fantastic learning about Emma Watson and Daft Punk in Spanish, and the engagement across the room was incredible. I asked students one final question:

“What is the funniest thing about your parents?”

Violet – “When my mum cooks dinner she makes me watch so that I appreciate it more.”
Luca – “My mum thinks she’s hilarious when she says she’s only five minutes away when she’s really twenty minutes away.”
Jock – “When I’m gaming and get called down for dinner, we’re still twenty minutes away from actually eating.”
Fletcher – “I always complain that the food Mum makes is mouldy, and the one day it actually was, she didn’t believe me.”

A big shout out to all of our students leading our school tours! They have been incredible, here are a few action shots from Wednesday's event!

Have the best weekend, we will see you for week 3!

Thanks,

Luke