Newington College

Last Friday marked the official opening of Newington’s Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics.

We were honoured to welcome eminent philosopher Professor A.C. Grayling, who delivered a special address before officially opening the Centre with a ribbon cutting. It was wonderful to see our community engaging with one of the world’s leading thinkers.

Led by Director Dr Britta Jensen since 2022, the Centre has redefined critical thinking at Newington into a practical, explicit set of skills students can apply across all areas of life.

To stay up to date with the Centre’s work, follow their LinkedIn via the link in our bio.

🧠 💡 ‘My main priority during my visit to Newington was to help everyone develop a healthy sense of scepticism so they’re not simply believing something just because another person says it’s true.’

Last week we were delighted to welcome social media sensation Dr Idrees Mughal, better known as ‘Dr Idz’, as our 2026 Thinker in Residence! Students and staff took advantage of Dr Idz’s nutritional mythbusting lectures and classroom discussions, sharpening their critical thinking skills and learning how to ethically and effectively interact with others and speak up against misinformation.

We sat down with Dr Idz to pick his brains about the power of critical thought. To read more from him, visit our latest blog ‘Critical thinking gets a quick checkup’ by following the link in our bio.

🎸 ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?! Join us for RockFest 2026 – an electrifying evening showcasing the incredible musical talents of our students.

Fuel up with Burger Head from 4.00pm before the music kicks off, as Centenary Hall comes alive with high-energy performances from across the College.

🗓 Friday 5 June 2026, 6.30pm (food from 4.00pm)
📍 Stanmore 7–12, Centenary Hall‌
🎟 Free entry

🎶 Join us for the 2026 Ensembles Concert – a showcase of Newington’s talented musicians across a range of ensemble performances.

Featuring our Chamber Ensembles alongside middle Jazz, Wind and String Ensembles, the evening promises a dynamic and engaging program celebrating collaboration, skill and musical excellence.

🗓 Tuesday 2 June 2026, 6:30pm
📍 Stanmore 7–12, Centenary Hall‌
🎟 Free entry

🏃 ‘Through my running, I have learnt to be more disciplined in my everyday life. Cross country is a fantastic opportunity to see personal and physical growth throughout a season.’

Our Cross Country runners are getting warmed up for the Newington Cross Country Invitational this weekend, where hundreds of Sydney runners will compete for selection to the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) championships. Best of luck to all our athletes!

To hear from Cross Country Captain Kiran A about his love of the sport, and to find out more about Newington’s Cross Country program, read our latest blog ‘Cross country running to community, challenge and camaraderie’ by following the link in our bio.

✈️ 👷 ‘We all leave with changed insights and understandings from Tbeng. Meeting other people and learning how others live in our global world are experiences that never leave you.’

Next month, 31 of our Year 10 and 11 students will be travelling to Tbeng Primary School in Cambodia as part of a service learning tour. Their job during the visit will be to help the locals construct more than 100 metres of safety fencing around the school.

To find out more about Newington’s seven-year relationship with Tbeng, as well as the upcoming tour, read our latest blog ‘Where learning meets purpose’ by following the link in our bio.

Pictured: Our 2023 tour group at Tbeng.

💪 The Push-Up Challenge returns this June, starting next week and running from Wednesday 3 to Friday 26 June.

This national initiative brings people together to build a community where it’s okay to speak up, check in on your mates, and look out for one another. This year our goal is to raise over $21,000, and complete over 400,000 pushups. Each participant will be aiming for 3,307 reps per person, representing the number of lives lost to su***de in Australia in 2024.

We invite you to support the challenge again this year. Funds raised go to The Push for Better Foundation, Lifeline, and headspace.

🔗 Follow the link in our bio to donate and learn more.

ONU Week was a great success! We had a fantastic time last week across the Stanmore 7–12 campus with a number of enjoyable events taking place.

We held a 'Life After School Panel' with Old Newingtonians sharing their journeys, as well as an inspiring assembly with Newington Medallist Scientia Professor Bernard Balleine (ON 1979), which also featured a standout Q&A led by our Senior Prefects.

On Friday our Year 12s enjoyed a special lunch served up by Old Newingtonians from Duo Duo and Burger Head – providing our students with a well-earned boost before they head into a busy period of study.

⚽ ‘This season, there has been a major emphasis on individual development and creating an environment where players are constantly challenged to grow their game and push their standards higher.’

Our 1st XI (pictured) and 2nd XI football teams, who are currently gearing up for the AAGPS Football season, will both be contesting the GPS Plate Final against Riverview this weekend. Good luck to all our players as they head into their respective matches.

To hear from our Football Captain Dominic T about what’s in store for his final season at Newington, read our latest blog ‘Staying on the ball’ by following the link in our bio.