Dear parents, carers, students, staff and friends, 

As always there are so many wonderful things going on within our community and everyone is working hard to ensure our students finish the year with a strong sense of belonging as we head into our summer break.  Some important topics on our minds at this time include the upcoming age restriction on social media platforms, subject choices for 2026, final assessments with end of year reports, Schools Spectacular and our unique and diverse range of Showcase performances demonstrating excellence in Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts.

Social Media Under 16s Age Restriction

This is a wide topic of conversation at the moment!  Information was emailed home to assist in supporting families and students with the upcoming age restrictions on several social media platforms.  The best way to keep your children safe is to have those important conversations around who they are talking to online and what healthy and positive relationships should look like.  A positive relationship for teenagers is built on mutual respect, honesty, trust, and open communication. In a healthy relationship, both parties feel safe, can be themselves, maintain their own identities, and work through disagreements respectfully. They support each other's individual goals and are able to say "no" without fear of judgment. Our Wellbeing team provide age-appropriate opportunities to reinforce healthy relationships with peers throughout the year at school. In addition, some great resources to support parents, carers and teens can be found here: https://kidshealth.org/ 

• Save the date for Wednesday 26 November from 3:30pm to 4pm (Week 7) for a special broadcast featuring the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant in conversation with Secretary, Murat Dizdar and Deputy Secretary, Public Schools, Deb Summerhayes about Australia’s new social media age restrictions for under-16s and what it means for school.

Communication with your child whilst at school

The ways in which our students can communicate with others these days are endless.  At Newtown High School of the Performing Arts we are passionate about providing a positive, caring and supportive environment where our students can develop their social, emotional, academic and creative capacity to navigate themselves successfully within the school community preparing them to thrive in life beyond school. 

In line with the Department of Education's digital devices policy and our own school Mobile Phone policy, we are working hard to support our students through a life that is so dominated by phones. We know communication through technology is a significant distraction for students (and all of us!!) and so we kindly request families refrain from replying to texts or emails from their children throughout the school day - as using phones at school is not allowed and a breach of school and government and NHSPA policy. Phones are to be "off and away" at all times.  

It is a significant distraction to the learning of the students that know that they can have a conversation with you via text or email during the school day.  I am often made aware of situations where students are in breach of rules and in contact with their parents throughout the school day, however, if it was firmly established from you that there would be no reading or response to the messages during the day, that would certainly be beneficial for building resilience, their attention in class and their learning.  

The opportunity to independently process challenges throughout the day is an important part of developing resilience and other skills needed to fight off anxiety. Often straight after a tough conversation with a teacher or friend, emotions are high, and an immediate text or email is similarly going to be in a heightened emotional state. These messages are sent and responded to without proper time to process and learn on their own. We highly recommend normalising regular conversations about the school day after the 3.10pm bell or after some co-curricular activity, which certainly adds more time for students to process their days and clear their minds. 

We are dedicated to supporting your children at school – if your child needs support while at school, please encourage them to reach out to their Year Advisor or Deputy Principal who can then refer students to the Counsellor or Deputy Principal if required.

2026 Elective Choices

Next year's timetable is currently being built with students finding out their teachers and timetables on the first day of school 2026.  Students who have had to be allocated one of their back-up elective preferences are being contacted by the Deputy Principal Curriculum to notify them.  Back-up preferences are allocated if there is a clash in the timetable between 2 elective choices running at the same time or if the quota for that subject is full.  

If your child does not hear from Miss Scanlan (DP Curriculum) by the end of the year they have received their first preference electives.

Final assessments, exams and end of year reporting

Good luck to all students as they complete any final assessments and exams.  Year 11 will have their first HSC examination block this term from Friday 5 December to Thursday 11 December.  During this time these students do not attend regular timetabled lessons and follow the examination timetable.  The timetable draft was given to students this week and will be finalised next week.  A reminder to all students to follow the illness/misadventure process and assessment policy found on the school website when required.

Teachers are currently completing student reports for Years 7-10 and these will be published over the remaining weeks of term.  These are a consistent way to communicate your child's overall academic achievement and reflect on their disposition to learning in the classroom.

Showcase Season

Congratulations to all the students on their commitment and dedication to their craft!  A special mention to the performing arts faculty members at our school for their ongoing dedication to the pursuit of excellence in the Arts for our students.  These teachers are not only passionate but are highly skilled artists in their own right directing, choreographing, composing, conducting for our students in an ongoing capacity.  Please encourage your children to recognise these amazing teachers as artists and thank them for an amazing year.

Many thanks,

Belinda Scanlan

Introducing your 2026 prefects!! 

This week our newly appointed Leadership Team of 12 was kindly introduced to students, teachers and alumni. Special thanks to Weapons of Mass Percussion (WOMP), NHSPA Tech Crew and Ms Rajwar for organising such a memorable event!

Being selected is such an exciting and proud achievement, and all of us are eager to commence 2026 representing our school community, leading with commitment, integrity and positivity. 

Our first step to creating positive, lasting growth within the school and broader community is utilising the bulletin as a platform for weekly updates, including short-form videos (with the Social Media Ban arriving on 10/12) - so get excited for what's to come! We will also be using the Bulletin as a way to hear student voices and opinions. Through this form (https://forms.gle/x1UvRUzKC2uDada57), we will listen directly to your concerns and ideas, with the intention of implementing as much as we can! Otherwise, come find us at recess, lunch or wherever else you see us - we would love to hear from you!

Our First Initiative!

Over the past weeks, our team has been involved in organising this year's Christmas Drive for Addi Road. With the holidays just around the corner, we’re encouraging everyone to get involved in supporting local families and sprinkling the holiday joy. To do this, donate what you can to the Christmas tree in the Office and spread the word. We are looking for (mainly) non-perishable items: think tins, cereals, jams, teas, dried fruit, flour and so much more! 

(For more ideas: https://addiroad.org.au/donate-food/)

Every donation helps make a meaningful difference...

KATIE LAGA'AIA

Trailer Drop - MOANA

NHSPA alumna Katie Laga’aia continues to make waves on the big screen! Already cast as Moana in Disney’s highly anticipated live-action remake, the first trailer dropped this week, giving audiences around the world a first glimpse of her incredible performance.

Katie, whose Samoan heritage she proudly brings to the role, is set to inspire a new generation as she steps into one of Disney’s most iconic characters. This marks a major milestone in her career, following her role as “Young Candy” in the 2023 Prime Video series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

The live-action Moana, directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton), is due for release on 10 July 2026, and Katie’s portrayal is already generating international excitement. Watching one of our own NHSPA alumni shine on the global stage is a proud moment for our community — and we can’t wait for audiences to see her bring Moana to life!

ATTENTION 2025 YEAR 12 STUDENTS

While a student is enrolled in a NSW Public School, they are allocated user credentials that provide them with access to email, student portal, Google Workspaces and Microsoft Office 365. They can access these services for free both while at school and from home - or anywhere else.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY LEAVE?
Students need to be informed that from the date they leave an NSW Public School - i.e., when the school has marked them as a Leaver in ERN - they have 180 days before they lose access to:

• Their school email account (GMail)

• Their Google Drive contents

• Any Google Classrooms they were joined to

• Their Microsoft OneDrive contents

• Any Microsoft Teams they were a member of

So, from the time that they leave, they have 180 days to check all their content/files in these school-provided services and download anything that they need to keep. There is no need to delete what they do not wish to keep. Anything left in their cloud repositories after the 180 days will no longer be accessible to them.

To support learners in developing effective study habits the school will run an after-school study centre during term times on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons from 3:25pm-5:00pm in the school Library.

This is open to all students, providing a quiet environment in which focussed study could take place.

Whilst attendance every week is not compulsory, should your child wish to use this facility, it is recommended that they be regular in their attendance for effective learning to occur.

The study centre will be supervised by a staff member between the times above to assist learners with organisation, planning, and developing successful study habits should they so wish.

This is an excellent opportunity for students to form small study teams to work together to improve their understanding of concepts and spur each other on to achieve a personal best in their subjects.

Expectations for attendance are as follows:

Students

• respect the rights of other learners and so maintain a quiet learning environment.

• desire to improve their performance in subjects.

• use this time productively.

• be regular in attendance.

The centre has been shown to be an effective way for improving students' results, confidence, and organisation in an enjoyable, relaxed environment.

THE ASSC IS A QUIET SPACE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LEARNING AND SEEK HELP FROM STAFF

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL BYTES PORTAL

The School Bytes portal provides flexibility for you to conveniently:

• Make school payments online (including paying for multiple siblings at once)

• Use a family credit to pay for an activity or school contributions

• Download a receipt for payments made

• View all historical payments in one place

• Complete and submit digital permission notes

• View the status of all permission notes

Thank you!

School Bytes Parent Portal - accessed via this link:

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS (VOLUNTARY)

1.  St George’s Hall Trust Fund Performing Arts Donation

This donation is to support the school’s performing and visual arts endeavours. We suggest a donation of $200 per year per family or any amount which is tax deductible through our St George’s Hall Trust Fund. Each year donations provide funding for technical equipment, musical instruments and professional industry workshops for students which enrich our programs and extend students’ opportunities.  Donation(s) may be made on the School Bytes statement or Parent Portal.

2. Library Fund Donation

The Library Fund is a new tax-deductible fund established in 2025. Library Fund donations will be used for the following:

• new books

• computer/software and hardware

• library furniture such as bookshelves, booth seating, library displays and archival preservation

Donations made to the St George’s Hall Trust Fund or the school Library Fund are fully tax-deductible as charitable contributions under the ATO provisions.

OTHER DONATIONS

1.   School Donation

If you would like to make a general donation to the school, please include the amount you wish to donate at the designated section via the School Bytes statement which will be emailed to you in the beginning of Term 1. Please note, this donation is not tax deductible. Donation(s) may be made on the School Bytes statement or Parent Portal.

2.  NHSPA P&C Donation

The P&C relies on voluntary fundraising donations as their primary means of fundraising.  We suggest a donation of $50.00 per year per family. Funds collected are allocated to fund items or projects in consultation with the school. P&C members support the school to ensure our children have the very best educational opportunities possible and our aim, when allocating funds, is to have whole of school impact. 

The P&C works with the school to identify and implement specific funding for a variety of initiatives.  One such initiative was the purchase of mega decking, consisting of stage legs and braces, which were used for the 2023 production of the Musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘Legally Blonde’ in 2025.  In 2025 a laser cutter for the TAS faculty was partially funded through the P&C. Other items purchased in the past include the new school bell, PA security system and large fan in the gym.