Newstead College eNews - August 2025

From the Principal

Dear Newstead College Community,

Welcome to Term 3! I hope students had a restful break and are feeling recharged for the busy term ahead.

We ended last term on a high note, with mid-year exams keeping both students and staff focused and engaged. Two exciting interstate visits during the last week of term provided valuable learning experiences and opportunities for connection beyond our local community. You can read about these further on this news brief.

The momentum has certainly carried through into this term, which has already seen a flurry of activity. This term, we were thrilled to launch SIX: Teen Edition, our College production, which was a spectacular showcase of student talent and creativity. We also welcomed a delegation of teachers and students from our Fujian sister school, Jianou First High, in China. Teachers toured our facilities, visited classes and exchanged gifts.

Alongside this, our staff have written student reports, and we’re preparing for upcoming parent-teacher interviews – an important time for students to reflect on progress and set goals for the remainder of the year.

You will notice teachers have requested interviews with you for all subjects on student reports which you will receive soon. This doesn’t mean your student isn’t making incredible progress or doing their best. As we no longer include written comments on reports, it is important that we have some communication about progress in subjects and TCE attainment with parents. Parents could choose to phone or email teachers instead of attending the parent-teacher evening.

This term, we extend a warm welcome to Stephen Blizzard, who joins us as our new Assistant Principal, and to Oliver Cook, our new PE and Health teacher. We’re excited to have them on board and look forward to the expertise they bring to our College.

At the same time, we bid farewell to Susan Oakden, a valued member of our Leadership Team and teacher of Business courses. Susan’s initiatives and leadership in our careers and Support Group areas has been instrumental in driving exciting and engaging changes in how we support students. She will be taking up a new position with the Department of Justice in the Tas Electoral Office, and we wish her all the very best in this next chapter. Thank you for your contribution to students’ learning and our College community, Susan.

For our Year 11 students, the journey toward Year 12 is beginning to take shape. Subject selection for next year will be opening soon, and we’ll be sending home detailed information to help families support their students in making informed choices.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our students and our College. I look forward to seeing many of you at our events throughout the term.

Dianne Freeman
Principal

Welcome Stephen

Hi everyone, my name is Steve and I am the new Assistant Principal at Newstead College. For the past eight and a half years I have been working at Deloraine High School primarily as their Assistant Principal. My passion is seeing young people thrive and helping equip them with the skills, qualifications and personal attributes necessary for a purposeful and fulfilling life beyond school. I am really looking forward to working with the staff, students and community of Newstead College to continue helping students be the best version of themselves.

Away from teaching I have a beautiful young family where we spend most weekends in Bridport. I grew up in Burnie being heavily involved in Surf Lifesaving and am a member of the Bridport SLSC. I enjoy kayaking, surfing, fishing and trying to be fit and healthy.

My first impressions of Newstead College definitely show a thriving school community supported by dedicated staff who go over and beyond each day for their students. Students are very respectful and always happy to have a conversation when they are walking past. Thank you to everyone who has made me feel so welcome and I look forward to helping make a difference every day for Newstead College. 

Stephen Blizzard 
Assistant Principal

SIX: Teen Edition

Congratulations to everyone involved in our unforgettable 2025 college production of SIX: Teen Edition. What a reign to remember! From the performers, to the backstage crew, staff, volunteers and everyone who came to support this incredible show – you have truly made her-story. Thank you to everyone who joined us to make this empowering histo-remix a smash hit. You rule. 

Audiences across our seven shows were blown away by all aspects of the production, collectively rating it 4.7 stars out of 5. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Wonderful show. Enjoyed every moment. - Jen

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  
I love the cast; all of them did amazing! Love the lights costumes, vocals, choreography, EVERYTHING! - Mary

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
A real pleasure to watch. Absolutely loved it. - Rosemary 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
The six queens worked so well together and each brought something unique to each role. - Karen

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Absolutely amazing. So well put together. - Lily

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Amazing, dynamic young cast who gave it their all. Such a credit to the hard work and dedication of the cast and crew. - Paula

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Great energy and outstanding costuming. - Ann

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Every cast member put so much in… right down to little facial expressions. - Claire

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jane Seymour was such an amazing singer, Anna of Cleeves had extraordinary energy. Catherine of Aragon was so regal. Anne Boleyn so sassy. Katherine so naughty, and the last queen was absolutely perfect for the role. - Vanessa

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Amazing show, beautiful costumes and the students did a wonderful job! - Amelia

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
The performers had great diction and fully embodied their roles. A fun show! - Lisa

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
The lighting was the bee's knees. Absolutely slapped as the kids say. - Anonymous

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Howard has such an emotionally driven song and they captured it amazingly. Parr is a powerhouse! Her runs were insane. The energy and perfection of Cleves's choreography was outstanding! And I loved Boleyn and Aragon's characterisation throughout the show. - Monique

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
An absolute pleasure to witness the amazing talent of NC students. The energy was electric! - Rita

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
The energy, effort and pure enthusiasm from all involved was exceptional. - Anika 

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NC Netball Team Wins International Award

The Newstead College netball team has shown its sporting talent on the international stage, winning the Team Sportsmanship Award at the 2025 International Netball Festival on the Gold Coast.

The festival took place from 7–13 July, bringing together school and club teams from around the world for a week of sport, team activities, and cultural exchange.

During 11 tough matches, the team showed amazing effort and team spirit.

The Team Sportsmanship Award was voted for by the umpires and is given to teams that show:

1. Respect for umpires
2. Working well together
3. Fair play
4. Positive attitudes
5. Friendly behaviour
6. Never giving up and always supporting teammates.

The festival was more than just sport – it gave students the chance to make new friends from other countries, learn about different cultures, and proudly represent Tasmania to the world.

Congratulations to all the players, to coaches Felicity and Carolyn, and to everyone who cheered them on!

NC Careers Expo

Our annual Careers Expo is an opportunity for Newstead students and visiting high school students to connect with industry, employment agencies, further education and training institutions, and volunteer organisations, so they can make informed career decisions now and into the future. We support our students to be curious, embrace surprise, discover new options, and explore possibilities. 

Visiting high schools included Queechy High School, Riverside High School, Campbell Town District High School, Kings Meadows High School, Launceston Big Picture School. As part of the expo, students were able to attend their pick of 12 interactive workshops and learn more about different career paths. 

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Thank you to all our 42 exhibitors for making the day a great success.

• ALA Partners
• Arbre Forest Industries
• Australian Maritime College
• Australian Property Institute
• Bakker Productions
• BUSY At Work
• CareSuper
• City of Launceston
• Civil Contractors Federation Tasmania
• Country Club Tasmania
• Crisp Bros. & Haywards
• DECYP Apprenticeships and Traineeships
• Department of Health Tasmania
• Fairbrother
• Harrison Agents
• Hydro Tasmania
• IO Performance
• Johnson Breward Brown Accountants
• KEEN Partners
• KFC
• MAS National
• National Joblink
• Newton & Henry
• Northern Employment and Business Hub
• Oral Health Services Tasmania
• The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
• Possability
• Project Y
• Royal Flying Doctor Service Tasmania
• SelfHelp Workplace
• State Emergency Service (SES)
• Tasmanian Building Group Apprenticeship Scheme
• Tasmania Fire Service
• Tasmania Police
• TasTAFE
• TasWater
• Timberlink Australia
• Tristar Aviation
• University of Tasmania
• WorkSafe Tasmania

Exhibitor feedback: 

Adrian and I had a great time and really enjoyed chatting with a lot of students. The workshop was also a great experience and we’d look forward to being able to do that again next year. - SelfHelp Workplace

It was a truly well-run event, and we were incredibly impressed. We found the students to be very engaging and the conversations we had with them were valuable and insightful. We look forward to the opportunity to attend again next year. - NEBHub

NC Op Shop

During Term 2 students in the Pathways to Work 1 class started the task of organising the Newstead College Op Shop, and the hard work was rewarded early in Term 3 when the library was transformed for a day into a vibrant shopping experience. Generous donations from our fantastic Newstead community ensured that there was a wide range of clothing and books to look through, and many students and staff left with their arms full of fabulous bargains!

As an applied learning activity, planning and implementing the Op Shop provided a wonderful opportunity for students to develop many transferable workplace skills such as teamwork, communication, time management, and decision making.

Thank you to the fantastic Newstead College community for being extremely generous with donations and enthusiasm for this event.

Cathee, Teacher

Melbourne Trip

From Thursday 3 July to Saturday 5 July, Gemma and Charlie took a fabulous group of 14 students to Melbourne to explore Universities there. The trip was designed specifically for students who are considering a move interstate to study after the end of College.

We visited RMIT, Monash University (Clayton Campus) and Melbourne University to expose students to three very different types of universities and give them some ideas for comparison. We got to see teaching spaces and accommodation options and hear the experiences of uni students. The trip also aimed to give students an idea of what living and studying in Melbourne might be like – so we took in a Musical Theatre show, Hadestown, jumped on and off crowded trains and trams, visited Victoria Markets and the lanes and arcades of the CBD.

This trip was organised by the Newstead College UniHub to primarily support our Academic Support program and was such a success, we hope to offer it again in the future!  

Gemma, UniHub Coordinator 

Newstead College Ball - Tickets on sale now

Family Information Evening - 2 September

Masterclass Day at UTAS

In the last week of Term 2, students curious about university attended the annual Newstead College Masterclass Day. Now in its 8th year, the day enables students to get onto a campus and experience what learning at university is like. 

Students chose three masterclasses from twelve offerings in areas that most interested them. Workshops, tutorials and lectures like the kind they might experience at university were offered in Fine Art, Theatre Arts, Sociology, Psychology, Health Sciences, Agricultural Science, Primary Education (Health and Drama), Youth Justice and Policy, Community Development and Business/Accounting.

For the last three years we have been joined by students from Invermay Primary School, who take part in our Education and Community Development Masterclasses, giving our College students a more authentic experience of working with children. We are so proud of this partnership with Invermay Primary and the joy and excitement they contribute to our day.

Through the Newstead College UniHub, we are committed to supporting our students to consider university as a pathway and help them feel informed and confident in decisions about their future. Thanks to the University of Tasmania Schools Engagement team for their continued support of this event.

Gemma, UniHub Coordinator 

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Pathways To Apprenticeships and Traineeships

The focus for students who are enrolled in Pathways to Apprenticeships and Traineeships (PTAT) is getting out on work placements to experience a typical week in an industry workplace that they are interested in pursuing. When in class, they can also use their hands to create various builds such as cardboard toolboxes, paper bridges, and, recently, a robotic hand. Two students spent extra time constructing a Thanos-inspired robotic hand and have achieved an outstanding result.

Jon, Teacher

SCIENCE

Physical Sciences students practised being chemists, completing a practical involving accurately weighing and determining mass before and after a reaction. This allowed them to determine the number of water molecules locked up inside different crystal structures. 

Sam, Teacher

Book Week Dress-up Day - 21 August

On Thursday 21 August, the Newstead College Library will be running a dress-up competition for Book Week!

For your chance to win a prize, simply:

• Pick a book character, or something that fits with this year's theme 'Book an Adventure'
• Wear your costume on Thursday 21 August, and come to the Library at recess to enter.

Open to NC students and staff only. 

NC Chess Club

Join the Newstead College Association

Help shape the future of Newstead College!

Come along to the next Newstead College Association meetings, have your say, and help the College thrive.

Meeting Dates
20 August 2025, 5.30 pm
26 November 2025, 5.30 pm

Location: Newstead College Boardroom

Being part of the Association means having a real voice in areas such as:

• Creating and updating College policies
• Sharing ideas to help improve the school and plan for its future
• Giving feedback on State school policy
• Building a strong and connected community.

Parents/guardians and anyone in our college or local community are invited to join. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Lana on 6332 3278.

Newstead College Course Guide 2026

QHS presents All Shook Up: School Edition

UTAS Parent & Carer Webinar - 9 Sept

Going to university is a huge but exciting step for a young person. Having someone to talk to and support them can make all the difference. This webinar is the second in a series of three and will cover accommodation, scholarships, learning abroad, subject selection, HAP, UCP & TCE Tick. 

Date: 9 September, 6:00 pm 

Have a story? Send it in!

We are always eager to highlight students' successes. If you know a current Newstead College student or alumnus whose achievements should be celebrated on our communications platforms, please let us know via email: georgia.jordan@decyp.tas.gov.au

Key Dates

Term 3: Monday 21 July to Friday 26 September

Term 4: Monday 13 October to Thursday 11 December