We believe that creativity is one of the most important skills we can empower a student with for whatever the future throws at them. We have seen extremely high levels of engagement from our students in this curriculum area, and they have produced amazing pieces of art because of it! Our visual arts program has been able to sharpen the critical thinking of our students, fuel their problem-solving and has helped to build the kind of inventive mindset that sometimes we do not see in our generalist classes.

At Newtown PS, we give creativity a home of its own: a dedicated, purpose-built Art room where students dive into painting, drawing, collage, printmaking, sculpture and textiles. We see what we do and what our students are exposed to more than just about making things look nice on the fridge (as nice as those things are!) — but about developing self-expression, confidence, and developing the motor, language and social skills that ripple out into other parts of school life.

Once a year, our Art room opens its doors and the whole school community pours in. Our Annual Art Show is where student work takes centre stage — a genuine celebration of creativity, effort and achievement that brings families together to see just what their kids have been building, brushstroke by brushstroke. This whole school event welcomes every family in and seeks to celebrate the amazing and creative students that we have!

Living in a country that prides itself on its sporting prowess, physical education at Newtown seeks to leverage that strong culture we have and to set up our students to be active, resilient, and healthy for life. We follow that up with facilities that are purpose-built: newly resurfaced basketball and netball courts, a fully grassed oval, and dedicated indoor space, giving every student space to move whatever the weather. Students at NPS build fundamental motor skills early, then put them to work across a genuine variety of sports through our Middle and Senior programs. Along the way, teamwork becomes the real lesson — every player learns they’re valued, and every player learns that their role matters.

Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to engage in standout events like our P–6 Athletics Carnival, F-2 and 3-6 Cross Country events, and then on to representing our great school against other schools within our district sports association. This involves healthy competition in basketball, cricket, football, volleyball, and soccer.

What we love about our physical education program is that it’s fun, safe, and inclusive.

In a world that’s more connected than ever, our Indonesian Specialist program opens a genuine window into another culture, another way of thinking, and another language. It builds respect and curiosity that lasts well beyond the classroom which we love to see. Learning a second language isn’t just about vocabulary; it sharpens literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills across the board. Our students build their way from basic to complex Indonesian sentences through a rich mix of reading, writing, games, songs, video, research projects, oral assessments and hands-on class activities.

As part of our program, we seek to go beyond just ‘language’, too. Students explore Indonesian celebrations, traditions, beliefs, geography, food, flora, fauna and clothing, all of which comes to life every year within our whole-school Indonesian Day, timed to coincide with Indonesian Independence Day — a vibrant, immersive celebration!

Music and the performing arts speak a language everyone understands. The skills students build in our Music and Performing Arts classes — listening, collaborating, improvising, teamwork, courage, and yes, the bravery it takes to get up and perform — carry far beyond the stage. Add to that a genuine grounding in musical elements, genres and performance traditions from cultures domestic and international, and you have students who leave Newtown PS as expressive, creative, thoughtful, and musically minded citizens.

Under the guidance of our amazing Music and Performing Arts teacher, we aim to keep it fun and keep it relevant. For many students, what starts as a learning activity we hope becomes something bigger — a career path, a lifelong hobby, a way to connect socially, or simply a creative outlet that supports better mental health for years to come.
Following on from the above, we know that confidence and self-esteem do not come from a textbook — that both of those things are built through lived experience. Our annual School Concert, usually held at the end of Term 3 each year and hosted at the GAC (Geelong Arts Centre), gives every single student their moment in the spotlight, performing in front of a live audience after a term of building up their song and dance routines. This major event is one of the most anticipated nights on the Newtown PS calendar — a genuine showcase of just how far our students have come and a showcase of what they are all capable of.

Finally, at Newtown, we offer families the service of “At School Music” – a private music tuition service facilitated by the very talented music teacher Pat Wheeler. Pat leads our students through 45min one to one music lessons during learning time here at NPS. Students can engage in a wide variety of musical instrument tuition, ranging from piano, drums, guitar, keyboard, and more.