Starting at Newcastle Grammar School

Welcome to Newcastle Grammar School

We look forward to your child’s commencement at Newcastle Grammar School, and we warmly welcome you into the NGS community. 
  
For new families, there are a number of important software tools and platforms that you will need to use to communicate with the School, grant permissions for and register your child’s activities.   
Each program serves a different purpose.  
We have specialists available to assist as required.   

Schoolbox

This is the main communication channel between you and the School. Schoolbox is NGS’ Learning Management System and works best when viewed on a large screen such as a tablet device, laptop or desktop computer.  

Schoolbox allows you to access critical information about your child’s learning. It serves as the digital equivalent of the physical classroom for students. Within Schoolbox, you can access the school calendar, school news, timetables, staff contacts, class communication and co-curricular communication.  

Secondary students will submit homework and assessments, review grades, receive assessment feedback and access much of their learning material including digital textbooks through Schoolbox. 

Our Schoolbox platform is exclusively for the NGS community. Communication and notifications you receive can be customised specifically to your preference, however the default settings will keep you well informed. Please click ‘Schoolbox Getting Started Guide’ below to access the Schoolbox instructional guide.  

Please note, if you have supplied only one email address to NGS, only one account will be created. You may share this login and password with your partner. If your primary email address changes, please update your details through Parent Connect (see below) as this will be used as your username when logging into Schoolbox. 

For assistance with access, navigation and setting up your notification preferences, please contact our IT Team via email at helpdesk@ngs.nsw.edu.au.  

NGS App

This app gives parents and students access to notifications, alerts, the school calendar, news, timetables, school contacts, absentee notifications and student due work (Secondary). The App is linked to Schoolbox (see above).   

On your phone or preferred device, download the App from your app store, search for Newcastle Grammar School. Please note, you will need to have created your Schoolbox account through Safari, Chrome or another web browser prior to logging in to the NGS App. Use the same username and password you used when following the Schoolbox instructional document in the previous section.  

Parent Connect

Parent Connect is a portal accessed through Schoolbox or the NGS App that enables parents and guardians of current NGS students to: 

  • Update their address and contact details ie; mobile, e-mail, residential address
  • Update Student Medical Details
  • Notify Absentees 
  • Accept/Decline Excursion and Event permissions 
  • View current and past Academic Reports 

Parents/Guardians who are also registered as Fee Payers will be able to: 

  • View Monthly Statements 
  • Make an Account Payment 

It is your responsibility to keep these details current whilst you are a parent/guardian at NGS. 

Co-curricular at NGS – Clipboard  

The Co-curricular program offered at NGS provides many activities and learning opportunities beyond the classroom for all students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Clipboard is the registration program to enrol students into an NGS Co-curricular activity in 2025. This is also used to register students for private Music and Vocal tuition. 

The pillars of the NGS Co-curricular program are Creative and Performing Arts, Outdoor Adventure, Skills for the Future and Sport. 

Activity details and the semester timetable can be viewed on Schoolbox (find the Co-curricular tab on the left-hand menu).  

Parents and students will receive notifications about opening and closing dates for activity registration prior to the start of each term. To complete this voluntary activity selection via the Co-curricular platform, Clipboard, parents and students will first require Schoolbox access. Please note that some Co-curricular experiences have maximum numbers of participants – booking windows will be closed once these maximum numbers have been reached and interested students will be placed on a waitlist. 

The Director of Co-curricular, Mr Kozey, will post detailed information to Year Group pages on Schoolbox.  

Newsletter

The newsletter is a fortnightly e-publication, sent to your email address. The newsletter includes a message from the Head of School, upcoming events, and other important information.  

If you do not receive a newsletter (and you have already checked your spam/junk mail folder) please email communications@ngs.nsw.edu.au to be added to the mailing list. 

Social Media 

NGS uses Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Social media is used to showcase our wonderful students, staff and the life of the school. 

There are parent-run Facebook groups for each year level if you wish to join them. These provide a personal form of connection with other parents in your child’s year level. Search for NGS Year x 2025 and ask to join your year level group page. 

School Facebook

Alumni Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

Instagram – @newcastle.grammar.school

Swipe Card

Each student in Year 7 to 12 is given a swipe card which opens the gates of Hill Campus, provides access to the school’s printers, and acts as the Library borrowing card.  

Parents can upload money to their Flexischools account (see below), and the student’s swipe card can be linked to this account for use at the Secondary canteen.

Our Canteen uses Flexischools  

Please create an account via https://flexischools.com.au/.   

Click here for the Flexischools guide. 

Parents can order food using their Flexischools account and the student’s lunch will be prepared ready for collection at lunch time. Primary lunch orders will be delivered to their classroom. Secondary students collect from the Canteen. For Kindergarten to Year 6, parents can order food using their Flexischools account.   

Contacts

Information Technology department via email at helpdesk@ngs.nsw.edu.au 

Enrolments via email at enrolments@ngs.nsw.edu.au 

Communications via email at communications@ngs.nsw.edu.au 

Reception via phone 02 4929 5811 or email office@ngs.nsw.edu.au  

Primary Reception (Park Campus) Reception 02 4925 2121

Frequently Asked Questions

Absentees – how do I advise the school if my child will not attend school? 

Use the NGS app, select Connect (it should log you in, or use your Schoolbox login) Select + Add Absence Notification and complete the details. Press +Submit New. 

See Connect Use Guide for more information. 

If the student will be away from school for three or more days, a Leave Application must be completed prior to the absence, for approval by Head of School or Head of Primary.  

What if my child has an appointment during the school day? 

If your child has an early departure, please advise the school using the + Absence Notification via Connect. Students should also have a note in their Program Book advising their teacher. 

What if my child arrives late for school? 

If your child arrives at school after the bell has gone, they must report to Primary Reception (Park Campus) or Secondary Student Services (Hill Campus) to be signed in and recorded as present. 

What happens if my child is sick throughout the school day? 

The class teacher will send the child to Sick Bay (Primary) or Student Services (Secondary) where they will be assessed and triaged by trained staff. If necessary, the parent will be notified for collection. If the matter is serious, such as broken arm, an ambulance will be called and parents notified. 

Who do I ask if I have questions about my child’s education? 

Primary – The class teacher is the first point of contact.  

Secondary – The subject teacher is the first point of contact. 

Who do I ask if I have questions about my child’s wellbeing? 

Primary – The class teacher is the first point of contact.  

Secondary – The Mentor Teacher is the first point of contact.  

Timetable – what time does school start and finish? 

Primary – The school day commences at 8.40am and concludes at 2.55pm. Commencing with roll call and morning announcements, the day follows with seven periods separated by a 30-minute recess break and 40-minute K-3 and 4-6 lunch breaks. 

Secondary – The first bell at Hill Campus is at 8.25am when students should be on site preparing for the day. Roll call is at 8.30am where students should be in their Mentor Class. There are four periods of 75 minutes each. Recess is at 10am for 20 minutes. Break is at 11.35 for 20 minutes. Lunch is 1.10pm for 40 minutes. School finishes at 3.05pm for Secondary students. 

Term dates 

Term dates and public holidays can be found on the school website ngcsstg.wpenginepowered.com/parents/term-dates/ 

Uniform information 

Link to the NGS Uniform Policy/Guidelines:

Primary

Secondary

Link to the Uniform Shop here 

Academic expectations 

Please attend the Parent Information sessions in the first weeks of school to hear more about the curriculum, homework, assessment methods and reporting for your child’s year level. 

Wellbeing Support Services 

If your child or family requires extra wellbeing support during their time as a student at NGS, please contact the Wellbeing staff.  

Primary – Mrs Jo Murdoch, Head of Wellbeing K-6 joanne.murdoch@ngs.nsw.edu.au 

Secondary – contact your child’s Head of House 

Bus information 

Please see the School website for transport information https://ngcsstg.wpenginepowered.com/parents/transport-links/

Before and after school care / Out of School Hours (OOSH) Care 

Please see the School website for OOSH information for Primary students. Once registered, further details are provided on the dedicated Schoolbox OOSH page. https://ngcsstg.wpenginepowered.com/parents/oosh/ 

Drop off and pick up 

Please familiarise yourself with the road rules and Newcastle City Council parking arrangements on the streets around Park and Hill Campuses. Please be courteous to each other and the broader community when using the streets around Newcastle Grammar School. 

Primary – There is a dedicated internal road for student drop off and collection at Park Campus. Access to this roadway is unavailable during the school day. Primary students may also use the drop off/collection area on Parkway Avenue. Be mindful of other road users and where unable to access a drop off or pick up zone, either circulate or park further away and walk to the Campus. Please do not block traffic flows by waiting in the traffic line.  

Secondary – There are drop off and collection zones on Tyrrell St, Newcomen St and Church St. 

Strictly no parking or student collection in the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral.