Newman College Father’s Day
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Newman News Term 3 Week 4: From the Deputy Principal Secondary
Wellbeing Week
The College has celebrated Wellbeing Week this week, with each day focusing of a different aspect of wellbeing. Our focus for Monday was Healthy and in PCG we focused on mental health awareness. Students participated in our own version of the Blue Tree Project and were asked to consider the people and things in their life that support their own wellbeing. At lunch, students participated in active games such as badminton, soccer, basketball, netball and ultimate frisbee.
Tuesday’s focus was Present and students took part in a Marist Mindfulness meditation in PCG. On Wednesday morning Leaders of Wellbeing hosted Gratitude Assemblies to highlight the day’s focus of Gratitude. Students had an opportunity to present gratitude awards to their peers and say thank you to their PCG teachers.
Thursday’s Assumption Day Mass and Lapathon was a great way to come together as a Marist Community. The focus for the day was Connect and having the opportunity to connect with our faith and with each other highlighted the importance of relationships for our own wellbeing. Our talented music students put on a pop-up concert at lunch on Thursday for us to enjoy.
Guild Athletics Carnival
The Guild Athletics Carnival was a great day despite the morning weather conditions. There was a high level of competition, with many records broken and students displayed wonderful Guild Spirit encouraging their peers all day. Congratulations to MacKillop Guild, who were awarded the 2022 Athletics Carnival Guild Spirit Award!
2022 School Athletics Record
Year 7 Boys Javelin 32.22m – Myles Nolan
Year 7 Girls 80m Hurdles 15.20s – Clancy Boss,
Year 10 Girls 90m Hurdles 15.4s – Imogen Boss,
Year 10 Girls Javelin 31.47m – Imogen Boss
Year 11 Girls 100m Hurdles 18.1s – Meg McAullay
Year 8 Boys 4 x100m Relay Team – Romero and Brigid Guild 55.28s
Year 10 Boys 4 x 100m Relay Team – Romero and Catherine Guild 50.61s
The overall Champion Guild, along with age champions will be announced in Week 5.
Unfortunately, there was some confusion with the process of requesting bus transport for students to and from the venue for which we apologise. We will be working on a streamlined system for future events where we provide transport.
Year 11 Leadership Preparation Program
Applications for 2023 Year 12 Leadership positions have now opened. The Year 11 students who wish to apply for a Year 12 leadership position next year have begun their Leadership Preparation Program. The program commenced with a Commissioning Mass in week two, where students were blessed while the College community prayed for them as they begin this leadership journey. Last week, students focused on the importance of knowing and understanding your values and this week students studied real-world leaders in order to determine the qualities of good leaders. The student’s engagement in these sessions has been outstanding and we look forward to the final two Leadership Preparation sessions next week.
Year 9 HaSS – Civics and Citizenship Project Based Learning
Last term in HaSS, the Year 9 students explored elections and influencing voters using Project Based Learning. Groups created their own political parties with specific policies and they then organised an election campaign. Each party had its own logo and slogan. For the election, students created fake websites, social media posts, campaign leaflets and a campaign video. The WA Electoral Education Centre came to speak with the student and teach them about the Australian election process. Classes then held their own election using the preferential voting system to elect their candidates for the whole year election. This final vote was held early this term and included some brilliant campaign videos. The winning political party showed organization, clear policies and of course a very slick and persuasive campaign video. Congratulations to the ‘Happy World Party’.
The Year group really rose to the challenge and the teachers could see the time, effort and ideas that went into the campaign material and exploring voter behaviour. Although there was only one winner, there were many excellent Newman political parties. We look forward to seeing Newman students running the country in the coming decades!
Year 11 P&L Excursion
On Thursday, the Year 11 Politics and Law class attended an excursion to the Courts and Parliament House. The day commenced with a tour of the Supreme Court where students had the opportunity to participate in a mock trial. After a short walk, students arrived at the District Court and were granted an opportunity to sit in a courtroom and hear the initial questioning by the Prosecution to establish the foundation of their case against a group of people, charged with drug trafficking. Returning to the Supreme Court gardens, students enjoyed the sunshine whilst eating lunch before boarding the bus for Parliament House. They were greeted by David, the tour guide for the afternoon who provided an insight into the roles, responsibilities, and features of Western Australia’s parliamentary system. The day was highlighted by a chance meeting with The Honourable Mark McGowan, Premier of WA.
Year 12 Geography Excursion
On Tuesday 2nd August the intrepid Year 12 ATAR Geography students ventured out in wild and woolly weather, a result of a significant cold front. Undeterred, we packed our rain coats, umbrellas and puffer jackets ready to study the functional zones of Perth. We began with a warm train ride to Cockburn Central, an excellent example of a transit oriented development and a quick hello to the Dockers headquarters. Gladly back on the train to head to Elizabeth Quay and our amazing race through the Perth CBD to apply our knowledge of the processes of urban studies. With a break in the weather, we headed to East Perth to explore the Inner Mixed Zone and the 1990’s East Perth redevelopment plan. As we headed back to the CBD, the weather was not on our side, however we did not let this thwart us and we sheltered in Yagan Square to discuss the ongoing planning strategies for the City of Perth. A final field excursion for the Year 12’s Geographers and indeed a memorable one.
Just Start It
Last Tuesday evening, Aaron Jones, Ryley Bradford and Jordan Smith from Year Ten participated in the Just Start It finals for 2022. Just Start It is an external entrepreneurial program where students are challenged to create a business idea as a response to a real-world problem. The team from Newman have created an Esports company – Edren Esports – to address the lack of Australian representation in Esporting competitions. Out of 200 teams across the state they made it to the top ten teams to present at the finals. The students did exceptionally well and showcased a semester of outstanding work with plans to continue developing their concept with a stand at an upcoming tech festival.
Year 12:
Our Year 12 students are in their final term of secondary school and many are making plans for the end of the year and beyond.
It has come to our attention that several Year 12 students have approached the College asking for proof of enrolment letters for the purpose of Leavers accommodation. The College is however unable to support these requests for this purpose and students are required to use other documents such as their Year 12 reports or Transperth SmartRider card that confirms that they are a current year 12 student.
Further information pertaining to Leavers can be found on the website and we encourage both parents and students to visit this site.
Further information pertaining to Leavers can be found on the Leavers WA website and we encourage both parents and students to visit this site.
Attendance:
Over the next week, parents will receive communication from the College if their child’s attendance was below 90% throughout Semester One. Regular attendance is extremely important, as missing school can have a detrimental impact on learning. For students to access the full curriculum, we recommend the rate of 90% – 100% as regular attendance. We acknowledge that there have been a number of challenges this year that have contributed to student attendance at school and the purpose of this communication is to ensure parents are aware of their child’s attendance rate throughout Semester One.
Canteen Payments:
Please be reminded that students are not permitted to make payments at the Canteen using their phone. The Canteen will only accept payments with a SmartRider, cash or card.
Newman News Term 3 Week 4: From the Vice Principal
Key Dates
Friday August 15: Staff Wellbeing (PUPIL FREE DAY)
Monday August 18: Faith Day (COLLEGE CLOSED)
Thursday August 25: PK-Y2 Book Week Parade
Friday August 26: Y3-Y6 Book Week Parade
Feast of the Assumption
Today, Thursday 11 August we celebrated Assumption Day as one whole K-12 Community, and as a part of our Wellbeing Week. We started the day with the Eucharist and then moved to a lapathon, followed by buddy activities in the Primary. Assumption Day is the chosen Feast Day of the Marist Brothers, which is 15 August. Assumption is the doctrine that Mary the mother of Jesus was taken (assumed) into heaven, body and soul, following the end of her earthly life. The meaning of the doctrine is that Mary’s full redemption involved a glorification of her complete personality – it is appropriate for both her human body and her soul to be reunited with God given her impeccable nature whilst present on earth. This glorification, or celebrated salvation, anticipates the promised state offered to all humankind wanting to follow Jesus through Mary’s example. One of our important Marist quotes that guides our aspirational way of being is ‘all to Jesus through Mary’. Mary is our model for Presence and Simplicity. Her surrender and humble acceptance of her significant place in the Church and in the world, epitomises what it means to live ‘in the way of Mary’. The theme for the day was Connected, which gave our students the opportunity to connect with their faith, teachers and with each other as one College Community.
Diagnostic Inventory of School Alignment (DISA): URGENT Parental Assistance Required
As mentioned in earlier correspondence, Newman College is committed to annual school improvement, and we are seeking feedback from all members of our community to refine practices. This requires your engagement through the completion of the DISA survey.
The DISA is a longitudinal survey that evaluates the perceptions of students, parents and staff on the progress of school improvement strategies and our Vision for Learning. It would be greatly appreciated if you could complete the survey here. It is anonymous, no log-in or password are required, and it takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. Your responses will play a valuable part in shaping the strategic vision of Newman College for the years to come.
Sincere thanks for your ongoing support.
Winter Music Night
Last Monday the College showcased the talents of students in the Marcellin Chamber Ensemble, SIP Band, Concert Winds, Newman Voices, Senior Concert Band, Contemporary Rock Bands, Glee and Ruah. Students had the opportunity of performing their items for family, friends, and staff. This was a wonderful event that demonstrated their exceptional individual and collective talents. A big congratulations to our performers, comperes, and to the music teachers and support staff who all dedicated their time to enable the success of the event.
Wellbeing Week
This week students and staff celebrated Wellbeing Week. The College recognises the importance of educating and raising student awareness in this space. Our activities and learnings encourage students to continue to develop their own wellbeing, enabling them to contribute and participate in our College community. Each day had a different focus: Healthy, Present, Grateful and Connected. Students participated in various activities across the College to highlight the importance of these themes to our wellbeing.
On Friday staff will have the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Glenn Mitchell, ABC Sports Broadcaster, as he shares details of his personal journey, highlighting mental health. He will speak about how we can learn to overcome any challenges we may face.
Thank you to our Wellbeing Captains and staff for their leadership and support of Wellbeing Week.
Da Vinci Decathlon
The Da Vinci Decathlon, an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students, took place last week. Students competed in engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, Science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy tasks in a collaborative team of 8.
We are very proud of our student participation and congratulate them for their outstanding performance and results.
Year 5 Team – 1st place Art and Poetry
Berkley Blizzard, Grace Patterson, Summer Storey, Nicholas Heng, Gatano Capolingua, Jacob Parry, Sophie Parry, Thomas Abbott.
Year 6 Team – 3rd Place Art & Poetry
Madison Bradford, Alessio Gismondi, Bailey Aylmore, Luca Trettel, Deion Fernando, Joshua Woods, Sienna Larcombe, Anabelle Adamini.
Year 7 team
Lucas Brunini, Alexander Byrne, Kean D’Souza, Benjamin Davies, Prince Teo, Lachlan Stevens, Felix Sanchez, Brayden Lim.
Year 8 team – 1st place Creative Producers
Micaela Buddle, Arlo Gaunt, Hannah Woolfrey, Alyssa Petracca, Lachlan Moir-Scott.
Newman Parents Committee (NPC)
Thank you to those parents who attended the NPC meeting last night. The reframing of this parent engagement forum is now complete, and members of the PK-12 Newman Parents Executive were announced. Thank you to all those who expressed an interest in joining the executive group. Congratulations to our Newman Parent Executives: Gina Thornberry, Benjamin Ker, Christina Folley, Stella Rapanaro. Deborah Attard Portughes. We look forward to working in collaboration with you and our wider parent community in this space.
Chickenpox Notification
The College wishes to advise parents and guardians that we have been notified of some cases of chickenpox within our College community. Please click HERE to access Department of Health information. Our sole purpose in publishing this information is in protecting people’s health. In accordance with our Privacy policy, we preserve the identity of people with medical conditions.
Should you wish to engage in further dialogue pertinent to this information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Parent Teacher Communication Protocols
Parents are reminded that the most efficient and effective method for contacting teachers and support staff is through the staff member’s email address. In most cases, our staff will respond to the communication as appropriate, within 48 hours.
Students Who Have Participated in State and National Representation
The College would like to recognise and celebrate the achievements of those students who have represented their team, sport, or activity at a state or national level. If your child has participated in an activity that falls within that category, we would love to hear from you. Please complete this form to let us know of your child’s achievement.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Newman College code of conduct found Here
Newman News Term 3 Week 4: From the Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians
Wellbeing Week
This week we celebrated wellbeing with a particular focus on gratitude. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. As a Marist school a key characteristic is our Family Spirit. As a school of 1900 it is this family spirit that binds us in how we walk with each other and in the relationships that we cultivate.
In his book, the Kindness Revolution (2021), Hugh MacKay – a well-known sociologist, contends that we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism through kindness.
In a world that has been so disrupted through COVID-19, geopolitical wars and the imperative of individualism and competition, showing gratitude, if not kindness, is fundamental to supporting the wellbeing of all people.
I attended the Years 9 and 12 assembly this week where students read out gratitude statements about their peers and teachers, a simple “thank you for charging my laptop”, “thank you for holding my books” or “thank you for saying hello”, were so powerful in their simplicity. Our children are grateful for each other and for their families. They imbue a Marist spirit that is predicated on the Gospel’s imperative of love. Our Founder, St Marcellin Champagnat, asked his Brothers to know and love all people. This is what we want for our College and this is why Wellbeing Week is one small step to ensuring every child, teacher and family member knows that they are valued, are valuable and are loved.
In a week when we celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop of the Cross (8 August) and the Feast of the Assumption (15 August) it is appropriate that we reflect on our immediate and wider Marist family. We give thanks for our Marist Brothers as they continue to provide support, wisdom and presence in our Marist Community. I would like to welcome Br Joe Hughes as the newest member of our Marist Churchlands community and we look forward to his presence in our community.
Annual School Improvement Plan Intent – Sustainability
A key priority area in our Annual School Improvement Plan is Sustainability. In 2022 we have committed to developing “sustainable practices to support an ongoing commitment to the protection of the environment and ongoing sustainability of College resources”, including recycling.
At our last Secondary School assembly, our College Student Leaders, Isabella O’Rourke and Joshua Downes, challenged the students to consider how they could all be stewards for the environment. They informed students that “over the coming weeks we are trialling recycling and asking students If the recycling bins are filled with food scraps or with items other than the ones we have just mentioned, then everything in the yellow bins is placed in landfill and is not recycled. Landfill breaks down very slowly and can emit toxins into our soil and groundwater, becoming an environmental hazard for years to come. We ask you all for your support and cooperation in using the recycling bins properly so we can make a start becoming a more environmentally friendly school.”
Our Mini Marist at Lavalla have done the same.
Please click here to read the content of my speech.
Marist Schools Australia Biennial Conference, Brisbane
Last week, Vice Principal – Lucie McCrory, Deputy Principal Primary – Lisa McClue, Director, Mission and Catholic Identity – Simon Martino, and I attended the Marist Schools Australia National Conference in Brisbane. Marists from around Australia and beyond gathered together for a series of symposiums and workshops. Newman College presented two symposiums:
Learning Strand – To Live is to Change; to be Perfect is to have Changed often
Formation Strand – Vision for Mission: To Form “Good Christians and Good Citizens”
Both presentations were well received and we enjoyed very positive feedback. Overall, the conference was outstanding and an excellent opportunity for our leadership staff to promote the College’s School Improvement agenda as well highlight the central role of ministry at Newman College.
COVID- 19 Update
The Department of Health leads our state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Advice from the Chief Health Officer is that mask wearing has proven to be a highly effective method of reducing the spread of COVID-19. The state government will continue to provide the public with timely and scientifically proven advice. This information is updated regularly and can be found on HealthyWA.
Mask wearing is one of a number of measures we currently have in place to reduce the number of serious cases in the community and to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Whilst strongly encouraged, mask wearing is not mandatory except when travelling on public transport (including school buses) and when following the testing and isolation protocols as a close contact.
Working together, we can all help to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in our school.
Newman News Term 3 Week 4: From the Deputy Principal Primary
There have been lots of things happening across the primary school in the past fortnight, and lots of wonderful achievements to celebrate. Well done to everyone who has worked so hard to achieve their personal best across a range of different pursuits. It is always a joy to celebrate students across these different endeavours.
We have also had a wonderful Wellbeing Week, where our students have been able to reflect on and participate in a range of activities that foster and promote their personal wellbeing. The week culminated in our Assumption Buddy Day and Lapathon. It was amazing to see students complete the lapathon alongside their buddies, as well as the Marcellin secondary students. The theme of connect, was realised as they enjoyed the sunshine and came together to raise funds for Marist Solidarity.
Year 5 and 6 Da Vinci Decathlon Students
The Da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in engineering, Mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, Science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy tasks in a collaborative team of 8.
Well done to our Year 5 team who were awarded first place for Art and Poetry and our Year 6 team who were awarded third place for Art and Poetry.
Speak Up Awards
On Wednesday afternoon, our three finalists from the Speak Up Awards competition took a trip to the Freemason Club in Doubleview for the second round of competition. Amazingly, all three students were successful in delivering another round of amazing speeches! Congratulations to Grace, Stef, and Isla who will now go through to the preliminary finals of the competition. These students are to be congratulated for their excellent efforts. We would also like to acknowledge Mrs Hatchett for all of her hard work in supporting these students through this competition.
Assembly
Last Friday, students in 5 Blue took to the stage to bring us on a wonderful journey of their learning so far this year through a creative ‘Dora the Explorer’ theme. It was great to see students presenting their learning in such a creative and engaging way. We also acknowledged a number of award winners across the College, celebrating their recent achievements. Well done to all students on their success to begin the term.
Year 1 Excursion – Kalamunda History Museum
In line with their History Unit, our Year 1 students headed to Kalamunda History Museum to experience what it was like in the past. They had a wonderful time, despite the wet weather, and gained a greater appreciation and understanding for how the world has changed and developed over time.
Pre-Primary Excursion – Perth Zoo
Lions and Tigers and Bears!! Well, that was just a few of the animals that our Pre-Primary students saw on their visit to Perth Zoo. I was lucky enough to hear about the zoo experience directly from some of our students, as they recounted their favourite animals in class. The zoo visit has since been a great scaffold into some fantastic pieces of writing for the students.
Student Wellbeing
As part of our Wellbeing Week celebrations this week, I spoke with a number of students about our Marist theme for 2022 which is Known and Loved: Dignity for all. The word dignity is derived from the Latin word dignitas meaning, ‘being worthy of honour or respect’. This is the very heartbeat of the Gospel, and as young people in a Christian community, we spoke about how we are called to live the Gospel values in demonstrating our commitment to the dignity of others in both our words and actions.
The parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates this perfectly. In this story, a Jewish man who is beaten and robbed, lies in pain while a priest and a Levite (assistant priest) pass him by. Finally, it is a Samarian man who stops to assist, clean his wounds, and take him to an innkeeper to be looked after. To really appreciate the scale of these actions, we need to understand that historically, Jewish people and Samarians were in a conflict with each other that went back a thousand years meaning they were very likely to avoid helping or assisting each other at any cost. And yet in this instance, it is only the good Samaritan who stops to help the Jewish man.
The lesson here for our students, and even our community, is that every person we encounter is worthy of dignity; of being both honoured and respected – even those who we might see as our enemies. As young people in a Christian community, our students are responsible for making Jesus Christ known and loved to each other through their words and actions, especially to the least, the lost, and the invisible. I have encouraged students this week to reflect on who those people in our community may be, and what role they can play in brining Christ to them. Every person in our community, child and adult, has a story, and every person hopes for that story to be heard, to be acknowledged, and to be understood. In taking the time to do this, we are helping to create a community that is loving, nurturing, and Christ centred. This is what it means to be a part of Newman College.
I hope that all of our students have enjoyed the unique opportunities of Wellbeing Week, and that families have a very safe, and relaxing time together over the long weekend.
Mr McClorey
Leader of Wellbeing (Primary)