Secondary Update Term 3 Week 10
Champagnat Shield Announcement
On Wednesday 18 September, we commenced our day with Guild assemblies run by the 2024 Guild Captains. Following this, students moved to Founders’ Court for the announcement of the 2024 Champagnat Shield winner. The winner is determined based on: academic performance, sporting performance, engagement in immersion experiences, mass attendance and commendations. Romero Guild took out 1st place with a score of 1841 points!
Romero Guild enjoyed a break from classes during Period 1 and Period 2, joined by their PCG teachers. They had a BBQ breakfast, Krispy Kremes, and the opportunity to participate in activities which included a silent disco, archery and mindfulness colouring. Please see below the official tally.
The race for the 2025 Champagnat Shield will commence on Tuesday 8 October.
1st Place: Romero Guild 1841 points.
2nd Place: Marcellin Guild 1766 points.
3rd Place: Catherine Guild 1717 points.
4th Place: Chisholm Guild 1444 points.
5th Place: Thomas More Guild 1410 points.
6th Place: MacKillop Guild 1400 points.
7th Place: Camara Guild 1233 points.
8th Place: Brigid Guild 1109 points.
Year 10 Peer Support Training Day: Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders
On Tuesday 10 September, Year 10 students took part in the Peer Support Training Day. The day was designed to equip students with skills needed to become effective Peer Support Leaders. Leadership is more than just being in charge—it’s about setting an example and helping others grow. Throughout the day, students were encouraged to explore what effective leadership means to them, discovering that leaders are empathetic, responsible, and resilient.
The day focused on fostering leadership abilities through some of the following areas.
Building Character Strengths
One of the central components of leadership is character. Students participated in activities that identified their individual strengths and virtues, such as creativity, bravery, perseverance, and curiosity. By recognising and developing these traits, they gained a deeper understanding of how their personal qualities can influence others and contribute to a positive school environment.
Meaningful Connections and Listening
At the heart of peer support is the ability to form meaningful connections. Students practised active listening techniques, a key tool in understanding the needs of others. This ability to listen and build trust is fundamental for peer support leaders who will guide younger students through both everyday challenges and difficult situations.
Empathy and Managing Challenging Situations
Empathy was emphasised as a core value in peer leadership. Students engaged in scenarios that involved putting themselves in others’ shoes, understanding their emotions, and responding with compassion. In addition to this, they explored ways to manage difficult and challenging situations that their peers might face—such as getting lost, friendship issues, or school stress.
Team building
By the end of the training, the Year 10 students walked away with a toolkit of skills, ready to step into their roles as Peer Support Leaders. They learnt how to lead a group of students, how to design team building activities and aspects of servant leadership.
We look forward to seeing how these budding leaders will apply what they’ve learned in their everyday interactions and the difference they will make in our school community!
Congratulations to the following students who completed the training: Oliver Groughan, Riyan Naveed, Poppy Vogl, Alyssa Petracca, Olivia McMahon, Grace Bradshaw, Ella Hills, Olivia Hildebrandt, Koby Ashford, Sam Cousins, Scarlett Sharp, Hannah Woolfrey, Mia Harris, Lulu Brickland, Emma Lindsay, Sienna O’Rourke and Maya McIntyre-Llewellyn.
Thank you to Mr Van Der Heever and Mrs Ognenis for their preparation and delivery of the workshops on the day.
2025 College Musical
We are excited to announce that the College musical production for 2025 will be Bugsy Malone, the Musical.
A slapstick musical comedy set in 1929 New York, Bugsy Malone follows the rivalry between two half-witted street gangs and the washed-up, well-intentioned, one-time boxer.
Auditions for the musical will be held on Tuesday 8 & Wednesday 9 October in EG4 from 3.30pm – 5.30pm.
Recognition of State Representation
Congratulations to Stella Ferguson (Year 9), who recently represented WA in the School Sport Australia Cricket 15s Girls Championships held in Mackay, QLD from 31 August – 6 September, where WA finished fourth. Stella’s strong performance with both bat and ball was recognised with selection in the All-Australian team of the tournament.
State Representation is an honour and an important stepping stone in an athlete’s journey. We commend Stella for her dedication and commitment to her sport.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 10
Subject selection for Year 11, 2025
Thank you to all families who participated in the subject selection process for Year 11, 2025. The College is currently finalising missing selections and constructing the timetable for 2025.
VET Certificates (TAFE courses) and Work Experience for 2025
Applications for VET Certificates for 2025 have now closed. Students will be notified of the outcome of their application in the coming weeks.
The College will open applications for 2025 Work Experience in Term 4 of 2024.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 11
WACE (secondary graduation) requirements
In Year 11 and 12, students are progressing towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), otherwise known as their secondary graduation.
In order to achieve their WACE, students need to meet certain academic targets across Year 11 and 12. These are:
- Demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy (either in Year 9 NAPLAN or in Year 10-12 OLNA).
- Be enrolled in English / Literature in Year 11 and 12.
- Be enrolled in at least 1 ‘List B’ (Maths / Science / Sport / Technology) subject.
- Achieve at least 14 C grades, with at least 6 C grades in Year 12 subjects.
Enrolling in Notre Dame UniPath for 2025
The Notre Dame UniPath program is now open for applications for 2025. Please see below a summary of the UniPath and UniReady Programs:
| UniReady | UniPath | |
| Outcome | 70 ATAR | 70 ATAR |
| Valid for | All WA Universities (but to enter UWA you need 65% in UniReady) | Curtin, ECU, Murdoch, Notre Dame. |
| Structure | One of your 6 school subjects in Year 12. Taught here at Newman, by a teacher, in a classroom each day. | Attend Notre Dame Fremantle campus one day per week, for 12 weeks. |
| How to apply | Select UniReady as one of your Year 12 subjects next year. (Or tell me if you’d like to enter) | See below. |
If you would like to enrol in UniPath for next year, you can now apply for entry to this program.
- Read the information here: https://www.notredame.edu.au/study/applications-and-admissions/pathways/unipath
- If it looks right for you, see the “How To Apply” section for the process.
- If you are already enrolled in UniReady but decide to switch to UniPath, please let me know.
For students thinking of attending University
- TISC has a series of videos explaining things like ATAR calculation, prerequisite subjects, scaling, and preferences. You can find them here: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/video.tisc
- Are you thinking of attending a University Open Day? Dates are below. This blog might help you: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2024/02/20/year-11-how-to-approach-university-open-days/
VET Certificates (TAFE courses) and Work Experience for 2025
Applications for VET Certificates for 2025 have now closed. Students will be notified of the outcome of their application in the coming weeks.
The College will open applications for 2025 Work Experience in Term 4 of 2024.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 12
Parent and family resources
Each year, the Australian Government publishes a resource for parents / guardians to assist in career conversations. The 2024 version can be found here: https://www.yourcareer.gov.au/school-leavers-support/parents-and-guardians-guide
WACE (secondary graduation) requirements
In Year 11 and 12, students are progressing towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), otherwise known as their secondary graduation.
In order to achieve their WACE, students need to meet certain academic targets across Year 11 and 12. These are:
- Demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy (either in Year 9 NAPLAN or in Year 10-12 OLNA).
- Be enrolled in English / Literature in Year 11 and 12.
- Be enrolled in at least 1 ‘List B’ (Maths / Science / Sport / Technology) subject.
- Achieve at least 14 C grades, with at least 6 C grades in Year 12 subjects.
Gap year information
Students interested in taking a gap year in 2025 might find the following interesting:
- Defence Force Gap Year: https://www.adfcareers.gov.au/careers/gap-year?page=2&perPage=21&query=
- Other gap year ideas: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2024/04/02/leaving-year-12-try-these-gap-year-ideas/
- And: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2022/07/13/leaving-year-12-these-gap-year-ideas-may-interest-you/
Apprenticeship and Trades information
The 2024 edition of the Apprentice Intake Guide has now been published. This guide is a large listing of many different apprenticeship opportunities available.
Students and families can access the Guide here: https://asa.cciwa.com/mp-files/intake-guide.pdf/
ATAR Examinations Timetable 2024
The 2024 ATAR examinations timetable can be found at the links below:
ATAR Practical Exams Timetable
University and TAFE dates
University deadlines and information
| Date | Information |
| 31 August | Last date to enter Veterinary Science as a preference on TISC. You can’t apply for Vet after this date. |
| 30 September | Last date to enter a preference on TISC for Medicine (Curtin, UWA, Notre Dame). |
| 29 November | Last date to upload any known medical/family evidence (via the TISC website) that might affect your ATAR. |
| 2 December | Final round of early offers sent to students. |
| 15 December | ATAR results available on the TISC website. |
| 17 December | Closing date for applications / changes of preferences on the TISC website. |
| 21 December | Offers sent to students. |
| 15 January | Last date to apply for second-round offers. |
| 21 January | Second-round offers sent to students. |
For instructions on how to apply using TISC (including for UniReady / UniPath students), please refer to this document.
For guidance on how the offer process works / how to accept / what to do if you don’t get an offer / deferring – please see here: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/admission-offers.tisc
TAFE deadlines and information
| Date | Information |
| 6 September | Applications open for Semester 1, 2025. |
| 1 November | Last date to apply for Semester 1, 2025. |
| 4 December onwards | Offers will be made after this date. |
Students and families can find a list of all TAFE courses at this link: https://www.fulltimecourses.tafe.wa.edu.au/
Information about University entry
- TISC has a series of videos explaining things like ATAR calculation, prerequisite subjects, scaling, and preferences. You can find them here: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/video.tisc
- Are you thinking of attending a University Open Day? Dates are below. This blog might help you: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2024/02/01/year-12-how-to-approach-university-open-days-in-2022/
- Are you the first person in your family to attend University? This might assist: http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/
- Here are some useful tools to prepare students for the transition to University: https://unireadytoolkit.com.au/
- Students and families may also find these resources from Curtin University helpful: https://www.curtin.edu.au/study/undergraduate/high-school-resources/
University scholarships
| Curtin University | Search scholarships | Curtin University, Perth, Australia |
| Edith Cowan University (ECU) | ECU | Overview : Scholarships |
| Murdoch University | Scholarship finder (murdoch.edu.au) |
| Notre Dame University | Find a Scholarship | Notre Dame |
| University of Western Australia (UWA) | The University of Western Australia : Scholarships (uwa.edu.au) |
| Christian Leaders Scholarship | https://ichthys.org.au/christian-leaders-scholarship/ |
