Author: Jo Dunn

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with our aspiring student leaders in Year 5, as they undertook their leadership preparation course before moving into Year 6. While we spent much of our first workshop exploring our understanding of leadership, and the qualities we recognise as important in leaders, in our second workshop we looked at what this means in a Marist community. It was so beautiful to hear students speak about what it means to be a Newman College student, and how the Marist pillars and Mary as our model plays such a significant part in our understanding of what it means to be a student in our community. Please see some of the response’s students shared in our conversations below:

How can we make Jesus real in our community? 

How was Mary a good leader? What can we learn from her? 

Well done to all of our Year 5 students who participated so enthusiastically and wholeheartedly in the student leadership process, and to their Year 5 teachers and Mrs Battersby for their support in their formation. It is very encouraging to know that the future of our community is in good hands. 

Socktober 

Over the past two weeks, our Year 6 Mini Marists in the primary school have been busy raising awareness for Socktober. This is a time of the year when we raise awareness of the large number of children around the world who are living in poverty through the world game of soccer. Students have been spending their lunchtimes making their own soccer balls from string and plastic bags, and on Friday, students right across the Lavalla campus had the chance to play with these at lunch, sparing a thought for those who so often go without. We also held our traditional staff vs students game which ended in a 1-1 draw. It was great to see so many students enjoying themselves on Friday, and we owe a big thanks to Mrs Jane Short and our Year 6 Mini Marists for leading this initiative. 

Game Changers Wind-up Gathering 

After another great year of building Game Changers, we finished off the Year 11 meetings with an All-Year Wind up. Students from Game Changers groups in years 7-11 had a terrific time bowling, eating pizza and drinking soft drink while attempting to score a strike. Although few strikes were actually made, the students clearly had a great time and really connected and celebrated a great year. There was inter-year group mingling and sharing of fun and challenging experiences the year had held for them. Year 7-10 will continue to have meetings in Weeks 6 and 8, where they will get involved with 24/7 Youth Ministry and plan out their initiatives for next year. 

I would like to sincerely thank all the teachers who have volunteered their time to mentor our students; Matt Box, Albert Zollo & Jade Nicotra, Jordan Coveney, Chris James, Bonnie Keynes, and Adeline Hendriks. Their unwavering commitment makes each meeting worthwhile and enjoyable for those involved. I would also like to thank Issy Ochtman, and previously Liam Street, as our Marist Regional Assistant and their running of our retreats and camps, Br Paul for helping and being our bus driver, and lastly, Amanda Redwood for all the behind-the-scenes organisation and planning aid. We are fortunate to have the support and assistance of such a great team! 

Mrs Aleisha Bryson (Leader of Youth Ministry & Advocacy) 

Year 10 Game Changers Retreat 

The Year 10 LaValla retreat day was all about our students discovering their personal True North! What are our future aspirations? How are we heading there? Who is guiding us? We also looked at understanding, empowering, and creating meaningful relationships with the people around us through social justice. This led us to discussions on what are some of the things we can do this year and next in the way of social justice and community service. Out of this came the plan to visit our Mini Marists in Lavalla Week 6, something our Year 10s are very much looking forward to. Next year we have the intention of continuing these visits, as well as bake sales, immersions, and involvement in the wider community, stay tuned to see how it all plays out in 2023! 

Community Mass 

It was great to welcome so many of our students and their grandparents to our community mass last week – thank you to everyone who attended in support. We warmly invite the entire Newman College Community to gather with us for Mass at 8.10am on Thursday mornings in the Champagnat Chapel. Mass is celebrated by a Priest from a local parish and is hosted by both primary and secondary school students. Please see the upcoming schedule below;

Week 5: Thursday, 10 November; Marcellin and Year 4 Red, Monsignor Kevin Long

Week 6: Thursday, 17 November; MacKillop and Year 4 Blue, Fr Ruben Cardona

Key Dates

Tuesday 25 October – Year 7 2023 Transition Workshop #1 – 3.30pm, Marist Auditorium 
Wednesday 26 October – Visual Arts and Technologies Exhibition – 5.00pm, Marist Auditorium 
Friday 28 October – Parent Soiree – 6.00pm, Marist Auditorium 
Monday 31 October to Friday 18 November – Y12 WACE Exams 
Monday 7 November to Friday 18 November – Y11 Exams 

Welcome back to our final term of 2022. I hope that the fine weather during the holidays gave everyone an opportunity to appreciate the warmth outdoors and enjoy the time away from the daily routine of school life. This term will go quickly and if the first two weeks are anything to go by, it will be busy, productive, and enjoyable.  

We welcomed our incoming Year 7 students for 2023 on Monday of Week One with their Orientation Day and bid farewell to our 2022 Year 12s at the Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday of Week Two. This Sunday marks the beginning of our Arts Festival, where our Performing and Visual Arts students will showcase their wonderfully artistic creations from PK to Year 12.   

Our College community celebrated our Patron, Saint John Henry Newman on Friday of Week One with a K-11 liturgy in the Marcellin campus. This beautiful celebration was followed by a buddy day in our Primary School. The buddy day took on a carnival theme and the Primary community, under the leadership of our new Year 12 student leaders for 2023, raised funds for our very own Telethon Little Star, Emily Siew. Our Secondary students also fundraised for Emily with ice creams, drinks and a staff vs students Basketball game. The Community raised over $11, 500 for telethon7.  

Arts Festival

You are invited to join us in the Marist Auditorium next week for two spectacular showcases of creative talent. 

Mythos, the Newman College Dance Showcase for 2022, is a celebration of human storytelling and of those iconic stories which have endured through time. Sunday 23 October at 10.00am. Tickets can be purchased here

Ignite showcases our emerging artists and designers from Kindergarten to Year 12. Come along to opening night on Wednesday 26 at 5.00pm to celebrate our students’ endeavours in painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and woodwork. 

Two great events, not to be missed! We look forward to seeing you. 

Featured artwork: ‘Leo and Stella’ Graphite drawing on paper by Year 11 student Olivia Li Castro

Uniform – Bathers and Rash Vest requirements  

As previously communicated the College has introduced New College bathers and rash vests. In keeping with College uniform expectations, students are required to adhere to the following changes relating to College bathers and rash shirts.  

• Years 1-2: No change. Students continue to wear their own personal bathers and rash vests.  
• Years 3-9 (2022): College bathers and rash vests are compulsory.  
• Years 3-10 (2023): New style College bathers and rash vests will be compulsory. No old bathers or rash vests can be worn.  

** Due to stock issues earlier in the year, students in Years 7 to 10 may wear the older version of the College bathers and rash vests for the remainder of 2022. New bathers and rash shirt must be purchased for 2023.   

Transperth – School Service Changes 

Transperth have asked we share this information with our College Community.

Services often change at the start of a new Term.  These changes include School Specials, as well as regular routes that service schools in the area. 

These changes are made in order to offer the best possible service across the network. 

Students intending to travel to school via public transport should: 

• Check transperth.wa.gov.au for information. As services change, website information will be updated  
• Plan your journey prior to the start of school. The JourneyPlanner will be updated with the new school services two weeks prior to the start of school. Remember to change the date in the JourneyPlanner to the first day of school 
• Not every school will undergo changes, however all students should plan their journey using the Transperth website.  

Staff Movements  

Following the promotional appointment of Mrs Lisa McClue to Principal of Our Lady of Good Council, the College undertook an extensive recruitment process.  The College is very happy to announce that Mr Ryan von Bergheim will take on the role of Head of Primary at Newman College from 2023. Mr von Bergheim has 13 years of experience in Catholic Education and has held roles such as Curriculum Leader, Digital Lead, Assistant Principal Religious Education, Assistant Principal Administration and Acting Principal at St Thomas’ Primary School. Mr von Bergheim is currently the Assistant Principal of Padbury Catholic and was the Acting Principal in Terms 2 and 3 of this year. We look forward to welcoming Mr von Bergheim into our Newman family in 2023.  

Congratulations to three of our staff members who have been appointed into promotional positions in other communities. Mrs Jenny Miraudo, Director of Transformational Learning PK-12 will be moving to Corpus Christi College next year as Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning PK-12. Ms Katya Anderson, Leader of Learning PK-6 will also be moving to Corpus Christi to take on the role of Head of Primary; Mr Mat Puljiz, Leader of Wellbeing Year 12 will be moving to Santa Maria College as a Dean of Year. 

We are happy to announce that the new Deputy Principal of Teaching and Learning PK-12 at Newman College will be Mrs Beth Murphy. Mrs Murphy comes to us with 15 years of educational experience in Catholic PK-12 and secondary schools such as Mazenod, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart and Corpus Christi. Mrs Murphy has expertise in the areas of teaching and leading in Humanities and Social Sciences, English, Learning Diversity and Religious Education. Additionally, Mrs Murphy spent five years as a Unit Coordinator and lecturer at Curtin University in the Faculty of Humanities and in the School of Education. She worked closely with Undergraduate and Master of Teaching Students. Mrs Murphy has experiences in Middle and Senior Leadership in positions such as Learning Support, Learning Diversity, and Leader of Pedagogy & Practice. Currently, Mrs Murphy holds a senior leadership role as the Assistant Deputy Principal of Pedagogy and Practice at Mazenod College, Lesmurdie. Mr David husband, Mrs Jo Smith and Mr Luke O’Mara will be joining our Leaders of Wellbeing Team next year. All three staff members have experiences in middle and senior leadership, in a variety of schools and in the wellbeing space. 

Following Mr Stuart McClorey’s appointment to Director of Mission and Catholic Identity in Newman, I am pleased to announce that Mr Justin Kirry will be stepping into the role of Leader of Wellbeing Y3-6 next year. Mr Kirry comes to us from St Lukes with experiences in roles such as Assistant Principal, Digital Technologies and Transformation Lead, Quality Catholic Schools Coordinator and classroom teacher from Years 2 to 6. Our Leader of Wellbeing PK-2 will be announced in the next newsletter.   

Mr Matt Connell has stepped down from his position of Leader of Sport. Mr Connell will be returning to the Physical Education and Mathematics classroom from 2023. Mr Tom Williams will be taking a year of leave from his position of Assistant Leader of Sport in 2023 and has taken up the Guild Coordinator role from Term 4 2022. We have appointed Mrs Marnie Barrett into the Leader of Sport position from 2023. Mrs Barrett is a highly experienced leader and comes to us from Holy Cross College, where she is currently the Leader of Sport K-12.  

Ms Margaret Goldsmith, PK-12 Coordinator of Music, has been appointed to the role of Dean of Music at Northshore Christian Grammar School, commencing next year. Ms Louise O’Mahony will be finishing as a Home Economics Teacher and Mackillop Guild Coordinator effective the end of the year and will be taking a role in Iona Presentation College. Ms Laura Goodwin, English Secondary Teacher has been appointed as an English Teacher with English Curriculum Leader role at FCJ College in Melbourne, commencing next year.  Ms Bethwyn Legg, drama teacher, will be moving to St Marys for 2023. 

We will have an opportunity to thank outgoing staff members for their significant contribution at the end of the year and look forward to welcoming our new staff into the Newman Family.  

Other Appointments for 2022 / 2023 

Alessia Chiera	Neurodiversity Specialist
Ashley Lloyd	Secondary HASS Teacher – Ongoing
Caelin Peters	Secondary English Teacher
Elena Buemi	Music Tutor
Emily Mincherton	Home and Economics Teacher
Kellie McDonald	Primary Dance Teacher
Nicolletta De Gennaro	HASS Teacher

NPC Meeting 

The next meeting was originally scheduled to take place on Monday 31 October.   
Please Note: this meeting date has been changed to Monday 7 November 6.00pm, St John Henry Learning Hub. 

This group is critically important in providing input and feedback.  We encourage parents to join us at this meeting to gain insight into our school improvement plan and to discuss school concerns. 

We look forward to welcoming you on Monday 7 November. 

CODE OF CONDUCT

Dear Parents and Guardians

I trust Term 4 has commenced well for all families.  Our first two weeks have provided many opportunities for our community to come together, both as cohorts and as a College.  Our incoming Year 7 cohort for 2023 participated in an Orientation Day with a program assisting their familiarisation with Secondary School for the commencement of 2023.  Year 10 students came together for their week-long adventure camp in Margaret River and Year 12 students finished their mock exams.  As a school we celebrated St John Henry Newman Day last Friday along with our primary school buddy day and fundraiser.  Emily Siew is one of the Little Stars for this year’s Telethon.  The College is very proud of Emily and we look forward to supporting her during this weekend’s Telethon.

Year 12 Graduation

On Wednesday evening we celebrated the Class of 2022’s Graduation at Optus Stadium, with 640 people in attendance.  This significant event, which commenced with Mass and followed by our formal Graduation presentation, marks the end of our Year 12 students’ formal Secondary education.

The Year 12 motto this year, “United in spirit and mind, the class of 2022 forever aligned”, has been lived out throughout the year.  Our Year 12 students, as individuals and as a collective, have conducted themselves in a commendable manner and have exemplified our College’s Vision for Learning ‘Shine through Discovery’ – let your light shine (Matthew 5:16).

In my speech I referred to the poem, The Road not Taken by Robert Frost, and the impact decisions we make have on our lives.  Do we take the easy road, or the road less travelled.  To view my speech in full, please click here. 

I thank the Year 12 students for their contributions to Newman College and look forward to hearing of their journeys in the years to come.

School Registration

The final aspect to Newman College’s School Registration was held on Monday when members of the Non-Government Schools Regulation Department visited the College and met with our new Marist Schools Regional Director, Darren McGregor.  Renewal of School Registration this year by the Department of Education is a result of the incorporation of Marist Schools Australia Limited becoming our governing body from 1 January 2022. 

Newman College now has certified registration for a 5 year period, 1 January 2022-31 December 2026, under the governance of Marist Schools Australia.

Newman College Advisory Council

The Advisory Council took advantage of the visit of our MSA Regional Director and brought forward their final meeting for 2022 to last Monday 17 October.  Darren McGregor spoke at length about the governance structure of Marist Schools Australia which ensures each of their 12 governed schools is well supported by a Regional Director.  He provided a roadmap about how he would personally support Newman College in his role, ensuring that he visited the school on a number of occasions throughout the year.    

Arts Festival 2022

Please click here to view details of two significant upcoming events – Mythos Dance Showcase on Sunday 23 October and Visual Arts and Technologies Exhibition Opening on Wednesday 26 October.

Newman Parents Consultative Committee (NPC) Meeting – Monday 7 November

The final meeting of 2022 will be held on Monday 7 November.  Further information will be circulated closer to the time.

COVID-19 Update

Please click here to view the latest update on our College website.

Marist Sporting Carnivals

We are delighted to report that our Marist Sporting Carnivals are resuming, commencing with the Cricket Carnival 4-9 December this year in Warragul Victoria.  The Basketball Carnival will be held in Adelaide 26-30 March 2023 and the Netball Carnival will be held in Perth 19-21 June 2023.  We have commenced our planning for the staging of the Netball Carnival here in Perth and very much look forward to welcoming our visitors to Perth.

New Members of the College Executive

We welcome two new members of staff to the College and its Executive Team commencing 2023:

• Beth Murphy has been appointed to the position of Deputy Principal of Teaching and Learning PK-12.  Beth replaces Jenny Miraudo following Jenny’s appointment to Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning PK-12 at Corpus Christi College. 
• Ryan von Bergheim has been appointed to the role of Head of Primary.  Ryan replaces  Lisa McClue following Lisa’s appointment to the position of Principal at Our Lady of Good Counsel at Karrinyup.

We wish Jenny and Lisa every success in their new roles and look forward to celebrating their contributions to Newman College at the end of the year.

John Finneran

PRINCIPAL

One of the things I most look forward to in the Term 3 holidays is the chance to enjoy the AFL Grand Final. Although the game wasn’t as close as one may have hoped, it was still a good game to watch, and we must offer congratulations to the Geelong Cats (sorry John!) 

However, it wasn’t the result that stood out most for me that afternoon, it was the actions of Cats captain Joel Selwood. There were three moments in the afternoon that really stood out. These were: 

• Joel walking out with Levi Ablett, son of Gary, who has a rare degenerative disease 
• Joel giving his boots to the young Auskicker who presented him with his medal, as well as getting a photo with all the kids immediately after being presented with the premiership cup 
• Inviting Cats spiritual leader and ‘hydration specialist’ Sam Moorfoot over the fence to join in the team celebrations, where he stayed with the team until they arrived back together in Geelong later that evening.  

What struck me as I was watching this unfold was how Christ-like Joel Selwood was in his actions that day. He was humble, showed love for others, and recognised the dignity of those around him others might consider the least – in this case children and people with disabilities. All this on a day where he could easily be forgiven for thinking only of himself or his team. 

There are lots of ways we can learn about Christ – we can go to mass on Sunday, and we can read from the Gospels. But we can also see Christ in the everyday actions of those beautiful people around us who seek to recognise the dignity of others, and make an effort to positively impact the lifves of others. In a Catholic community like ours, one may be forgiven for thinking it is up to the Principal, or Director of Mission & Catholic Identity to make Christ real in our community. But the fact is, this opportunity sits with every member of our community – parent, child, and teacher. We all share equally in the power to bring Christ to others through our words and actions, and each day brings us the opportunity to make this happen. What will you do with your power? 

Year 5 Leadership Retreat 

Yesterday, our Year Five students gathered in the auditorium to take part in a leadership retreat. Please enjoy this recount from Year 5 students below: 

Today we participated in the Year 5 Leadership Retreat. 24:7 Youth Ministry presented the retreat and one of our favourite activities was where we learnt about the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. We learned about the nine fruits of the spirit and how each one represents a quality that Jesus showed. We then found superheros that represent each fruit of the spirit. Some examples were, 

Self-control – Spiderman 

Peace – Wonder Woman 

Gentleness – Thor 

Faithfulness – Batman 

Goodness – captain America 

This retreat taught us a lot about leadership qualities, and we can’t wait for the future ahead of us. We really loved and enjoyed the leadership retreat. 

 Sia Halai & Berkley Blizzard 

New Ministers of Communion Commissioning 

Following thorough training with Br Terry Orrell, our new Ministers of Communion were commissioned on Wednesday of last week. It was so pleasing to listen to these students in their training speak about wanting to serve their community, and make a positive difference for others. We offer our congratulations to: 

Benjamin Butson, Sophia Brodie, Belle Jenkins, Indiana Lummis, Meg McAullay, Ethan Nguyen, Michael Pethic, Isaac Nolan, and Grace Rose. 

We are very proud to welcome these students to the student ministry team as they undertake this important role in the life of the Church and the College. We look forward to witnessing their service over the coming twelve months. 

St John Henry Newman Day 

The Feast Day of St John Henry Newman, after whom our College is named, is celebrated on October 9.  To mark this important date, students from Kindy-Year 11 gathered together as a whole school last Friday to celebrate the Eucharist with Fr Garner. It was wonderful to have all our students gathered together to celebrate as a whole community, and we are very grateful to Fr Garner for leading our celebrations.  

This day was also an opportunity for our students to join together in raising funds for Telethon to support our Year 3 Telethon Little Star, Emily Siew. Students took part in a carnival in the primary school with lots of games and activities such as silent disco, bowling, chocolate toss, and bowling led by our Year 11 student leaders. Marcellin students also took part in a number of fundraising activities in the secondary campus too. 

Year 12 Graduation 

On Wednesday night, several hundred family members, friends and teachers gathered to acknowledge and farewell our Class of 2022 students at Optus Stadium. The proceedings began with a thought-provoking Mass celebrated by Fr Garner, with beautiful music provided by the Ruah Choir under the direction of Ms Ava Bilton. The theme of our Eucharistic celebration was Let Your Light Shine (Matthew 5:16) where Fr Garner challenged all Year 12 students to go into the world and be the light for others. This is a beautiful message for us all, recognising that we all have the power to impact the lives of others.  

Thursday Morning Community Mass – Grandparents Day 

On Thursday 27 October we will be celebrating the important role that Grandparents play in our families and community. All Grandparents are warmly invited to start the day with Community Mass in the Champagnat Chapel at 8.10am and to stay for refreshments afterwards in the Chapel Foyer.  

Our regular Thursday morning Community Mass is hosted by both primary and secondary students and is celebrated by a Priest from one of our local Parishes. Please see details below of the upcoming dates; 

Thursday 27 October (Grandparents Day), Catherine and Year 5 Blue, Fr Hyginus Ebede 

Thursday 3 November, Chisholm and Year 5 Red, Fr Emmanuel-tv Dimobi 

In our prayers 

We were very saddened to hear recently of the death of Thomas English – a Year 12 student from Marist College in Canberra, as well as the death of Father Israel’s father in the Phillippines. As a Marist community we pray that Mary our Good Mother and St. Marcellin Champagnat watch over their families and give them strength during this time. Please let us keep Thomas’ family and Father Israel in our prayers and thoughts at this time. 

LifeLink Thanks 

This week we received a letter from Most Rev Timothy Costello to acknowledge and thank the College for the donation raised as part of the LifeLink Day initiative last term. The LifeLink organisation was established by the Archdiocese of Perth in 1994 to provide for the ongoing financial and promotional support of agencies established or assisted by the Church. LifeLink’s agencies deliver professional services & caring support to thousands of people in need throughout Western Australia each year. We are very grateful for the support of the College community in supporting this important endeavour. Click here to read the full letter.

St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal 

As Term 4 proceeds and Christmas approaches, we turn our attention to those families in our area who may be struggling with the resources to celebrate this year. 

Every year, Newman College partners with Floreat and Doubleview St Vincent de Paul groups to bring Christian joy and hope to families who need our support. Across PK-12, students will be asked to bring in a particular item to assist in creating Christmas hampers for these families. More information about this appeal will be shared in the coming days.