Jo Dunn, Author at Newman College

Newman News Term 1 Week 8: From the Leader of Early Childhood

Jo Dunn on 26/03/2021

When our children start school, parents recognise the importance of reading, writing and numeracy. Often, parents read to their children to encourage pre-literacy skills and sing number songs and rhymes which they know will assist them in their journey to become literate and numerate. What we sometimes fail to overlook, particularly in our increasingly digital world, is the importance of fundamental movement and gross motor skills in the learning journey of each child.

In early childhood, educators place a great importance on the development of fundamental movement skills, not only as a pre-cursor to athletic skills and abilities, but because we recognise the vital role they play to children’s success in reading, writing and general learning. Some examples include:

Without good core strength, children will be unable to sit at a desk and write effectively
The skill of crossing the midline allows both sides of the brain to coordinate smooth, controlled, and complex movement. It is an important skill that allows children to undertake daily tasks such as reading, writing, and tying shoelaces.
Planning and sequencing movement allows children to follow multi-step instructions. This is vital for children to be able to successfully follow classroom and learning instructions, or to be able to sequence and retell stories (a key comprehension skill)
Children’s vestibular development helps them to identify where their body is in space and is also linked to eye movements. This is needed for children to be able to track moving objects, scan and discriminate between objects. This skill impacts activities such as reading, playing sports, adjusting visual attention whilst moving, and maintaining attention when alternating between looking at the whiteboard and then at their own work.

Further, all the key skills such as balancing, climbing, jumping, throwing, catching, skipping, and running all play a huge role in contributing to children’s physical, cognitive and social development and are thought to provide the foundation for an active lifestyle.

HASS and Harmony Week celebrations

Thank you to the children who participated in our Harmony and HASS dress-up day today. It was lovely to see such a wide range of cultures represented, and to hear from the children the reasons behind their costume.

The children engaged in a range of old-style games as part of our Family Fun Friday activities, including quoits, elastics, skipping and hopscotch, as a nod to the history learning area.

To read more and to view photos from the day click here.

School Photo Day

Families should take note that the day for our school photos has been set for this year – Friday 14 May. More information will be made available to families around uniform requirements and the photo ordering process as we get closer to the date. It is important that all students attend on the day, as school photos become treasured memories over the years, and we would love for all students to be represented in their class.

Easter Liturgy & Raffle

Our Year 1 students will be hosting our Easter Liturgy next Thursday 1 April commencing at 9.00am in St Cecilia’s Parish. There will be a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross by our Year 1 students.
Our annual Easter Raffle to raise funds for Caritas’ Project Compassion appeal will be held in the Marian Hall after lunch on Thursday. I would like to thank parents for their generous donations of Easter Eggs, and the purchase of raffle tickets. I would also like to extend my thanks to Kirsten Button and her team of volunteers for their time in assembling all the prizes for our raffle.

Parent Reps 2021

The role of the Parent Representative is to support the teacher and the other parents in building up a sense of community in the sub-groups of the Newman College Pre K-6 community. This years Parent Representatives are as follows:

Pre-Kindy: Katie Houlahan
Kindy Red: Angela McGrath
Kindy Green: Maree Hutcheon and Bree Summerfield
Kindy Blue: Steph D’Allesandro
Pre-Primary Red: Anastasia Diamond
Pre-Primary Green: Melody Ridge and Michaela Gill
Pre-Primary Blue: Rowena Reid
1 Red: Amanda Wright
1 Green: Carmel Lowson
1 Blue: Carla Cardaci-Anza
2 Red: Joy Gondariya
2 Green: Kirsten Button
2 Blue: Veronika Panzic

Pre-Primary Excursion to Landsdale Farm

Last Friday, our Pre-Primary students had an exciting excursion to Landsdale Farm. They all came back looking hot, tired but very happy – the sign of a great day!

Newman News Term 1 Week 8: From the Leader of Primary

Jo Dunn on 26/03/2021

One of my favourite memories in teaching came toward the end of my first year in the classroom. I was asked by the basketball coordinator of our school if I would be interested in coaching a team of Year 3 girls. At first, I wasn’t sure…I didn’t know much about coaching basketball, and I knew even less about Year 3 girls! But in the end, I decided to give it a go and just see what would happen. It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made – I coached the team for three years until they graduated in Year 6, and went on to coach girls netball at my next school too. Even though we managed to get through our first season undefeated, (I just had to include that sorry!) it wasn’t the victories that made it enjoyable, it was the relationships I formed with the team, and being able to watch the great relationships they formed with each other. It was watching kids work together to support and encourage each other, and it was watching a team full of girls celebrate like they’d won a championship, when one of their teammates scored for the first time.

Many people say sport builds character, and it does…but in another way sports can be great for revealing character. It gave me the opportunity to see students in a different way, and the chance for students to be successful outside of the classroom. Many of our families are already involved in sporting activities, from netball, football and swimming, to tennis, basketball, and dance. They provide a great opportunity for our students to make friends and develop new skills, and play an important role in the development of our young people.

School Photo Day

Families should take note that the day for our school photos has been set for this year – Friday 7 May. More information will be made available to families around uniform requirements and the photo ordering process as we get closer to the date. It is important that all students attend on the day, as school photos become treasured memories over the years, and we would love for all students to be represented in their class.

Easter Liturgy & Raffle

Our Year 3 students will be hosting our Easter Liturgy next Thursday 1 April commencing 2.00pm in the Marist Auditorium. There will be a staging of the Stations of the Cross, followed by the drawing of our Easter raffle. Due to the COVID restrictions in place we encourage families to enjoy the liturgy via the YouTube live stream which can be accessed from the Newman College YouTube page under the Lavalla playlist. You can find the link here. However, parents of students are still welcome to attend in person also. At the conclusion of the Liturgy we will draw the prizes for the Easter raffle.

Guild Activity Day

On Wednesday this week, students from the Thomas More guild at the Marcellin campus came to visit our students and take part in a number of events as part of the guild activity celebrations. Students took part in activities ranging from reading and quizzes, to basketball and capture the flag. It was wonderful for our students to have the opportunity to connect with some of the older boys and girls of our school, and to share the different experiences they have each day. We are very grateful to Ms Jamie Pedler at the Marcellin campus for her assistance in getting everything organised.

Interschool Sport

Over the past two weeks, some of our students have had the opportunity to be involved in Interschool Sport. Students took part in the Interschool Swimming Carnival which was hosted by Newman College, and this week Mrs Richards and Mr Hunt took some of our Year 6 students to take part in the Interschool basketball at the Willeton Basketball Association. It really fills me with pride when we have these events and students take part in such a positive and enthusiastic manner. All students should be proud of their efforts and the excellent way they represented our school. Click here to view the photo’s taken on the day.

Student Leaders Celebration

Last week, our Year 6 and Year 12 students, along with their families, came together for a special celebration at our PK-12 Community Mass. Students received a blessing from Father, and were recognised in the presence of God as our school leaders for 2021. Students then gathered for a short morning tea afterwards which was a good opportunity to come together and reflect on what has already been a busy term. I look forward to continuing to work with the outstanding young leaders of our campus and guiding them to make the difference they want to see in the world.

Musica Viva Incursion

Last Friday we were very lucky to have been joined by a team of musicians from Musica Viva, who delivered an amazing presentation called ‘Eastwinds,’ showing how music can link with improvisation and storytelling. Students were shown how to harness their creativity by expressing and sharing their experiences through music, and students were given the tools to create and connect with each other through making music on the spot. It was a thoroughly enjoyable presentation, and we owe a big thanks to our Music teacher, Mrs Annette Grayden, for organising.

New Swings

We were very fortunate last week to see the installation of our new swings in the playground! They have so far proved very popular, and we have even had to roster year groups across the week to make sure everyone gets a turn. Students have been spoken to many times this week about safe play in and around the swings area, and our student leaders have put together some posters to promote safe practices. Next time you are in the school, you can hop on and even give them a try yourself!

HASS Week

This week students at the Marcellin campus were celebrating HASS week, which is celebration of all things History, Geography, and Social Studies. We joined in the celebrations today, encouraging students to come dressed to school in the colours or national dress that reflects their country. This also coincides with Harmony Dad which we also celebrated. As a community rich with many cultures and backgrounds, it is important that we celebrate the unique diversity of our community and promote a healthy respect and love for one another. Needless to say, students enjoyed the chance to dress up and show off their colours! To read more and to view photos from the day click here.

Parent Reps 2021

I would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the commitment and dedication of our parent representatives for 2021. As Easter draws closer, many teachers have been sharing stories with their children around the importance of acts of service. In the lead up to Easter we learn about how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, hoping to inspire them into acts of service. We really don’t need to look any further than our parent volunteers and reps here at our school to see this beautiful message being lived out right here in our own community. It is a selfless act to volunteer for the good of our community, and all families in our community should be grateful for their contributions.
The role of parent rep is largely a social role – it is about welcoming new families and arranging a social event or two throughout the year for the children of the year level, and perhaps even for the parents too. In the past, some families have come to rely on parent reps to deliver information such as sports days, or to be up to date on all the latest goings-on of the class or school, but this is not the responsibility of the parent rep. I would urge families if you have a query that is related to anything happening in the class or school, your first port of call should be the classroom teacher. The role of parent rep should be not be burdensome, and I am conscious of the great effort and lengths our reps already go to for some families.

The list of parent reps for 2021 is as below:

Year 3 Blue: TBA
Year 3 Green: Carla Martinovich
Year 3 Red: Carla Martinovich
Year 4 Blue: Sarina Menzies
Year 4 Green: Kerry Picotti
Year 4 Red: Christie Blizzard
Year 5 Blue: Mychelly Anderton
Year 5 Green: Jo Crothers & Taryn Devlin
Year 5 Red: Hayley Andrews
Year 6 Blue: Angela Smith
Year 6 Green: Sarina Menzies
Year 6 Red: Alicia Mason

Newman News Term 1 Week 8: From the Leader of Mission and Catholic Identity

Jo Dunn on 26/03/2021

As we enter the final week of Term 1, we naturally reflect on all we have accomplished in such a small time. Students and families across the PK-12 community have continued to demonstrate a generosity of spirit and awareness to the needs of the most vulnerable as we continue to fundraise for Project Compassion through our Easter Raffle and various community events. The Easter Raffle will be drawn during the Primary Easter Liturgy’s. See below for details of each Campus liturgy.

Year 6 Confirmation Retreat

The Year 6 students participated in a Confirmation Retreat led by the 24:7 Youth Ministry Team. They were guided through a series of activities to deepen their understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Click here to read more and to see more photos from the day.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

During Lent our Year 4-6 students have had the opportunity to participate in the rite of Reconciliation. Through this Sacrament we are reconciled with God and the people we have hurt, we receive Jesus’ gift of forgiveness and are strengthened on our journey. Many thanks to Fr Kaz from Floreat Parish and Fr Patrick from Scarborough Parish, who have celebrated Reconciliation with our classes.

Easter Liturgy

Marian, Lavalla and Marcellin will be commemorating our Lenten Journey with Easter Liturgy’s on Thursday 1 April. The liturgies will be a reflection on the Stations of the Cross.

Marian: 9.00am St Cecilia’s Church
Lavalla: 2.00pm Marist Auditorium
Marcellin: 2.25pm College Gym

Gamechangers

Year 7 Gamechangers Retreat Day was held on Friday 26 March. It was a fantastic opportunity to build student capacity and understanding of what it means to belong to family and how we can let our light shine. Students gathered at St Joseph’s Subiaco with the 24/7 Youth Ministry and the Marist Youth Ministry team. Thank you to Br Terry, Aleisha Crump, Albert Zollo and the 24/7 Team for their support on the day.

Our Gamechangers groups across Year 7-12 continue to gather on Tuesday and Wednesday. Retreat Days for the other year groups will commence in Term 2. Year 10’s Friday Week 1 and Year 11’s Friday Week 2.

For more photos from Gamechangers please click here.

Thursday Morning Mass

We celebrated our final morning Mass for Term 1 in Week 8. Thank you to our Guild Coordinators, Jane Short REC Primary and local Priests for leading the celebrations this term. Looking forward to welcoming everyone back into the Champagnat Chapel for Thursday Week 1.

Student Led Prayer

Our Faith and Liturgy Captains, Sarah Kerr & Lucy Brennan continue to grow from strength to strength as they offer reflections for students on a Friday morning continue to grow from strength to strength as they offer reflections for students on a Friday morning in the Chapel. Each week the Captains choose a topic and invite students to reflect and pray together. All are welcome on Friday morning from 8.25am. Send your child along to start the day right. Below are some images from our most recent Student Led Prayer.

Prayer Assemblies

Marian and Lavalla have used their Prayer Assemblies in Term 1 to reflect on the Caritas stories of the people who are supported by our annual Project Compassion fundraiser. It has been a pleasure to see the students engage with the stories of these communities and reflect on how we can, from our position of privilege, help the most vulnerable in our community.

Prayer assemblies are celebrated every Monday 8.45am at Lavalla and Wednesday 9.00am at Marian.

Newman News Term 1 Week 8: From the Vice Principal

Jo Dunn on 26/03/2021

It was another mammoth fortnight across all Year Groups at Newman College. Activities included the ACC (Division A) and IPSHA Swimming Carnivals, Pre-primary Farm Excursion, the NAS Senior Competition Day, Year 3 – 6 Music Incursion, Year 10 Allwell Testing and Careers Day, Years 3, 5,7 and 9 NAPLAN practice, Humanities and Social Science Week, Year 11 Outdoor Education Expedition, Year 10 Virtual Baby Program, NAS competitions, Newman Parents y-Safe Presentation, our annual Twilight Tour and the Year 12 Ball last night.

Particular congratulations and thanks must go to our Year 7 –12 Swimming Team, coaches and HPE staff. Newman placed 4th in the ACC A Division Swimming this year, we had numerous magnificent swims. This achievement is no easy feat and is down to hundreds of hours of sheer hard work and dedication. We look forward to our continuing success in this area.

It is great to see students involved in sport. Physical activity has an impact on cognitive skills such as memory, ability to direct focus, and attention. Participation in exercise has also been linked to a more positive attitude and enhanced wellbeing and commitment to desirable behaviours. These benefits are all significant elements when considering a student’s happiness, school performance and personal best achievements.

The Year 12 Students got their ‘shine on’ for the Ball last night. They looked nothing short of stunning and their positive attitudes and zest for fun created an atmosphere that I am sure they will remember for life.

The annual Twilight Tour was also a big hit, highlights were named as the new Learning Hub and display of student work. We had over 350 people register for the event. The level of curiosity and interest that Newman is generating in the local community and beyond is seriously affirming, and our teachers and students should feel proud. We have great aspirations for our students and indeed our school as we move into a new phase of learning, living and loving.

A big thankyou to our Newman Parents who organised for y-Safe to present to our parents and staff on Safety in the Online World. The event was recorded and can be accessed for two weeks here. Taryn Wren the presenter left many useful resources for us to work through. These can be accessed online. Our counsellors, psychologists and wellbeing staff will use these resources in the coming year to upskill our students in online safety.

More information on the services ySafe offer can be found in the following documents

End of Term 1 Information

All students finish on Thursday 1 April. We have prayer assemblies, liturgies and the stations of the cross planned for Holy Week. These reflective experiences will help to prepare us to enter into Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the right spirit and mind.

Start of Term 2 Information

School will return for all students on Tuesday 20 April. On Monday 19 April our staff will participate in Professional Learning and will work together to create our individual Professional Growth Plans, which help us to reflect on our performance, and continually improve.

Uniform Expectations

All students are reminded of the expectations relating to their personal presentation. Please click here to access uniform requirements and guidelines. Some changes were made at the end of 2020 and are reflected in this document. If you need to purchase new uniform items, please ensure you give yourself adequate time.

Uniform Shop – School Holiday Opening Hours

Tuesday 13/4/21, 10.00am – 5.00pm
Wednesday 14/4/21, 12.00pm – 6.00pm
Friday 16/4/21, 12.00pm – 5.00pm

Thank you in advance to all families for your partnership in ensuring College guidelines are upheld along with your support of our Leaders of Wellbeing in the application of this expectation.

Solar Energy Car Challenge – Gifted and Talented

The Solar Car Challenge is an annual competition which enables Newman College students to build their STEM, collaborative, and problem-solving skills.
As part of a STEM investigation in the Year 8 Science program students were provided with their own solar kits which they had to build and test. Year 8 students used the STEM investigation to develop their understanding around solar energy, circuits, and aerodynamics. Year 6 students participating in the Discovery Maths pathway were also introduced to concepts around solar cars and encouraged to investigate their car’s performance against their peers. After the respective investigations in class, the following two teams were selected based on their ability to build fast and effective solar cars:

Year 6
Taylor Kazmer, Theo Constantine, Chloe Rear and Joshua Hill.
Year 8
Mitchell Squiers, Christian Hoang, Archie Green and Ashley Howsen.

The student’s efforts and skills were tested against a wide range of other schools on March 16 at St Mark’s Anglican School. The morning session was dedicated to the Year 6 teams, and in the afternoon the Year 8s competed. In the competition students were required to build, test, and alter their cars in 45 minutes. Our students demonstrated an outstanding ability to work collaboratively, deal with setbacks, and problem solve under pressure.

It is with great pleasure to report that the Year 6 team successfully made it to the semi-final on the day. The Year 8 team also built an incredibly fast car on the day and were awarded with third place overall. An outstanding effort for all students involved. On behalf of the students, I would like to thank Krystal Skelin and the Science department for their efforts and preparation in the lead up to the day, and Renae Zelich at the Lavalla campus. Also, an enormous thank you to Alex Gerreyn for his expertise on the day of competition.

Lara Ognenis
Gifted and Talented Teacher

Happy Families Online Resource

The College extended complimentary membership to Dr Justin
Coulson’s Happy Families online resource to our entire school
community. 176 families have already signed up and are viewing the
extensive library of resources.

Launch your free membership today HERE

Upcoming Events

Monday 19 April
Live Webinar | Pot, Pills & Parenting

Code of Conduct

The Keeping Safe Child Protection curriculum is a program that spans from 3 years up to Year 12. Our College delivers this curriculum during classroom teaching, and through the Wellbeing Programs and Health curriculum.

As a Catholic community we are committed to educating the whole person. In order to do this, we need to ensure a safe, supportive and engaging environment. The basis for this environment is that all in the community model what healthy, respectful relationships look like. The Code of Conduct is the definitive guide to the behaviours we want to model to, and expect from, our children and young people. We want to create a culture that assists our children and young people on their learning journey. We can only achieve such a culture in partnership with all who participate in our community. The Keeping Safe Child Protection curriculum is a program that spans from 3 years up to Year 12. Our College delivers this curriculum during classroom teaching, and through the Wellbeing Programs and Health curriculum.

A reminder to all families that the Code of Conduct can be accessed via the College website. The Code is mandated by Catholic Education Western Australia and the application of the code extends to all staff, students, parents, guardians, caregivers and volunteers.

Any perceived breaches of the Code can be discussed with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. As always, if students ever need support, they are encouraged to contact their Leader of Wellbeing, a College psychologist, Counsellor or classroom teacher.

The Code seeks to value the dignity of every person, foster positive relationships, ensure confidentiality and accountability and supports professional boundaries. Events held during school hours, and those College associated events outside of school hours are also supported by the Code of Conduct. Additionally, postings on social media platforms that identify the College or College events are bound by the Code of Conduct. We thank you in advance for your understanding and look forward to a positive partnership that supports our students, your children.

Newman News Term 1 Week 8 : From the Principal

Jo Dunn on 26/03/2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

College Engagement

Last Tuesday we held our first twilight tour for 2021 on the Marcellin and Marian Campuses. Over 400 people attended which was an all time high for this event over recent years. Whilst our new building, the St John Henry Newman Learning Hub, was a key drawcard, the most impressive performance of the evening was that of our tour leaders – both students and staff.

I often reiterate to staff that the most powerful advertisement is not the staged picture on the back of a bus but in conversations students have with their families at the dinner table about their experience at school. The honest and insight from our children and their voice is purposeful in providing feedback as to how they learn and how they engage at school.

At the Twilight Tour, the students were magnificent in authentically telling their story, about their experience of Newman College. None more so than our two Year 7 students Levi and Olivia who spoke to a large audience in the Marist Auditorium about their first 8 weeks at the school. Their passion, excitement and commitment to this community was exemplified by what they said.

The feedback from families has been incredible and gives us great hope about the future and the prospective students and families that may enter the College in the coming years.

Welcome Sundowner

To celebrate the new school year, parents and guardians are invited to join together to welcome new families into our community and reconnect with each other following the holiday break. More details will be shared in the next edition of Newman News.

5pm, 7 May 2021
Founders Court
Newman College

Visit of Marist Schools Australia (MSA), Regional Director

It has been 15 months since our MSA Regional Director (from Victoria), Julie Ryan, has visited the College. The purpose of the visit was to spend time in the College working with the Senior Leadership Team and presenting to our College Advisory Council. As a religious institute entity, the governance of our College is overseen by Marist Schools Australia. Their regular presence in our school is critical to our ongoing stewardship to ensure we provide a comprehensive PK-12 Catholic College educating in the Marist Tradition, in Perth Western Australia.

Lunch with Year 9 Girls

Julie Ryan took time out of her busy schedule to meet with a group of our Year 9 girls, who had set up a lunchtime meeting with the Principal, along with Leader of Wellbeing Regan Dyer. Over a period of 18 years, Mrs Ryan has been Principal of two girls’ secondary colleges in Victoria and so was a very positive presence among us. These lunches provide students with an opportunity to feedback to the Principal their experiences at Newman College.

Year 12 Ball

The Year 12 School Ball was held last night. It was an outstanding event exemplified by the energy, laughter and joy displayed amongst the cohort. The leadership of this cohort in 2021 has been exemplary and the success of this Year 12 Ball was testimony to that end.

Easter Message

I wish every member of our community every blessing for Easter. This time is one of reconciliation and renewal and I hope family members take the time to be present to each other.

John Finneran
Principal