Category: Early Childhood

Fathers Day

We wish all fathers and father figures in our community a wonderful Father’s Day for this Sunday.

As a College community, we celebrated the gift of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles and father figures this week. The annual Fathers Day sausage sizzle and liturgy at the Marian Campus, the Lavalla Prayer Assembly and the weekly 8.10am Community Mass on Thursday were occasions in which we could acknowledge and show our gratitude for the gift of our fathers and father figures in our lives, while remembering and honouring the legacy of those fathers and father figures who have left our lives. As a College family, we remember those in our community who are unable to share this Sunday with their father or father figure.

Year 11 Remar Blue Caravel Solidarity Retreat – Mullewa, WA

Currently in its seventeenth year, Newman College’s Year 11 Remar Blue Caravel are undertaking their annual Solidarity Retreat in the community of Mullewa, Western Australia. In what continues to be one of the significant faith, service and leadership opportunities offered by the College through the Remar Program, our students will again be connected to Our Lady of Mt Carmel Primary School and Parish, as well as supporting the annual Mullewa Agricultural and Wild Flower shows. How proud we can be of their boundless generosity, commitment to practical service.

The hard work, commitment and contribution that our students make to the community of Mullewa has been acknowledged by the Bishop of Geraldton, Bishop Michael Morrissey.

It is special that students from Year 11 travel to Mullewa. I do hope this year will go well and be a blessing for the students as they travel to Mullewa this week.

I will keep the students in my prayers for safe travel and for a great experience in the Midwest.

God’s blessings,

Bishop Michael

Thank you to the following staff who are accompanying our students for this opportunity:

• Mrs Clare Cole-Carter (Leader of Youth Ministry & Advocacy)
• Miss Genna Spadaccini (Year 2 Teacher and Blue Helm)
• Miss Jamie Pedler (Physical Education Teacher, Marcellin Campus)
• Mr Matthew Wilson (Physical Education Department)
• Br Paul Murphy (Teacher, Marcellin Campus)

Weekly Thursday Morning Community Mass (Champagnat Chapel – 8.10am – 8.35am)

All parents, guardians and families across our PK-12 College are invited to attend the weekly Thursday morning Mass. Our weekly Newman College Community Mass is an important way that we as a Catholic community seek to nourish and live-out our faith in community with one another.

Australian Catholic Youth Festival

The Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) is a national gathering of Catholic young people established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC). It exists to provide young Australians with opportunities to deepen their relationship with Jesus, be empowered to be disciples in the world today and encounter and celebrate the vitality of the Church in Australia. This year the ACYF will be held in Perth between 8 – 10 December. Young people between the ages of 14 and 35 from around Australia will be invited to:

• Participate in high-quality formative and experiential opportunity for young Catholics to encounter Jesus Christ, in the context of the Catholic Church in Australia;
• Listen to and discuss the issues and challenges in the lives of young Catholics in Australia;
• Engage with local examples and connections of vocations, social action, liturgy and prayer, catholic music and faith formation.

Students in Year 9 from the College will be invited to apply to attend ACYF. This event will take the place of the Remar Embarkation Camp this year.

Our Lady of Grace North Beach – Change of Confirmation Faith Formation Date

Please be advised the change of date for the Faith Formation event. The new date is Tuesday 17 September, 7.00pm

2019 Vinnies Drive-In, Sleep-In

The 2019 Vinnies Drive-In, Sleep-In invites families, friends and workmates to spend a night at the only drive-in theatre in Perth and learn more about the challenges people in our community face. Funds raised support Vinnies services for Western Australians who are doing it tough.

• When: Friday 18 October
• Where: Galaxy Drive-In Theatre, Kingsley
• Registration: There is $95 registration fee per vehicle which goes towards the team fundraising target of $500.

On the night participants can purchase items from food trucks and will watch Disney’s “Toy Story 4” and Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” before sleeping overnight in their cars.

Breakfast will be provided in the morning. Click here to register.

Happy Fathers Day

Fathers Day recognises and celebrates our Dads and the wonderful contribution that they make in our lives. In our College community we celebrated Fathers Day through a number of events and liturgies, with Lavalla Campus events to be held on Monday. The joy and fervour of the events this week highlighted the love we collectively have for our fathers, grandfathers and those special men in our lives.

On a personal note, this Sunday will hold particular significance for me. Late last week I rushed back to my parents’ home in Sydney as my own father, Peter, had taken ill and had been placed in palliative care. Over the next five days, my mother and six siblings nursed him in his final hours, until he died peacefully on Monday. Such a time enabled us as a family to come together to reflect on the stories and our shared experiences with Dad. As the youngest of the seven children, Dad, to me, was larger than life itself. He was filled with joy and laughter and that attitude set the climate of our home. His presence was constant and his love unconditional. To me this was exemplified by his active role in my life including but not limited to coaching sporting teams, supporting my co-curricular pursuits and always being a source of advice and mentoring to this day.

Perhaps his greatest legacy was his unconditional faith in God and that commitment to serving others. In the last ten years Dad devoted his life to being a Chaplain in a dialysis unit at a local public hospital. He walked with so many people often in their last days. His message was always about love, forgiveness and hope. He carried a scripture verse in his pocket that he gave to people he walked with; it was this same verse we read to him over and over again in his dying days.

Heavenly Father,
When I am weak, You are my Strength
When I am Frightened, You are my Comforter.
When I am lost, You are my Saviour.
You are my Hope, the Joy, the Love of My life
Joshua 1: P 9 NIV

So simple yet so powerful!

Vale Dad and thank you for the support and love you gave us all.

Happy Fathers’ Day to all our families in our community. May your lives be enriched by the same love and hope that I was blessed to be given.

Hon Sue Ellery MLC, Minister for Education and Training – Visit to Newman College

On Wednesday, the Hon Sue Ellery, Minster for Education and Training WA, visited our school to discuss our mobile phone policy. Students, teachers and parents from Lavalla and Marcellin Campuses were in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to seek feedback on what we do at Newman College and how the voice of our community will be used as part of a wider consultation to develop a policy for schools across WA.

In our local context, put simply, phones are out of sight unless they are used for explicit learning. The Minister unpacked this with our students who were excellent in their presentation and discussion. The confidence and reflection on display exemplified the intent of our school to animate our students to have a voice and to be critical thinkers. The wider issues of social media and student interaction were also discussed as was our approach to the education of students and families.

Making mistakes, learning from failure and taking risks are all important parts of the learning process. The great strength of our Marist family is our commitment to supporting, growing and forgiving one other when we make mistakes or decisions that don’t reflect our intent. Our Vision for Learning, Shine through Discovery challenges students to develop the skills, experiences, knowledge and confidence to become resilient learners who are willing to take risks to achieve their goals.

Student Leadership

Students in Year 11 and Year 5 have committed to and are participating in leadership formation workshops as they prepare to lead the College Community in 2020. Members of the Leadership Team have led workshops focusing on our Catholic Identity, Servant Leadership and our Vision for Learning. I extend my thanks to Leaders of Wellbeing for developing this opportunity for the students and wish the students well as they prepare their leadership application.

2019 Newman Arts Festival

The Newman College Arts Festival is a celebration of the PK-12 Arts learning journey at Newman College held over three days (October 16, 17, 18). The event also showcases the artistic endeavours of the STEM learning area along with students’ instrumental, choir and drama performances.

Student Art Exhibition Opening Night

Wednesday evening is the official opening of the festival. We invite the Newman College and wider community to join us in celebrating student Art works created throughout the year and Art projects that have been inspired by collaborative workshops with the 2019 Artists in Residence. Opening night will also include a presentation of the student awards, including a people’s choice award. Food stalls, games and Art activities, for our budding younger artists will also be hosted on the oval.

Artist in Residence Program

The Newman College Artist in Residence Program for 2019 promises to be another exciting and truly authentic arts experience as our students, teacher, parents and members of our Newman community collaborate with industry professionals to strengthen and deepen their understanding of Arts skills and processes and build their cultural competency, cultural literacy and sensitivity around Aboriginal people; culture oral storytelling traditions, and connection to country.

We are pleased to welcome Andy Quilty (2018 Artist in Residence), and Contemporary Noongar Artists Bradley and Rohin Kickett as our 2019 Artists in Residence. Click here to read more.

Community Workshop

An opportunity for our staff, students and families to come together and work with 2019 Artist in Residence, Andy Quilty is also available. The Community Workshop will focus on experimental drawing and monoprint, equipping participants to build confidence as well as technical ability to take a more intuitive and exploratory approach to their work. Tickets cost $20 for Adults and $15 for Children / Concession. Click here to purchase tickets.

Newman Parents Soiree

Friday evening is a parent only “social event” opportunity to enjoy drinks and canapes with friends, whilst celebrating the student works of the Arts Festival.

Guests will also enjoy live music by dynamic and modern band Nano Soul. The group will seek to entertain their audience by performing a combination of funk, soul, and classic hits with a twist.

The event runs from 6.00pm – 9.00pm. Tickets cost $35 each and can be purchased by clicking here.

Raffle

Click here to purchase tickets to win one of three great prizes:

1. $2,000 credit to your 2020 Newman College Tuition Fees
2. $500 OfficeMax Prize Pack
3. $200 Uniform Shop Voucher

Tickets are $10 each with all money raised funding the 2019 Artists in Residence Program. The Raffle will be drawn at the Newman Parents Soiree on Friday 18 October, 7.00pm in the Marist Auditorium. The winner will be notified by telephone and published on the College website on Monday 21 October.

K-12 Literacy Approach

Staff across the College have been using the researched and effective approach by Lyn Sharratt to guide interpreting student data and measuring the impact of teaching strategies. Newman College is part of a literacy collective with over 20 other CEWA schools and benefit from directly collaborating with Lyn Sharratt, a Canadian academic and researcher. Follow the College Twitter account  and the Leader of Pedagogy, Peter Jones to gain an insight into many of the teacher professional learning initiatives.

Staff Wellbeing PL and Communication Protocol

Teaching and support staff from across the College came together for our Wellbeing Day which focussed on making sure we care for ourselves so we can care for others. Presenter Mark Bunn challenged staff to create a SHIFT in our thinking about health, happiness and stress using a combination of Eastern wisdoms and modern Western medicine. This is an important area of our Strategic Plan that extends to our work with students as they navigate complex issues facing young people.

A gentle reminder to families, that teachers will respond to email communication within two working days. Teachers are not able to respond within one day as they are teaching classes, marking assessments, planning lessons, on yard duty or taking cocurricular activities. I ask parents to accept these timelines as reasonable turnaround times in the busyness of College life. If there is an urgent matter that needs to be acknowledged, a phone call to the Leader of Wellbeing may be the most appropriate avenue.

Newman Parents – Monday 16 September

Newman Parents is honoured to host Paul Dillon at Newman College. Paul is the Director and founder of DARTA and is passionate about ensuring that the community has access to accurate and up-to-date alcohol and other drug information.

Topic: ‘Risk taking’: Why do teens do the things they do? What can parents can do to keep them as safe as possible?

RSVP to Jo Dunn, Marketing and Communications Officer by Wednesday 11 September jo.dunn@newman.wa.edu.au

Code of Conduct

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.

The Code seeks to value the dignity of every person, foster positive relationships, ensuring confidentiality and accountability and supports professional boundaries. Events held during school hours AND outside of school hours that are associated with the College are also supported by the Code of Conduct. Any perceived breaches of the Code can be discussed with any member of the Senior Leadership Team. We thank you in advance for your understanding and support of how we strive to partner positively with one another.