It has been another busy and rewarding period in our school, with students engaging in a wide range of academic, sporting and creative pursuits. It is wonderful to see our students’ embracing opportunities, striving for excellence and representing our school community with pride.
We are pleased to share several recent highlights that reflect the talent, dedication and enthusiasm of our students.
Da Vinci Decathlon
A number of our Year 5 and Year 6 students recently participated in the Da Vinci Decathlon, an academic competition inspired by the multidisciplinary work of Leonardo da Vinci. This challenging event encourages both creativity and critical thinking across a variety of disciplines. We are delighted to announce that our Year 6 team achieved First Place in the Creative Producers category, an outstanding accomplishment that showcases their collaboration and innovation.
School Sports WA Cross Country
This week, a number of our Year 3 to Year 6 students competed in the School Sport WA Cross Country Competition. Our runners performed exceptionally well, and it was clear that their training through Run Club has had a positive impact. A special congratulations to Archer Johnson (Year 3), who won the Year 3 race at an impressive pace. We are incredibly proud of all students who participated, particularly for the determination and sportsmanship they demonstrated throughout the event.
Looking ahead, we are excited for next week’s Primary Musical performances. A significant amount of time, effort and enthusiasm has gone into this production from both staff and students, and we are very much looking forward to celebrating their hard work with our community.
Over the past two weeks, we have also enjoyed two engaging and lively assemblies. Year 2 Red entertained us with a vibrant performance of George’s Marvellous Medicine, while Year 1 Green delighted the audience by showcasing their learning through The Gruffalo. These presentations highlight the confidence and creativity of our students and are always a valued part of our school program.
Thank you for your continued support as we celebrate these achievements together.
This week provided another wonderful opportunity to reflect on the enduring legacy of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, who was born on 20 May 1789 in Marlhes, France. Through his vision for education and his commitment to young people, particularly those most in need, Marcellin established the Marist Brothers in 1817. His values of family spirit, service and presence continue to shape life at Newman College today. A beautiful example of this spirit can be seen in the legacy gift left by our graduating Year 6 Class of 2025. We are delighted to now see that vision beginning to flourish through the development of our new student garden space. The current Year 6 students collaborated to research, design and plan what would be planted in each space, while our Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students joyfully began planting seeds and seedlings, learning valuable lessons about sustainability, teamwork, responsibility and caring for the environment.
Our students have also been busy embracing academic challenges beyond the classroom through their participation in the Da Vinci Decathlon. Students from Years 5–10 competed across a range of disciplines including Engineering, Mathematics, Science, English, Art and Poetry, Cartography, Chess, Creative Producers and Code Breaking. The competition provided students with an opportunity to showcase creativity, collaboration and critical thinking while working together in teams under pressure. We congratulate all students involved for the enthusiasm and determination they demonstrated throughout the event. A special congratulations goes to our Year 6 team, who achieved first place in Creative Producers, and to our Year 7 team, who placed third in Cartography.
Over the past few weeks, our Year 11 Outdoor Education students have undertaken their hiking expedition in Denmark. Throughout the experience, students were challenged both physically and mentally as they developed their navigation, campcraft, teamwork and resilience skills in an authentic outdoor environment. Our Year 12 ATAR Outdoor Education students also recently completed a four-day paddling expedition through the stunning waters of Shark Bay and Cape Peron. The expedition provided students with the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in a real-world setting while building independence, perseverance and collaboration.
Experiential learning opportunities such as these are a vital part of the Outdoor Education program, allowing students to grow through challenge, connection and reflection beyond the classroom. We thank our Outdoor Education staff for their dedication, expertise and care in providing these rich and memorable learning experiences for our students.
Newman Parents Forum
The Newman Parents Forum for Term 2 is scheduled to take place on Monday 8 June in the John Henry Newman Learning Hub. Parents and guardians are invited to join online or in person from 6.00pm. Click here to view the Agenda and Teams Link for the meeting.
Parking Regulations
A reminder that the City of Stirling is active in monitoring parking compliance surrounding the College and will issue infringements where these regulations are not met. Families are asked to utilise the established parking and pick up and drop off points within the College. As always, active and public transport is encouraged.
Champagnat Day – Friday 19th June
On 6 June, Marist schools across Australia and around the world will mark the Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers and of Marist Education. It is a wonderful opportunity to give thanks and celebrate our shared Marist identity alongside schools from our global network.
Newman College will come together to celebrate Champagnat Day on Friday 19 June — and in a special first, this will be the first year we celebrate as a K–12 community. The day will begin with Mass, followed by an assembly where we will present the Champagnat Awards, recognising staff and students who live out our Marist characteristics each day through their words, actions, leadership, service, and care for others. These awards are a significant honour within our College community. The assembly will be followed by a fete, which will raise funds for Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS) and other local agencies that support those who are poor and marginalised. Students will also take part in a guild activity to round out the day.
Attendance on this day is compulsory for all students. A detailed letter will be sent to all families outlining the day, events, and expectations.
We look forward to coming together as one College community to celebrate this very special day.
This week, our Year 7 students participated in their annual retreat day, centred on the themes of identity, God’s love, and our call to love others within our community. Throughout the day, students were invited to reflect on Jesus’ command to love your neighbour, considering what this means not only in theory, but in the everyday life of our College community. Through discussion and reflection, students explored how simple acts of kindness, inclusion, forgiveness, and compassion help to build a community where all people feel valued, known, and loved.
At the same time this week, five of our secondary students had the privilege of attending the Secondary Launch of the LifeLink Appeal, led by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe. The gathering invited students to reflect on the life and witness of Saint Francis of Assisi, whose 800th anniversary year is being remembered across the Church in 2026. Francis’ life reminds us that holiness is not found in grand gestures alone, but in living simply, compassionately, and with deep love for both people and creation.
One of the central reflections of the day came through the well-known prayer often attributed to Saint Teresa of Ávila:
These words challenge each of us to recognise that the work of building a loving and compassionate community does not belong to someone else – it belongs to all of us. As followers of Christ, we are called to be the hands that help, the feet that walk alongside others, and the eyes that see the dignity and worth of every person.
This message connects powerfully with the coming feast of Pentecost this weekend. Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit was given not simply for comfort, but to send the disciples out into the world with courage, hope, and purpose. The same Spirit calls us today to continue the mission of Jesus in the way we speak, act, serve, and care for one another.
As a College community, may we continue striving to be people who reflect God’s love in practical and meaningful ways, building a community shaped by compassion, welcome, and service, where each person knows they belong.
The Power of Break: It Leads to Connection, Appreciation and Reset
The mid-term break, which includes WA Day, is fast approaching and, as families, I am sure we are looking forward to time together and precious moments. That weekend, we have the Lavalla Wizard of Oz Production, which will be such a treat to watch, but I am sure many of you are planning an outing, a weekend away or a catch-up. I wonder how many of us are intentionally setting aside quiet and unstructured times to just be present, breathe and experience true downtime without an agenda to ‘do’?
Accompanying the Year 10 group to camp just over a week ago got me thinking more about the importance of stillness, quiet time and presence in the moment. The camp is designed for our students to experience ‘Becoming Adult’, and it follows on from The Rite Journey program undertaken in Year 9. There were challenging moments, expectations with responsibility for tasks, teamwork, problem solving and discomfort. There was also significant time for silence, stillness and presence to oneself and one another. Staring into the fires each camp area set nightly was not simply providing a function to keep the group warm before heading to bed. Gathered at the fire, like so many cultures across time and place, the fire invited the warmth of community, reflection, contemplation and the invitation to listen properly to others around us and to nature.
It is crucially important for our young people and our own wellbeing to experience quiet and presence in the moment. It just does not happen enough or for long enough in everyday life. A phone out to scroll or even in proximity, a journey in the car where all but the driver quickly put earbuds in and watch reels, movies or listen to music. All are distractions and foils to true stillness. They seem to be connections but are actually things that draw us from connection.
Recently, the College Executive and I had the great joy of interviewing families and Year 4 students for positions to join Newman College in Year 7, 2029. It is so heartening to meet wonderful families and joyful children who tell the story of their own learning and pursuits out of school. What I am also acutely listening for is the family time, the protection of the simplicity of sitting together to share a meal at night, to have board games and conversations. Happily, I am hearing more and more parents reducing the number of activities and programs that fill up a young person’s afternoon, early evening and weekend and their intentional efforts in the family to model and provide breaks that foster connection, appreciation and reset. What great examples of the Marist characteristics of Presence and Simplicity. I think you are doing it better than I did as a father of my children at this age.
Please read on through the Newsletter to the key sections of the publication. The Vice Principal’s piece will be covering more of the wonderful achievements and engagements of the past fortnight.
Within the next few weeks, may there be moments of stillness, quiet and old-fashioned connection in the life of your family that bring you great joy.
This weekend, we celebrate all the wonderful mothers and grandmothers in our community. At this morning’s Mother’s Day Liturgy at Lavalla, we reflected on a simple but powerful moment from the Gospel. As Jesus was going through one of the most difficult moments of his life, Mary stayed beside him at the foot of the cross. She could not take away his pain, but her loving presence remained with him. During our reflection, I shared a conversation I had with one of our Year 2 students before the liturgy. I asked her how she felt about doing a reading in front of everyone. She smiled nervously and said, “I’m scared… but it will be okay because my mum is here.”
Those simple words captured something beautiful about our Mums. Often, mothers do not need to say or do anything extraordinary – their presence alone brings comfort, courage, reassurance, and love. I know it is certainly enough for my own two children. As a Marist community, we also look to Mary, our Good Mother, as an example of gentle strength, compassion, courage, and faithfulness. Mary teaches us how to live lives filled with love and care for others. God also teaches us ways we can be good and loving…with one of those ways being to honour our parents, especially on special days like Mother’s Day. My hope is that all of the children in our community can find a special way to give thanks to the mothers, grandmothers, carers, and mother figures who support and guide us today. While this weekend is a special opportunity to show our appreciation, perhaps it is also a reminder to show that gratitude more often – through our words, our actions, and the way we care for those who care for us so deeply.
