Next week, students will receive a co-curricular report for their time at the College until the end of 2025. This will include a list of recorded co-curricular activities and an accumulated total for each pillar.
Students will be provided with a form to complete if they feel there are records missing from their report. We ask that students and families are patient as these forms are processed; Year 11 and 12 forms will be reviewed first as a priority. We are looking forward to acknowledging our next group of Colours and Honours recipients at the Celebration Assembly on Tuesday 30 June.
An overview of the College Co-Curricular is available here.
Year 10 students and families have now received the prerequisites for Year 11 subjects at Newman College for 2027. This is to allow for goal-setting in time for the Semester 1 Year 10 report. Prerequisites for Year 11 2027 can found at:
A summary of the different pathway options for Year 11 and 12 can be found by clicking here.
In Term 2, all Year 10 students will commence their subject selection research, in preparation for Year 11 2027.
Career conversations for parents
The WA Government offers a suite of free resources to assist parents and guardians with starting career-related conversations. Families can access them here.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 11
Selecting Year 12 subjects
Please see below a summary of the rules for selecting subjects in Year 12, 2027:
Students who select a Year 12 ATAR subject must have achieved at least 50% in that ATAR subject in Year 11.
Students who select a new Year 12 ATAR subject in Year 12 (not having studied that subject in Year 11) will be required to seek permission.
Students with a predicted ATAR of less than 70 will not be permitted to continue the ATAR Pathway in Year 12.
Students who have an ‘E’ grade in a Year 11 General subject will not be permitted to re-select that General subject in Year 12.
For students wishing to enter the UniReady or UniPath Programs in Year 12:
If coming from the ATAR Pathway in Year 11, students must have passed at least 4 Year 11 subjects.
If coming from the General Pathway in Year 11, students must have a ‘B’ grade or better in at least 4 Year 11 subjects, including English.
Alternatives to University
Did you know that University is not the only place you can obtain a degree? There are several alternatives here in Perth:
SAE: Offers degrees in things like Animation, Audio, Game Development, Creative Industries. https://sae.edu.au/
ACAP: Offers degrees in things like Psychology, Criminology, Social Work. https://www.acap.edu.au/
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
Key dates for TAFE and University applications for 2027
For those students applying for TAFE for 2027, applications will open in September of this year and close in November of this year. You will be advised of this at the time.
For those students applying for University for 2027, early applications (early offers) will open in June and you will have until mid-December to lodge your application. Closer to the time you will be provided with instructions and further information about applying.
Year 12s are welcome to come and collect (and keep) any of the University handbooks that are on the table near my office. These can be very helpful in making your choice.
Alternatives to University
Did you know that University is not the only place you can obtain a degree? There are several alternatives here in Perth:
SAE: Offers degrees in things like Animation, Audio, Game Development, Creative Industries. https://sae.edu.au/
ACAP: Offers degrees in things like Psychology, Criminology, Social Work. https://www.acap.edu.au/
Applying for Medicine or Dentistry or Veterinary Science for 2027
All students who wish to enrol in Medicine or Dentistry in 2027 (including Assured Pathway at UWA and Notre Dame) will need to sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) this year.
Please see below for some important dates:
3 March 2026: UCAT bookings open
15 May 2026: Deadline to book your UCAT for 2026
12 June 2026: Deadline if you need to cancel your UCAT booking
1 July 2026: UCAT testing begins
5 August 2026: Last test date
September 2026: Results available
You can check https://www.ucat.edu.au/ for further information, practice tests, and tips to succeed. It is recommended to book a UCAT as early as possible as demand for testing places is high.
UWA The official handbook for entry to Medicine at UWA can be found at this link and Dentistry at this link. Please note that Medicine and Dentistry at UWA are postgraduate courses and require completion of a relevant Bachelor degree prior to entry. Curtin Curtin University offers the only direct entry medical program in Western Australia. In 2025, the cutoff ATAR for this course was 93.
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
Newman College is excited to be hosting 19 schools from around Australia for the 2026 Marist Basketball Carnival. The carnival will commence Sunday evening with Mass and a Welcome BBQ, followed by four days of competition and a Presentation Dinner.
This is a fantastic opportunity for our students and staff to connect with our extended Marist community and we are excited to showcase our College and city.
Two of the courts will be live streamed each day from 8.00am. To view the live stream follow the links below:
To view the fixtures and live score updates in Play HQ click here.
Best of luck to our students and staff involved in the Carnival.
Afterschool Duty of Care – Secondary
A reminder to parents that students need to be picked up or have left campus no later than 3.40pm each day, at this time, duty will cease. Homework Club is available to all Marcellin students Monday to Thursday until 5.00pm in the John Henry Newman Hub.
Social Media and Smartphones
Last year, prior to the rollout of the Social Media ban, we asked families to complete a survey regarding their child’s Smartphone and Social Media use. We had a great response, and have been working through the data to pinpoint how best to assist our students and families in tackling key concerns in this area.
At Newman Parents Forum this past week, we discussed possible ways forward with the information that we have, and determined that the key areas of concern for families are the impact of these devices on students’ ability to concentrate and sleep. We now ask for further details on this issue from our community so we can create strategies, support and education for the coming year. A short survey can be found here.
We would also like to direct families to the College’s Mobile Phone policy. As outlined in the policy, students are not permitted to use their mobile phones during the school day.
The past two weeks have been an exciting and productive time in our Primary School, filled with events that highlight the enthusiasm, spirit, and leadership of our students.
Our Years 3–6 Guild Swimming Carnival was an outstanding success. It was wonderful to see so many students confidently participating, giving their best efforts, and showcasing their swimming abilities. The atmosphere around the pool was vibrant, with students who were not swimming cheering enthusiastically for their friends. A special acknowledgment goes to our dedicated Guild Captains, who worked tirelessly throughout the day to keep the energy high and the spirit in the bays alive. Their leadership and encouragement were truly commendable.
In addition to the carnival, several of our Year 6 student leaders took part in the Safe Route to School initiative. As part of this project, the students helped paint colourful footsteps along key pathways leading to the College. These markings will provide a friendly visual guide for students walking or riding to school and will support our ongoing commitment to promoting safe and active travel. For families wishing to encourage cycling, we would like to remind you that the Lavalla Campus has two bike racks available, one located behind the basketball courts near the oval, and the second positioned to the side of the music room.
Last week, our Year 6R class led the first assembly of the year, delivering a thoughtful and inspiring message centred on the importance of celebrating our differences and striving for personal excellence. It was a beautiful reflection on the values we aim to nurture in all our students, and we are very proud of the confidence and maturity the students demonstrated on stage.
This week is Hearing Awareness Week and our TSH (Teach Speak Hear) team have shared some fun activities to promote hearing awareness at Newman College. The team from TSH support children with hearing loss at Newman College and have a long and supportive connection with our school.
This week in the Early Years classes, Zita Ferriera (Teacher of the Deaf) showed children how different animals hear. The children were fascinated, learning lots of fun facts about hearing.
Did you know these fun facts?
Elephants can hear low frequency sounds very well and they have huge ears which can detect sounds from very far away. They also feel vibrations of sound through their feet.
Dolphins pick up vibrations from their jaws to hear sounds underwater.
Bats can use very high-pitched sounds and echolocation to move around.
Moths use their antennae to hear. The Greater Wax Moth has the best hearing in the world and can hear the highest pitch sounds better than any other creature on Earth.
Our sense of hearing is amazing!
To promote good hearing and ear hygiene at home here are some important reminders:
Look after your ears – Please never insert anything into your ears to clean them, except for your elbow (go on, try it!). Ears are very efficient at cleaning themselves. Cotton buds can cause further complications if inserted inside the ear. If your child has blocked ears, please see your GP or a health professional.
Promote hearing protection at home – Many types of hearing loss can be avoided. Please ensure children have limited time with headphones on and that the volume is not too loud. Repeated exposure when listening with the volume too loud can cause permanent hearing loss that could be avoided. Headphones which have reduced volume settings can help avoid this, as well as limiting the amount of time children wear headphones at home.
Did you know that just 7.5 minutes near a loudspeaker at a music concert can damage your hearing? Concerts often project sound through the speakers at 120 decibels which can cause permanent hearing loss. You can protect your ears by wearing ear protection or moving further away from the speakers but still enjoy the show!
Babies can detect sound in the womb from around 22 weeks.1.2-1.7 babies in every 1000 live births will be born with a hearing loss. Newborn Hearing Screening can detect hearing loss early, so children can have the best support they can have from an early age and the best start to their hearing journey.
If you have any worries or concerns about your child’s hearing, chat to your family GP or book them in for a hearing assessment. They can not only check their hearing but can also check their ear health for things like fluid in their ears and ear infections.
Need a mindful moment at home? Try this fun hearing and mindfulness moment as a family:
Lie on the grass outside or at the park as a family. Close your eyes and listen for a few minutes. Encourage your children to tune into sounds around them in the environment by just using their ears. How many different sounds could they hear? What made the sounds they could hear?
Enjoy the serenity and have a happy Hearing Awareness Week!
State Sporting Achievement
Congratulations to the following student for the state achievement in their sport:
Harry Bluff (Year 4). On Saturday 21 February, Harry competed in the Surf Life Saving WA Nippers Championships. After progressing through multiple heats, he went on to win the Under 10 Boys Flags event.
A huge congratulations to Cruz Priolo (Year 6), who won the first-round final of the Asian Series during the holidays, earning an invitation to compete in the remainder of the championship season. Cruz also achieved first place at the Southern Sprint Championships in Albany last week.
State and National Representation is an honour and an important stepping stone in an athlete’s journey. We commend these students for their dedication and commitment to their sport. If your child has achieved state or national recognition in their sport or extra-curricular activity, we would love to hear about it so we can celebrate their success. Please let us know the details by filling out this form. https://forms.office.com/r/qaCxCYLNX6
Last Wednesday, our Fr Kaz and our Pre-Primary students hosted our Nativity Liturgy. A big thank you to our Pre-Primary team for preparing the students. Such a wonderful way of reminding us of the true story of Christmas.
Year 3G Assembly
Thank you to 3 Green and Mrs Anne-Marie Terry for their performance last Friday, reminding us about the importance of Advent. Yes, we are excited about Christmas but we need to prepare our hearts and minds and to be people of Hope, Peace, joy and love!
Christmas Carols and K-5 Awards
Thank you to all of our Primary families for attending our Primary Carols and Awards Evening. It was a wonderful celebration of Christmas Music, and a celebration of the year, with recognition of those K-5 students who received awards on the night. A special thank you to Ms Laura van Rijn for her preparation, and coordination of the event – a huge task!
To view the Kindy to Year 5 award winners, please click here.
Year 6 Graduation Mass & Awards Night
On Tuesday night we celebrated a huge milestone for our Year 6 graduating class of 2025. Our Year 6 students, families and College staff celebrated a beautiful Mass, followed by our annual Year 6 Awards. It was a beautiful occasion and a fantastic celebration of our Year 6 cohort. I was particularly impressed by the fantastic graduation song, ‘Unwritten.’ A huge thank you to our Year 6 teachers Mrs Lara Gray, Ms Imogen Crostella, and Ms Grace Sloan for the work in preparing the Year 6s. We wish our Year 6’s every success as they move into our Marcellin campus.
To view all the award winners for 2025 please click here.
Class Reps 2026
Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to be a class representative in 2026. We are still looking for class reps for PPG, 3B, 4G and 6R. Please refer to the email send from Mrs Edwina Battersby, Leader of Wellbeing earlier this week.
Reports
Primary reports are available to view via SEQTA Engage.
Should your child not be returning to Newman College in 2025, we remind parents of the requirement to download all reports from SEQTA Engage by 31 December. After this time the student record is archived.
2026 Primary Staffing
Please see below for 2026 Primary Classroom Staffing
Amy Donnelly EA: Lisa Matthews (M) EA: Lucinda Hope (T-F)
Rebecca Rose EA: Lisa Johns
1
Tess McKenna
Catherine Nicolaou
Holly Cooper
2
Alessia Chiera
Kylie Mawson
Amy Dawson
3
Melissa Heaver
Drew Elliott
Sharon McAuliffe
4
Sarah Dalton
Nikita Rees
Erica Horn
5
Delia Kretzmann
Josh Houwen
Lucy Zambonetti (M-T) Robyn Hatchett (W-F)
6
Imogen Crostella
Renee Micale
Lara Gray
As we draw the 2025 school year to a close — a milestone year for Primary — I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all families for your ongoing support, partnership, and trust.
We look forward to welcoming Mrs Laura Christopher as the incoming Head of Primary in 2026.
Thank you for your support during my time acting in the role across Terms 2, 3 and 4. It has been a privilege to serve our community.
Wishing you and your families a merry and blessed Christmas.
