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Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Lavalla Music Night as well as the performance of the Lavalla Dance Troupe, and it was so great to see these events so well supported not just by families, but also by other students who came along in support of their friends. The Arts had a real impact on me as a child. My music teacher – Dr Robert Braham – was one of the best teachers I encountered while at school, and he was someone who became an inspiration to me in my own journey into education. He taught me the values of hard work, discipline, dedication, but also the importance of how a quality relationship can impact the learning of students. I also enjoyed the many friendships I made during these experiences, and the appreciation I have now for all things music and theatre. Sometimes, people see the Arts as an add-on to education, when in fact I strongly believe it is an essential part of any well-rounded school experience.

One of my personal highlights from the Music night came from two of our Year 6 students. Nikita had just finished singing her solo to the audience (talk about courage!) and was coming off stage as Clancy was coming on to perform hers. I’m not sure if families in the audience noticed it, but just as Nikita was coming off, Clancy held up her hand and gave her a little high five to congratulate her on her performance. I thought it was amazing that even in the midst of preparing to perform herself in just a few seconds and all the nerves and anticipation that must come with this, Clancy had room in her mind (and her heart!), to congratulate her friend who has just gone before her. These are the little moments that I live for as an educator – those small but so important occasions where we see students thinking outside of themselves, and for the good of others. It certainly left me with a very warm and proud feeling in my heart.

Highlights from Past Two Weeks

Assembly 

Last Friday we were treated to an awesome assembly item from 3 Red who taught us all about the planets and their location from the sun. Students shared some interesting facts about each of the planets and topped it off with a great song to help us all remember the order of the planets using the mnemonic: My Very Excellent Monkey Just Served Unicorn Noodles. Well done to all students from 3 Red for their efforts and to Mrs Young for all the hard work and preparation she put into preparing students. We also acknowledged the efforts of several students who were awarded Merit Certificates for their fine efforts in class. Well done to all our students this week!

Bookweek  

This week has been a very special week in the calendar – book week! Reading is so important to the success of our students, and we are so glad to be able to celebrate all things reading this week. On Wednesday students received a visit from Mark GreenWood, author of several books including The Legend of MoonDyne Joe and Simpson and his Donkey. Mark spoke with students about the writing process and shared his journey as an author and in some of the stories he has written. We also celebrated our annual Book week Dress up day on Friday. It was wonderful to see so many students dress so enthusiastically for the day and take part in the excitement of the day. I would like to thank Mrs Le Dan, Mrs Bailey, and Miss Hall for all of their contributions and hard work to our Book Week celebrations this week!

Lavalla Music Night 

Last Tuesday night we gathered in the Marist Auditorium to celebrate the talents and efforts of our Music students at Lavalla. The night began in true rock n roll style with our drummers, before we heard from a number or soloists and ensemble groups, including our choir. It was wonderful to hear the many pieces of music prepared by our students in collaboration with their music teachers and tutors. We are especially grateful to Marg Goldsmith and the Arts team for the opportunities and experiences they are affording our students, and to all the families and students who attended on the night in support of our performers.

Lavalla Dance Troupe 

It has been a busy few weeks for our Lavalla Dance Troupe under the guidance of Mrs Amy Raveendrakumar. After performing at the Wakakirri concert two weeks ago, our students were again performing a different dance this week at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. Running over three nights, our students took part in the dance program on Tuesday evening, delivering a beautiful piece of emotive and well-choreographed movement which was very well received by the audience. We are very grateful to Mrs Raveendrakumar for her guidance and coaching in the lead up to the festival, as well as Miss Sankar and Miss De Gois who assisted on the night. I would also like to thank those parents who have been so supportive of the dance program this year.

Year 6 Leadership Camp 

On Thursday and Friday last week, our Year 6 and Year 7 student leaders took part in a very special leadership camp. The camp was organised by our Year 12 ATAR Outdoor Education students and gave the opportunity for students to try their hand several different activities designed to challenge them in different ways, as well as improve the way they work as a team. The camp took place at the Manjedal Activity Centre which is not far from Serpentine. Mrs Short accompanied students and by all account’s students had a wonderful time despite the odd shower and sleeping in tents! We owe a big thanks to Mr Mike Van Der Heever for the invitation to attend and to his Year 12 ATAR students for their professionalism and assistance in helping everything run smoothly.

IPSHA Cross Country Carnival 

As we reported in our last newsletter, two weeks ago 62 students across Years 3-6 took the trip down to Bunbury to take part in the IPSHA Interschool Cross Country Carnival. All of our students raced with great energy and enthusiasm and did a fine job of representing our school with pride. At the time of publishing our last newsletter we did not have all the details of the results, but we can now reveal the fantastic results of several students in particular:

Year 3 Girls 

• 1st: Amelie Santoro
• 6th: Vienna Crisona

Year 3 Boys 

• 6th: Jonah Durlik
• 8th: Julian Cameron
• 9th: Hunter Bailey

Year 4 Girls 

• 2nd: Allegra Clark
• 3rd: Jessica Avins
• 6th: Isla Kalebic
• 10th: Layla Bornmann

Year 4 Boys 

• 2nd: Stefan Moschopoulos

Year 5 Girls 

• 5th: Annabelle Adamini
• 7th: Livia Bogdanov

Year 5 Boys  

• 7th: Luke Rombouts

Year 6 Girls 

• 10th: Clancy Boss

Year 6 Boys 

• 5th: Jaspar Martin-Booth

We are very proud of all our students for their efforts, and for the great way Mrs Richards and Lenny trained and led our team. Roll on the Athletics Carnival!

‘Wild Places Elsewhere’ workshop 

On Wednesday, several Performing Arts students across Year 5 and 6 were able to take part in a workshop entitled ‘Wild Places Elsewhere’. The focus of the workshop was on how students experience the natural world. Students were able to create props which were then used later in a theatre show presented by our guest performers. Students had a great time engaging in this unique opportunity, and we are very grateful to the Arts team for working hard to provide us with this opportunity.

Gardening Club 

This week, Mrs Gray, along with some of our younger students across the campus, created a new initiative across our campus – a gardening club. Mrs Gary is using the gardens around the back of our hall as a way to engage some of our students in some real-world collaboration and problem solving, as they seek to rebuild our class gardens.

Students were very excited to be a part of it all, and Mrs Gray will be speaking to students on Monday to canvas interest from other students who would like to take part in some way. A big thank you to Mrs Gray and to her first group of students for their enthusiasm and sense of ‘doing for others’, as well as Mr David Marshall (Chief grounds person and all-round good guy) who will be supporting the Gardening Club also.

Artist in Residence 

On Wednesday, students from our Art extension program in Year 5 and Year 6 took part in the Artist in Residence program. Students were invited to the Marcellin campus with artists Emily Rose and Bethwyn Legg. Students listened to and worked alongside the artists to create some very interesting and artistic cushion designs.  I am sure they are looking forward to finishing these off over the coming weeks. A big thankyou again must go to our Arts team for all their hard work and effort in preparing this experience for our students.

Lavalla Choir 

Yesterday, it was great to see our Lavalla Choir take part in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. The choir has been working very hard all year to prepare two beautiful pieces, giving up their lunchtimes each week to rehearse. We are very grateful for the dedication and support of Mrs Annette Grayden, and to our students who took part. You all sounded beautiful!

Write a Book in a Day 

This week a number of our Year 5 and 6 students took part in the ‘Write a Book in a Day’ program. The program began in 2002 and last year there were more than 1000 teams across Australia getting involved. Write a Book in a Day is a fun, creative and collaborative competition for students in years 5 to 12 and adult writing groups. Teams of up to ten have just one day to write and illustrate a book from start to finish, making sure to include some unique parameters in their story. We can’t wait to have these published and placed in the library soon!

Have Sum Fun Maths Competition 

Over the past three weeks, the year 3 to 6 students have been competing in the “Sum Maths Fun competition” conducted by the Mathematical Association of Western Australia. The competition consists of three rounds of ten questions and is a maths quiz of NAPLAN-type problems designed to foster mathematical problem-solving. Teams of four students have one hour to complete each round which they access online. The students at Lavalla have been thoroughly enjoying the competition, with pleasing results. It has been an excellent activity to encourage collaboration amongst students while at the same time challenging their thinking – Miss Katya Anderson (Leader of Learning K-6)

School Drop Off 

Just a reminder to all families that students cannot be dropped off at school before 8.00am in the morning unless they are taking part in sports training, or another pre-organised College events. Staff have been noticing several children being dropped off early, some as early as 7.30am. We just want to keep all our children safe, but we cannot do this if children are unsupervised. Thank you to all those families who are supportive with this.

No hat No Play 

As the warmer months will soon be upon us, it is a good time to remind all students of our ‘no hat no play’ policy at the school. Students must wear a hat if they wish to play outdoors, otherwise they will need to stay seated in the undercover area or in the library at lunch. Schools have these policies for the protection of children and to keep them safe from harmful UV rays. If your child doesn’t have a hat, they can purchase one from the Uniform Shop or from the Lavalla office.

Important Information For The Next Two Weeks

There are so many events coming up over the next two weeks. Make sure you mark these down in your calendar!

• Mon 30 Aug – Speak Up Award Semi Finals (Good luck Isabella in Year 6!)
• Fri 3 Sep – Lavalla Assembly (4 Blue)
• Mon 6 Sep – Year 5 First Aid Incursion
• Mon 6 Sep – Lavalla Prayer Assembly (Father’s Day theme)
• Mon 6 Sep – Newman Parents Jade Lewis Presentation (7pm in Auditorium)
• Thurs 9 Sep – R U OK Day
• Fri 10 Sep – P-6 Athletics Carnival
  Please click here to access the letter and program (scroll down to the bottom of the page)

The Journey

It is great to be back at Newman College after 7 weeks of leave. The opportunity to get away with my family was truly unforgettable. We drove in total 13,000km, to Darwin and back. The tyranny of distance was overcome by the adventure of the getting not just to each destination but in the power of the journey itself. We had so many memorable experiences on the way that will be the dinner table discussions for the rest of our lives. In Exmouth for example, who could have foretold the experience of swimming five metres from a humpback whale and her calf. The exhilaration of this beauty was underpinned by holding my son’s hand and watching my daughter embrace the moment as we watched in awe of what was before us. In Lake Argyle we got to swim at sunset in the middle of one the biggest inland lakes in Australia (19 times bigger than Sydney Harbour) – truly incredible in its size and beauty. And finally, the relief of getting to Darwin, recognising the monumental drive that we had undertaken and at the same realising that we had to drive back! This was also life giving and immensely satisfying.

The reason I share these anecdotes is that I have learnt so much from this experience. Firstly, value your family and cultivate those special relationships we can sometimes take for granted. We all can get so busy – with work, study, our friends, and interests. Never lose sight of the value of family and time spent together. At the heart of our Marist community is our family spirit supported by our presence to each other and this is something we have to nourish. Secondly, like all journeys there are high and low points! To overcome the challenges of sticking together, staying committed and being patient is critical to one’s individual and collective success.

On returning to school, my reflection of my own journey can be viewed in light of our Year 12 students. Their 14-year journey of education would be full of high and low points. As they move towards the end of their time at Newman there will be relief and hopefully satisfaction of the fruit of their efforts. What is important to note is that when you do get to the end, a new journey will begin. Our prayer for our Year 12 students is that they finish their Newman journey well and that they are prepared for what is ahead. As for me and the family, we are back, ready and looking forward to our next adventure. What will be different is that our time together has made us stronger, ready for what lies ahead.

Thank you

Thanks to Dr Lucie McCrory in the role as Acting Principal over the last seven weeks. Her dedication, professionalism and care for our students was exemplary. Thanks also to Mr Simon Martino for his support and commitment as Acting Vice Principal.

Book Week

One of the blessings of being away was the time to read a number of books. The joy of reading was highlighted this week across the College with Book Week. The Primary parades were a definite highlight. The creativity of families and the support of teachers was outstanding. Some members of the College Executive immersed themselves in the Book Week Parade at Marian Campus on Thursday.  The Wizard of Oz being the choice, Dr Lucie McClory was Glinda, Mr Simon Martino was the Tin Man and I was the Wizard!

Champagnat Cup

Next week we participate in the second year of the Champagnat Cup. Our senior teams in netball, basketball and AFL will compete against fellow WA Marist schools, St Joseph’s Northam and Bunbury Catholic College. We look forward to our Marist family spirit and the success of all students on this gala day.

COVID-19

We continue to pray for our eastern states communities so affected by COVID-19. The isolation of lockdown and the prevalence of the virus has been devasting for so many people.  We continue to develop and prepare our contingency in the advent of any further lockdowns.

Newman Parents

I warmly invite all parents to our Newman Parents evening on Monday 6 September, 7.00pm.  The topic of the event is ‘Under Your Influence’, facilitated by Jade Lewis.  More information can be found within this Newsletter.

Mr John Finneran
PRINCIPAL

 

Feast of the Assumption

This week we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption as a K-12 College, which is the Patronal Feast Day of the Marist Brothers. One aspect that makes us Catholics different from other Christian denominations is our developed and rich understanding of Mary. We have a tradition that gives Mary the honour and respect that she deserves. Marists direct their life in the way of Mary, they acknowledge that she can teach us a great deal through her examples of virtue and saying yes to whatever God passed to her, with faith, grace, and courage. She has a special role within our Church and particularly within our Marist Tradition. Pray with Mary, as an ever-present mother, and she will lead you into a far deeper relationship with Christ. Your spirituality will be much deeper than you could ever achieve by your own direction.

For the first time, Newman College conducted concurrent Masses, comprising a combination of Year Groups. The Pre-primary and Years 2, 3, 5, 9 and 11 Students celebrated Mass together in the Auditorium and the Kindergarten and Years 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 Students celebrated Mass in the Marcellin Campus Gymnasium. It was a wonderful celebration of Mary, and it was a delight to enable the mixing of our generations of students. Our Kindergarten students were able to see our Year 12 students who enjoyed Kindergarten at Newman also, ‘Newman Lifers’. It was pointed out that by the time they reach the same Year 12 milestone, our current Year 12s will be 30! The school years are such a formative experience for students and having the mix of age groups really brings home the significance and indelible nature of these fundamental forming experiences

Wellbeing Week

Feeling well, or ‘wellbeing’ is fundamental to our overall health and enjoyment of life. Taking care of our wellbeing should be both an individual and a collective pursuit. Being present, allows us to consciously monitor how we are travelling emotionally. This week the College celebrated Wellbeing Week. Each day, we focussed on one important aspect of ‘being well’. Monday’s focus was ‘healthy’ exercise and food; Tuesday’s focus was ‘connected’, with the entire school coming together for the Assumption Day Mass and Lapathon; Wednesday’s focus was ‘present’ with a focus on noticing the bodily movements and flow; and Thursday’s focus was ‘grateful’ with parents, teachers and students affirming all that is good in life. On Friday 13 August our staff will participate in Professional Learning led by Perth based international leadership speaker, Mr Brendan Spillane. The topic of the first session will be looking inward for wellbeing, and the second session will explore the impact we have on others.

The hope is that our community continues to learn about, and commits to, behaviours that promote wellness; these behaviours include sleep, exercise, and a balanced diet. It is essential to monitor the status of our own mental health and stress levels, and then act accordingly. If we become aware of our own stress triggers, we are better able to take responsibility to address and minimise these. Paying attention to what and who provides us with life giving energy and happiness, allows us to feature these more regularly in life. As a community, we need to give ourselves and each other permission to lean towards the area of life that requires immediate attention. In doing so, we can remain a strong, supportive and connected community of well ‘beings’.

Gratitude Gatherings

As part of our Wellbeing Week, on Thursday we conducted Gratitude Gatherings across the College where staff, parents and students had the opportunity to vocally celebrate all that they are grateful for at Newman. Thank you to parents for responding to the call for staff appreciation and gratitude comments. We received over 200 parent entries from PK-12, some of which were read out today and the rest will be delivered tomorrow. To be grateful for something or someone, and to not share that gratitude, is like buying and wrapping a gift, and never giving it. We rise and experience happiness by lifting others.

At the secondary event, we acknowledged the #Good Samaritans Matthew De Rossi and Joel Uren, who came to the aid of two elderly grandparents in the Lavalla campus on Tuesday afternoon. Their car broke down in the carpark and these Year 12 students assisted with jumper leads and waited for the RAC to arrive, while also entertaining their young grandchildren. Our grandparent could not speak highly enough of these students and said that if these students were examples of our youth, then the future was in good hands.

Angelico Art Exhibition

We were delighted to hear this week that Eliza von Perger and Charlotte Laurent will be award recipients at next Tuesday’s Angelico Presentation. Congratulations to Eliza and Charlotte and I look forward to attending this event with them.

Charlotte Laurent

Eliza von Perger

The Exhibition can also be viewed at Forrest Centre, 221 St Georges Terrace Perth from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, from 9 to 27 August. A virtual tour will also be available on the Catholic Arts website at the completion of the Exhibition.

Education Support Review

During Term 3, the College will be undertaking a review of the Learning and Education Support area. This review is being conducted by Associate Professor Dianne Chambers, The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle. Dianne is an author, lecturer and international presenter in the space of Learning Needs, Inclusion and Diversity. She will conduct an audit of our Diverse Education offering and will make recommendations early in Term 4 on our structures, policies, processes and feasibility and sustainability of our current reasonable adjustments. We look forward to hearing her recommendations.

Newman Parents Consultative Committee Meeting (NPCC)

Thank you to those parents who braved the weather and abandoned the football to attend our NPCC meeting on Monday evening. Among the operational aspects of the College that were raised, we heard from Ms Jenny Miraudo on the Newman College Norms, Pedagogy and Innovation, Mr Steve Tsocas on aspects of our Digital Transformation, Mr Simon Martino on Reporting and the Lavalla carpark, Mrs Lisa McClue on our Flexible 3, 4, and 5 day Kindy offering from 2022 and Mrs Carla Pastorelli on Year 12 Graduation and Wellbeing Week. I really appreciate this consultative space and thank those parents in attendance.

Storm Damage Update

The Learning Hub continues to be repaired. All the damage has been remediated and we are now in the rebuild phase.

Events

A big thank you to all staff, students and families who were involved in the myriad events that have occurred during the last two weeks. These events include the Years 5 and 6 Wakakirri Dance, Year 7 to 12 Marcellin Athletics Carnival, the Catholic Performing Arts performances and the Winter Sleepout – to name a few. These will be addressed in the relevant sections of the newsletter.

This will be my last newsletter as Principal (Acting) as Mr Finneran will return in Week 6. Wishing everyone a fabulous two weeks.

Dr Lucie McCrory
PRINCIPAL (ACTING) 

 

This week has been a great celebration of all things wellbeing at school. Students have taken part in a range of activities, lessons, and discussions centred around our four themes for the week: physical health & fitness, connection, mindfulness, and gratitude. Whilst I think wellbeing has always played an important role in schools (even when it may not have been called ‘wellbeing’) I think has been recognised even more over these last 18 months. The challenge of the COVID pandemic brought to light the importance of strong relationships, connection with others, and having the time and space to look after ourselves and one another. As adults, it is very easy to get caught up in our busy lives, and often I see parents doing so much for their kids, that we can sometimes neglect to take care of ourselves. I have encouraged all students today to give some time back to their Mum and Dad over the extended weekend break, and give parents an opportunity for some self care of their own too. Parents deserve to be looked after too!

Highlights from Past Two Weeks

Assembly 

Last week students gathered in the Auditorium to celebrate all of our Merit award winners, as well as celebrate Knox faction who were announced as the winners of the Cross Country Carnival. Congratulations to all students who took part in our carnival and for their great efforts on the day. We were also treated to a wonderful assembly from 3 Green. They took us on a journey all over the world exploring some of the different cultures of students in their class. It was so heart-warming to see students working together and so obviously enjoying putting on a show for us all. A big congratulations to 3 Green and all of our merit award winners this week!

Marcellin Award

This week the Marcellin Champagnat award was presented to Damon Caratti from 5 Red. Damon may just be one of the politest young men on our campus. He was nominated by a number of teachers for the kind, respectful, and gentle way he interacts with others. He leads by example through his beautiful actions, and always offers a friendly smile to those that pass him by in the class or playground. Well done Damon on setting such a good example for other students around what it means to be a fine young gentleman!

Wakakirri Dance Festival 

On Thursday August 5 our year 5/6 Primary Dance Troupe performed in the Wakakirri Nation-wide story telling competition at the Perth Concert Hall. Students performed a “story dance” called Sarah’s Heavy Heart, based on the picture book written by Peter Canavas.

The story was one of hope and resilience and friendship. Sarah struggles to carry her heavy heart which is sometimes heavy with worry until she meets a friend and the burden of worry is shared.

The dance was choreographed by Mrs Amy Raveendrakumar and danced expertly by our Primary Junior Dance troupe.  Newman College was awarded certificates of Best Minimalist Set and Best Public Speaking. Congratulations to Mrs Raveendrakumar all the wonderful dancers involved in performing this beautiful story.

IPSHA Cross Country 

Earlier today, 64 students across Years 3-6 ventured down to Bunbury to take part in the IPSHA Interschool Cross Country Carnival. While we can share the results of the carnival in our next newsletter, we can say for sure that students have had a great time today and represented our school very proudly. We owe a big thanks to Mrs Richards our coach Lenny who has been training with our students and working with them to prepare for their big day.

Fiona Wildey visit 

Earlier this week we were very fortunate to welcome former Olympian Fiona Wildey to our campus as she came to speak with our Year 3 and 4 students. Fiona spoke about her experiences at the Seoul Olympics, and the journey that took her there, showcasing to students a number of items of memorabilia, and providing students with some interesting facts about Olympic etiquette among other things. Most importantly though, Fiona spoke about the Olympic values and her own personal values, including determination, commitment, and sacrifice. It was very inspiring to hear her journey, and who knows…she may even inspire a future Olympian among us today!

Year 5 Special Visitor 

Yesterday afternoon, Year 5 students had a special visitor to their classrooms. 5 Blue student Luke Rombouts brought in two of his bobtail lizards to show to the classes. Luke was a wealth of knowledge as he discussed all things habitat, feeding, and characteristics. We are very grateful to Luke and for the learning experience he was able to share with his classmates.

Carpark 

This week I was out in the carpark making some observations of driver behaviour. Unfortunately, we are having trouble with vehicles double parking next to the drive through lane, and children walking through these vehicles into their own car. This is a very dangerous thing to do, and I am quite afraid that if this continues, it will eventually lead to an accident or injury of a child.

We encourage parents to display patience in our Lavalla carpark and demonstrate good road safety practices.  Please park your vehicles in the parking bays provided and walk over to pick your child/children up from the waiting area. This will assist with child safe practices and remove any risk of injury to students.

We appreciate your cooperation. We are currently reviewing the carpark pick up/drop off situation.

Important Information For The Next Two Weeks

There are so many events coming up over the next two weeks. Make sure you mark these down in your calendar!

Week 5 

• (Week 4) Friday 13 August – Pupil Free Day (Staff Professional Development)
• Monday 16 August – Pupil Free Day (Catholic Day)
• Tuesday 17 August – Speak Up Awards Finals
• Tuesday 17 August – Lavalla Music Night
• Thursday 19 & Friday 20 August – Year 6 Leadership Camp
• Friday 20 August – 3 Red Assembly

Week 6 

• Wednesday 25 August – Year 3 & Year 4 Unit Mass
• Wednesday 25 August – Year 5/6 Art Extension Artist in Residence Program
• Thursday 26 August – ‘Write a Book in a Day’ Competition
• Friday 27 August – Book Week Parade in Marist Auditorium