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Vision for Mission: to form “Good Christians and Good Citizens”. 

This term we have launched our Vision for Mission, in line with our Vision for Learning and Strategic Directions. These documents underpin the way our school seeks “to make Jesus Christ known and loved” in our community. All of us have a role to play in bringing College’s vision to fruition, staff, students and families. As we are about to enter the school holiday period, quite possibly with a lockdown, I encourage all families to consider our Marist characteristics of ‘Family Spirit’ & ‘Presence’. This means to take time to reflect on the things in our lives that are most important, our relationships with God, ourselves, creation and one another. It is a good reminder to consider those who are vulnerable and less fortunate that us, to evaluate how we can continue to put others before ourselves.

 

With everything we have achieved this term, through our fundraising and advocacy, I would like to say thank you to our staff, students and families for their generosity and compassion. We look forward to continuing our support for our different agencies in Semester Two.

Thursday morning Community Mass 

Our Thursday morning community Mass is the perfect way to begin your Thursday. Each week a different Guild and primary Year group will lead the celebration with one of our local priests who support of College. All families and students are invited to attend this weekly celebration. We return to Thursday morning Mass in Week 1 of Term 3.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Sleepout & Blanket Appeal 2021 

From Monday 19 July to Friday 6 August, in the lead up to our Winter Sleepout, we are asking students to donate a blanket for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. Your donation can help provide blankets and warm clothing for a family experiencing homelessness. Large collection baskets will be located in the entrance of the Chapel.

On Friday 6 August students in Year 7 – 12 are invited to participate in the St Vincent de Paul Winter Sleepout. A parent information letter and expression of interest form will be sent out at the beginning of Term 3. Please return the expression of interest form if your child would like to participate to Hannah Parker, Leader of Youth Ministry and Advocacy, by Friday the 30th of July. 

St Vincent de Paul stores in Western Australia are facing a shortage of winter clothing for the neediest in our community. In support of Vinnies, we remind families that any warm clothing they have can be donated to their local Winnies store.

Gamechangers 

The Gamechangers meeting time for students in Year 7 and 8 will change to Tuesday from 3.30pm – 4.30pm every fortnight. This allows our Gamechangers groups from Year 7 – 12 to come together for their meetings and foster a sense of ‘Family Spirit’, peer mentoring and leadership. If you have any concerns please contact Hannah Parker, Leader of Youth Ministry and Advocacy, at Hannah.parker@newman.wa.edu.au. 

Champagnat Day 

This significant day in the life of the College, celebrates our Marist Charism and seeks to raise funds for Australian Marist Solidarity. I am pleased to announce the generosity of our staff, students and families allowed us to raise over $12000. This money will be used to support the Kuya Centre for Street Children in the Philippines, a place where pre-covid we would take a group of Year 11 students on immersion.

The Champagnat Day celebrations at Newman College began with Mass celebrated by Fr Garner in the Gym for Years 7 – 12 and in the Marist Auditorium for Kindy – Year 6 with Fr Kaz. During the celebrations our Champagnat Award winners for Year 7 – 12 were announced. We congratulate the following students;

We also celebrated staff who have served in Marist Education for significant periods of their career.  Thank you to the follow staff for your continued contribution to the lives of our students and staff here at Newman College;

Following Mass our students from primary participated in a range of activities that centred on learning more about the Marist story. Students were able to enjoy a sausage sizzle, animal farm and bouncy castles. Secondary students participated in a range of Fete activities and had a selection of delicious food stalls. Secondary students finished the day with a display of talent in the form of ‘battle of the bands’.

I loved Champagnat Day because we met our buddies for the first time. My buddy was lovely and showed me how to make a St Marcellin puppet and we made a ‘Stop Motion’ video about St Marcellin. I loved playing handball with my buddy, visiting the animal farm and having a hotdog for lunch. 
Harrison Keller – Year 2 Blue

It was finally Marcellin Champagnat Day! We started the day meeting our buddies and then we walked to Mass, we loved singing songs together. We had a great time getting to know our buddies and made posters and puppets about St Marcellin Champagnat. In the afternoon we were lucky to have a go on big inflatable slides. It was sad to say goodbye at the end of the day but we had the time of our life. 
Annabelle Adamini, Emersyn Duck – Year 5 Green

Last Friday the college hosted the annual Champagnat Day. The day began with a Mass where we all had time to reflect and celebrate the school’s patron saint, Marcellin Champagnat. Following this we were given time to relax with our peers. We were free to purchase a variety of food and listen to the live band. On the oval there were many stalls and games set up where students were played games such as; laser tag or live fuse-ball. Finally following these activities there was a talent show where students from the school let their light shine and we all got to listen to some amazing performances. Overall, this was an amazing day on our school calendar! 
Year 11 Students

The day was a resounding success. Many thanks to our families for their support of our fundraising and our staff and students for the spirit in which they participated. The day reminds us of the importance of our Marist characteristics of Family Spirit and Presence. It is through days like this that students foster positive relationships with their peers and staff. We pray that the Charism of Champagnat to make Jesus Christ known and loved continues to be the foundation for our students at Newman College as we seek to form “good Christians and good citizens”.

Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat 

The Marist Association is a group of people who choose to commit to actively living the Marist charism. We meet several times throughout the year for formation and the Eucharist at St Joseph’s Parish. The group is made up of teachers and people who have an affiliation to Marist life.

On Sunday 6 June, members of the Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat gathered to celebrate the Eucharist at St Joseph’s Parish in Subiaco. As a group we came together to pray and renew our commitment to the Marist charism and build our Family Spirit. We also welcomed new members to the Association.  It was a wonderful evening celebrating our Marist connection and story.

 

 

Champagnat Day

Today we celebrated the ideals and dreams of our Founder St Marcellin Champagnat and who we are as a Marist community. Right across the school today, from our Kindergarten to Year 6 to Year 12, we came to the table to celebrate who we are and our shared purpose. At the heart of our Gospel message is the notion that we can be faith-filled, we can be hope-filled and we do that by how we love one another. Marist education is premised on the notion that we can be present to each other, that we can form relationships and think of the other person, particularly that person most in need.

Congratulations to those Marist award winners in each year group in the Secondary school and those in the Primary who have won the Marist award every week. This award sets the exemplar of what we want for this community. A commitment to excellence, a commitment to service, a commitment to the other person. Congratulations also to those teachers for their Marist service awards.

The proceeds of funds raised today will go to Australian Marist Solidarity, the international agency for the aid and development work of the Marist Province of Australia, which supports those throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. Our fundraising today raises awareness of issues that afflict the minority, the marginalised, the person without a home, without food on the table or a country they can call their own. We need to ask ourselves the question – ‘what would we do if we had no home, had no country, no education?’ In our faith and learning community the people we become, the questions we ask and the actions we take will define our future.

We were indeed fortunate that the weather held. Students and staff participated in all events with great enthusiasm and joy. Further reports of the day can be found in other parts of this newsletter.

Opening and Blessing of the St John Henry Newman Learning Hub, Tuesday 1 June

Thank you to all staff, students and members of our Community for ensuring that last week’s Opening and Blessing of the St John Henry Newman Learning Hub was the great success it was.

This event not only showcased our beautiful new facility, but also provided an opportunity to celebrate our Vision for Learning Shine Through Discovery – Let your light shine…..

This new learning space was designed to animate staff and students to reflect our vision to be flexible, agile and innovative in their learning. The Hub reflects the pedagogical pillar, Collaborate, in our Vision for Learning that will enhance the skills of critical thinking, innovation and a culture of presentation for both students and staff.

We were indeed fortunate to have had special guests contribute to the formalities of the Opening, including:

• The Most Reverend Timothy Costelloe, Archbishop of Perth
• Br Peter Carroll, Provincial of the Marist Brothers and the Leader of the Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat
• Dr Frank Malloy, National Director Marist Schools Australia (online)

Primary Schools Lifelink Launch

On Tuesday 2 June, Newman College was delighted to once again host the Archbishop of Perth’s Lifelink Launch for Primary Schools, the aim of which is to help raise funds for people in need in our community. We welcomed the following special guests to our College:

• The Most Rev Timothy Costello, Archbishop of Perth
• The Most Rev Donald Sproxton, Auxiliary Bishop of Perth
• Dr Debra Sayce, Executive Director, CEWA
• Br Peter Carroll, Provincial Leader of the Marist Brothers
• Dr Frank Malloy, National Director Marist Schools Australia

Year 7 2024 Interviews

As indicated in last week’s Newsletter, the interview enrolment process for Year 7 2024 has commenced and continues over this weekend into next week. Members of the Senior Leadership Team have thoroughly enjoyed meeting prospective students who are showing so much enthusiasm for starting secondary school.

College Canteen Provision of Service

In recent months the College has undertaken a review of the canteen services provided at Newman College to evaluate the efficacy of resources and facilities. The outcome of this review indicated the need for consolidation of provisions across the College. As a result, several changes to the delivery of service will come into effect from the commencement of Term 3 2021. These include:

• All food and drink will be provisioned through the Marcellin Canteen.
• Canteen orders for recess and lunch will be delivered to the Marian and Lavalla campuses at the appropriate time. (This recess option for the Marian Campus is new.)
• All Canteen orders, for both recess and lunch will now shift to the Flexischools online system. Walk up purchases will no longer be available at the Marian and Lavalla campuses.
• Forgotten or missing lunches will now be reported to the relevant Student Administration where appropriate measures will be taken to support individual students.
• Canteen services for Marcellin students remain unchanged.

Primary families would have received communication this week about how to access Flexischools and set up an account.

John Finneran
PRINCIPAL

 

Lifelink

Newman College welcomed the Archbishop Timothy Costelloe and Bishop Donald Sproxton to launch the archdiocesan fundraiser Lifelink. Our Junior Dance Troupe opened the launch with an inspiring performance to “You Raise Me Up”. The challenge to the students was to consider “How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia that is a joyful, hope filled and servant community?”

It was a wonderful celebration and collaboration between all primary schools in the archdioeces. We look forward to supporting the lifelink agencies in 2021 with our annual fundraiser scheduled for Term 3. More information about Lifelink can be found here.

Student Led Prayer 

Friday Week 9 our Faith and Liturgy Captains return to lead students in quiet prayers and reflection. All are welcome from 8.25am in the Champagnat Chapel every Friday.

Thursday morning Community Mass – 8.10am every Thursday

Thank you to Marcellin Guild and Year 6 students  hosted our Thursday morning community Mass in Week 7 and MacKillop Guild and Year 6 who hosted in Week 8. Romero Guild and Year 4 will be hosting in Week 9.

Our community Mass is the perfect way to start your day where students can gather with staff and their parents to begin the day. All parents are invited to attend with their students at least once a term.

On Tuesday evening of this week, Newman College hosted parenting expert Maggie Dent who gave a presentation on building children’s resilience. As is her way, Maggie presented in her typically good humoured fashion, connecting with many families over the challenges we see in raising children today. One of the things she spoke about that really stuck with me is that there is no parenting book written about your child. Each child is so unique and so different in their own way, that there is never really a solution or approach that works for all children. The message I took from this is that as parents, we need to be kind to ourselves. It is so easy to draw comparisons between our own child and others; it is so easy to look at the achievements of one child and have concern or worry for why our child is not doing the same. If there is one thing I have learned in my years in education, it’s that it all balances out in the end.

Students will always grow and develop at different rates, and where one child shows strength or talent, another may do so in something completely different. I think the parents of our community should know that it’s ok to be kind to ourselves (in fact I strongly encourage it!)  – to actually stop and pause and reflect on the great things we have done as parents and as families, rather than be hard on ourselves for any perceived deficiencies. Celebrate the beautiful young person your child is becoming! Being a parent is hard – there’s no manual on how to get it done, and we learn on the job as we go. I hope that as we move towards the conclusion of this term, families can take some time to reflect on the great things that have occurred for them and their children this year and celebrate that in some special or meaningful way. Remember, no matter how we might feel about ourselves some days, our children love us just the way we are 😊

Incidentally, Maggie’s website is packed with information covering all sorts of topics from helping children with anxiety, to connecting with grandparents who live far away, to how to plan for a road trip minus screen time. I would encourage all families if they are interested to check out some of her resources and take advantage of here years of wisdom. You can find all of her materials here.

Highlights from Past Two Weeks

Year 6 Parliament House 

Last Monday our year 6 students took a trip to Parliament House to explore our local state government and how it works. Students were able to learn about how bills are debated and passed through parliament, as well as gain an understanding of the roles of some of the different members of the Legislative Assembly. Students also had the chance to visit the Electoral Education Centre as part of their trip learning about how our preferential voting system works within a democracy. Thank you to our Year 6 teachers for organising this event, as well as the parent volunteers from our Year 6 families who were able to attend in support.

Year 6 Tinkering Day 

Last Thursday, students from Year 6 took part in a ‘Tinkering Day’ as part of their Digital and Design Technologies curriculum. Students worked with their parents and grandparents to take apart an old electronic device or gadget, which was then repurposed into a device that would warn others of an impending natural disaster. The hall was alive with lots of noise and discussion as students worked together to complete their devices. A personal highlight for me was watching Mr Hunt teach his students about tape cassettes – something I thought I would never see! It was a great day, and we are so grateful to the large numbers of parents (especially Dads) who were able to come down and support.

Homework Club & Coder Dojo  

It has been wonderful to see so many of our families take advantage of the offerings of our Homework Club and Coder Dojo this term. Families should note the following for the remainder of this term:

• Coder Dojo has now finished for Term 2 and will recommence early in Term 3. Families will be advised of the date of commencement in Term 3 in future newsletters.
• Homework Club will continue to run until Week 10 of this term each Monday from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. All students are welcome to attend.

Important Information For The Next Two Weeks

There are several important events coming up in the calendar over the next few weeks. These include:

• Wednesday 16 June – Year 4 Unit mass (9.00am in the Chapel)
• Thursday 17 June – Year 6 IPSHA Interschool carnival (to be held at John XXIII)
• Thursday 24 June – Speak Up Awards Finals
• Friday 25 June – Lavalla Cross Country Carnival
• Friday 25 June – Student Leaders breakfast
• Friday 2 July – Semester One reports released

UWA Research Project

The University of Western Australia (UWA) has an exciting opportunity for Newman College to participate in research.

The overall aim of the research project is to examine first impressions towards children with and without autism to better understand the social experiences of children and help understand the stigma towards children on the autism spectrum. Experiencing social rejection at an early age can be very difficult for children, and research suggests that one factor that may impact children’s social lives are first impressions.

First impressions can influence how we respond to unfamiliar people, and so understanding the factors that impact how first impressions are formed can be very valuable information in developing programs that foster social inclusivity. This study also investigates how adults form impressions of children because adults who work with children, such as parents and teachers, can have great influence on children’s social decisions.

The project encourages children to learn about first impressions with the message of inclusivity and acceptance of other children’s differences.

At this stage, they are inviting parents and their children aged 6-11 years to participate in this study and would appreciate any help from Newman College families on this project. The results of this current study will be used to inform the design of a later study involving children who are on the autism spectrum.

If you and your child are interested in participating, please follow this link to provide your consent and answer some questions regarding your child’s development: http://uwa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJ83cMkCNuTJBZA

The link will also provide you with further information and guidance on how you and your child may participate in this exciting project.