From the Principal – Term 3 Week 2
Dear Parents and Guardians
Catholic Performing Arts Festival
It is here again! This week marked the beginning of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival, and we have 277 students that entered in this extensive festival. The promotion and celebration of the Arts is as important as any other facet of student involvement and achievement. We are very proud of our talented, dedicated students and staff in the Arts. Our best wishes to all performers in their various events over the next six weeks.
Preparing for Leadership Year 12 2025
As the term gets underway, our Year 11 students who have nominated for leadership have begun working through a series of workshops. Yesterday, they gathered at our Morning Mass to receive the community’s blessing and support. There are 52 students applying to serve the College in Portfolio and Guild leadership and they are a wonderful group of young people eager to serve. The leadership process will be concluded by the end of the term and there will be the symbolic handover Class of 2024 and the incoming Year 12 2025 leaders. Please keep these students in your thoughts and prayers.
Shine Program
The Shine program operates across our whole College, providing opportunities for extension in learning. Last week, I had the opportunity to sit with the Year 7 Shine class and listen to their developing Shark Tank concepts. The class members were tasked with looking at ways to tackle real-life challenges at school with the view to making experiences better for other students. Several groups were examining ways to help the Year 7 2025 cohort transition smoothly into secondary school. As they worked, it was inspiring to see them grapple with our Vision for Learning pillars: Challenge, Collaborate Create and Celebrate.
Marist Schools Australia Conference
Beginning this weekend and concluding on Tuesday evening, the Marist Schools Australia Biennial Conference takes place in Alice Springs. The accompanying image First Light – Reveal the Spirit has been our Marist theme for 2024 and is an image taken from Standley Chasm in Alice Springs. The Conference focuses on enlivening the provision of high quality, contemporary evangelisation, its connection with indigenous spirituality and Catholic education in the Marist tradition. Three Newman College staff will be attending with me and we will also be presenting in one workshop on the topic of school improvement and student growth.
Year 10 Girls AFL Team
The AFL girls team showed amazing hard work and great teamwork, finishing the day undefeated and winning the Dockers Cup Division 2. Well done and congratulations to the whole team on this fantastic achievement!
ANDREW WATSON
PRINCIPAL