Newman Newbies: From the Principal
Every day I walk into Newman College I feel blessed to walk amongst a community of people who support one another. It is this unique quality that defines our College. Under each individual child sits a vast support network that seeks to challenge, collaborate, create and celebrate the learning of our students. This is a strength that exists to ensure that parents, staff and students all work together to set high expectations. At Newman College we hope to inspire every child to reach their potential by fostering an education in which they can Shine through Discovery.
Our youngest students have had the joy of celebrating their learning with family members during Term 2. Grandparents Day and Tinkering Day are features on our early learning calendar that encourage parents, guardians and grandparents to participate in our collaborative learning environment. The day is met with much enthusiasm by both the students and their visitors. The tradition of Mothers Day at Newman College remains extremely strong, with no better example of our Marist values and faith. ‘In the spirit of Mary’ is one of the Marist characteristics, with Mothers Day providing a grand occasion to showcase our love and support of one another. Fitness Friday and Coffee at the College continues to bring families together every Friday morning at the Marian Campus. Our Wellbeing Program drives a culture of inclusion and is helping to bring our families into the lives of our students.
As we bid safe travels to our students and staff heading to New York on the Arts Tour; and those journeying to New South Wales on the Humanities Tour, we acknowledge the many journeys and adventures our students have undertaken throughout Term 2, 2019. The outstanding commitment of our Netball team in Alice Springs at the annual Marist Netball Carnival; the Outdoor Education Camp for Year 9 students in Dwellingup; the Biology Camp for Year 11 students in the Perth Hills; the Design Thinking Course undertaken by members of staff at Republic Polytechnic in Singapore; the Year 12 Earth and Environment Tour to Kalgoorlie; Year 7 Camp to the Ern Halliday Recreational Camp; and our Year 6 Camp to Waroona. At Newman College we challenge our students to explore themselves through exposure to new cultures, ideas and environments. What an exciting plethora of opportunities await our students every term.
We celebrate the achievements of all students over the course of Term 2. From the achievements of our sporting teams throughout the winter NAS sports program, to the achievements at the ACC sports days. The triumph of our Ladies Hockey Team who went undefeated through the carnival was a particular highlight, as was the First XVIII AFL Team that won their division of the Jakovich Cup particularly exciting moments.
As we take time to pause at the midway point of the year, I encourage all families to be present to their children and the special time you can spend with one another. Embrace the connections to your own communities and know that you are always a welcome part of the Newman College community. I wish you well for the ensuing second half of 2019.
Reconciliation Action Plan
During Term 2, the College has been working towards the creation of its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP is not only a strategic intent of the College through its Annual School Improvement Plan, but a firm commitment to place reconciliation at the very forefront of thinking within our College Community.
The RAP Working Group consists of 19 individuals from the College community. Individuals have been drawn from our parent, student, alumni, and staff community across the PK-Y12 College. This representative group is tasked with developing a plan that will carry forward the College’s aspiration to lead our community in reconciliation ‘actions’.
The support of facilitator Christine Sindley of Waangara Marra Consulting has been welcomed and fostered by the RAP working group. It is our hope to launch the 2020 Newman College Reconciliation Action Plan during Term 4 this year.
