Newman News Term 1 Week 8: From the Leader of Primary

One of my favourite memories in teaching came toward the end of my first year in the classroom. I was asked by the basketball coordinator of our school if I would be interested in coaching a team of Year 3 girls. At first, I wasn’t sure…I didn’t know much about coaching basketball, and I knew even less about Year 3 girls! But in the end, I decided to give it a go and just see what would happen. It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made – I coached the team for three years until they graduated in Year 6, and went on to coach girls netball at my next school too. Even though we managed to get through our first season undefeated, (I just had to include that sorry!) it wasn’t the victories that made it enjoyable, it was the relationships I formed with the team, and being able to watch the great relationships they formed with each other. It was watching kids work together to support and encourage each other, and it was watching a team full of girls celebrate like they’d won a championship, when one of their teammates scored for the first time.

Many people say sport builds character, and it does…but in another way sports can be great for revealing character. It gave me the opportunity to see students in a different way, and the chance for students to be successful outside of the classroom. Many of our families are already involved in sporting activities, from netball, football and swimming, to tennis, basketball, and dance. They provide a great opportunity for our students to make friends and develop new skills, and play an important role in the development of our young people.

School Photo Day

Families should take note that the day for our school photos has been set for this year – Friday 7 May. More information will be made available to families around uniform requirements and the photo ordering process as we get closer to the date. It is important that all students attend on the day, as school photos become treasured memories over the years, and we would love for all students to be represented in their class.

Easter Liturgy & Raffle

Our Year 3 students will be hosting our Easter Liturgy next Thursday 1 April commencing 2.00pm in the Marist Auditorium. There will be a staging of the Stations of the Cross, followed by the drawing of our Easter raffle. Due to the COVID restrictions in place we encourage families to enjoy the liturgy via the YouTube live stream which can be accessed from the Newman College YouTube page under the Lavalla playlist. You can find the link here. However, parents of students are still welcome to attend in person also. At the conclusion of the Liturgy we will draw the prizes for the Easter raffle.

Guild Activity Day

On Wednesday this week, students from the Thomas More guild at the Marcellin campus came to visit our students and take part in a number of events as part of the guild activity celebrations. Students took part in activities ranging from reading and quizzes, to basketball and capture the flag. It was wonderful for our students to have the opportunity to connect with some of the older boys and girls of our school, and to share the different experiences they have each day. We are very grateful to Ms Jamie Pedler at the Marcellin campus for her assistance in getting everything organised.

Interschool Sport

Over the past two weeks, some of our students have had the opportunity to be involved in Interschool Sport. Students took part in the Interschool Swimming Carnival which was hosted by Newman College, and this week Mrs Richards and Mr Hunt took some of our Year 6 students to take part in the Interschool basketball at the Willeton Basketball Association. It really fills me with pride when we have these events and students take part in such a positive and enthusiastic manner. All students should be proud of their efforts and the excellent way they represented our school.  Click here to view the photo’s taken on the day.

Student Leaders Celebration

Last week, our Year 6 and Year 12 students, along with their families, came together for a special celebration at our PK-12 Community Mass. Students received a blessing from Father, and were recognised in the presence of God as our school leaders for 2021. Students then gathered for a short morning tea afterwards which was a good opportunity to come together and reflect on what has already been a busy term. I look forward to continuing to work with the outstanding young leaders of our campus and guiding them to make the difference they want to see in the world.

Musica Viva Incursion

Last Friday we were very lucky to have been joined by a team of musicians from Musica Viva, who delivered an amazing presentation called ‘Eastwinds,’ showing how music can link with improvisation and storytelling. Students were shown how to harness their creativity by expressing and sharing their experiences through music, and students were given the tools to create and connect with each other through making music on the spot. It was a thoroughly enjoyable presentation, and we owe a big thanks to our Music teacher, Mrs Annette Grayden, for organising.

New Swings

We were very fortunate last week to see the installation of our new swings in the playground! They have so far proved very popular, and we have even had to roster year groups across the week to make sure everyone gets a turn. Students have been spoken to many times this week about safe play in and around the swings area, and our student leaders have put together some posters to promote safe practices. Next time you are in the school, you can hop on and even give them a try yourself!

HASS Week

This week students at the Marcellin campus were celebrating HASS week, which is celebration of all things History, Geography, and Social Studies. We joined in the celebrations today, encouraging students to come dressed to school in the colours or national dress that reflects their country. This also coincides with Harmony Dad which we also celebrated. As a community rich with many cultures and backgrounds, it is important that we celebrate the unique diversity of our community and promote a healthy respect and love for one another. Needless to say, students enjoyed the chance to dress up and show off their colours! To read more and to view photos from the day click here.

Parent Reps 2021

I would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the commitment and dedication of our parent representatives for 2021. As Easter draws closer, many teachers have been sharing stories with their children around the importance of acts of service. In the lead up to Easter we learn about how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, hoping to inspire them into acts of service. We really don’t need to look any further than our parent volunteers and reps here at our school to see this beautiful message being lived out right here in our own community. It is a selfless act to volunteer for the good of our community, and all families in our community should be grateful for their contributions.
The role of parent rep is largely a social role – it is about welcoming new families and arranging a social event or two throughout the year for the children of the year level, and perhaps even for the parents too. In the past, some families have come to rely on parent reps to deliver information such as sports days, or to be up to date on all the latest goings-on of the class or school, but this is not the responsibility of the parent rep. I would urge families if you have a query that is related to anything happening in the class or school, your first port of call should be the classroom teacher. The role of parent rep should be not be burdensome, and I am conscious of the great effort and lengths our reps already go to for some families.

The list of parent reps for 2021 is as below:

  • Year 3 Blue: TBA
  • Year 3 Green: Carla Martinovich
  • Year 3 Red: Carla Martinovich
  • Year 4 Blue: Sarina Menzies
  • Year 4 Green: Kerry Picotti
  • Year 4 Red: Christie Blizzard
  • Year 5 Blue: Mychelly Anderton
  • Year 5 Green: Jo Crothers & Taryn Devlin
  • Year 5 Red: Hayley Andrews
  • Year 6 Blue: Angela Smith
  • Year 6 Green: Sarina Menzies
  • Year 6 Red: Alicia Mason