Newman News Term 2 Week 10: From the Deputy Principal Primary
Key Dates
College Calendar Link – In recent times, our school calendar has changed regularly.
6 Blue Assembly
Last Friday students from the Lavalla campus gathered in the Marist Auditorium for a great assembly of celebration. We acknowledged the efforts of our Eureka Sleek Geek Science Award winners from the Year 3 and Year 4 SHINE program, and also acknowledged the efforts of our Year 6 Interschool football team who took out the shield for their efforts at the Interschool carnival the day before (with Roman Vladich adjudged best on ground). We also celebrated many award winners, and witness a wonderfully entertaining assembly item from 6 Blue who demonstrated how the Talk4Writing program has guided their persuasive writing in class. Well done to all students who were able to celebrate their success this week!
1 Green Assembly
This morning the Marian students gathered in the hall for a wonderfully heartfelt assembly presented by the 1 Green class. Their theme was on talents, and how we all have our own unique gifts we can bring and share in the world. This is such a positive message, especially for our youngest students. It is very easy to look at the skills or accomplishments of others, and feel diminished ourselves…however it is important to recognise and celebrate the great gifts that live within each of us. We also acknowledged the terrific efforts of a number of students and classes who have finished this term so well. Congratulations to all our students who have worked so well to impress their teachers over these last few weeks!
Marcellin Award
This week, our Marcellin Award was awarded to Zac Sindall of 6 Green. At the beginning of the week, we began with a prayer assembly where the theme was giving of oneself in service to others. This perfectly summaries Zac and the efforts and attitude he brings to school each day. He is to be congratulated on being such a fine, upstanding young man who makes a big difference in the lives of his classmates. Well done Zac!
Cross Country Carnival
Last week we enjoyed a very successful Cross Country, thanks to the organising efforts of Mrs Tash Richards, as well as all those staff, parents, and students who supported us on the day. It was a very closely contested event, with every student that took part earning points for their faction. In the end, Knox were our eventual champions. Amazingly, this is the fifth year in a row that Knox has taken out the top honours! Let’s see if they can be back next year to do it all again, or if they will finally be toppled from their crown. Full results are below:
1st: Knox 418 points
2nd: Delaney 386 points
3rd: Marcellin 366 points
4th: Brigid 356 points
Speak Up Awards
Last Friday, students from Years 3-6 gathered in the hall to listen to six amazing speeches as part of the Speak Up Awards for 2022. We heard students speak on a range of topics including the History of Nintendo, Rocky Balboa, and Laughter. There was a great mix of speeches that sought to entertain, inform, and persuade the audience as all students listened attentively and engaged in our speakers. In the end, there were three speeches chosen to go through to the next round of the competition, which will occur next term (highlighted below). Our Newman College representatives will compete against other students from neighbouring schools, with winners from that round going through to the finals. Well done to all students who took part – the quality of the speeches presented was exceptional! A full list of students who took part and their speech topics are presented below:
Isla Kalebic – Life as the youngest sibling
Deion Fernando – COVID-19
Grace Taylor – Laughter
Damon Caratti – History of Nintendo
Bailey Aylmore – Lycanthropy
Stefan Moschopoulos – Rocky Balboa
Year 5 Zoo Excursion
This morning, Year 5 students headed off to Perth Zoo with our amazing parent helpers for a beautiful last-day excursion. Students have been learning all about the biology of different animals, with a particular focus on animal adaptations. Adaptations help animals to stay alive and can be acquired at birth or developed over a period of time. The Year Fives integrated their knowledge of adaptations into creating an interactive Hopscotch game of an animal of their choice. Students are also using the excursion as an opportunity to integrate their literacy unit of work to write Information Reports on their Perth Zoo animal. We are sure that all students had a wonderful day. A big thank you goes to the Year 5 teachers for their planning of the day, as well as our parent helpers who attended in support.
AMEB – Australian Music Examinations Board
Congratulations to Joshua Woods (Year 6) on being awarded first place in the 2022 Fremantle Eisteddfod in the AMEB Grade 5 Strings section, performing “Liebesleid” by Fritz Kreisler. Under the tutelage of violin tutor, Ms Hannah Herriman, Joshua has been playing violin since Year 3 as part of Year 3 String Program and is now Concert Master of the Year 5/6 Vivace String Ensemble. What an amazing achievement, Joshua!
Student Wellbeing
A few weeks ago, if you were like me, you might have found yourself quite amused at the antics of young Prince Louis during the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations. There were short snippets circulating on the news and social media showing the young royal arguing with his Mum and acting less than his best self. This was somewhat amusing, as there is a certain standard and decorum we come to expect from the royal family, perhaps even in its youngest members.
However, some people also took this as opportunity to cast judgement on the young prince, and on the parenting of Kate and Will. They thought that because he was caught on camera being ‘naughty’, or doing the wrong thing, that he must be like that all the time; that the prince has no respect for others, or that his parents weren’t doing enough to ‘raise him right’. Imagine having conclusions drawn about ourselves or our own children based on a few minutes of behaviour over the course of a whole day. What we need to remember is that in this case, the young prince is only 4 years old, and we can only imagine how many hours of events or ‘sitting still’ he had to endure over that weekend.
Sometimes, this same thing can happen in school. Parents or other students can see something in isolation, and form judgements or opinions on the behaviour of a child, or on the parenting skills or values of their parents. Often, children’s behaviour is a form of communication, especially in younger children. Sometimes children don’t have the skills to communicate their emotions or feelings in the way they would like, and so this can present in their behaviour instead. When we encounter a child in this way, instead of judging them or their family, perhaps we are better to ask “I wonder what is going on for that child at the moment”, or, “I wonder if there is anything I could do to offer my support”. It is important to remember that in most instances, behaviour is derived from our feelings, and our feelings derive from our experiences. Therefore, if you see a child having a moment, or perhaps witness your own child struggling themselves, it is often more productive to ask what is happening, rather than to become upset. Of course, we are all human too – but if we work to encounter those around us with grace, kindness, love, and understanding, we will be making a better world for all of us.
Stuart McClorey
Leader of Wellbeing – Primary