Newman News Term 3 Week 4: From the Principal

On Saturday 15 August the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Assumption of Our Lady when, according to our faith, the Holy Mother, “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. Although defined as an article of faith by Pope Pius XII just over half a century ago, the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven has been accepted from back to the earliest of Christian times.

This Feast of the recognition of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, is significant for the Marist Brothers and its Founder, St Marcellin Champagnat and underpins their foundations. As a Marist school in 2020 we seek to embody the characteristics of Mary through our resilience, commitment and strength through gentleness. On Thursday we held our weekly PK-12 Community Mass and recognised our Marist Brothers Churchlands Community. We are so blessed in this College to have Br Terry, Br Paul, Br Noel and Br John living close to us and still ministering their vocation to our community. Their lives have permeated with the richness of bringing to life the Gospel of Jesus Christ, animating us all to be people of transformation and hope. We recognise their contribution and celebrate our Marist charism and the family spirit it imbues.

Across the College this week we celebrated Wellbeing focusing on the whole person and engaging students and teachers in activities that were both fun and community building. Some of the most pleasing aspects of the week were the senior students playing and leading activities with our Primary students at both Lavalla and Marian Campuses. At the heart of our community is the alignment of the faith and learning journey of our composite PK-12 College. We are part of something great and we all have a place where we are valued and supported.

The week will culminate on Friday with a Staff Wellbeing Day which includes sessions from our partners, Edith Cowan University, on healthy living, and the Catholic Institute on the power of meditation and prayer. Our staff have been remarkable in their agility, commitment and support over the significant disruption of COVID-19. This day is an opportunity to take time as a whole staff, to reflect from where we have come and to prepare for the inevitable challenges ahead.

Congratulations Charlotte Easden

Year 12 student Charlotte Easden has won the Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award. The award recognises young women, ages 16-19, who demonstrate volunteer leadership skills/achievements and dedication to empowering women worldwide. The award further encourages the winner to continue their participation in public and political life.

Charlotte gave a moving speech about how Sister Felicitas and Sister Rita from the The Fatima Center in the Philippines have inspired her to pursue a career in Human Rights Law so she can help those that are living on the margins of society. She is also passionate about female empowerment in Australia, breaking stereotypes and encouraging young girls to follow their dreams like she has. We are very proud of Charlotte’s achievements! Click here to hear from Charlotte about her award.

New Students Morning Tea

Last week we welcomed our new students of Marcellin Campus to a morning tea led by our College Captains and Counselling Team. It was a great opportunity to gauge their transition into our school, receive feedback and build and cultivate relationships. Once again, we are so blessed with our College student leaders by the way they facilitated this event and exemplified the Marist characteristics.

Marcellin Athletics Carnival

Our annual Secondary Athletics Carnival was a resounding success. Our attendance was at an all time high and the atmosphere was electric. Moreover, this Carnival saw multiple records broken and personal bests achieved by many students. A big thanks to Year 12 leaders who again animated their cohort to engage in the community building spirit of the Carnival.

WA Champagnat Cup, Bunbury

The inaugural WA Champagnat Cup was held in Bunbury last Friday featuring our open Netball, boys Basketball and Boys Football teams. The genesis of this day was our Sports Captains, Marcus Romano and Holly Johnson, who formulated the idea of competing against our Marist school in Bunbury. Traditionally, our Marist Carnivals would have been held in the Eastern States but with the advent of COVID-19 meant that this has not been possible in 2020. Thank you to Bunbury Catholic College and to all our players from Newman who participated and competed with a great Marist spirit. We look forward to this becoming an annual event.

Celebrating 105 Years

We were so blessed to have our Marian Campus Receptionist Jan Robertson’s mother, Bid Grocke, come and speak with our Pre Primary students about the number 105… her age. Her visit coincided with the class’s 105th day of learning so far this year and also ties in with the Unit’s history topic of appreciating our past and religion topic of ‘our families are special’. To top it off, Bid’s visit was a wonderful addition to our wellbeing week; taking care of our bodies, minds and souls. It was a beautiful experience for all involved.