Newman News Term 4 Week 2: From the Leader of Primary
I had the great privilege of attending our Year 12 graduation event at Optus Stadium on Wednesday evening, and it was so beautiful to see families, staff, and students gather together to celebrate the achievements and contributions of the Class of 2021. Graduation is one of those special moments that can become a real marker in life, meaning we can sometimes drift through the busyness of life and it is only during the significant moments we pause to reflect on all things, and sometimes even wonder how we got here so quickly.
Our first words, first steps, first day of school, last day of primary school, are all wonderful moments to take stock and reflect on the journey our children (and us as parents) have been on. We are very much looking forward to celebrating the primary graduation of our own students in just a few short weeks, and I’m sure the celebration and emotion in the air during that occasion will match what we saw on Wednesday.
Key Dates – Next fortnight
Click here to view the key dates for the next fortnight.
St. John Henry Newman Feast Day
Last week we had the most wonderful opportunity to gather as a whole school community in the Marcellin gymnasium to celebrate the Feast Day of St. John Henry Newman. It was such a beautiful sight to see the oldest and youngest students of our College in the one building, and the rendition of Sub Tuum at the conclusion of mass was one of the best I have heard in my time at Newman College. Following mass, students were able to partner up with their buddies to take part in some wonderful activities centred around designing and creating a square foot garden prototype as part of our STEM Festival.
It was a great day of learning, inspired by St. John Henry’s rich life as a scholar and master of learning, as well as a beautiful day of community. Thank you to all teachers and families for their support on the day, as well as our Leader of Learning, Miss Katya Anderson, for her contributions in organising the day.
Year3 Blue Assembly
This morning we celebrated a wonderful assembly with 3 Blue presenting an amazing ABBA inspired item on the story of the Prodigal Son. It was a very creative way to demonstrate to students the importance of forgiving others, and how God is always there to show love and forgiveness to us.
We also acknowledged our participants and award winners in last term’s ‘Have Sum Fun’ online maths competition, as well as a host of students who have already impressed their teachers this term with merit awards.
With only one term left to, we hope all of our students can continue to work hard and finish strongly in their learning right up until the last day!
Marcellin Award
This week we awarded the Marcellin Award to Billie Wyeth in Year 3. Billie showed great leadership skills and courage when she spoke to our whole school at assembly this morning about her experiences with Dyslexia, and how this has impacted her learning. She shared a video with the school which helped to give students an understanding of dyslexia, and her honest, touching reflections resonated with students across the school. October is the month where we can raise awareness of dyslexia and other related learning disorders.
We congratulate Billie for sharing her personal message with us today, and inspiring her classmates to think of others. You are a very deserving recipient of the Marcellin Award Billie!
New Staff Welcome
This term we welcome Miss Imogen Crostella to our primary staff. Miss Crostella worked on our campus in Term 2 alongside Mrs Fitz, in the 4 Blue classroom, completing her final pre-service teaching placement. Miss Crostella is going to be here this term in place of Mrs Anita Jurat and will work with students in the Learning Support role. Mrs Jurat has unfortunately had to take some time off from school this term as she spends some time recovering from a personal health issue.
We hope that you will join us in keeping Mrs Jurat in our thoughts and prayers, but also welcome Miss Crostella should you see here in and around the school.
Year 5 Student Leadership Workshops
We were so proud today to welcome almost 75 Year 5 students along with their teachers to the first of our leadership workshops for our forthcoming Year 6 leaders. Students have been invited to nominate for a sports captain or student councillor position, and have been invited to attend two workshops, as well as a retreat day as a way to develop their understanding around what it means to lead others. This morning students explored a number of topics including the importance of understanding our values, and how just the littlest moments in life can make the biggest difference. I am very excited about the commitment and desire of our students to affect great change in our community.
Our next leadership workshop takes place at 8.00am next Friday in the library.
Year 5 Family Life Incursion
This week, students from Year 5 gathered separately as boys and girls to attend an incursion from the Catholic Marriage & Fertility Services who presented the workshop, ‘I am Nature’s Greatest Miracle’. This presentation gives students a gentle introduction to puberty which is an important part of being human. Students were encouraged to embrace their uniqueness and to appreciate the great gifts God has given us by keeping their bodies and minds healthy. All students were also encouraged to speak to their parents about the presentation, and to listen to their advice.
Next week, the year 6 students will take part in their own workshop titled, ‘Becoming a Man; Becoming a Woman’.
Ipad & Internet Safety
Over the past couple of weeks there have been some instances of students accessing age-inappropriate materials at home on their devices, and this information being picked up by our own CyberSafe software at school. I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents of the importance of monitoring your child’s online activity at home, and making adjustments where possible to limit your child’s access to inappropriate or dangerous materials. For information on how to check your child’s internet history you can follow this useful link here. You can also make some very simple and easy adjustments to your child’s iPad to limit their access to different types of innappropriate materials including web content, apps and games by clicking this link . If you have any questions about our IT safety systems or other ways you can protect your children, please feel free to reach out to myself, or the IT Support team here at the school.