Newman News Term 4 Week 6: From the Vice Principal

Jo Dunn on 19/11/2021

This is the second last newsletter for the 2021 year. Our final newsletter will be published during Week 9 of Term 4.  The next few weeks will be busy for staff, students, and families alike as we embrace the activities that the end of year inevitably brings. We are finalising our student leaders in the Primary school, welcoming our new community members into the Newman family with our Kindergarten Orientation and Year 7 Transition Workshops this week. We would love for you to save the date for our PK-12 Christmas Carols evening on December the 8, hosted by our Primary students.

As you would be aware from the Principal’s announcement in the last edition of the newsletter, our Marian campus relocation and our new Primary school build will be occurring over the next two years. From 2022, we have appointed a Deputy Principal Primary, Mrs Lisa McClue. Lisa will exercise leadership of the PK to Year 6 Primary school. Ms Katya Anderson, Leader of Learning, will oversee the Teaching and Learning of the Primary school. Mr Stuart McClorey, Leader of Wellbeing, will oversee Wellbeing in the Primary school.

It is an exciting time for Newman College and this final amalgamation of our Marist school on to one campus is nearly fifty years in the making. The transitionary stage over the next two years presents as a perfect opportunity for the College to conduct alignment audits to ensure our learning, wellbeing, uniform, booklists, Guilds, technology, leadership structures, policies and internal processes and practices are consistent and appropriately sequenced from PK to Year 12. We look forward to engaging our parent and student community in discussions next year, to glean your insight into our historical practices and to honour and leverage our heritage as we move forward into this new space.

Key Dates – next fortnight

Click here to view the key dates for the next fortnight.

End of Year Reporting 

The College uses the Australian Curriculum judging standards across the College to discern the end of year grades of student reports.  Consideration is given to a variety of inputs such as, observations, running records, summative and formative assessments, to report on each learning area.  I thank our teaching staff for their diligence, accuracy, and professionalism used to prepare meaningful reporting as a critical element of our Learning Cycle.

Leaders of Wellbeing – Marcellin Campus 2022

We are pleased to confirm the following Leaders of Wellbeing for 2022:

  • Year 7  Mrs Rebecca Bramanto
  • Year 8 Miss Kelly Johnson
  • Year 9 Mr Jordan Naylor
  • Year 10 Miss Regan Dyer
  • Year 11 Miss Gemma Beekink
  • Year 12 Mr Mat Puljiz

2022 Staffing

The College congratulates existing members of staff on their new appointments for 2022.  We also look forward to welcoming new staff members to our College Community.

Please click here to view these appointments.

2022 Term Dates  

Term 1 

  • Staff commence: Tuesday 25 January
  • Students commence: K-6, 7 & 12, and New Students – Monday 31 January
  • Students commence: Years 8 – 11 students- Tuesday 01 February
  • Pupil Free Day – Labour Day (Public Holiday) – Monday 7 March
  • Term concludes for staff and students: Friday 8 April

Term 2

  • Pupil Free Day – Anzac Day: Monday 25 April
  • Students commence: PK-12 students – Tuesday 26 April
  • Pupil Free Day – WA Day (Public Holiday) – Monday 6 June
  • Term concludes for staff and students: Friday 1 July

Term 3 

  • Pupil Free Day – Staff Faith Formation Day: Monday 18 July
  • Pupil Free Day – K-12 Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews: Tuesday 19 July
  • Students commence: PK-12 students – Wednesday 20 July
  • Pupil Free Day – Staff Professional Learning: Friday 12 August
  • Pupil Free Day – CEWA Faith Day: Monday 15 August
  • Term concludes for Y12 students: Thursday 22 September
  • Term concludes for staff and students PK-11: Friday 23 September

Term 4 

  • Pupil Free Day – Staff Professional Learning: Monday 10 October
  • Students commence: PK-12 students – Tuesday 11 October
  • Term concludes for Y11 students: Thursday 24 November
  • Term concludes for Y10 students: Friday 02 December
  • Term concludes for PK-9 students: Thursday 8 December
  • Staff Professional Learning: Friday 9 December
  • Staff Professional Learning: Monday 12 December

Pastoral Care Group 

To provide students with consistent, predictable routines at the commencement of each day we will be moving Pastoral Care Group (PCG) to the beginning of the day. PCG class is critically important for relationship building, delivery of important messages and wellbeing programs, and for reiterating whole of school expectations in relation to our Newman College Norms.   This change has occurred after feedback from both students and staff on the effectiveness of the PCG classes in relation to the intent of the program. Period times for 2022 are listed below.

College Main Switchboard

Please be advised, in order to answer incoming calls more effectively, we have changed the options order to select specific areas within the College.

  1. Enrolment Queries
  2. Student Absentees Secondary
  3. Sick bay
  4. Accounts
  5. Marian Campus (PK-2)
  6. Lavalla Campus (3-6)
  7. All other enquiries

Instrumental Program 

If you would like your child to learn an instrument through the College in 2022, please click on the applicable link below to complete an application form.  Forms must be submitted by 03 December 2021.

Pre-Primary – Year 2 

Year 3 – Year 12 

Queries should be direct to
Elaine Knight elaine.knight@newman.wa.edu.au or 9204 9485
Margaret Goldsmith Margaret.goldsmith@newman.wa.edu.au or 9204 9488

Bathers and Rash Vests – Non-negotiable changes

The College is introducing new College bathers and rash vests next year 2022, which will be available for purchase in January.  In keeping with College uniform expectations, students are required to adhere to the following changes relating to College bathers and rash shirts.

  • Years 1-2 – No change.  Students continue to wear their own personal bathers and rash vests.
  • Years 3-6 (2021) – College bathers and rash vests are compulsory.
  • Years 3-9 (2022) – College bathers and rash vests will be compulsory.

Students may wear the older version of the College bathers and rash vests during 2022, as a transition year.  Otherwise new bathers and rash shirt must be purchased.

  • Years 3-10 (2023) – New style College bathers and rash vests will be compulsory. No old bathers or rash vests can be worn.

The rationale behind this decision sits with sun safety and consistent, moderate, and protective bather choice for both boys and girls. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Each year almost 2000 Australians die from this almost entirely preventable disease. Our students find it difficult to apply fresh sunscreen on all parts of the body prior to the swimming lessons in HPE during Terms 1 and 4. The rash vest will provide additional protection during the swimming lessons.

Learning Support Audit

Associate Professor Dianne Chambers, a well-respected author, presenter, and lecturer from the University of Notre Dame, conducted an audit this year of our Learning and Education Support structures, processes and policies. We now have her report, and we look forward to planning the enaction of the recommendations as a priority in the near future. The executive summary can be found below. If you are interested in hearing more about the report findings, please contact me directly via lucie.McCrory@newman.wa.edu.au .

Executive Summary 

The review of learning and education support at Newman College was undertaken as part of a regular review of processes and provisions offered at the school to support students with additional needs and disabilities. The remit for the researcher was to gather data by way of interviews with key stakeholders (leadership, teachers), examination of documents (policy, job descriptions and planning formats) and through focus group interviews (parents and students). These data were collected over the period of one month and provided an overview of the learning and education support services offered at Newman College and the perception of these services by key stakeholders.

The results from analysing the data are presented in aggregated form to ensure any one individual was not identified, although most who provided information were not concerned about their voices being heard (and welcomed this approach). The results indicated that there were many staff at the college who were exemplary in regards to their support of students with additional needs and disabilities, and that these staff should be highly valued by the college and their knowledge shared with all staff.

There were a number of areas identified that could be strengthened including: teacher expectations; planning; behavioural approach; role clarification; funding; communication; and training. Each of these areas are discussed in relation to measures that can be taken to improve processes at the college. There are four main recommendations that the researcher suggests are most critical for the college to consider. These are:

  1. Clarification of roles in the diversity team and employment of additional learning support personnel.
  2. Examination of behavioural expectations and consequences, including development of strategies to address anxiety across the college.
  3. Provide additional training for teachers in providing reasonable adjustments in the classroom.
  4. Communicate any changes/directions in the college clearly to parents.

It is hoped that these recommendations will assist the college in strengthening its use of evidence-based practices to support students with disabilities across all campuses and to ensure consistency in approaches taken.

Code of Conduct 

The Keeping Safe Child Protection curriculum is a program that spans from 3 years up to Year 12.  Our College delivers this curriculum during classroom teaching, and through the Wellbeing Programs and Health curriculum.

As a Catholic community we are committed to educating the whole person. In order to do this, we need to ensure a safe, supportive and engaging environment. The basis for this environment is that all in the community model what healthy, respectful relationships look like. The Code of Conduct is the definitive guide to the behaviours we want to model to, and expect from, our children and young people. We want to create a culture that assists our children and young people on their learning journey. We can only achieve such a culture in partnership with all who participate in our community. The Keeping Safe Child Protection curriculum is a program that spans from 3 years up to Year 12.  Our College delivers this curriculum during classroom teaching, and through the Wellbeing Programs and Health curriculum.

A reminder to all families that the Code of Conduct can be accessed via the College website. The Code is mandated by Catholic Education Western Australia and the application of the code extends to all staff, students, parents, guardians, caregivers and volunteers.

Any perceived breaches of the Code can be discussed with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. As always, if students ever need support, they are encouraged to contact their Leader of Wellbeing, a College psychologist, Counsellor or classroom teacher.

The Code seeks to value the dignity of every person, foster positive relationships, ensure confidentiality and accountability and supports professional boundaries. Events held during school hours, and those College associated events outside of school hours are also supported by the Code of Conduct. Additionally, postings on social media platforms that identify the College or College events are bound by the Code of Conduct. We thank you in advance for your understanding and look forward to a positive partnership that supports our students, your children.