Secondary Update – Term 3, Week 8
R U OK? Day
Thursday 13 September is R U OK? Day; the day when we are reminded that a conversation can change a life. R U OK? Day inspires and empowers everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those who may be struggling. We encourage people in our College Community to follow these steps:
Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:
- Ask R U OK?
- Listen
- Encourage action
- Check in
Yellow cupcakes will be sold at recess time for $2.00 outside the canteen. Also proceeds will go to the RUOK organisation.
2025 Leadership Process
Congratulations to Amelia Ng and Liam Stannard who have been appointed as our 2025 College Captains. This is the highest student leadership role at our school, and we are very proud of these exceptional young leaders.
Staff and Year 11 students are currently voting for the remaining folio positions and interviews for these positions will take place across Week 9. The 2025 Student Leadership group will be presented to the College Community at the Secondary Assembly on Thursday 19 September.
Champagnat Shield Winner and Activities
On Wednesday of Week 10, our Marcellin campus students will come together in Founders Court and we will announce which Guild has won the Champagnat Shield in 2024. Academic awards, commendations, carnival performances and immersion attendance all contribute towards Guild points. The students from the winning Guild will participate in activities on Wednesday morning instead of going to Period 1 and Period 2. This event is a culmination of the hard work of our Guild Coordinators, 2024 Guild Captains and Leadership Coordinator, Mr Michael van der Heever. We look forward to sharing the results with the College Community in Week 10.
Year 12 Final Day
The final day for our Year 12 students is Thursday 19 September. The parents and guardians of our Year 12 students are invited to our College on this morning to celebrate this special occasion with their child. We will begin the day with a Secondary Assembly in the Gymnasium at which time our 2025 Student Leadership Group will also be announced. The Year 12s will walk through a Guard of Honour created by our secondary students and conclude with a Year 12 final assembly in the Auditorium followed by light refreshments with their parents and guardians. We look forward to celebrating with our Year 12 students and their parents and guardians on Thursday 19 September at the College.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 10
Subject selection for Year 11, 2025
Thank you to all families who participated in the subject selection process for Year 11, 2025. The College is currently finalising missing selections and constructing the timetable for 2025.
VET Certificates (TAFE courses) and Work Experience for 2025
Applications for VET Certificates for 2025 have now closed. Students will be notified of the outcome of their application in the coming weeks.
The College will open applications for 2025 Work Experience in Term 4 of 2024.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 11
WACE (secondary graduation) requirements
In Year 11 and 12, students are progressing towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), otherwise known as their secondary graduation.
In order to achieve their WACE, students need to meet certain academic targets across Year 11 and 12. These are:
- Demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy (either in Year 9 NAPLAN or in Year 10-12 OLNA).
- Be enrolled in English / Literature in Year 11 and 12.
- Be enrolled in at least 1 ‘List B’ (Maths / Science / Sport / Technology) subject.
- Achieve at least 14 C grades, with at least 6 C grades in Year 12 subjects.
Enrolling in Notre Dame UniPath for 2025
The Notre Dame UniPath program is now open for applications for 2025. Please see below a summary of the UniPath and UniReady Programs:
| UniReady | UniPath | |
| Outcome | 70 ATAR | 70 ATAR |
| Valid for | All WA Universities (but to enter UWA you need 65% in UniReady) | Curtin, ECU, Murdoch, Notre Dame. |
| Structure | One of your 6 school subjects in Year 12. Taught here at Newman, by a teacher, in a classroom each day. | Attend Notre Dame Fremantle campus one day per week, for 12 weeks. |
| How to apply | Select UniReady as one of your Year 12 subjects next year. (Or tell me if you’d like to enter) | See below. |
If you would like to enrol in UniPath for next year, you can now apply for entry to this program.
- Read the information here: https://www.notredame.edu.au/study/applications-and-admissions/pathways/unipath
- If it looks right for you, see the “How To Apply” section for the process.
- If you are already enrolled in UniReady but decide to switch to UniPath, please let me know.
For students thinking of attending University
- TISC has a series of videos explaining things like ATAR calculation, prerequisite subjects, scaling, and preferences. You can find them here: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/video.tisc
- Are you thinking of attending a University Open Day? Dates are below. This blog might help you: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2024/02/20/year-11-how-to-approach-university-open-days/
VET Certificates (TAFE courses) and Work Experience for 2025
Applications for VET Certificates for 2025 have now closed. Students will be notified of the outcome of their application in the coming weeks.
The College will open applications for 2025 Work Experience in Term 4 of 2024.
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 12
Parent and family resources
Each year, the Australian Government publishes a resource for parents / guardians to assist in career conversations. The 2024 version can be found here: https://www.yourcareer.gov.au/school-leavers-support/parents-and-guardians-guide
WACE (secondary graduation) requirements
In Year 11 and 12, students are progressing towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), otherwise known as their secondary graduation.
In order to achieve their WACE, students need to meet certain academic targets across Year 11 and 12. These are:
- Demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy (either in Year 9 NAPLAN or in Year 10-12 OLNA).
- Be enrolled in English / Literature in Year 11 and 12.
- Be enrolled in at least 1 ‘List B’ (Maths / Science / Sport / Technology) subject.
- Achieve at least 14 C grades, with at least 6 C grades in Year 12 subjects.
Gap year information
Students interested in taking a gap year in 2025 might find the following interesting:
- Defence Force Gap Year: https://www.adfcareers.gov.au/careers/gap-year?page=2&perPage=21&query=
- Other gap year ideas: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2024/04/02/leaving-year-12-try-these-gap-year-ideas/
- And: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2022/07/13/leaving-year-12-these-gap-year-ideas-may-interest-you/
Apprenticeship and Trades information
The 2024 edition of the Apprentice Intake Guide has now been published. This guide is a large listing of many different apprenticeship opportunities available.
Students and families can access the Guide here: https://asa.cciwa.com/mp-files/intake-guide.pdf/
ATAR Examinations Timetable 2024
The 2024 ATAR examinations timetable can be found at the links below:
ATAR Practical Exams Timetable
University and TAFE dates
University deadlines and information
| Date | Information |
| 31 August | Last date to enter Veterinary Science as a preference on TISC. You can’t apply for Vet after this date. |
| 30 September | Last date to enter a preference on TISC for Medicine (Curtin, UWA, Notre Dame). |
| 29 November | Last date to upload any known medical/family evidence (via the TISC website) that might affect your ATAR. |
| 2 December | Final round of early offers sent to students. |
| 15 December | ATAR results available on the TISC website. |
| 17 December | Closing date for applications / changes of preferences on the TISC website. |
| 21 December | Offers sent to students. |
| 15 January | Last date to apply for second-round offers. |
| 21 January | Second-round offers sent to students. |
For instructions on how to apply using TISC (including for UniReady / UniPath students), please refer to this document.
For guidance on how the offer process works / how to accept / what to do if you don’t get an offer / deferring – please see here: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/admission-offers.tisc
TAFE deadlines and information
| Date | Information |
| 6 September | Applications open for Semester 1, 2025. |
| 1 November | Last date to apply for Semester 1, 2025. |
| 4 December onwards | Offers will be made after this date. |
Students and families can find a list of all TAFE courses at this link: https://www.fulltimecourses.tafe.wa.edu.au/
Early Offers
Students and families are advised that applications for University in 2025 are open as of 1 May 2024. Early Offers for University in 2025 will not be made to students until 2 September 2024. The currently available information about Early Offers is in the table below.
| University | Early Offer Information |
| Curtin University | Early Offers are available for ATAR and non-ATAR students. Must achieve WACE and meet any prerequisites. Submit your application via TISC, putting your Early Offer course as your first preference. If your predicted ATAR is five points above the ATAR score required for your selected course, you will receive an early offer that secures your place in Semester 1, 2025. Your offer won’t be dependent on your final Year 12 ATAR score. You will still need to complete WACE and meet the English and subject requirements for your course. If your predicted ATAR is less than five points above the ATAR score required for your course, you will still receive an early offer for a place at Curtin. You will need to achieve a final ATAR that meets course entry requirements, and meet WACE, English and subjects requirements for the course. If you are not studying the ATAR Pathway, your early offer will be conditional upon you meeting the admission criteria for your chosen course, achieving WACE and meeting Curtin’s English requirements. |
| Edith Cowan University (ECU) | Early Offer calculated from your most recent school results including exams. Must achieve WACE and meet any prerequisites. Early Offers for Certificate IV and UniReady/UniPath students will be conditional on passing. Submit your application via TISC, putting your Early Offer course as your first preference. Offers will be made on 2 September, 23 September, 14 October, 18 November and 2 December. Allow around 2 weeks for us assess your application. List of courses available for Early Offers is at: https://www.ecu.edu.au/degrees/early-offer-program |
| Murdoch University | Must achieve WACE and meet any prerequisites. Early Offers for Certificate IV and UniReady/UniPath students will be conditional on passing. Submit your application via TISC, putting your Early Offer course as your first preference. |
| Notre Dame University | Must be completing the ATAR Pathway in Year 12. Submit your application via TISC, putting your Early Offer course as your first preference. Offers will be made on 2 September, 20 September, 4 October, 11 December. Allow a few weeks for us assess your application. In the application you will be asked to provide details about your non-academic achievements and commitments, which may include work, caring responsibilities at home, volunteering, sports and school leadership, among others. Further information and eligible courses at https://www.notredame.edu.au/study/applications-and-admissions/pathways/early-offer |
| University of Western Australia | Must be completing the ATAR Pathway in Year 12. Submit your application via TISC, putting your Early Offer course as your first preference. All students must satisfy UWA’s English requirements and any subject prerequisite requirements. Students can apply for an Early Offer for all degrees with UWA excluding Assured Pathways to Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy and Podiatric Medicine or the Bachelor of Biomedicine (specialised). Further information at: https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/early-offers/FAQs |
Information about University entry
- TISC has a series of videos explaining things like ATAR calculation, prerequisite subjects, scaling, and preferences. You can find them here: https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/video.tisc
- Are you thinking of attending a University Open Day? Dates are below. This blog might help you: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2024/02/01/year-12-how-to-approach-university-open-days-in-2022/
- Are you the first person in your family to attend University? This might assist: http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/
- Here are some useful tools to prepare students for the transition to University: https://unireadytoolkit.com.au/
- Students and families may also find these resources from Curtin University helpful: https://www.curtin.edu.au/study/undergraduate/high-school-resources/
University scholarships
| Curtin University | Search scholarships | Curtin University, Perth, Australia |
| Edith Cowan University (ECU) | ECU | Overview : Scholarships |
| Murdoch University | Scholarship finder (murdoch.edu.au) |
| Notre Dame University | Find a Scholarship | Notre Dame |
| University of Western Australia (UWA) | The University of Western Australia : Scholarships (uwa.edu.au) |
| Christian Leaders Scholarship | https://ichthys.org.au/christian-leaders-scholarship/ |
UPCOMING CAREERS EVENTS
| EVENT | DATE | LINK |
| UWA Application Help Week | 2-6 September | https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/events/uwa-application-help-week-2024-sept |
| Undergraduate Course Expo (Curtin) | 4 September | https://events.curtin.edu.au/UGcourseexpo_Sep2024/register |
| Business and Law Information Evening (Murdoch) | 4 September | https://www.murdoch.edu.au/events/all-events/mu-open-night-business-law-humanities-arts-social-sciences |
| Science and Maths Information Evening (ECU) | 4 September | https://www.trybooking.com/COKLI |
| Engineering Information Evening (ECU) | 6 September | https://www.trybooking.com/COXTM |
| Medical and Health Sciences Information Evening (ECU) | 11 September | https://www.trybooking.com/COKMA |
| Australian Society for Medical Research – Careers Evening | 12 September | https://asmr.org.au/asmr-mrw/asmr-mrw-schools-quiz/ |
| Teacher Education Information Evening (ECU) | 12 September | https://www.trybooking.com/COKLT |
| Diamond Fitness VET courses open day | 14 September | www.diamondhp.com.au |
| Computing and Cybersecurity Information Evening (ECU) | 17 September | https://www.trybooking.com/COKNO |
| Pathways to Medicine (Notre Dame online) | 19 September | https://events.nd.edu.au/pathways-to-medicine |
| Free ATAR Revision Courses | 23-27 September | https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1208138? |
| Engineering Information Evening (ECU) | 9 October | https://www.trybooking.com/COKXE |
| Year 12 Online Information Evening (Murdoch) | 15 October | https://www.murdoch.edu.au/events/all-events/year-12-online-information-evening |
| WAAPA Tour (ECU) | 30 October | https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1167027? |
| Future Students Information Evening (ECU) | 20 November | https://www.trybooking.com/COKYN |