Welcome back to Term 3! A great occasion as our PK to Year 2 students, staff and parents moved over to the Lavalla campus on the first day of this term. Thank you to all staff for the work they achieved over the break to have everything ready and running for our students. I also thank parents for their support of the move. So many families commented on the facilities and the warmth of the welcome. New students and families started their Newman College journey this term and I hope they are feeling settled and a part of the Family Spirit.
Emil and The Detectives plus Catholic Performing Arts Festival
Congratulations to the Arts team, Marist Auditorium team and the talented students who performed Emil and the Detectives on Thursday. Their last performance is tonight, Friday. The opening performance was fantastic and showcased the further development of the Arts at Newman College.
We are in the season of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival and Over 400 students are performing from our College over the next 6 weeks. Best of luck to our orchestras, ensembles, soloists, artists, dancers and actors. Following the Catholic Performing Arts season, we will host fellow Marist School, Sacred Heart College, Adelaide, for the Marist Music Exchange. What a great term to celebrate everything to do with our Arts and then lead into Term 4 events with Arts Week and the Dance Showcase, Art Exhibition and the final Music Night.
Celebrating Academic Success
On the Marcellin Campus (Secondary), we will be holding our first Celebration Assembly for Term 3. This assembly focuses on Semester 1 academic high achievement and sits with the beginning of Year Academic Assembly and end of Year Awards Night, as the most prestigious of academic celebrations in the College. We are really looking forward to recognising this achievement alongside the students’ parents who have been invited to the event.
Planting for the Future
Today, a group of Year 6 and Year 12 Student Leaders planted over 200 native plants and trees on the Tuscany Way embankment. This is the next stage of the planting program that began in 2023, and we thank the City of Stirling for the donation of such important plants and trees to support corridors of green for native animal habitats. In a few weeks, staff will also be planting another 300 plants as a part of their service program.
100 Days of School
What a great delight to visit Pre-Primary on Thursday to celebrate the fun of 100 days at school. We all enjoyed dressing up like Centenarians to celebrate their 100th day. Pre-Primary students kindly reminded me that I was closer to 100 than them, as I paraded my ‘aged’ attire. A great laugh with the students and staff!
Newman Hearts Winter Edition
The second edition of Newman Hearts has been distributed electronically to families and the community. This publication is growing and doing a great job of providing more stories and photos of the great engagement of Newman College students and alumni. I hope you enjoy the read.
Your Support
We have significant College events coming up in the weeks ahead. Assumption Day Mass and Fete, Marcellin (Secondary) Guild Athletics Carnival and Lavalla (Primary) Athletics Carnival. While I do not really need to remind primary students that they need to attend these events, I do have to remind secondary students that these are compulsory days to attend (excluding those Year 11-12 students who are required at TAFE for these days). With a few weeks to go before the events, I ask you to discuss at home the compulsory nature of such days. Thank you in advance.
Wishing all Newman College Families a great fortnight ahead.
Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of joining Ms La Brooy, Leader of Learning – The Arts, and a group of students at the Opening Mass for the 2025 Performing Arts Festival, held at St Mary’s Cathedral. This Mass marks the beginning of a vibrant celebration of the arts within Catholic education.
Now in its 36th year, the Performing Arts Festival brings together more than 20,000 students from 162 Catholic schools across Western Australia. The Festival runs from 25 July to 5 September, with a wide variety of live and recorded performances taking place across multiple venues. We are excited to be hosting the Final Concert on Tuesday 16 September in our Marist Auditorium.
The Performing Arts Festival is a significant event in our College calendar, showcasing the creativity, talent and dedication of our students and staff. We look forward to seeing many of our students participate again this year.
Assumption Day Mass and Fete
Friday 15 August marks the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is also the patronal feast of the Institute of the Marist Brothers.
Our College community will celebrate Assumption Day with Mass, followed by Fete Day activities. Attendance on this day is compulsory for all students.
The Assumption Day Fete will raise funds for Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS). AMS is the international agency for aid and development work of the Marist Province of Australia throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. All funds raised go towards supporting the projects of AMS, including the organisations our Year 11 Philippines Immersion students will visit later this year. Families can learn more about the work of Australian Marist Solidarity online: http://www.australianmaristsolidarity.net.au/
Further information regarding the day will be provided to families in due course.
We look forward to our students joining with the Marist Brothers Community and Marists in celebration this special Feast Day.
Lavalla Carpark
As many of you know, we have been working to ensure a safe, smooth and efficient drop-off and pick-up experience for families. Thank you for your ongoing feedback and patience as we continue to refine this process.
We are still assessing whether the current left-turn only exit from the Lavalla carpark is effectively improving traffic flow, especially in the afternoons. To assist with this, we will trial allowing right turns from the carpark next week. During this period, we will closely monitor the impact on both safety and traffic movement.
Based on our observations, we will make a more permanent decision about exit directions by the end of the week.
Child Safeguarding
All children and young people who come to Newman College have the right to feel and be safe. We are committed to providing a child-safe and child-friendly environment, one where they are protected, feel secure, and are empowered to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives.
The College places the highest importance on its child safeguarding responsibilities and is committed to providing the resources needed to uphold a child-safe culture and comply with all relevant child protection laws and regulations.
We have recently displayed posters in both the Marcellin and Primary reception areas to reaffirm our commitment to Child Safeguarding. These posters also include links to the College’s Child Safeguarding resources. All our information and policies concerning Child Safeguarding can be found here.
We’ve had a fantastic start to our first two weeks as a united Pre-Kindy to Year 6 Primary Campus. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all staff for their tireless efforts over the school holidays in preparing the classrooms to warmly welcome our youngest students.
It has been a joy to see students proudly showing their parents around their new learning spaces. The excitement and energy across the campus have been palpable, with students thoroughly enjoying their new classrooms and playgrounds.
4 GreenAssembly
Today, 4 Green took us on a Star Wars inspired journey through the galaxy, reminding us of the power of choosing the path of good and showing how setbacks can strengthen us and sometimes turn out even better than we imagined.
A big thank you to the students and teachers of 4 Green for their creativity, energy, and meaningful message.
6 GreenAssembly
Last week, 6 Green led our first assembly of the term with the theme centred on recognising the unique gifts and talents that God has given each of us. They reminded us that God calls us to use these gifts in positive ways to support and uplift others, helping us grow as good Christians and good citizens. Well done to 6 Green for starting the term with such a thoughtful and inspiring message.
Lavalla Carpark
We have been working hard to ensure the smooth flow of traffic at school pick up. I wish to thank you all for embracing our Marist characteristics, allowing everyone to exit the carpark in a timely manner. To support this, I request:
PK and Kindy parents promptly collect their child at 2.45pm and vacate the carpark promptly prior to the rush.
Year 3-6 families arrive at Kiss n Ride at 3.10pm, allowing our junior primary students to pick up first. I understand that this is not always possible if you have children across different year groups.
You ensure your surname is easily visible on your dashboard or car visor, allowing duty staff to prepare your child for pick up.
As per my correspondence last week, we will be trialling right hand turns onto Empire Ave from week 3. I will update you on how this goes. Thank you again for your patience and cooperation over the past two weeks.
Child Safety
We have had some instances of older siblings dropping off Pre-Primary students to class. A friendly reminder to please ensure that an adult drops off Pre-Primary students. We have also had some instances of students waiting in the auditorium for sport practice after school for up to 90 minutes without any supervision. We are blessed at Newman College to have OSH Club before and after school, fees may be eligible for government rebates https://www.oshclub.com.au/find-us/newman-college/.
Homework Club
Homework Club for years 3-6 is up and running for Term Two, taking place every Tuesday from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the 3–6 Building (Ground Floor).
To ensure the safety and accountability of all students:
Teachers will sign in students upon their arrival.
Parents or guardians are required to present themselves to sign their child out at the conclusion of the session.
If you wish for your child to be dismissed without parent collection, please inform us by emailing primary.admin@newman.wa.edu.au no later than the Friday prior to the Homework Club session.
We kindly ask that all students are collected promptly at 4:30 pm to ensure staff can conclude the session on time.
Primary students are NOT permitted to attend secondary Homework Club in the JHN Learning Hub.
We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining a secure and supportive environment for our students.
PP to Year 6 Disco- Save the Date
Get your dancing shoes ready! Our School Disco will be held on Friday 19th September.
Pre-Primary to Year 2: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Year 3 to Year 6: 5:15pm – 6:30pm
Stay tuned for more details and the booking link coming soon!
Book Week Parade
Our book week dress up and parade will be held on Tuesday 19th August in the undercover basketball courts.
As we begin the new school term, I’d like to remind students and families of the importance of adhering to the College’s Uniform and Personal Presentation Standards. Unfortunately, there was a noticeable decline in standards as we approached the end of Term 2, and it is my hope that we can work together to improve. Setting and expecting consistent and high standards of uniform and grooming creates a sense of belonging and minimises distractions, which allows students and staff to focus on teaching and learning.
This term, uniform standards will continue to be monitored, and Leaders of Wellbeing will reinforce expectations and issue consequences for students who consistently do not adhere to the College’s Uniform and Personal Presentation standards. There will be particular attention to students wearing their blazer to and from school (and to PCG, Period 1 and Period 2), skirt length, tucked in shirts and personal presentation such as make-up, jewellery and hair.
We appreciate your continued support in upholding these expectations.
Year 10 Camp Parent Information Session:
The Year 10 Adventure Camp takes place in Term 4 and is a compulsory event for all students. The camp is run in conjunction with Adventure Works and will see our Year 10 students enter an unfamiliar and somewhat remote environment. The camp will give students the opportunity to challenge themselves to develop leadership and self-management skills, resilience, and personal independence. There will be a parents and guardians information session on Monday 4 August from 6pm to 7:30pm in the Marist Auditorium. We look forward to seeing you there. Further information can be found here.
On Friday night, June 27, the Year 11 students gathered at the beautiful Wembley Golf Course to celebrate a memorable evening of fun, friendship, and reflection at their annual Dinner Dance. This highly anticipated event came on the heels of a two-day leadership retreat, where students explored personal growth, built team connections, and developed essential leadership skills for their upcoming final year of high school.
The Dinner Dance provided the perfect opportunity for students to unwind, celebrate their achievements, and strengthen the bonds formed during the retreat. Dressed in elegant evening wear, students arrived at the venue with excitement and energy. The atmosphere was vibrant, with music and laughter.
Throughout the evening, students enjoyed a delicious meal and shared moments that will last a lifetime.
Special thanks must go to the staff who organised both the retreat and the Dinner Dance. The evening was a true highlight of the school calendar, and one that students will remember fondly as they continue their journey into Year 12 and beyond.
Poppy Vogl – Year 11 Brigid
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Year 11 Leadership Retreat:
At the end of Term 2 Year 11s had the opportunity to engage with student leaders, members of the Executive, and teachers to reflect on and learn about leadership in different contexts.
These two days reminded students that all students have the capacity to within the College community, particularly as we move into Year 12. Becoming leaders within our school means being responsible, accountable, and full of creative ideas that benefit everyone. On the first day, the current year 11s chose what leadership activities they wanted to participate in for the day. Activities included public speaking, leadership in sport, leadership in the army, creativity and collaboration, leadership styles, and many other fantastic activities. On the second day the Year 11s participated in team building in guilds, legacy and leadership, an introduction to the student leadership process, and a panel discussion with the current year 12 leaders. Thank you to Mrs Ognenis, Mr van der Heever and Mr McClorey for their support and organisation of the Year 11 Leadership Retreat, the College Executive team, and our teacher volunteers for their engaging and interesting workshops. Year 11 students are now beginning the process of applying for Year 12 leadership positions.
Alana Lenzo – Year 11 Catherine
Guild Athletics Carnival:
The Guild Athletics Carnival is being held on Thursday 7 August, Term 3, Week 3. This is a compulsory event for all students in Years 7 – 12 (excluding those Year 11-12 students who are required at TAFE for these days).
Students are expected to make their own way to and from the WA State Athletics Stadium. Students are asked to arrive by 8:25am and be collected at 3pm. There will be buses to and from the College for any students that are not able to make their way to and from the venue. If your child requires a spot on the hired buses, complete the following form: 2025 Guild Athletics Carnival Student Transport
Students must wear their Guild Uniform, not PE shirts, with correct PE footwear. PE jackets may be worn, and non-College jumpers will not be permissible. It is also highly recommended that students bring a hat and sunscreen and wet weather gear if rain is expected. Students must bring their own lunch and water, as no food will be available for purchase at the Stadium.
Parent spectators are welcome and seating for parents is available at the northern end of the main grandstand. Parking for parent spectators is available at the southern end of the stadium. Parent spectators and helpers are asked to sign in at the northern end of the main grandstand and collect a College visitor badge. To ensure a respectful and comfortable environment for all our students and families, we kindly ask that parents and guests be mindful if taking photographs at the Guild Athletics Carnival. Please avoid taking close-up photos or videos of children other than your own, and refrain from sharing group photos on social media. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us create a safe and inclusive atmosphere for all.
Assumption Day/Fete Day:
Assumption Day will be celebrated on August 15 with a College mass followed by our annual Fete Day. To assist with planning for the day, students have been asked to complete an online form to place a food order via their Year Group Team. Please encourage your child to complete the form this weekend if they haven’t already. Further information regarding our Assumption Day/Fete Day celebrations, including the link for purchasing lunches and tokens, will be communicated shortly.
Recognition of State Representation:
Congratulations to Year 10 student Benji and Year 11 student Ruby, who represented Western Australia at the Australian Gymnastics Championships on the Gold Coast in July.
Benji competed in the Level 9 Men’s division, earning his place among the nation’s best with a consistent performance that saw him finish strong in a highly competitive field.
Ruby had an outstanding meet, qualifying for the finals in all three of her aerobic routines. She placed 7th in the Individual event, 5th in the Pair, and capped off the competition with a Bronze medal in the Group routine.
State Representation is an honour and an important stepping stone in an athlete’s journey. We commend these students for their dedication and commitment to their sport.
If your child has achieved state or national recognition in their sport or extra-curricular activity, we would love to hear about it so we can celebrate their success. Please let us know the details by filling out this form.
Mre Carla Pastorelli
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL SECONDARY
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 10
Subject selection for Year 11, 2026
Thank you to all the students and families who have now completed their subject requests for Year 11, 2026. The College is now in the process of constructing the timetable for next year, and after this process students and families will be advised of their allocated subjects for Year 11.
Apprenticeship Opportunities 2025
The March 2025 edition of the Apprenticeship Intake Guide has been published recently. This has details of dozens of apprenticeship opportunities with many major employers. You can access it here: Apprenticeship Intake Guide 2025
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 11
Re-selecting subjects for Year 12, 2026
Thank you to all the students and families who have now completed their subject requests for Year 12, 2026. The College is now in the process of constructing the timetable for next year, and after this process students and families will be advised of their allocated subjects for Year 12.
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
The March 2025 edition of the Apprenticeship Intake Guide has been published recently. This has details of dozens of apprenticeship opportunities with many major employers. You can access it here: Apprenticeship Intake Guide 2025
Pathways and Careers Information: Year 12
University Early Offer information
Please see below for the latest available Early Offer information.
Early Offers are now open, and all Year 12 students have been provided with information about how to access the TISC system and enter preferences.
Early Offers are available for ATAR and non-ATAR students. Must achieve WACE and meet any prerequisites. Submit your application via TISC, putting your Curtin Early Offer course as your first preference. Full information and list of eligible courses at: https://www.curtin.edu.au/study/undergraduate/early-offers/
Edith Cowan University
Full information and list of eligible courses at: https://www.ecu.edu.au/degrees/early-offer-program Open to ATAR, Certificate IV, and UniReady students. Submit your Early Offer application by placing an eligible ECU course as your first TISC preference. First offers released to students on 2 September 2025.
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 desired Murdoch Early Offer course as your first preference.
Submit your application via TISC, putting your desired UWA Early Offer course as your first preference. Open to ATAR Pathway students only. Students can apply for an Early Offer for all degrees excluding Assured Pathways to Medicine, Dental Medicine, Podiatric Medicine or the Bachelor of Biomedicine (specialised). Students must satisfy UWA’s English requirements and any subject prerequisite requirements. Further information at: https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/early-offers/FAQs
University information
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
The March 2025 edition of the Apprenticeship Intake Guide has been published recently. This has details of dozens of apprenticeship opportunities with many major employers. You can access it here: Apprenticeship Intake Guide 2025
The Arts, as they constantly do, brought great joy to the College this week. On Monday evening, the Winter Music Night was held in the Marist Auditorium. A total of 160 students performed to a packed auditorium throughout the night, showcasing their Semester One work. The evening featured nine scholarship performers, as well as five Lavalla and 10 Marcellin ensembles—including vocal, orchestral, and instrumental groups—that delighted the audience with their talent and dedication. Students from Year 3 to Year 12 showed such dedication, talent and passion in the pieces presented. Our Arts Captain, Ella Nguyen was well supported by Katja Ekkert, who stepped in for Arts Captain, Campbell Smith, who was unwell, in hosting the evening, and they both did a wonderful job. The Music program continues to grow across the College through the work of our Music Co-ordinator Ms Selena Barnett, Lavalla Music Specialist, Ms Laura van Rijn, the Music tutors and the support of Mrs Kathy Laa Brooy, Leader of the Learning Arts and Mrs Aleisha Dows, Arts Administrator. Later in Term 3, we will welcome the musicians from Sacred Heart College, a Marist School in Adelaide to our Marist performance week at the College.
@stephenheathphotography
@stephenheathphotography
@stephenheathphotography
@stephenheathphotography
@stephenheathphotography
Marist Mural
Mrs Emily Rose, Secondary Art Teacher, combined the idea of a visiting Artist in Residence with a project that would help enhance our Marist identity. Emily created a wonderful brief that brought the symbolism of the Marist violets into a Western Australian context of flora and fauna. The idea of the violets comes from St Marcellin himself. They represent the three basic spiritual attitudes of ‘humility’, simplicity’ and ‘modesty’. In our Marist mural, the violets chosen are native to Western Australia (Pigea Calycina). To finish the image, Western Australian blue-banded bees (Amegilla Chlorocyanea) represent not just the important Marist colour blue, but that sense of community. Painted by local artist, Brenton See, the project has drawn great interest from the Art students and anyone passing by as Brenton undertook his work. The mural is painted on the blank wall of the stairs leading to the John Henry Newman Hub.
Secondary Celebration Assembly
The final day of term saw us host the Celebration Assembly. Our Student Leaders gave reports and updates on their work in Academics, Mission, Sports, The Arts and Languages. We also acknowledged National NAIDOC week with the theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Visionand Legacy, marking 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. As NAIDOC week falls in the school holidays, we will further recognise NAIDOC week in the first week of Term 3 with various activities across the College.
The Day Arrives
On Thursday, the Marian campus closed its doors for the final time. Over the past months, we have spent time honouring the role of the Peebles Road site in the Newman College story. All Marian staff and students gathered for a final photo on the oval and the group image took the shape of the letter M. The Year 2 students led us in one final assembly in the Marian Hall and, fittingly, the theme was friendship. In the history and story of this learning setting, Marian has been a place of great friendship making and welcome. On the first day of Term 3, all Early Learning students and staff will be on the Churchlands campus in our fantastic new Marian learning setting.
Farewell Peebles Road and thank you!
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Holiday Break
I wish all families a restful break with their children. It is time for our students and staff to rest and recharge for the second semester. Academic Reports are now available on SEQTA and the opportunity to meet teachers for the Learning Conversations (Parent-Student-Teacher interviews) will take place on Tuesday 22 July.
Congratulations to all Newman College students for their great commitment to Shine through Discovery in Semester One. Thank you to the staff for their work and to our parents for their support.
