Tag: News

Dear Parents and Guardians

Building Leaders at Newman College

The most powerful marketing strategy in our community is the conversation that is had at the dinner table between students and their families.  These conversations generally predicated on the day these students have with particular reference to their teachers.  As a parent, I have heard about so many teachers and enjoy hearing how engaged my children are in their learning.  It is the hope in our community that student engagement which leads to growth is underpinned by good teaching. 

At our recent Newman Parents Committee Meeting, a question was put to me about why there has been a significantly high turnover of teachers.  There are a few reasons that I put to the group that I would like to share with the wider community.

1. Promotional positions:  Newman College is committed to developing teachers and leaders.  In recent days we were awarded the Educator 2022 5-Star Innovative School Award (see Educator Award below).  This program is indicative of how we develop leadership.  The fruits of such a program are better learning experiences for our students.  What it also does is give leaders the opportunity to move into promotional positions, either in our school or in other communities.  This year we have seen 9 teachers and leaders appointed to promotional positions across the sector.  This includes myself as Director of School Improvement for Marist Schools Australia, Lisa McClue as Principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel Karrinyup, Jenny Miraudo as Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning at Corpus Christi College Bateman, Katya Anderson as Head of Primary at Corpus Christi College Bateman, to name just a few. 

In addition, Stuart McClorey, former Leader of Wellbeing Primary, is our new Director of Mission and Catholic Identity.  Mr Simon Martino, former Director of Mission and Catholic Identity, has been appointed Deputy Principal Secondary.

• Commensurate experience:  We have teachers who have been in our community for a significant time and made the decision to move to other Colleges to deepen their experience as teachers.

• Opportunity:  Post COVID-19 restrictions, there has been a general teacher shortage across the country.  Consequently, there are more opportunities for teachers to move when positions become available.

The benefits of recruitment are that we have appointed outstanding teachers and leaders who will commence in our College in 2023.  Newman is a good school of choice for employees and I am looking forward to seeing our continued growth in 2023.

Educator Award

In recent weeks Newman College was awarded the Educator 2022 5-Star Innovative School Award presented to only 5 Western Australian Schools.

The Award was for our Middle Leadership Program, Leadership Accelerator – Drive to Excel.  We partnered with The Liminal Space – Dr Shane Glasson, and Brendan Spillane Consulting to create and deliver this bespoke ‘Leadership Acceleration’ course that runs over nine days. This model uses cutting edge research to develop our leaders individually first, then as a collective, aligned with the College’s strategic intent.

Congratulations for our Middle Leaders for the way in which they immersed themselves in the course.

Finish of 2023

With 3 weeks to go until the end of Term, we look forward to the Christmas festivities.  Advent commences 27 November.  This is a really important time in our liturgical year as we prepare for the birth of Christ.  Across our College, we look forward to our liturgies and our prayer is that we finish well.

John Finneran

PRINCIPAL

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good: His love endures forever.” Psalms 107:1 

Over the past week, I have met with many families who are looking to enrol their children in Newman College. This has ranged from our youngest students looking to enrol in Kindergarten in 2024 and 2025, right up to students who are looking to enrol in the high school. One of the responses I really enjoy hearing from families is what I really consider the ‘heart’ question: 

What are your hopes and aspirations for your child, and what are the things that are most important to your family? 

In one way, the responses I hear to this question are very different. After all, every family has their own set of values and things they consider important to their children’s future. But in all those responses, I often hear the same things being said: for their children to be happy, to have a supportive friendship group, to have the chance to take part in different experiences, and to be challenged to be the best they can be. 

The vision that we share for our students includes all of these things, and can be summarised in a single sentence – for our children to become good Christians and good citizens. We hope to form our young people into those who can make a difference in our community, inviting them to take part in formal learning through our Religious Education, Eucharistic celebrations, and Youth Ministry experiences that allow them to put both their faith and learning into action. It is both a privilege and a pleasure to be doing such work. 

Altar Servers 

Over the past couple of weeks, a number of our Year 5 students have been taking part in training to become altar servers. This has been supported by our acolyte and RE teacher, Mr Mike Diamond, and our Religious Education Coordinator, Jane Short. It was wonderful to be a part of this process with these students and to see them so willing to serve in our school community –  they have certainly approached their training with a great sense of excitement and enthusiasm. At yesterday’s Community Mass, they were commissioned and officially welcomed into the Ministry team. We wish them all the best in their commitment to the Church.  

Congratulations goes to: Avia Picotti, Mila Picotti, Eva Menzies-Stewart, Siara Henny, Elise Cakar, Arlia Della Franca, and Addison Barr. We look forward to supporting them in their new roles within the College. 

Year 10 Gamechangers and Mini Marists 

This week, our Year 10 Gamechangers group made a visit to the Lavalla campus to meet with our Year 6 Mini-Marists. The theme was ‘Making Connections’, which is all about building relationships and creating kinship across our year levels. Students split up into groups and spent time getting to know each other and reflecting on the different projects they have spent time on this year. They ended the session with a game encouraging students to learn more about each other, which we hope will lead to more opportunities for us to build bridges between the primary and high school. A big thanks to all those students who took part this week. 

St Vincent De Paul Society Christmas Appeal 

This week information will go home to families regarding the annual St Vincent de Paul Society Christmas Appeal. This appeal provides hope, comfort, and dignity to over 3000 families in Western Australia who will be struggling during the Christmas season.  

This year, the College will be supporting the St Vincent de Paul Society at both St Cecilia’s Church in the Parishes of Floreat / Wembley (Primary donations) and Our Lady of the Rosary, Doubleview (Marcellin donations).  Donations can be made at all three campuses by Friday 2 December. Primary donations are to be taken to classrooms or left in administration, and secondary donations can be left in the Champagnat Chapel. 

Information regarding suitable donations will be communicated to families this week. We are very grateful to the support of our community in this important initiative. 

Community Mass 

It has been great to see so many of our students, especially in the Marcellin campus, attending our Community masses over these past few weeks. We warmly invite the entire Newman College Community to gather with us for Mass at 8.10am on Thursday mornings in the Champagnat Chapel. Mass is celebrated by a Priest from a local parish and is hosted by both primary and secondary school students. Please see the upcoming schedule below: 

Week 7: Thursday, 24 November; Romero and Year 4 Green 

Week 8: Thursday, 1 December; Thomas More and Year 3 Blue. 

Key Dates

• Fri 11 November – Remembrance Day.  Poppies are available for a gold coin donation in the main administration office of each campus. 
• Mon 14 to Fri 24 November – Marian and Lavalla Swimming Lessons 
• Thu 24 November – Y7 to 11 Secondary Awards and Principal’s Assembly, 8.45am, Marcellin Gymnasium.   
• Wed 23 November – Y10 River Cruise 
• Thu 24 November – Y11 last day 
• Tue 6 December – Y3 Pizza Pool 
• Tue 6 December – Y6 Mass and Graduation, 5.30pm, Marist Auditorium 
• Wed 7 December – Y4 Pizza Pool 
• Wed 7 December – Kindy to Y5 Awards and Carols Evening (Compulsory Event) 
• Thu 8 December – Y5 Pizza Pool 
• Thu 8 December – Y6 End of Year Celebration, Adventure World 

Welcome to Week 4, can you believe that we are nearly halfway through the final term of the year? Our Year 12 students started their ATAR examinations this week, and our Year 11 Students will join them next week. We wish our students well in their examinations.  

The Primary school staff are working hard to prepare an amazing transition step-up experience for the students later this term. The day will assist with setting the students and teachers up for success in 2023.  We had our incoming 2023 Year 7s join us for a transition evening last week, and the Year 6 Graduation is just around the corner. Newman College continues to be a place that does not stop!  

World Teachers’ Day last Friday, 28 October offered us a chance to acknowledge and celebrate our teachers. The place of teachers in the world cannot be underestimated. They are the professionals that play a significant part in preparing young people for all other professions. The influence of a kind teacher can stretch a whole life long.  A sincere thank you to all our wonderful educators for the work that you do and for going above and beyond for our student community. 

Year 7 2023 Transition Workshop 

Last Tuesday 25 October the 2023 Year 7s joined us for their first workshop. Our Year 10 Peer Mentors and Guild Coordinators assisted in the running of the afternoon, which included afternoon tea and ‘Getting to Know You’ activities. The 2^nd and final workshop is on Tuesday 15 November. The focus will be ‘Getting to Know the School’ and understanding what it means to be a Newman College student. Our Year 7 2023 cohort will learn how to use their locks and practice, using a timetable, getting around the College. The Peer Mentors are looking forward to this second opportunity to get to know our Year 7 2023 students. 

Exams

Students and visitors to the College are reminded that WACE exams are currently taking place and Year 11 exams commence next week.  The final exam date for both is Friday 18 November. We therefore ask you are quiet when walking around the Marcellin Campus, especially around the Auditorium and the Exam Centre.   

NPC Meeting 

The next meeting will take place on Monday 7 November 6.00pm, at St John Henry Learning Hub. This group is critically important in providing input and feedback. We encourage parents to join us at this meeting to gain insight into our school improvement plan and to discuss school concerns.

Visual Arts and Technologies Exhibition – Art Festival 

The festival was a celebration of two spectacular showcases of creative talent.  The Dance showcase opened with ‘Mythos’ on Sunday 23 October with their human storytelling of iconic stories, and on Wednesday 26 October ‘Ignite’ showcased our emerging artists and designers from Kindergarten to Year 12.   We were in awe of our student’s endeavours in painting, printmaking, ceramics, drawing, sculpture, textiles, and woodwork.

Special thanks must go to our Arts Learning Area and staff who worked very hard to put this event together.

New Staff / Staff Movements 

Leader of Wellbeing PK-2: Edwina Battersby  

Leader of Learning Primary K-6: Catherine Young 

Congratulations to both Edwina and Catherine in their new roles. 

Uniform – Bathers and Rash Vest requirements  

As previously communicated, the College has introduced New College bathers and rash vests. 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 3-9 (2022): College bathers and rash vests (old or new) are compulsory.  
• Years 3-10 (2023): New style College bathers and rash vests will be compulsory. No old bathers or rash vests can be worn.  

** Due to stock issues earlier in the year, students in Years 7 to 10 may wear the older version of the College bathers and rash vests for the remainder of 2022. New bathers and rash shirt must be purchased for 2023.   

CODE OF CONDUCT