When I think back to my first year teaching, it feels like a complete blur. I began my teaching career at St. Mary’s Primary School in Kalgoorlie, and I can recall getting to the end of the Term One and wondering what just happened! I wondered if I had taught anything, the time had gone so quick! It wasn’t until the parent teacher interviews at the end of that term that I realised (thankfully!) that my students had been learning. I also got married during that time too which I don’t think helped slow time down either (side note – I am still apologising to my wife to this day for our ‘Kalgoorlie honeymoon’).
I am sure many families can relate to the feeling of time getting away from us, or seeming to pass quickly. It is important in the moments that we do have, to be present to our children and to those important to us in our lives. To simply sit and be. Every night when I get home, I try to put aside all the worries of school and everything else to read with my children. It is hard some nights – reading with young children often means spending only half your time reading, and half of your time in conversation, but it is this time that we also most treasure. In the busyness of our lives it is very easy to say “I’ll read with you tomorrow night”, or “we can go the museum next week instead” – I am guilty of this myself – but before we know it these moments will be lost. I would encourage families over these next few weeks to look for those moments where you can ‘slow time down’ – when you can disconnect from all the other distractions in life and spend time with your child. Whether it’s reading a book together, or taking a trip somewhere special, life is about creating special moments together, and time spent together makes a wonderful difference in the lives of young children.
Assembly
In this edition of the Newsletter, we find ourselves in the unique position of celebrating two assemblies in two weeks! Last week’s assembly was a celebration of those students who have made an excellent start to the year, as well our Swimming Age Champions and Runners-up. It is great to see so many students making such a great effort to begin the year.
This morning, we celebrated the success of even more students, as 6 Green presented the first item of the year. Their portrayal of how simple acts can make a big difference to others was the perfect message to begin the year. Making a difference is not about grand gestures; it is about doing small things really well, and looking for those opportunities to think beyond ourselves and serve others. Congratulations to 6 Green on an excellent assembly item, and to all our merit award recipients this week.
Marcellin Award
Last week we awarded the Marcellin Award to Austin Wyeth in Year 6. Austin received his award for the great fortitude and positivity he displayed in light of a recent setback. Unfortunately, Austin was unable to take part in the swimming carnival this year due to an injury he received earlier in the year. Unfortunately, the exact same thing happened to Austin last year too! However, he was able to brush this off to support his classmates and his faction, helping to lead Marcellin faction throughout the day and encourage his friends to give their best. There is a great lesson in this from Austin – we cannot always choose what happens to us in life, but we can choose how we respond. Austin showed us all that even in the face of adversity, we can still be positive and make the best of a bad situation. Well done on setting a great example Austin.
This week we awarded the Marcellin award to one of the quiet achievers of our campus – someone who consistently gives their best each day in how they interact and show care for those around them. Olivia Perchard in Year 4 shows so much love and care for her peers and classmates. She is polite, respectful, and always thinking outside of herself to make school a better place for her friends and teachers. Her example is beautiful – it shows that being a leader and making a difference isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about doing the small things well and doing them often. Olivia, you truly know what it means to be a Newman College student. Congratulations!
Swimming Age Champions
Two weeks ago, we celebrated the Lavalla Swimming Carnival with Knox faction taking out the Champion faction on the day, with Brigid recognised for their positive efforts with the Spirit Award. We also saw some amazing individual efforts on the day too, and at last Friday’s assembly we recognised our age champion and Age Champion runners-up. Congratulations to the following students:
Year 3 Boys
1st place: Lewis Macgregor
2nd place: William Burton
3rd place: Dara Devlin
Year 3 Girls
1st place: Kayla Haarhoff
2nd place: Demi Boyce
3rd place: Lilah O’Halloran
Year 4 Boys
1st place: Griffin Chester
2nd place: Caleb McCluskey
3rd place: Mack Vulinovich
Year 4 Girls
Equal 1st place: Jasmine Colman & Emma Howat
2nd place: Layla Bornmann
3rd place: Arlia Della Franca
Year 5 Boys
1st place: Lucas Christie
2nd place: Deion Fernando
Equal 3rd place: Mitchell Short & Cooper Warwick
Year 5 Girls
1st place: Kaydee Van Deventer
2nd place: Savannah Bornmann
3rd place: Niamh Devlin
Year 6 Boys
1st place: Jensen Rutherford
2nd place: Theo Constantine
3rd place: Jaspar Martin-Booth
Year 6 Girls
1st place: Madelyn Bertolini
2nd place: Clancy Boss
3rd place: Emma Gilbert
Personal grooming standards
As we are well and truly into the school year now, it is a College expectation that all students attend school in the correct uniform – this means appropriate footwear, wearing the College bucket hat when out playing, and wearing sports uniform on the correct days. Many students dress appropriately for school each day and do a wonderful job of representing our school with pride. It is important however, that all students make the effort to look smart, and come to school prepared to take part in the day’s activities. Wearing the correct uniform is a great way to demonstrate commitment to the school, build community pride, and create a sense of belonging.
Students (especially boys) are also reminded of the College expectation when it comes to haircuts. I would argue there are some boys on our campus who fall short of the current expectation, and it is important that we work together to maintain our standards. Students are reminded that:
- Hair should be of a consistent length all over (e.g. no undercuts or long sweeps)
- Hair must be of blade length number 3 or longer
- Extreme hairstyles are unacceptable
Full details of the Newman College uniform and personal grooming standards for both boys and girls can be found in the College diary, on the school website, or by clicking on the link here.
Primary Easter Raffle
Click here to find out more information about the Easter Raffle.
Newman Parents – ySafe Cyber Safety Education Session
Newman College is looking forward to welcoming Australia’s leading provider of cyber safety education, ySafe to Newman Parents this term. This practical, strategy-rich session will cover the most important points that all families need to know regarding online safety, covering key information about social media and gaming, screen time recommendations and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber safe home for kids of all ages.
When: Monday 22 March 2021, 7.00pm
Where: Newman College, Marist Auditorium
To register for this free session please click here.
We look forward to seeing you there.
