Tag: Primary

Twenty-Six Simple Words

Do you know what made my whole week this week? Two simple anonymous messages. I was sitting at my keyboard, wondering what I should write in this Newsletter editorial. Yes, let’s cover the great learning and commitment inside and outside the class by students and staff, with the ever-present support of families! What else, though? The anonymous messages gave me the theme on which to write. This week is Wellbeing Week at Newman College. Naming one week as Wellbeing Week is both educational and a bit clichéd. We want to focus on what ingredients and actions support wellbeing, but not condense it into just one week of focused activity and awareness. Nor do we want to suggest that there are no significant challenges to mental health faced by many on a daily basis or at times in one’s life, that require professional resources and support. How do we make every week a week of exercising towards balanced wellbeing?  Not a construct of expecting to be in a constant and heightened state of happiness, but the mindset and ability to manage the ups and downs, and the awareness of how to seek help.  It has been a superb few days led by our Wellbeing Captains, Leyla Do and Jasmin Afflick, senior students and staff. Balance, gratitude, mindfulness and flow have been discussed and shown alongside emotional regulation, perspective, setback, grit and reframing – the really hard bits to handle. Short, heartfelt Gratitude Assemblies were held in each year group at Marcellin, where representatives from each Pastoral Care Group expressed gratitude to their PCG teacher (the block of Cadburys helped too!). A range of wellbeing focused activities were held during the week, including wellness, mindfulness and fitness sessions, messages of gratitude between students and a staff v student soccer game.

Much of the Equip Guide Thrive programs at Marcellin and the U R Strong – Zones of Regulation at Lavalla that are being delivered to students are about balancing life and deepening the toolkit to manage life’s ups and downs. On Wednesday evening in the Marist Auditorium, the event adjudicator for the CPAF Concert Band-Symphonic Orchestra performance spoke of the importance music and playing musical instruments have in wellbeing. Music, dance, dramatic performance, sport and physical activity are great animators of wellbeing. So is connection.

You may be wondering about the two written messages that I mentioned earlier? Twenty-six precious words that just said thanks from a parent and hoped I was having a good day from a student. Very grateful for these words and even more grateful to know that many more expressions of simple gratitude flowed to our staff from families and students.

Book Week and Celebrating Story Telling

There are few better weeks in the school calendar than Book Week. I know, as a parent who has gone through Book Week planning, that you might groan at the thought of meeting your child’s expectation for a flash costume to conjure for the Parade. ‘Book an Adventure’ was this year’s theme, and Lavalla students dived into celebrating and exploring the land of stories. In Year 7, the students dived into reading time for the week, while our Pre-Kindergarten classes began the initiative of Celebrating Storytelling- the invitation to parents and grandparents to share the magic of storytelling at school. Families connecting through culture and language.

Mullewa Immersion

Finally, our annual visit to Mullewa took place this week. This is a long-standing relationship between the Mullewa community and Newman College, with our Year 11 Game Changers and staff deeply involved in acts of service to the local primary school, parish and shire.

Wishing you a great weekend and fortnight ahead (Go Dockers!)

Mr Andrew Watson

PRINCIPAL

The Feast of the Assumption 

‘Mary, our Good Mother – Pray for us’. In our litany for prayer, we are very used to saying this as a Marist community. Today, Friday 15 August, marks the Church’s celebration of the Feast of the Assumption. In the very early years, post the Ascencion of Jesus, the Church we now know was in its infancy and better described as the Jesus movement. The next few hundred years saw the successors of St Peter and the missionary disciples discern and capture our beliefs. While a few hundred years sounds like a long time, it is relatively short considering the nature of the times in communication and evangelisation. From the 400s-600s, the Christian communities became quite clear on the position of Mary and Marian devotion in our faith. It was then in 1950 that Pope Pius XII declared that the Assumption of Mary into heaven was a solemnity to be celebrated in the liturgical calendar.  

This brings us to our celebration of the Feast of the Assumption. We know that St Marcellin Champagnat entrusted the Marist project to Mary, and it was through Mary that Marists were to make Jesus Christ known and loved in the educational and pastoral work of Marists. This is why the Feast of the Assumption holds such an important place in the lives of our Marist community at Newman College. It is on Mary that we model our way of being present to one another.   

It was an absolute joy to bring our Lavalla and Marcellin communities together in the celebration of Mass today on the Assumption. The joy of a community modelled on Mary continued in the fete activities, Lavalla Buddy time and family spirit which followed Mass today.  Well done to the Guild Co-ordinators, Guild Student Leaders, Primary and Secondary staff and students for a great day! 

Catholic Performing Arts Festival 

We are in the second-half of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival and Newman College students have shone in performance across music and dance. Just this week, 5 of our Dance Troupes performed at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre for a Dance Showcase and excelled. Last weekend, our  Dance groups performed in the School to Stage Dance Competition and were placed:

1st – Liturgical Dance
2nd – Hip Hop
2nd – Senior Contemporary
2nd – Senior Jazz
3rd – Year 7 Jazz
3rd – Senior Jazz
Plus, a spectacular performance from our Year 8/9 Jazz troupe.

Great things are happening with our whole Arts program, which includes our Music, Drama and Visual Arts alongside Dance.  

Year 9 Parent Information Evening 

We were pleased to host the Year 9 parents and students at the College on Tuesday evening. This is the first time that we have brought the discussion of Year 10 and senior years’ studies to Year 9 in such detail. It is so important to build the understanding with students of applying yourself to your studies and understanding the requirements ahead with subject selection and pathway selection. Partnering with our parents to share the conversation can only lead to better support of our students working towards their personal best. Thank you to Beth Murphy, Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning PK-12, for designing the evening, and to Scott Smith, Leader of Year 9 Wellbeing and Justin Farley, Leader of Pathways for their work in the presentation. A key part of being in Year 9 this year is The Rite Journey and this program is about building the understanding and skills to start leaving childhood and preparing for adolescence and early adulthood.  

Wishing you a wonderful fortnight ahead. 

Mr Andrew Watson

PRINCIPAL