While many of us are familiar with St Patrick’s Day and the celebration of St Patrick on March 17, the Feast of St Joseph can sometimes go unnoticed. Celebrated on March 19, this day honours Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, within the Holy Family of Nazareth, whose model inspires us. Pope Leo XIV in an address on March 12 this year spoke of how we can learn hospitality from St Joseph and the Holy Family. He wrote that in St Joseph ‘we recognise that welcoming is not only presence but also guardianship. Guardianship means being attentive to others, respecting their choices and caring for them’.
We experience many forms of encounter and welcome in a school community and one of the many highlights of the past fortnight has been the Year 12 Careers Breakfast. As with our recent International Women’s Day Breakfast, the Newman College Alumni, parents, staff and past staff joined our students to share their experiences of careers and industry opportunity. As this was being celebrated, we also enjoyed expressing our version of Harmony Day and Neurodiversity Week in the College. Again, these expressions speak to a commitment of encounter, welcome and belonging at Newman College.
Ride to School with the Principal Day
I can think of no better way to end a week than to have ridden to school today with so many of our students and parents. Joined by a few of our staff, we all met at a nearby park and made for a great convoy of bikes and little scooters along the local footpaths. Newman College students from Kindy, early years, upper primary and Year 7 all looked after one another and shared a beautiful moment of Marist Presence and Family Spirit. Just the sound of the bike bells as we took off was enough to announce the ride to school as a great success. The sound of excited chatter, trainer wheels rolling along and the whirring of tyres punctuated the bright morning conditions. Thank you parents who either rode with us, or dropped off their children to join in. We all enjoyed some breakfast treats at the end and our parents went off with a coffee voucher to relax at their time of choice.
Marist Basketball Carnival
It’s arrived and begins on Sunday afternoon at the College! I’m sure we all send our best to all Marist teams and visitors for a hugely successful Carnival throughout next week.
NAPLAN (National Literacy and Numeracy Assessment) is undertaken each year by students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. NAPLAN will take place in Week 6 and 7 of Term 1. Please see the schedule below:
Further information for Year 3-7 is available here, and for Year 9, here.
The term ‘milestone’ seems to have its origin in Ancient Roman society. In building their extensive road system, the Romans placed stones along the way to mark a distance in travel and to give a sense of how far to the next destination. It appears that in the 17th Century, the term milestone came into use to mark a significant moment in life. Two important milestones in the Newman College journey were celebrated in the past fortnight. The Year 9 The Rite Journey Calling and Departure Ceremony and the Year 12 Ball.
The Rite Journey Calling and Departure
This simple but beautiful event was shared with Year 9 students and their parents and caregivers at City Beach recently. The event is timed for the end of the day, as the sun sets across our beautiful coast and it marks the symbolic departure from childhood to the road of adulthood for our Year 9 students in the Rites of Passage program. In recognising that our students have begun to depart from childhood, we pay respect to, and show gratitude for, the forming moments that childhood have provided; and we do this as family and Newman College family. As we moved through the Calling and Departure, watching our parents stand behind their children with a hand on their shoulder was a moving experience. It was a symbol and sign of total love and a commitment to gently pushing their daughter or son towards the next stage of life. The number of families who then took the time to sit and chat with their child showed the gift of presence that a parent is to their young one.
Year 12 Ball
The Class of 2026 and staff gathered at Fraser’s in Kings Park last week for the Ball. Congratulations to all involved! The students certainly enjoyed this time of celebration and connection. They talked and danced the night through, taking the opportunity to capture the moment in Guild and friendship photos. I think they take from the night a cherished moment in their final year of schooling. In this proud milestone moment, I am sure the families of the Year 12 students would have also reminisced about the speed at which it seems life has brought each of them from that little, dependent child to the point of young independent adulthood.
The Season of Swimming
Swim carnivals continued to dominate our sports program in recent weeks, with the Lavalla Swimming Carnival and the NAS Year 7-10 Swim Meet. In the second year of Guild competition, students from Year 3 to 6 gave their all for their Guild. Congratulations to all who competed, the staff for their organisation, the families for their support and our volunteer mums and dads on the barbecue. The NAS meet is the warm-up event for the Division A ACC Carnival in the final week of the term, and we had great competition against Sacred Heart, John XXIII, Chisholm and Servite Colleges.
International Women’s Day Breakfast
We were delighted to host 180 parent guests and their children at the inaugural Newman College International Women’s Day Breakfast this morning. Over the past three years, we have made it our aim to grow our celebration and recognition of International Women’s Day. The breakfast was a new addition in 2026, as well as an organising committee of Year 12 students who worked with key staff to plan and run this event. This year’s theme is ‘Balance the Scales,’ and we were treated to guest speakers from three Newman College families, whose journeys through life, career and sport provided great food for thought in addressing action to support the theme.
Our Year 12 students sold purple ribbons, and proceeds will be directed to Dress for Success, an organisation that supports women advancing in the workplace. If you would like to donate, please follow this link https://give-aus.keela.co/newman-college-x-dfswa
Thank you to our three guest speakers, Newman College parents
Anna Snodgrass (Class of 97), HSE Business Partner Rio Tinto,
Lisa Webb (past staff member) Fremantle Football Club AFLW Senior Coach, and
Jayne Taylor, Director and Owner, Taylor HR Consulting.
Congratulations to the IWD Committee on their fabulous work:
Students:
Grace Bradshaw
Evie Brennan
Lulu Brickland
Harrison Burrows
Oliver Groughan
Ruby Hankinson
Mia Harris
Ella Hills
Alice Humbert
Alessia Infirri
Isabel Jimenez-Fuentes
Olivia McMahon
Scarlett Sharp
Poppy Vogl
Staff:
Beth Murphy
Anna Scanlan
Jenni Vile
Donna McFadden
Tara Gray
Lara Ognenis
Megan Guglielmana
Kassandra Conway
A Conversation about Communication
In our opening presentations at parent evenings this year, our leaders and I have touched on the importance of respectful communication in our community. It is an opportune time to revisit the messaging and the ‘why’ behind the message of respectful communication in partnership between home and school.
From time to time, there may be challenges that emerge in a child’s schooling life that require parent advocacy. We all want the best for each young person in our care. Some of those challenging moments will come with a great deal of emotion and concern, and the College staff are here to address them in partnership with parents.
What I do ask of each parent is what I expect of myself and our staff, that we communicate concern with respect. We all have a right to be heard. As Leaders of Wellbeing, the College Executive and I mentioned in parent sessions earlier in the term, a short, respectful request to be contacted about an issue or concern will always get our time and attention. There will be occasions where parents are aggrieved and play the important advocacy role. What cannot be accepted is communication that does not meet a standard of how grievances or concerns should be made.
I extend my thanks to the great majority of families who approach communicating in email with respect and courtesy as the basis of raising an issue. What concerns me is what we all, unfortunately, experience in modern life – the communication that does not fit with societal norms and expectations. For us, this commitment to one another is expressed in our Parent and Adult Code of Conduct.
The why. I hold two important duties of care at once. I have a responsibility not only for the education and safety of children but also, under workplace health and safety legislation, to maintain a safe workplace for staff.
I provide these template examples that can be used to start these very important conversations we necessarily have for the benefit of children and students. Again, I stress that our community, in vast numbers, support respectful and constructive communication, and this piece of information sharing is a topic we are all exposed to in the various community settings in which we live and work.
The Your Move Initiative encourages students, where possible, to ride or walk to school. Physical transport promotes a range of benefits for our physical and mental health as well as for the environment.
Recently, as part of this initiative, we were lucky to have WestCycles create a “How to get to Newman College” Guide.
On Tuesday morning, a group of Year 6 and Year 10 student leaders assisted Sam from WestCycles in painting footsteps around the College to give our community a visual guide of safe walking routes.
The Newman Parent Forum (NPF) occurs once a term and is open to all parents/guardians. It is a parent community gathering led by the Principal and Vice Principal, in collaboration with a nominated Newman Parent K-12 Executive Committee.
The NPF for Term 1 is scheduled for Monday 16 March at 6.00pm. Parents are invited and encouraged to attend in person in the JHN Learning Hub or via TEAMs. The agenda for the evening is available here.
Transperth Stirling Station Stand Changes Please be advised that from Sunday 8 March 2026 there will be changes to Transperth bus services departing Stirling Station, which will impact student journeys.
The following stands will be relocated slightly to the east of the station –
Stand A (Stop 29719)
Stand B (Stop 29720)
Stand 1 (Stop 11537)
Stand 2 (Stop 11538)
Stand 3 (Stop 11539)
Stand 8 (Stop 11544) will be closed and the services will now depart from the following stands:
Route 413 will now depart from Stand 5 (Stop 11541)
Route 424 will now depart from Stand A (Stop 29719)
Route 427 will now depart from Stand A (Stop 29719)
School Special services will now depart from Stand 5 (Stop 11541)
The following services will also undergo stand changes:
Surf CAT will now depart from Stand A (Stop 29719)
Route 402 will now depart from Stand 2 (Stop 11538)
Route 403 will now depart from Stand 2 (Stop 11538)
Information regarding these changes will also be available on the Transperth website shortly Transperth Service Updates.
“Give without remembering, receive without forgetting”. This was one of several messages in the homily of Fr Michael Twigg OMI to our whole gathered College and families at the Family Mass last Tuesday evening. As well as celebrating the opening of the year and praying for the success of all in our community in 2026, the Mass provided the opportunity to present and bless our Year 12 and Year 6 Leaders as they begin their service to Newman College in these important roles. Family means so much to us, and we were delighted to have parents present the badges to their daughters and sons. Our Marist theme for 2026 is “Full of Grace – Transform the World with God’s Love”. Fr Michael urged us to see Grace and be the Grace that God gifts us. This simple example of being people for others who give to anyone in need of love, recognition and time is a moment of Grace when we do so freely and without reward. One simple message from a family the day after the Mass captures the blessing that we are as the Newman College community:
“Last night I attended our first opening school mass with our granddaughter …What a beautiful Eucharistic Celebration bringing the whole Community together … The students were so reverent and so respectful when applauding their peers chosen to take on leadership roles. I felt a real sense of Community. Please give our thanks to the many staff that it would’ve taken to organise. We look forward to attending many more Eucharistic Celebrations and other functions as part of the Newman College Community.”
High Achiever’s Assembly
Our first Celebration Assembly on Marcellin was a time to celebrate the Academic Excellence of the Class of 2025 and our current Year 8-12 Academic Excellence from Semester 2, 2025. Another highlight of this gathering was the guard of honour Year 12 gave to the incoming Year 7 group. During the assembly, our Academic Captains announced the new Colours and Honours system of recognising excellence in Academics, Mission, Sport and The Arts. The first Colours Assembly will happen later this term, where the awards will be presented across these four pillars.
Daniel Miniello, Class of 2025, gave the occasional address to the assembly and spoke so well about working towards personal excellence. His message was one of perseverance, determination and gratitude for the support of family and teachers. Thank you to the parents and grandparents who joined us for this milestone celebration. Let’s all keep encouraging our young people to pursue personal excellence.
Ash Wednesday
The Season of Lent has begun and we recognised this with respectful Ash Wednesday liturgies at Lavalla and Marcellin. In each liturgy, we unpacked how we can embrace Lent through prayer, giving and moderating our lives. Ms Cole-Carter spoke in our Lavalla liturgy about her experience of serving a community in Kenya as a teacher in a village with few material resources but plentiful riches in community, and the aim to make better lives through education. Mr Box and Mr McClorey spoke to the Marcellin liturgy about how we can contemporise the traditional elements of Lent – alms giving, prayer and abstinence in our lives today. Please join us in supporting the raising of funds to Caritas Australia as they support education, dignity and health in impoverished communities.
Guild Swimming Carnival – Secondary
We are taking Guild Spirit to a new level this year and this was on display at the Guild Swimming Carnival at High Performance Centre this week. Pride and Excellence in Guild! Each Guild participated with great effort and commitment and the Class of 2026 led the way with passionate involvement and the fun of delivering the inaugural synchronised swimming event to open the Carnival. The quality of swimming was excellent throughout all years and 10 records tumbled in the pool. Our new Year 7 group gave it their all in their first Carnival.
Congratulations to all students, Guild Coordinators and Guild staff, Physical Education Team and Ms Sara Kononen who led the Carnival. Well done to Marcellin Guild for taking out the Champion Shield and the Chisholm Guild for winning the Spirit Shield. A fine win by both Guilds!
