Term 4 Week 6: From the Dean of Wellbeing
The College’s Pastoral Care Program focuses on building Wellbeing by developing key life skills to help students cope with challenges at school and beyond.
Building resilience is an important feature of this program and the students are given opportunities to view the lives of people who have had to be strong and self-confident after experiencing life changing experiences. Students discuss the qualities they see in these people with the hope that they too can embrace those traits when things get tough for them.
Emotional wellness in young people is, at times, a very fragile line. The ongoing focus of the Pastoral Care program is developing the tools to conquer our fears and anxieties. As well as building resilience, we have also introduced a ‘Gratitude Project’ where we consider all the people in our lives for whom we are grateful – our parents, friends, neighbours and the wider community. Students write affirmations to their peers and letters of gratitude for the small mercies we often share with each other.
Welcome to Alan Fitzpatrick
We welcome Mr Alan Fitzpatrick our new Deputy Principal Wellbeing Secondary to Newman College. Alan has joined us after 12 years at La Salle College, his most recent role being Deputy Principal, Student Services. Alan will oversee the Pastoral Care of students on Marcellin Campus (Yrs. 7 – 12) with special emphasis placed on student wellbeing and academic progress.
Write a Book In A Day Competition
Last term, as a part of National Book Week, 18 students from Years 7-9 participated in the Write A Book In A Day Competition, organised by and supporting the Kids’ Cancer Project charity. The students worked in teams to write, illustrate and publish an entire book in a single school day. They produced some incredible work and should all be extremely proud of their monumental efforts.
Following the release of the competition results last week, one of the teams who participated in the competition, ‘Kool Kidz and Co.’, was recognised as Highly Commended. This essentially meant that the team came second in the state within the Middle School Division. With submissions coming in from hundreds of schools across the country, this is a fantastic achievement.
The students involved in writing this book were Charlotte Adams, Dylan Arto, Emily Baillie, Sebastian Burns, Jeremy Butson, Ruby Capurso, Tyler Connolly, Joel Frenzel, Louis Marcon and Amelia Troon.
The team’s book, titled ‘Hopea’, as well as the other category winners, can be viewed here.
2019 Parent Funded BYODD
A reminder that next year Newman College will continue the parent funded, designated device model that commenced in 2016.
All students in Years 7 – 11 will require a Microsoft Surface Pro. A summary can be found here. BYODD 2019 7-11 Summary
Parents will be required to purchase a device for students entering Year 7, current Year 8 and current Year 9 cohorts. 2019 will be the last year for the College funded MacBook program for students in Year 12.
Please refer any queries to your relevant Leader of Wellbeing.
Year 11 Exam Feedback
Year 11 students completed their Semester 2 examinations in Weeks 5 and 6 which gave them the opportunity to demonstrate all they have learnt in their subjects over the course of the year. They are to be commended for the wonderful way they have approached these exams, their dedicated preparation and the way they have worked with their peers and teachers over the course of the year. Thank you to all the teaching staff who have supported and guided the Year 11 students this year.
Year 11 ATAR students will return to the college on 20 and 21 November for examination feedback. Students will attend their normal timetabled classes and PCG and will go to the Learning Centre if they have a general class. All Year 11 students will return on Thursday 22 November where they will have a final year group farewell assembly, participate in English and Religious education workshops in preparation for next year, spend time in PCG classes, receive their predicted ATAR scores and celebrate their achievements by attending the Years 7-11 Awards Ceremony.
Upcoming Events
Water Polo Secondary Champion Schools Competition
Year 10 2019 Parent Information Evening
Return of Lease Laptops
Year 8 students need to return their laptops on Wednesday 28 November immediately after lunch.
Year 9 students need to return their laptops on Wednesday 28 November halfway through Period 5.
Year 12 students need to return their laptops by Thursday 22 November (at the latest) to the IT Department located in the Siena Learning Centre.
Return of Library Books
As the school year is rapidly coming to an end, the Siena Library is conducting an audit of its current loans. To aid in this, we are asking that all students please return any books they currently have on loan as soon as possible. A huge number of books are currently overdue, which must be returned prior to the conclusion of the school year.
All students are asked to return any books currently on loan before the end of Week 8 at the latest. If overdue books are not received by this time, families will be issued with an invoice for the cost of their replacement. We will also be discontinuing loaning at the conclusion of Week 7.
Important Calendar Dates for 2019
Students return to school on the following dates:
- K-Y7, Y11 and Y12 commence on Monday 4 February
- Y8-10 commence on Tuesday 5 February
- PK-12 Family Mass: Wednesday 13 February commencing at 5.00pm
- Y7-12 Swimming Carnival: Thursday 21 February, HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont. This is a compulsory event and all students are expected to attend on this day.