鈥� In recent times, our school calendar has changed regularly.
Primary Lifelink Launch
On Wednesday 8 June Year 3 Red participated in the annual Lifelink launch, which was held online this year. Lifelink is an organisation that assists the work of social service agencies established by the Archdiocese of Perth.聽 聽
Year 3 Red with the support of Mrs Catherine Young, have spent time researching the work of different Lifelink agencies over the past few weeks. Through sharing this within our school community they have been able to raise awareness of how Lifelink supports those in need and provides hope and joy for all in our community. They created a beautiful poster about Lifelink, which was shared at the launch and will be displayed in our administration area.
Year 9 Retreat
On Thursday 23 June, our Year 9鈥檚 will take part in their annual Retreat Day, facilitated by the Youth Ministry Team. The Retreat聽follows our Vision for Mission: to form 鈥淕ood Christians and Good Citizens鈥� as we offer students an opportunity away from normal school routine to pause and reflect on their relationship with others, themselves and God. 聽
These experiences have shown to be positive and rewarding for our students and we look forward to an enjoyable and enlightening day with our Year 9 students.
Community Mass
We welcome the whole community to join us for our regular Mass on Thursday mornings in the Champagnat Chapel. Starting at 8.10am and concluding at 8.40am the Mass is celebrated by a Priest from a local Parish and is hosted by students from both Marcellin and Lavalla Campuses. Please see the upcoming schedule below.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday 23 June; Fr Israel Quirit, with students from Thomas More Guild and Y5 Green
Thursday 30 June; Monsignor Kevin Long, with students from Brigid Guild and Y4 Red
鈥� In recent times, our school calendar has changed regularly.
Year 1 Red Assembly听听
Last Friday, students gathered in the Marian Hall to enjoy an assembly item from Year 1 Red. They took us on a journey of storytelling and characters, reciting a story they have been learning as part of their Talk4Writing, and showing us the importance of developing interesting characters as part of our writing. They have obviously been working very hard in class, and their presentation of their work was enjoyed by all. We also got to acknowledge the excellent efforts of individual students, and even some whole classes, who were presented with merit awards. Congratulations to all students who have been recognised by their teachers for being learning superstars!聽
Lavalla Cross Country 颁补谤苍颈惫补濒听
Yesterday, students from Years 3-6 enjoyed perfect running conditions for their Cross Country Carnival. It was wonderful to see so many students taking part so enthusiastically and making the most of the day. It was also great to welcome parents and other spectators to the event 鈥� these are the small things we find ourselves grateful for in this (almost) post-pandemic world.
Congratulations to our age champions and runners-up, please find the list of students below. The winning faction will be posted in the next newsletter. Well done to all students who took part, and to our Sports Captains for their leadership on the day too.
Of course, we know none of this would have been possible without the amazing Mrs Richards 鈥� thank you for everything you do for our students and for delivering another wonderful carnival!聽
Year 6 Boys
1st: Luke Rombouts
2nd: Dylan Hookway
3rd: Hamish Macgregor
Year 6 Girls
1st: Kaydee Van Deventer
2nd: Annabelle Adamini
3rd: Livia Bogdanov
Year 5 Boys
1st: Stefan Moschopoulos
2nd: Otis Keane
3rd: Xavier Fleay
Year 5 Girls
1st: Allegra Clark
2nd: Jessica Avins
3rd: Layla Bornmann
Year 4 Boys
1st: David Van der Walt
2nd: Joel Costley
3rd: Julian Cameron
Year 4 Girls
1st: Amelie Santoro
2nd: Shylah Davey
3rd: Mia Dorrington
Year 3 Boys
1st: Samuel Baily
2nd: Sebastian Fleay
3rd: Blake Martin & Jack McCagh
Year 3 Girls
1st: Lila Adamini
2nd: Amelia Heath
3rd: Annabel Gilbert
Interschool Sport
Last week, our Year 6 students took part in an afternoon of interschool sport as we invited students from John XXIII to our College. Students had the choice to take part in a number of sports including netball, soccer, football. I am very pleased to say there was a great level of spirited, but friendly competition between students, and from what I saw last week, it looked like all students were having a great time. I鈥檓 sure students are very much looking forward to next Thursday when Year 6 students will take part in the IPSHA Winter Sports Carnival.
Coder Dojo & Homework Club
Just a reminder to all families that Coder Dojo has now finished for Term 2. Homework club will finish this week (Week 9). Thank you to those students who have attended these clubs and shown beautiful manners and behaviour throughout.
Lost Property
It is amazing how much lost property has accumulated over these past few weeks, especially at the Lavalla campus. There are blazers and sports jackets galore in the library right now, desperate I鈥檓 sure to be matched up with their owners. Please take the time to label all of our child鈥檚 uniform, and even speak to your child about looking after their things. I would be petrified to go home to my Mum and Dad at school and tell them I had lost my blazer, yet for some students they do not seem phased by this at all! If you or your child has lost an item please come and check the lost property to see if it is there.
Wellbeing
Last week, I wrote an article about frenemies 鈥� the notion of those around us who can often present as friends, but can also engage in some hurtful or mean behaviours. If you missed it last week, I would encourage you to take a look. As parents and as a school, we want to support children to enjoy positive relationships that help them to flourish; to raise them up to be the best they can be. Yet, it can be frustrating watching on from the sidelines when we see our child hurt, or going through a rough time, and they return to those same frenemies. Why does this happen?
There are lots of things that children seek growing up. Love, affection, connection with others. But one of the things in school that children most seek is belonging. A connection to a group that allows them to feel that they 鈥榝it in鈥�; to feel that they are accepted, and that they belong to a particular group. Many students find this acceptance and belonging in activities, clubs, or in different subject areas. But many more students find this in their social interactions; in their peer relationships and in those around them.
The danger is, that the draw of belonging and acceptance can be so strong, that it can cause students to accept negative behaviour towards them, and compromise themselves or their values to be part of a group. For example, a student might say they don鈥檛 like something they once loved because it鈥檚 not accepted in the group (however subtly), or a student might not try hard in class, because it鈥檚 not seen by the group as the 鈥榗ool鈥� thing to do. Psychologists have studied this phenomenon known as 鈥榞roupthink鈥� 鈥� a process by which a group can make decisions where each member of the group attempts to conform their opinions to what they believe is the consensus of the group. In other words, students might act, say, and do what they think the group wants, rather than what they might want themselves. The strange thing in this, is that all students in a group might actually feel one way, but be acting in a complete other.
This can be very challenging to navigate 鈥� after all we want our children to feel accepted and have a sense of belonging, but we also want them to be their best selves. There is no easy solution to get around this, except to bring this to light and begin to talk with your child about their friends and their perceptions and even role in their friendship group. By that, I don鈥檛 mean an interrogation in the car at 3.15pm 飦�, but perhaps just around the dinner table or something similar. Some good questions you can discuss as a family at home are:
路 What do you think makes a good friend?
路 Have you ever had to compromise on your values or opinions to be part of the group (this can include being a bystander to something they know is wrong)
路 Read through the examples of frenemy behaviours. Does your child think they might have a frenemy?
路 What should you do if you see a friend or someone else in the group being mistreated or even excluded?
I will be talking with classes over the next two weeks about friendships and some of these topics. If you have any questions, or would like any further information on anything, please feel free to reach out to myself or your classroom teacher.
Last weekend the senior leaders interviewed a number of applicants for our 2025 Year 7 cohort, currently in Year 4. In speaking with the families, we reflected on what life will be like for these students, who will become the Graduating Class of 2030. Whilst this feels like a long way away, it is only a small speck in the 150 years of Marist education that has been occurring in Australia.
Today鈥檚 Champagnat Day was a wonderful celebration of our Marist Brothers, their contribution to our school and the characteristics that they stand for, such as Love of Work, Family Spirit, Presence, Simplicity and in The Way of Mary. These characteristics permeate all aspects of College life, assisting our students to develop into good Christians and good citizens.
This year we recognised one student from each year group and two staff members in our community through an annual Marcellin Champagnat Award, presented with both a certificate and the Marist icon of a silver heart on fire. We also recognised one staff member in our community who embodies our Marist characteristics. Champagnat Awards were presented to:
Our new Leader of Wellbeing Sarah Ellam joined the community this week. Sarah had an opportunity to speak with our Year 10 parents and students at the Careers Expo on Monday evening. Joanne Smith also joined us this week as a secondary Humanities and English teacher. Lisa Webb from our Health and Physical Education learning area in the secondary school will be leaving us today. Lisa will explore AFL opportunities for herself and her family over east. Lisa plans to take the rest of this year and next year off. We wish her the very best in her endeavours and look forward to seeing her return in future years. Matilda Sergeant has been with us as a relief teacher this term and will be formally taking over Lisa Webb鈥檚 classes from next week.
Removal of COVID-19 vaccination mandate
The WA government announced that from 10 June 2022, the mandatory vaccination policy would be updated in line with health advice. This means that staff in schools and residential facilities will no longer need to be vaccinated.
The triple dose vaccination requirements only remain in place for those working in healthcare and health support, workers in residential aged care, and workers in residential disability settings. As you know students are not required to be vaccinated, however if your child is on a work placement at one of these settings, they will need to continue to comply with the industry/business requirements at that workplace.
The change also means that parents and carers who regularly visit, volunteers, third party providers and contractors鈥�are not required鈥痶o be vaccinated to enter a school or residential facility.
It is also important to remember that the removal of the vaccine mandate does not mean the pandemic is over. We continue to follow health advice and COVID-19 safe protocols, such as staying home when sick, wearing a mask as required, taking a daily RAT when identified as a close contact, and having good hand hygiene. I encourage you to visit the website for further information about COVID-19.
Thank you for your support.
Christmas in July 鈥� Friday 22 July
Save the date! The College will be running a parent engagement event from 5.30pm 鈥� 7.30pm on Friday 22 July. The event will be themed 鈥楥hristmas in July鈥�. We look forward to seeing many of our parents join us in the Marcellin campus for Christmas in July drinks and canapes. Further information will follow.
NPCC
The next NPCC meeting is scheduled for Monday 20 June in the JHN Learning Hub on the Marcellin Campus, 4.30pm to 5.00pm for afternoon tea and 5.00pm to 6.00pm for the meeting. Agenda items include the reframing of the NPCC, to the Newman Parents Committee, our parental engagement group for PK to Year 12, our upcoming Parent Event 鈥楥hristmas in July鈥� and the Homework Club Revitalisation Plan.
Expressions of interest are being called for parents to join the Newman Parents Executive Committee. Please use the below link.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Semester One鈥疪eporting鈥�– Update
Year 10 reports will be released live on SEQTA on Monday 27 June @ 4.00pm and not Tuesday 21 June as previously advised.
All other reports鈥痜rom鈥疜indergarten鈥痶hrough to Year 12鈥痺ill be鈥痳eleased鈥痩ive on SEQTA on Friday 1 July @ 4.00pm.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
PLEASE NOTE:鈥�&苍产蝉辫; Parents/Guardians will not be able to download nor view a copy of your child鈥檚 Semester 1 Report if you have not previously activated your SEQTA Engage account.鈥����&苍产蝉辫;
Please contact Flora Hughes via email flora.hughes@newman.wa.edu.au鈥痵hould you require assistance with logging into SEQTA Engage.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Photo Days
Monday 20 June 鈥� Marcellin Campus 鈥� Sports Photo鈥檚 Tuesday 21 June 鈥� Marcellin Campus 鈥� Y7-9 Photo鈥檚 Wednesday 22 June 鈥� Marcellin Campus 鈥� Y10-12 Photo鈥檚
All students have received an order envelope which has a child specific access key. Photo orders must be made online using this access key. Your online order reference number needs to be written on the envelope and students are required to hand the envelope to the photographer on photo day.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Marist National Assistant Principals Conference in the Hermitage in Mittagong, the spiritual heart of our Marist organisation. Guest speaker, Hugh Mackay, esteemed author of twenty-two books and social psychologist, presented to the group on the Kindness Revolution; how we can restore hope, rebuild trust, and inspire optimism. At the heart of his message was the undeniable truth that as humans, our deepest psychological needs are to be heard and taken seriously. A key takeaway for me was that anything we do to convey recognition to another person is not only a potent act of kindness but is also often received as therapeutic by the recipient, which seems obvious but often slips into the periphery. We all want to belong and connect on an authentic level, our actions can portray kindness and therefore kindness is in everyone鈥檚 power, even in those situations where fondness is not.
Last Thursday the College acknowledged Sorry Day, where the nation marks the anniversary of the tabling of the Bringing Them Home report in the Australian Federal Parliament (1997) and recognises the Government issued formal apology in 2008. The report was a result of a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission inquiry that shed light on the history of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Giving voice to the traumatic and grief fueled experiences of the Stolen Generation survivors and their descendants, is part of a national journey towards understanding, healing, and reconciliation. Students learnt about the origins of Sorry Day and the experiences of those impacted. Staff and students accessorised with purple to commemorate the occasion.
Term 2 Pupil Free Days
Monday 6 June 鈥� Western Australia Day (College Closed)
Last week on Wednesday 25 May, the College launched the Primary Capital Development Program to the community. For those families who were not able to attend the meeting in person or online, please to view the presentation.
This exciting program will see all learning and specialty areas of the primary school rebuilt on the Lavalla campus site to accommodate state of the art teaching and learning practices, in line with the College鈥檚 vision for learning 鈥楽hine through Discovery 鈥� Let your light shine鈥欌��(Matthew 5:16).
NPCC
The next NPCC meeting is scheduled for Monday 20 June in the JHN Learning Hub on the Marcellin Campus, 4.30pm to 5.00pm for afternoon tea and 5.00pm to 6.00pm for the meeting. Agenda items include the reframing of the NPCC, to the Newman Parents Committee, our parental engagement group for PK to Year 12 and the Homework Club Revitalisation Plan.
Expressions of interest are being called for parents to join the Newman Parents Executive Committee. Please use the below link.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Year 10 Immunisations
The Department of Health will be at the College on Monday 13 June to vaccinate Year 10 students that have provided their consent form. This vaccination is for Meningococcal ACWY.
CAHS – Community Health have confirmed no鈥痝ap is required between receiving a COVID vaccine and this vaccine.鈥� Your child does need to be symptom free and well. Families are reminded you can take your child to your GP should you prefer.
Students are allowed to wear their sports uniform on this day.
Any queries regarding the immunisation program should be made to Community Health (CAHS), CAHS.CHSBIP@health.wa.gov.au
Semester One鈥疪eporting鈥�
Year 10 reports will be released live on SEQTA on Tuesday 21 June @ 4.00pm. All other reports鈥痜rom鈥疜indergarten鈥痶hrough to Year 12鈥痺ill be鈥痳eleased鈥痩ive on SEQTA on Friday 1 July @ 4.00pm.
PLEASE NOTE:
Parents/Guardians will not be able to download nor view a copy of your child鈥檚 Semester 1 Report if you have not previously activated your SEQTA Engage account.
Please contact Flora Hughes via email flora.hughes@newman.wa.edu.au should you require assistance with logging into SEQTA Engage.
Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat
Monday 6 June is the Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat. This significant event will be celebrated by all students K-12 on Friday 17June, where we will gather for Mass to honor the Marist Brothers, followed by students participating in a range of fund-raising fete activities throughout the day in support of Australian Marist Solidarity. More information will be communicated to community next week.
NEiTA Nominations
NEiTA is the longest running, community-based awards program to recognise teaching excellence in Australia and New Zealand. NEiTA acknowledges the talented, committed, and caring educators who demonstrate the excellent personal qualities, skills, and passion required of teachers and school leaders to direct the lives of our future citizens in a fast-changing and uncertain world.
The NEiTA Foundation is encouraging parents, students, and schools to nominate
extraordinary educators who have displayed remarkable dedication, passion, and creativity
for a National Excellence in Teaching Award.
Please for further information on how to nominate an extraordinary educator.
Key Dates
Updated COVID restrictions have seen events and camps re-instated into the College Calendar. We remind parents to please check the鈥�痮n a regular basis.
鈥� In recent times, our school calendar has changed regularly.
National Simultaneous Storytime
National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.
Mr Finneran, aka Outback Jack, read this year鈥檚 book 鈥淔amily Tree鈥� by author Josh Pyke to all Marian Campus students. This has become a highlight of the Marian Campus calendar, and Mr Finneran鈥檚 performance of the story this year did not disappoint. It was lovely to see the children enthralled in the story and performance, and further consolidate their love of literature.
Last term, our Year 5 students organised a soccer tournament to raise funds for Marist Solidarity. This tournament was held last week, at lunchtime and into the afternoon. With Year 6 students as Referee鈥檚, the Year 5 Teams had mini-matches until they reached a Grand Final with some very deserving winners.
Mr Finneran also joined in the matches, however, much to his disappointment, it was not his team that were declared champs! This event raised over $200 towards the Marist Solidarity cuase, and the Year 5 students should be commended on their efforts and initiative in organizing this.
Year 5 Amazing Race
For Project Based Learning this term, we have been learning about North and South America in geography. Each group of Year 5鈥檚 made an Amazing Race for the Year 3鈥檚. Each group had to make 4 challenges on different countries in South and North America. They all completed the Race and had a lot of fun collaborating together. Two pairs of Year 3鈥檚 raced against each other for a prize. The challenges included making tacos for Mexico, digging in the sand for Bahamas, and playing Basketball for USA. The Year 3鈥檚 also had to kick soccer balls in to the goal for Brazil. For five weeks we had been working on the fun project for the Year 3 students. They had a great time and all that hard work was worth it. Every student participated in the race and the Year 3鈥檚 loved the challenge. By Grace P, Ella G and John (Year 5)
Marian Campus Assembly
It was so lovely to be able to have our first face-to-face Marian Campus assembly for 2022. The students of 2 Green led our assembly with a fantastic performance about their Science topic of mixtures. The many budding Scientists showed us how water and oil don鈥檛 mix, how to build a model volcano and how Science is everywhere in our daily lives.
Congratulations also to all our Merit Award winners and our Marcellin Award winner.
Lavalla Campus Assembly
3 Green students took us on a trip to the zoo, where we learnt all about the different types of animals, their features and classification. Who knew that a panther could run at 120km/hr? Well done Miss Donnelly and 3 Green students. It was thoroughly entertaining and very informative.
Congratulations also to the Merit Award winners, and the students who participated in the Synergy Solar Car Challenge.
National Sorry Day
Every year on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as 鈥楾he Stolen Generations鈥�.
In acknowledgement and respect of National Sorry Day, students were invited to wear purple accessories (hair ties, socks, etc) with their normal winter uniform and undertook activities in their classroom to learn about this important day.
贵谤别苍别尘颈别蝉鈥�
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;The topic of friendship can be very tricky for some students. In fact, for some parents and families, it is the number one concern. After all, we all want our children to enjoy being at school, to be liked, and to enjoy the company of others.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;Sometimes in school, children can encounter a phenomenon known as the鈥�frenemy. This is someone who claims to be your friend but can also show mean or unkind behaviours. They might:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
say 鈥榖rutally honest鈥� things that are hurtful or unkind鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
put pressure on you to do things you don鈥檛 want to do鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
laugh at you, or encourage others to laugh at you鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
deliberately exclude you from group chats or activities鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
talk about you behind your back鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
make you feel bad about yourself.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
What should I do if my child has a frenemy?鈥�
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;First of all, it is important to note that many frenemy behaviours may not be deliberate. Sometimes children do things without knowing or even realising the impact they are having.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
The first thing that you should tell your child is that the problem isn鈥檛 them. A frenemy鈥檚 behaviour might make you feel bad, but it is them that needs to change, not your child. You should encourage your child to calmly, and without accusation, tell their friend how they are feeling. It is important to be specific. For example, 鈥淚 feel upset that you always try to get me out in handball鈥� or 鈥淚 really don鈥檛 like the way you say I can鈥檛 sing.” If your child might find this hard, a teacher can help facilitate this conversation.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;Remind your child that is very common for their friends to not even realise they may have done something wrong, so it is important to come from a place of support and understanding. A good friend will be sorry that they made you feel bad, and not do it again. A frenemy is more likely to say you鈥檙e overreacting or blame you for how they treated you.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
If your child does this, and they find their frenemy is still making them feel bad despite what they鈥檝e told them, it might be considered bullying behaviour. If this is the case children should talk to their parents and teachers about how they can be supported.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;I would encourage families to chat with their children about their friendships this week. You don鈥檛 need to interrogate them on every little detail, but it might help you to be aware of what occurs in the future.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;If you have any concerns about frenemy-type behaviour around your child don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to myself or your child’s teacher.
