今日吃瓜

Celebration

At 今日吃瓜 we shine through celebration of our faith, achievements, contributions and efforts. Celebration builds strong communities and plays a major role in socialisation, learning and faith development. It encourages a sense of belonging, coherence and purpose. Coming back to school has seen the power of relationship and coming together.

This has been exemplified by attendance over the last two weeks at approximately 95%.

There has been much joy, energy and goodwill amongst all our students. This week we celebrated our Marian and Lavalla Campus assemblies which are now live streamed in the classrooms and for parents to view at home. In many ways it has re-set how we engage as a school but it has not changed how we celebrate. The value of recognising and affirming our students is a powerful tool to enable them to grow into the fullness of their humanity.

Dr Justin Coulson reminded all of us during the recent live stream of Newman Parents how being present to our children, actively listening to them and asking them, how can I help you, is critical to their development and wellbeing. Celebrating their achievements but also challenging their inhibitions and anxieties are an integral part of our relationships.

This week I sat down with our Year 12 leaders whose year has been compromised and disrupted by the COVID crisis. The rite of passage and the generational rituals of being in the leading cohort have changed. Navigating and accepting these changes has been challenging for the group. That being said, their attitude and positivity have allowed them to consider and reflect on new ways of engaging in the race to the finish line. Yes, it is different and yes, it is okay that it is different. In many ways, life presents to us changes that can be unexpected and not planned for. 2020 has certainly been that year of the unexpected. Yet, while we may not be able to plan for the unexpected events, we can be prepared.

Our College鈥檚 Vision for Learning 鈥� Shine through Discovery 鈥� has given us the foundation as a College Community to come together and become stronger as a result of the COVID crisis. The alignment of our PK-12 school through this Vision has enabled our teachers to individually and collectively build their capacity as was demonstrated through the development of our remote learning plan. In learning, it enabled students to recognise the value of formative assessment and that learning does not necessarily need a marked value to warrant its worth. Learning is about trial and error, asking questions, seeking feedback and strategies to overcome the challenges it presents. At the heart of this though is the relationships that are cultivated between teachers and students and in the collaboration and then celebration that is the result.

Congratulations again to our students for their transition back into face to face learning and we look forward to the future ahead.

Year 6 Leavers Shirt Presentation

It was a great privilege to honour our Year 6 cohort with the presentation of Year 6 Leavers shirts. Not dissimilar to Year 12, Year 6 is a legacy year for our students as they prepare to move into secondary school. We recognise their leadership on the Lavalla Campus and value their presence in our College.

Principal鈥檚 Assembly | RAP Launch / Reconciliation Week

Next week is Reconciliation Week across the country. Significantly, 今日吃瓜 has developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which has been the sum of 18 months collaboration with staff, students, Catholic Education WA Aboriginal Team, with the support of facilitator Christine Sindley of Waangara Marra Consulting.

We will be launching our RAP with special guests, our local Federal member, Celia Hammond, and a special video presentation from Hon Ken Wyatt, Minister for Indigenous Australians.

St Vincent de Paul 鈥� Emergency Assistance Program Drive

A massive thank you to the 今日吃瓜 PK-12 Community for your donations. The cage going to Vinnies is literally overflowing with your generosity. United in Christ’s love, your strength of family spirit and collaboration in caring for those less fortunate than ourselves displays the true Marist charisms.

Prayer Opportunities

During our time of isolation we learnt of the importance of stopping, being still and listening. In building on these lessons, we now offer two more opportunities for our students; a Wednesday lunch-time reflection and Friday morning Student-led Prayer, facilitated by the Faith and Liturgy Captains. The themes have focused on strong women, gratitude, the environment and prayer for exams. Staff and students are invited to attend the Student-led Prayer sessions with the Captains from 8.20am in the Chapel.

Remar / Gamechangers

Over the last two weeks, the Remar and Gamechangers groups have been meeting to reconnect and reflect on their experiences apart during isolation. They were excited to continue building their knowledge and skills as they look for opportunities to serve our community.

Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week is recognised and celebrated from 27 May 鈥� 3 June. The theme for 2020 is 鈥淚n this Together鈥�. It is also 20 years since over 250,000 Australians walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge to show solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for reconciliation.

今日吃瓜 is committed to reconciliation and there will be several activities across the PK-12 community that allow students to learn and reflect on the importance of reconciliation. We are excited to launch our Reconciliation Action Plan on Wednesday 27 May. This plan lays clear our intents and actions that underpin our commitment to reconciliation. We are grateful for the support of Christine Sindley from Waangara Marra Consulting and the RAP Working Group for their consultation and input in helping 今日吃瓜 develop it first Reconciliation action Plan.

The College鈥檚 pastoral and educational response to COVID-19 has demonstrated the strength of our Vision for Learning, our commitment to the wellbeing of the young people in our care and the absolute privilege and responsibility our vocation holds on the hearts and minds of others. As we navigate, plan and discern the return to a busy College life, we continue to prioritise collaboration in learning by ensuring goals, intentions and outcomes are shared between school and the home. This is particularly important for our graduating students of the class of 2020. Your individual and collective success, as you overcome the disruption of this year, will be your legacy鈥� Let Your Light Shine!

COVID-19 Update

Thank you to all families for their support as we transition back to compulsory schooling this week. The students have responded very well despite there still being restrictions in place for large group gathering and some activities. The College is preparing to reinstate sport, arts events and other co-curricular opportunities with careful consideration and due diligence.

If you are concerned about your own family situation, you are invited to contact Lisa Fogliani, Vice Principal, for additional clarity and advice lisa.fogliani@newman.wa.edu.au

If Students are Unwell鈥�

The College asks that students who are presenting with a fever or flu like symptoms stay at home until their symptoms are clear. 鈥疘t is of the responsibility of all families to ensure they support the wider College community.

Parents and Visitors to the College

We thank all parents and caregivers for their support and understanding by utilizing the kiss and ride processes in place to ensure adults are not congregating on College grounds. As restrictions ease and the advice from Catholic Education Western Australia changes, we will communicate any respective changes with our parent community.

The College is planning to continue with our gazetted Parent Teacher Interview day on Tuesday 21 July. Details regarding the format, either remote or face to face for this day, will be shared closer to the date.

College Calendar

As restrictions ease, many co-curricular activities, groups and events will return. The details of these activities will be added to the College Calendar as well as a communication from the staff responsible for coordinating the activity. In some instances, there will be additional protective measure and guidelines to adhere to, to ensure the safety of staff and students.

Save the Date – NPCC Meeting – Monday 8 June, 7.00pm

The Newman Parents Consultative Committee will meet online on Monday 8 June at 7.00pm. A link to the meeting will be sent to families, with a call for questions in the next newsletter. This will help to facilitate collaboration in an online environment.

Newman Parents Presentation with Justin Coulson – Thanks

Many thanks to the parents and staff that joined Mr Finneran and I in welcoming Dr Justin Coulson to work with our community. Justin had planned to be at the College last Term and we are very grateful that he was able to adapt his presentation to be online. It was very successful and we look forward to welcoming him back to the College in 2021.

Reporting and Assessment

Secondary

Semester 1 reports will include a learning attributes and a progress grade that is aligned to judging standards. The judging standards describe the standard of achievement students should attain by the end of the school year. More information regarding reporting and judging standards will be shared with families in the weeks ahead.

Primary

Details regarding Semester 1 reports will be communicated from each campus in due course. It is important that we provide feedback and progress on each student, mindful on how teachers and students have adjusted to different modes of learning delivery.

Parent Facebook Groups

A reminder to parents that are members of the Parent Facebook groups that there is a Terms of Reference for the groups so that the intent of the group is understood by all parents. If you have concerns about College decisions, processes, teaching or learning, I strongly encourage you to direct your concern to your child鈥檚 Leader of Wellbeing or classroom teacher. Ensuring the parent community is accurately informed is important to us and College staff are best placed to resolve any queries.

The Terms of Reference can be found below:

This forum is intended to assist in building stronger communities and better relationships. Use the Facebook Group to:

• Organise year group social gatherings (parents)
• Ask for assistance in drop off / pick up of your child when needed
• Arrange carpooling
• Lost property
• Provide pertinent year group information such as assembly dates / times
• Remind parents of key dates relating to their child鈥檚 year group
• Sharing key information or posts from the 今日吃瓜 website and social media pages
• Sharing relevant College photos (not personal/family photos)

This is NOT a forum to discuss teaching and learning issues. This is a community group to connect parents of your child鈥檚 year group. Questions relating to your child鈥檚 education should be directed to the relevant teacher and/or Leader(s) of Wellbeing. You should not comment on teaching and learning or other College related matters in this group.

Code of Conduct

A reminder to all families that the Code of Conduct can be accessed via the College website. The Code is mandated by Catholic Education Western Australia and the application of the code extends to all staff, students, parents, guardians, caregivers, and volunteers.

The Code seeks to value the dignity of every person, foster positive relationships, ensuring confidentiality and accountability and supports professional boundaries. Events held during school hours AND outside of school hours that are associated with the College are also supported by the Code of Conduct. Postings on social media platforms that identify the College or College events are also bound by the Code of Conduct.

Any perceived breaches of the Code can be discussed with any member of the Senior Leadership Team. We thank you in advance for your understanding and support of how we strive to partner positively with one another.

Welcome back to Term 2!

As indicated in my most recent letter to families, Update #12, on Monday 11 May we resume face to face teaching PK-12. We look forward to transitioning students back to school, conscious that there will still be some families who choose to keep their children at home.

The last few weeks have been an incredible journey that has revealed the very best of our College. The collaboration, perseverance and commitment of our community in responding to this crisis has been inspirational and demonstrates a high level of trust and confidence in the time ahead.

Shine through Discovery – Let your light shine, Matthew 5:16

The foundation of our Vision for Learning 鈥� Shine through discovery, let your light shine, has been in the implementation are our pedagogical pillars 鈥� Challenge, Collaborate, Create and Celebrate. This vision has aligned our leadership and our systematic delivery of curriculum and provided a cultural framework that has enabled this school to deliver a student experience that is purposeful and meaningful. Moreover, it has given our staff an agility and flexibility to develop their own capacity as teachers in how they themselves became learners and ultimately co-learners with our students.

The advent of this crisis brought to the fore the incredible commitment, innovation and creativity of our teachers to adapt to new ways of learning. Our Remote Learning Plan has become an instrumental professional learning tool for our teachers in their own development in engaging in these new ways of learning. The response in engagement of our students and their experience of learning reflects this. I have been astounded by our students鈥� engagement and creativity and capacity to respond to this crisis.

We have been challenged to work more closely than ever in partnership with our families, and our Marist charism has underpinned this success. We have consistently communicated with families; from the Executive to the PCG and classroom teachers. We have relied on families to place trust in our Remote Learning Plans, and are so proud of the way our community has been able to respond and work in collaboration in the education of students from PK-Y12.

The College has found new and innovative ways to continue our wellbeing program. We have increased our use of technology to facilitate engagement with students and families. This has included live YouTube streaming of assemblies, liturgies and prayer. We have developed YouTube series for students to engage in. We have leveraged the power of technology to enhance our learning programs. These are changes that will be adopted to enhance our engagement moving forward.

Key Learnings

At this point, it is important for us as a community to consider the key learnings that have emerged as a consequence of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the life of our school; more specifically, teaching and learning.

The Leadership Team will be engaging with teachers, students and families in the weeks ahead to seek feedback on how these learnings can be integrated into the life of our school into the future. These learnings will also provide stimulus for our Strategic Directions Plan 2020-2022 which is currently being developed.

Thank you again to all families for your incredible support of our school. The heart of this community is in the relationships that are cultivated, consistent with our Marist charism underpinned by our family spirit.

Newman Parents Consultative Committee (NPCC)

This morning, Vice Principal Lisa Fogliani, and I met with the Executive of the NPCC 鈥� Caterina Celisano, Laura McFadgen and Kathy Blitz-Cokis. At that meeting, the decision was made to conduct an NPCC meeting during mid Term 2 to provide information regarding the learnings we have garnered around the COVID-19 crisis, as well as our Annual School Improvement Plan.
In the meantime, I warmly welcome families to tune into our Newman Parents guest speaker, Justin Coulson – Australia鈥檚 most respected and popular Positive Psychology & relationships speaker, facilitator, author, and researcher. The topic is 鈥�Inside the Mind; Raising an emotionally intelligent Child.鈥� The Presentation will be live streamed on Wednesday 20 May at 7.00pm via Zoom. This will be a 90 minutes presentation followed by Q&A. More details to follow.

Mothers Day

I hope that many will have the opportunity to spend time with their mothers this Sunday. For some families, like myself, we are unable to be physically present to our mums, but we can be there in spirit and hopefully through word. I remind myself every day about the amazing impact my own mum has had on my life 鈥� the unconditional love, care and support which has sustained me to this day.

We are so blessed to be part of a Marian family which emphasises where our founder, St Marcellin Champagnat, asks of us to draw nearer to Mary and her example. Her strength, resilience and love inspires us today to do the same.

Wishing all families a happy Mothers Day.