今日吃瓜

Marist Theme 2020

The Marist theme for 2021 is Breathe: The Spirit of Life.

Anthony Clarke, Director of Mission and Life Formation for Marist Australia, reflects:

鈥淚n this moment of history, we could not be more aware of how connected we are. An unknown virus spread from a largely unheard-of city to affect every human being on the planet. Pope Francis has been repeatedly reminding us that everything is connected (Laudato Si). I think we can say this realisation is now evident.鈥�
Nothing connects us more intimately than the air we breathe. Life depends upon the exchange of breath between human beings and creation. The average person takes an average of 20,000 breaths each day, this subconscious activity can be easy to forget. Our breathing gives us life. We read in Scripture that God 鈥渂reathed the breath of life鈥� and created humanity, it is God鈥檚 breath, God鈥檚 Spirit that gives us life and connects us.

The Marist Theme is depicted in the image by Sharon听Williams听an Australian Aboriginal woman from the traditional land of the Eastern听Arrente听people.听Ms Williams reflects:
鈥淐reation is bigger than just our planet earth, Creation is about everything in the universe 鈥� everything听Ngkarte听(God) had put听there听and all those things have听Ngkartele听Utnenge听(God鈥檚 Spirit) in them. We are all connected because we all have听Ngkartele听Utnenge听in us. We humans hare very blest because we听are able to听share in听Ngkarte鈥檚听creating 鈥� when I paint, it is听Ngkartele听Utnenge听who guides me to create something that has never been before, and then听Ngkartele听Utnenge听is that painting. When I care for my children in our families and help them grow – that is the being part of听Ngkarte鈥檚听creating听too. It is very precious to be able to share in听Ngkarte鈥檚听creating in our Universe.鈥�

As we journey in 2021, let us not forget our relationship听to听one another, our connection through the air we breathe. Let us make the choice to听be a be听a spirit of fresh air to one another, where we bring joy, peace, forgiveness and love to the people we encounter.

As we make this journey together in 2021 as a PK-12 community, let us remember God鈥檚 Spirit, the Spirit of Life, is walking with us as we strive to be the person God has called us to be. When we are feeling overwhelmed and stress, remember to breathe and recall the words of Jesus who said, 鈥淐ome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.鈥�

Looking forward to a great year in 2021.

Shrove Tuesday

On Tuesday the 16th of February in week 3, we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year’s Holy Week palms, finalising one’s Lenten sacrifice, as well as eating pancakes! As such on Tuesday the 16th of February we will be selling pancakes to raise money for the College appeals. Students will be able to purchase pancakes from 8.15am on both the Marcellin and Lavalla Campus. Marian students will be making pancakes in their classrooms and are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation.

Ash Wednesday

As a PK-12 Catholic community, we will be holding听a number of听celebrations on Wednesday 17 February for Ash Wednesday. This is a significant day in the life of the Church and as such, Liturgies will be celebrated across Marian, Lavalla and Marcellin Campuses.听This year ashes will be听distribute听by a sprinkling over the head of students. This is following the directives and mandate from the Vatican and CEWA.

Ash Wednesday signifies the beginning of Lent which is a 40-day season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ鈥檚 sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, almsgiving and prayer. The听colour听purple is used for all liturgical events during Lent to remind us of Christ鈥檚 suffering, death and resurrection. We look forward to听recognising听and commemorating this sacred occasion in Week 3.

Project Compassion: Caritas Launch

Ash Wednesday is also the day that Caritas Launch their annual fundraising and awareness appeal 鈥� Project Compassion. Project Compassion brings together millions of Australians in solidarity with the world’s poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

This year鈥檚 Project Compassion theme is: 鈥淎spire not to have more, but to BE MORE鈥�. Each week of Lent, Caritas profiles a person who is involved in a Caritas project and always gives 100%. These stories will be viewed across the College with students being invited to understand the challenges others are facing around the world. In a fundraising effort for this appeal there will be听several听activities across the College, we ask families to please support generously to this worthy cause.

Thursday Morning Community Mass

Our community Mass will commence once more in Week 4 of Term 1. All families, staff and students are invited to attend this community event that is at the very heart of our Catholic story. Mass begins at 8.10am every week and will be hosted by different Year groups and Guilds throughout the year. Week 4听Thursday听26 February will be hosted by Catherine Guild and Year 5 students.

Year of St Joseph听

Pope Francis on December 8, 2020 published an Apostolic Letter听Patris听corde听(With a Father鈥檚 Heart), commemorating the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a 鈥淵ear of St Joseph鈥�, running from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021.听Resources and information about the Year of St Joseph can be found at the Australian Catholic Bishop鈥檚 website听

200 Years of Catholic Education

Catholic Education is celebrating 200 years in Australia, marking the bicentenary of the first Catholic school established in Parramatta in October 1820.

Over 200 years, Catholic schools have grown to become the largest provider of schooling in Australia (outside government) with one in five school age students attending a Catholic school.听This represents some 768,000 students in 1,751 schools across the country and听employing听98,000 teachers and staff.听Nearly 40 per cent of Catholic schools are located outside of metropolitan cities in regional, rural and remote communities.

Marist鈥檚听arrived 50 years after the first Catholic school was established and began educating students in NSW before coming to WA in 1913. This year as part of Catholic Education we will look to celebrate this important milestone and reflect on the part we have played in growing people of faith for the听future.

Resources and more information can be found

 

 

Dear Parents and Guardians

We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming everyone back to school this week.听 I take this opportunity to thank all students and parents for preparing well in terms of COVID for our return to school.听 The students have responded extremely well under the restrictions that have been put in place across the school.

Mask wearing, particularly on the Marcellin campus, has been done really well.听 On all campuses, students鈥� commitment to hand hygiene has been excellent and respective signage and reminders are placed in many areas across the College.

Further to these restrictions has been the reframing of our High Achievers and parent information events to an online forum which, going forward, is a viable means for future meetings.

The PK-12 Mass was postponed and we are looking at another time for families to gather on the grass later this year.听 Student Leaders will receive a blessing at an upcoming Thursday morning Community Mass, at a date to be advised.听 Parents of Student Leaders will be invited to attend the Mass and hospitality afterwards.

COVID-19

It is anticipated that restrictions will be lifted this Sunday.听 However, should any further COVID-19 related information be forthcoming, 今日吃瓜 families will be advised immediately.听 (Information circulated previously can be viewed on our COVID-19 web page.)

St John Henry Newman Learning Hub – Marcellin Campus

This week, it was wonderful to see, at long last, our students in Years 3-12 enjoying this superb facility.听 These spaces are a reflection of our Vision for Learning – Shine through Discovery, Let your light shine (Matt 5:16) which hopes to engender a sense of collaboration, creativity and innovation.听 These spaces, put simply, de-privatise learning allowing for visibility, flexibility and accessibility.听 We are still working through some of the arrangements in terms of Homework Club and supervision.听 This will be communicated to families through the Deputy Principal Secondary, Ms Carla Pastorelli, in the coming weeks.

High Achievers and Student Leaders Commissioning

It was unfortunate that two of our larger events to commence the school year, the High Achievers Assembly and the PK-12 Family Mass, could not go ahead in the usual way due to the COVID-19 restrictions imposed on Western Australia.

However, we were able to compromise and combine the acknowledging of our High Achievers and Years 6 and 12 Student Leaders during an online assembly on Wednesday.听 Both these events are highlights in our College calendar as they represent the very best of students and their commitment to excellence.

I thank all those who contributed to the organisation of this event and for those who attended 鈥榦nline鈥�.

In my Principal鈥檚 Address I spoke of the complexity and challenges that have pervaded the world over the last 12 months with the advent of the COVID Pandemic becoming very real for us here in WA.听 In a local context, the COVID crisis here has been compounded by fires and floods across the State. For each crisis there have been many who have risen to the challenge, responded with courage, acted with conviction and sought to animate others to do the same.

How we respond to challenges and how we overcome adversity is the mark of a society.

On 20 January this year we witnessed the inauguration of the new USA President Joseph R Biden.听 This event is a significant pivot point in the world in light of the unrest that has permeated that country 鈥�..and many would argue in other parts of the world.听 For example, two weeks earlier the Capitol Building in Washington DC, in which the inauguration was held, was stormed by protestors exemplifying in some ways the duress the USA has endured.

The highlight of this ceremony for me was the inspirational words – not from the newly elected president – but from a young woman, Amanda Gorman鈥︹��.. the youngest inaugural poet in US History who recited her poem “The Hill We Climb”.

An excerpt from her poem:

But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated. In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.听 This is the era of just redemption. We feared it at its inception. We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour, but within it, we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves so while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? Now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

Amanda鈥檚 message draws upon one鈥檚 individual (yours) intent as a citizen, a member of a society who has the power to make a difference. 听It is incumbent upon every member of our community 鈥� for students, teachers and alumni – to know that they have the power to be the author of a new chapter, to proffer hope, to prevail over the challenges and the complexities and the opportunities that are now inherently a part of the world in which we live.

Her concluding statement draws us to our Vision for Learning – Shine through Discovery, Let your light shine (Matt 5:16) where she focuses on the power of light. 听She says:

鈥淭here is always light, if only we鈥檙e brave enough to see it.听

If only we鈥檙e brave enough to be it.鈥�

Please click here to view the full speech.

Lent

Next week we commence our Lenten journey.听 The College will again be supporting Caritas Project Compassion which seeks to support communities across the world in most need.听 I encourage all students to get behind this campaign whilst at the same time continue to develop their own faith.

There are many events and opportunities for our students to let their light shine and I encourage all students to take advantage of what is on offer.

I wish all students, staff and families well for the start of Term 1.

John Finneran
Principal

Welcome back to the 2021听academic year.

As you are aware,鈥痶he鈥疨K-12 Family Mass鈥痺as听cancelled due to the current restrictions imposed听by听COVID-19.鈥�鈥疘t was also necessary to听reformat听our Class of鈥�2020 High Achievers听Principal鈥檚听Assembly听on Wednesday 10 February, which听was live streamed and听can be听viewed online.

We听Commissioned our Year 6 and Year 12 student leaders听at听the听assembly,听congratulations to听these fine young women and men.听We look forward to supporting you听as leaders听of听our community.

2021 High Achievers Assembly

Regrettably,听we were unable to听invite our 2020 High Achievers听to听return to the College听in person听to celebrate their impressive efforts.听Students were acknowledged听at the assembly听for their achievements,听and the community was blessed to hear听about听their inspiring听plans for life beyond 今日吃瓜.

We extend our sincere congratulations to all the graduates in the Class of 2020, to the teachers that supported them in their senior secondary schooling, and to all teachers who fuelled a love of learning in them over their time at Newman.

Please听Click Here听to view听2020听College results.

Staff Professional Learning

Staff members have been busily preparing for the听commencement听of the school year. Teachers听prepared both face-to-face and virtual learning听for this听week just in case听unforeseen circumstance eventuated听in remote learning.听Should such a situation arise in the future, we will be well-placed to 鈥榝lick the switch鈥� into听the听remote schooling mode.

As a staff, we looked at our Annual School Improvement Plan and have started to assemble teams to work on strategies and actions to deliver results across our four priority areas of; A Catholic school in the Marist Tradition; Transformational Learning; A Culture of Innovation and Excellence; Sustainability.

Seven learning areas听relocated听into our collective Staff Study area听over the last couple of weeks. The transition is nearly finished,听and we hope that the space听provides听a听collegial, supportive,听and听collaborative听learning听environment听for teachers听to converse and work.听Our new learning spaces in the St John Henry Learning Hub and the S Block are also now operational. We听will听all听be听on a learning journey听to discover how best to听use these听fantastic new-age听spaces.

Parent Information Evenings

The听Year 11听and听Year 12听听Parent Information听Evenings听were听reformatted听to go听online. Both听events听were broadcast听to the parent community听on听the afternoon of听Wednesday听10听February. Parents were emailed a link to the respective videos.

We hope to be able to meet with our Year 11 and 12 Parent community听at other College events as the year progresses;听such as the听Parent Teacher Interview听Evening听scheduled for听Week 6.

Next week we hope to welcome our K- Year 6 (Tuesday 16 February) and Year 7 (Monday听15 February) communities to attend their Parent Information Evenings.

Our Year 8 and Year 9 Parent Information Evenings听will be held virtually听on Monday 22 February听and our Year 10 Parent Information Night will occur later in the year, in conjunction with the subject听selection听process.

Parent Teacher Communication Protocols

Parents are reminded that the most efficient听and effective听method听for听contacting teachers and support staff is through the staff member鈥檚听CEWA听email address.听In most cases, our staff听will听respond to the听communication听as听appropriate, within 48 hours.

Updating Family Contact Details

If there are any changes to your contact details (ie phone number, email address or home address) please ensure you advise the College Registrar via registrar@newman.wa.edu.au

This will ensure your child鈥檚 enrolment record contains the most up to date details.

Download Advice of Family Change Form

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

Any perceived breaches of the Code can be discussed with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. We thank you in advance for your understanding and听look forward to a positive partnership that supports our students, your children.

The Code of Conduct will be spoken to at Campus and Year听Group Information Evenings in the weeks ahead.

Food Allergy Reminder

今日吃瓜 would like to offer a reminder to all families that we are a 鈥楴ut Aware鈥� school. It is NOT nut free.

Families should be advised that the College cannot guarantee the absence of all nut products or traces of nuts within food across the College. Parents are strongly encouraged to speak with their child and encourage them not to share food with others. We ask parents to please refrain from including any items in their child鈥檚 lunchbox that contains nuts (eg. Nut bars, peanut butter or Nutella sandwiches). We also ask that parents do not provide food items to celebrate their child鈥檚 birthday. Parents are welcome to provide small novelty items if they like, but it is not necessary. Our classroom teachers are very good at making all birthday children feel special and celebrated.

It is pertinent that any child with an identified allergy has completed a Medical Management Plan听and discussed this with their child鈥檚 teacher.

The College Canteen does provide a 鈥楴ut Aware鈥� service, but cannot guarantee that food and beverages served from the Canteen do not contain traces of Nuts, Crustaceans, Fish, Milk, Eggs, Sesame, Soybean and Wheat. If families are reliant on the Canteen for the provision of food and beverages to a child WITH an allergy, they are advised to contact the Canteen Manager, Donna McFadden donna.mcfadden@newman.wa.edu.au

The Canteen is available daily for children of the College. Click here for further details.