Selected students in Year 7 will participate in the following Carnivals:
In 2020, teams will play 15-a-side for boys鈥� games, and 12-a-side for girls鈥� games.
Our first major student event since restrictions eased took place in Weeks 6 and 7 during extended PCG. Our Y7-10’s certainly showed their Guild spirit, sportsmanship and perseverance while competing in the annual Guild Cross Country Carnival. Well done to each student that participated and represented their Guild with pride. All participation points will contribute to the 2020 Champagnat Cup. Congratulations to the following Age Champions:
Y7 Girls
1st Jenna King
2nd Mia Swain
3rd Olivia Lim
Y7 Boys
1st Charlie Cossom
2nd James Barnard
3rd Harrison Warwick
Y8 Girls
1st Yelena Kelleher
2nd Angelica Roumbouts
3rd Ariana Mason
Y8 Boys
1st Luke Bourke
2nd Presley Ellis
3rd Jack Stahl
Y9 Girls
1st Meg McAullay
2nd Evie Liddell
3rd Maddy Irish
Y9 Boys
1st Daniel Gleeson
2nd Nick Worley
3rd James Hart
Y10 Girls
1st Lucy Hills
2nd Sienna Greig and Monique Faraone
3rd Amalyn Chapman
Y10 Boys
1st Nick Tranter
2nd Max Hobson
3rd Andrew Sutherland
In a school where students ‘Shine through Discovery’- Let Your Light Shine (Matthew 5:16), the development of critical thinking, creativity and reflective practice is paramount to the culture of our College. To that end, we aspire for our young people to engage and participate in society where our founder St Marcellin Champagnat contended that 鈥渢hey will be good Christians and Citizens.
This Saturday 6 June, we celebrate the life of our Marist founder; St Marcellin Champagnat. As a Marist Community we acknowledge his life and the impact his actions and words have had on the world we live in. St Marcellin Champagnat was an extraordinary man. Born in France at the end of the 18th Century at time of great change, Marcellin responded to God鈥檚 call to work with and educate young people. The people of the town of La Valla France, and the young men whom he gathered around him to be the first Marist Brothers, found his way of being Christian to be compelling. He won their hearts. They sought to develop in their own lives, the same deep faith and trust in God that Marcellin had; the same mix of strength of will and warmness of heart, the same generosity and giving spirit. His educational philosophy was a simple one: “to teach children, one must love them”. His life is a witness to the truth that the actions of one man can make a difference.
Today, Marcellin Champagnat鈥檚 vision for change and transformation inspires us to break new ground, forge new pathways and build better futures. We have a chance to enliven our community with a new way, a new pathway of hope, with our founder St Marcellin Champagnat at the heart of our growth and sustainability for generations to come.
Our Champagnat Celebrations will be held in Week 8 which will include our support of the work of our Marist International Non Government Organisation. Click on the link below to access a letter outlining the K-12 Champagnat Week celebrations occurring in Week 8.
Download Champagnat Day Letter to Families 2020
Last week we launched our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 鈥� an example of living out the vision of St Marcellin Champagnat. Significantly, this plan has been the sum of 18 months collaboration with staff, students, the Catholic Education WA Aboriginal Team, with the support of facilitator Christine Sindley of Waangara Marra Consulting.
As a Marist School we strive to embed our Marist characteristics everyday; Family Spirit, In the Way of Mary, Simplicity, Presence and a Love of Work. At the core of these characteristics is the developing of relationships that are imbued by our family spirit, united in Christ鈥檚 love. To this end, we want our staff, students and families to increase their understanding, value and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples cultures, histories, knowledge and rights through cultural learning. We strive to create a culturally supportive environment so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Australian families build a community of respectful and right relationships. Please to watch the video launch of the plan.
From next Monday, we welcome all families back onto College grounds. I recognise it has been a challenging few months but our students have been resilient in their learning. There have been many learnings from COVID-19 in how we collaborate and function as a school. Our first onsite parent function will be our NPCC Meeting this Monday, 7.00pm in the College Chapel Ministry Space. We will welcome the new NPCC Executive and discuss Reporting, COVID-19 Learnings and an update on our Capital Development Program.
Finally I would like to acknowledge our Marist Brothers (Churchlands Community). To Brs. John, Paul, Terry and Noel; thank you for your presence and symbol of hope that you bring to our College Community. Happy Feast Day!
Our College had a beautiful launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan to celebrate Reconciliation Week. Our plan is centered around building relationships with our local community and equipping our students to have a better understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and culture. The event was live streamed to over 2,000 people which included students, staff and many families from our broader College community. to watch the launch.
Students engaged in a symbolic bridge walk from the Lavalla Campus to the Marcellin Campus in remembrance of the event that took place 20 years ago when over 250,000 Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. During class students were introduced to Aboriginal art and the story of Stuart McMinn who crossed the bridge as a 15 year old boy. Mr McMinn, now 30 years old, recorded a message for our students that explained the significance of Reconciliation and used the analogy of a watch to explain how all Australians have a role to play in building positive, respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and other Australians. to watch a highlights video from Reconciliation Week.
Saturday 6 June is the Feast of St Marcellin Champagnat. This year, our College community will be celebrating the Feast Day with a range of activities throughout Week 8. Please click on the link below to access the letter that outlines all of the details for the week. Our community will be fundraising for Australian Marist Solidarity and specifically, the Kuya Centre for Street Children. Families are being asked to donate $5-$10 to support this organisation that our students visit on the Philippines Immersion.
Download Champagnat Day Letter to Families 2020
This week saw the commencement of our Thursday morning Community Mass. The College is committed to offering the Eucharist for our students during this time. This week saw students from the Lavalla and Marcellin Campuses celebrate the Feast of St Marcellin Champagnat. Next week, students in Years 8 and Years 4 will be hosting our morning mass.
Over the past two weeks we returned to a more normal routine on the Marcellin Campus. Students were allocated their new lockers and were able to move into them over the course of Week 5, while also being able to retain their bags during the day if they wished. We also celebrated the launch of the College鈥檚 Reconciliation Action Plan on Wednesday 27 May. This was a great reflection of the effort of numerous staff and students over the past 18 months.
We held our first Principal’s Assembly since February this year and while our assembly was held remotely with students watching from their PCG rooms it was a wonderful opportunity to recognise our Year 7 Guild Leaders, academic awards and ACC swimming awards.
Week 6 has seen our Years 11 and 12 ATAR students embark on their Semester 1 exams and we wish them the best of luck during this time. Week 6 also saw our Years 7 and 8 students take part in their Covid-19 postponed Guild Cross Country Carnival, more of which you can read about below.
I hope our students and staff are enjoying their time together back on campus, something for which we have all found a new appreciation. As we continue into the second half of term I wish our students the best of luck with their studies.
The School Curriculum & Standards Authority (SCSA) has sent out information to parents/carers regarding the Online Literacy & Numeracy Assessment (OLNA).
This is an online test that focuses on reading and numeracy components during a series of 45-50-minute tests.
Normally Year 9 students would sit their final round of NAPLAN testing to demonstrate they have reached the required band and do not need to complete OLNA in Year 10. However, due to the interruptions experienced this year, students were unable to complete their Year 9 NAPLAN. SCSA will now conduct a series of OLNA tests specifically for Year 9 students.
Please click on the link below for full information on Year 9 2020 OLNA testing. As test dates are locked in further information will go out to students and families regarding how this will work at 今日吃瓜.
Download Letter to Year 9 Parents OLNA 2020
As per Mr Patrick Woolley’s letter sent 15/5, a series of videos will be released outlining an introduction to the various learning areas available to Year 7 students at 今日吃瓜. Please click here to access the videos via the College website. The remaining videos will be published throughout Week 7.
Over the course of Weeks 6 and 7, students in Years 7-10 are taking part in two activities during extended PCG.
This week saw our Years 7 and 8 students take part in a shortened Cross Country in which they could earn points for their Guild and challenge themselves while enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Next week the Years 9 and 10 students will have the opportunity to take part in their own Cross Country. If there are any Years 11 and 12 students who would like to take part, they are encouraged to contact Mr Williams for further details.
While the Years 7 and 8 students were running in their Cross Country race, the Years 9 and 10 students completed the Arts Challenge. This saw PCG classes lip syncing parts of the Suub Tum which forms a strong part of our Marist heritage. Once all of the year groups have taken part in this challenge, the full version will be edited and made into one video showcasing the talents of our students.
A big thank you to all the staff involved in facilitating these activities, particularly to Mr Tom Williams and Ms Ashlyn Le Cava.
During Week 8, we will have another Principal’s Assembly that will be live streamed. While speakers and award recipients will be in the auditorium, students will remain in their PCG rooms and watch the assembly remotely.
During extended PCG in Week 9, Headspace will be presenting to all students on the impacts of Covid-19, with a focus on self-care. The presentation will be delivered via live stream, with students accessing these in their PCG classes. It is hoped that this presentation will help students to develop strategies to maintain positive wellbeing, particularly during stressful times. More information will be provided to parents in the next newsletter regarding the content of the presentation and this will also be communicated to students prior to the presentation.
Our Years 11 and 12 students commenced their exams this week which will conclude by Friday 12 June. We know they are giving their all during this time period and we wish them well with their studies.
While Semester 1 has been a very different journey to what was planned at the commencement of 2020, students have been outstanding in their commitment to their learning and we know this will come through over the coming weeks.
With a range of in-class assessments returning, missed assessment sessions have recommenced.
The priority is for students to be in the classroom with their teacher when returning from absence. To maximise time within the classroom and to ensure assessment conditions are monitored, the College provides three sessions per week for missed assessments to be completed:
When returning from absence after missing an in-class assessment, students should complete the assessment in one of the two closest missed assessment sessions. E.g. sick for an assessment on Tuesday, assessment needs to be completed on Wednesday or Friday. If students do not complete the task during the allocated missed assessment session then a zero score will be recorded and an academic detention may be issued by the Leader of Learning.
Looking for a great team sport for your son or daughter?
Newman Knights Hockey Club (NKHC) is interested to hear from any boys or girls in Years 7 or 8 to play hockey. New or experienced players welcomed, all training provided.
NKHC is a fun, social, family oriented club based within the grounds of 今日吃瓜. NKHC has a long history with 今日吃瓜 students dating back nearly 100 years and would like to encourage students to consider playing hockey with us.
Please contact our Junior Coordinator on juniors@newmanknights.com.au for more information.
Understandably the parking around the College has been busier than usual and traffic can be an issue. Just a reminder to please be careful using side streets as they can become traffic hazards when there are too many vehicles and can pose an increased risk to students exiting the College. I would also ask that parents are extra careful in regard to the properties surrounding the College as we have had reports of some damage to resident’s lawns, particularly on University Avenue and Coneflower Corner. Your support is appreciated.
