½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï

Welcome back to the 2020 academic year. A new year brings hope, renewal and an opportunity to start the year with positivity and optimism. For all students, and their families, I hope that you have had the chance to reflect on your achievements from last year, identify goals for this year and commit to participating and supporting the College in the many activities available. Active participation in College life brings a greater sense of belonging and a more positive school experience.

2019 High Achievers Assembly

Next week we invite the High Achievers from the Class of 2019 to celebrate their achievements and success. We extend our congratulations to the Class of 2019 and the teachers who not only supported them in their senior secondary schooling, but all teachers that have fueled a love of learning over their time at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï.

Download 2019 Results Brochure

Staff Professional Learning

I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to all teaching and non-teaching staff in their preparation for the 2020 academic year. Staff celebrated the Eucharist together and engaged in a program of professional learning workshops facilitated by College staff and external facilitators, as well as preparing their classrooms for day 1. The dedication and commitment of all staff is truly inspirational which has resulted in a very smooth start to the year for both students and families. We also welcomed new staff members to our Newman family and wish them a successful transition into our community. New staff participated in our faith formation program titled In the Marist Way led by Marist Schools Australia Regional Director, Mrs Julie Ryan, which introduced them to our Marist story.

Download New Staff 2020

Parent Information Evenings

Thank you to the parents and students who supported the Parent Information Evenings for Year 11, 12, Remar and Game Changers this week. A copy of the Year 11 and Year 12 presentations can be found below:

Download Year 11 2020 Parent Information Evening

Download Year 12 2020 Parent Information Evening

In the weeks ahead we will meet with the following year groups.

• Year 7: Monday 17 February, 5.30pm in the Marist Auditorium. Students required to attend in full summer uniform.
• Years 3-6: Tuesday 18 February, 5.00pm in the Lavalla Hall. Students are not required to attend.
• Year 8: Monday 24 February, 6.00pm in the Champagnat Chapel. Students required to attend in full summer uniform.
• Year 9: Monday 24 February, 6.00pm in the Marist Auditorium. Students required to attend in full summer uniform.
• K-Y2: Tuesday 25 February, 5.00pm in the Marian Hall. Students are not required to attend.

Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum

As presented at all Parent Information Evenings this Term, the College is committed to delivering the learning outcomes as described by the Keeping Safe framework

to access parent information, or please discuss with your child’s teacher.

Parent Teacher Communication Protocols

At ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, all teachers have made a commitment that any formal summative assessments are marked and shared with students and parents no later than within two weeks. Teachers from Marian and Lavalla Campuses utilise Seesaw to provide parents with feedback as well as returning marked work samples to students. On Marcellin Campus, the marks are released on SEQTA within this two-week time frame and assessments are returned to students. Feedback from class activities and daily lessons are presented to students in a variety of different forms and all families can expect feedback for learning regularly across the term. Timely feedback is vital in the learning cycle for all students.

The College expects that teachers will respond to email communication within two working days. Teachers are not able to respond within one day as they are teaching classes, marking assessments, planning lessons, on yard duty or taking co-curricular activities. I ask parents to accept these timelines as reasonable turnaround times in the busyness of College life. If there is an urgent matter that needs to be acknowledged, a phone call to the Leader of Wellbeing may be the most appropriate avenue.

Primary families are asked to communicate with their classroom teacher via email.

Parent Student Communication Protocols

Parents and carers are reminded that if students need to contact home, or a message from home needs to reach a student, Administration staff can facilitate a phone call or relay any messages and information. Students should not be contacting parents during the day, especially if they are unwell or wanting to leave the College.

Primary parents must not use messaging functions via the iPad to communicate with their children. This disrupts their learning and does not reflect responsible management of student devices during school time

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’s enrolment record contains the most up to date details.

Consent2Go

The College has partnered with MCB Consent2Go to support staff to manage events, excursions and tours. Thank you in advance for ensuring your child’s details and medical information are correct. Please contact your child’s Leader of Wellbeing should you require additional support or information.

Save the Date: Newman Parents Term 1

The College is honoured to once again welcome Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s most respected relationships speakers, authors, and researchers to support our Newman Parents. Dr Coulson will be presenting the following session on Wednesday 18 March Real Resilience; Inside the Mind – Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child.

Further details will be sent to families early next week.

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.

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

Food Allergy Reminder

As a result of recent news relating to the dangers of food allergies, ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï would like to offer a reminder to all families.

½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï is a ‘Nut Aware’ 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’s 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’s 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 and discussed this with their child’s teacher.

The College Canteen does provide a ‘Nut Aware’ 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.

Welcome to the start of the 2020 academic year. In particular, we welcome new families and staff to our Marist Community. I hope all have enjoyed the family time that Christmas and the extended break bring.

The unprecedented ongoing bushfires across such extensive parts of the country have impacted upon all Australians and gained the attention of people across the globe. Many of us can tell of immediate experiences or share stories from loved ones and friends directly affected, while others have watched the horror unfold from televisions and / or social media. Our responsibility as a Catholic Community is to animate and engage our students to consider how we respond to this crisis and its impact on our environment.  Our relationship with creation and our preservation of it is reflected in the following assertion from Pope Francis:

Human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships:
with God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself.
(Pope Francis, Laudate Si, paragraph 66)

To that end, our community in solidarity with those most affected by the fires in the broader community, along with other Marist schools and ministries across Australia, ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï will be conducting a Marist Bushfire Appeal on Friday 7 February, the proceeds of which will be directed to St Vincent de Paul for distribution. One of our core Marist values is inclusivity and family; this is an opportunity for us to be broad in our outreach and focus.  In the interim, I would like you all to keep those families affected by this devastating catastrophe in your prayers and thoughts.

2020 Marist Theme

Our Marist theme for 2020, ‘A Wild and Precious Life’, prompts us to reflect on the question – or more a challenge – what is your plan for your one wild and precious life? At the heart of this theme is the quote, ‘Creating one new humanity’ (Eph 2:15) which invites us to engage in relationships that will support us in developing our gifts and talents.

College Expectations

In 2020, we will continue to grow our Vision for Learning – Shine through discovery, Let your light shine (Matthew 5:16). It is my hope that all students at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï are able to set clear and achievable goals that will allow them to be challenged as learners and to succeed in their endeavours. To achieve individual success, it is the responsibility of each student to take ownership of their learning and to seek support from their teachers. Across the College, our leaders of wellbeing, leaders of learning, coordinators and teachers are committed to supporting each individual student and year groups collectively. Critical to each student’s ongoing success will be the collaboration with families in adhering to expectations. To that end, each leader of wellbeing will be writing to families this week outlining the expectations for each student as a member of the College community. As a whole community, our collective commitment to growing our culture of excellence in all facets of College life will ensure a successful, engaged learning experience for our students.

College Leadership

In 2020, we have a new leadership structure commensurate to the strategic and operational needs of the school. Vice Principal Lisa Fogliani has responsibility for leading each school across the College.

Marian Campus, PK-Year 2

In Early Childhood, Lisa McClue will be the initial contact person for all matters pertaining to the Marian Campus and will be supported by Katya Anderson, Leader of Learning.

Lavalla Campus, Years 3-6

The day to day leadership and contacts will be distributed to the following team:

• Stuart McClorey, Leader of Wellbeing
• Renae Zelich, Leader of Learning
• Jane Short, Religious Education Coordinator

Marcellin Campus, Years 7-12

Pastoral care teachers are the daily point of contact for students and families. Leaders of wellbeing and leaders of learning, together with Deputy Principal Wellbeing Secondary, Alan Fitzpatrick, will manage and coordinate the Marcellin Campus.

Results

Congratulations to the cohort of 2019 for their outstanding individual and collective results in the WACE. I would like to highlight the following:

• 25% of all ATAR students received a result above 90
• 88% of students received an offer in the first round of university placements
• 98% of students attained a WACE
• The number of students who completed a Certificate Course has increased significantly to 73 Cert II awarded, 29 Cert III awarded, over the school year.

The success of each cohort is maximised by each student being placed in a pathway that is commensurate to their ability and interests. In 2020 there will be a renewed focus on working in partnership with families to ensure the correct placement of all students.

Download 2019 Results Brochure

Capital Development Project

Our very exciting capital development project, The Learning Hub at the Marcellin Campus, began in earnest over the holidays. Many changes to access have been put in place to ensure the safety of students and staff, and this will be addressed with students upon their return to school on Monday and Tuesday. All building projects of such a scale will bring about a level of inconvenience and we ask parents and students for their understanding over the time of construction (2020). Please click here to view other capital works that have taken place across the College over the holidays.

The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

In this year’s Australia Day Honours Awards, the Regional Director for Marist Schools Australia in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, Ms Julie Ryan, was awarded “The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)” for service to Australian Secondary Education.  Those with whom Julie has worked all know and appreciate the enthusiasm and many gifts she brings to every undertaking. The Order of Australia recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service, exceptional achievement, hard work and dedication. The Australia Day Honours Awards provide all Australians with the opportunity to celebrate inspiring people, like Julie Ryan, who make our nation what it is. We congratulate Julie on being deservedly recognised for many years of selfless, generous and transformative service and leadership in Catholic education.

Novel Coronavirus

Please click here to access details about the Novel Coronavirus and precautions taken by schools.

I thank all parents and guardians as they prepare their children for the return to school. We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Monday and Tuesday next week and seeing families at the forthcoming Family Mass.

John Finneran, Principal