今日吃瓜

Building Bridges Project

Jo Dunn on 12/08/2019

On Wednesday 7 August, the College was proud to host the second Building Bridges workshop for the year which saw students from the Australian Islamic College, Carmel School and Carey Baptist College come together to foster harmony, friendship and gain a clearer understanding of each other鈥檚 beliefs and culture.

The day began with a concentric circle activity in which the students engaged in a 鈥渟peed dating鈥� style of dialogue, providing the opportunity for each student to talk to around 25 different students in half an hour.

Following the concentric circle activity, the students enjoyed refreshments and then engaged in small group discussions, which gave them the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of each other鈥檚 beliefs and in so doing, to discover that they have more in common, than they previously thought.

It is very rewarding to observe the students take on the challenge of Building Bridges, collaborate with each other, create dialogue and relationship and celebrate their newfound understandings and friendships throughout the Building Bridges Project.

Jenny Lindsay, Social Justice Mentor

HASS Week

Jo Dunn on 12/08/2019

In Week 3, The Humanities Department organised some exciting activities and opportunities to showcase innovation in teaching and learning in the Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Area on the Marcellin Campus.

Throughout the week, students enjoyed taking part in;

  • Daily quizzes
  • Mission Impossible – How well do you know your 鈥淓arth鈥�? Enjoy a secret mission to prove how much you know.
  • Crazy Mummy Competition – How many Ancient Egyptian mummies can you make?
  • Medieval Maladies – Do you want to know what it was like to suffer the illnesses of the middle ages? See professional make-up artists at work re-creating the pustules and bulboes of the Black Death.
  • Sustainability Challenge – Join in a scavenger hunt around the College to find items related to Sustainable Development Goals.

It was wonderful to see so much engagement, collaboration and critical thinking across the year groups. Well done to all students.

STEM Festival

Jo Dunn on 12/08/2019

In the lead-up to Science Week 2019, students on both the Marian and Lavalla Campuses enjoyed a fun and engaging day where they had the opportunity to be challenged, collaborate, create and celebrate with their peers as part of the 2019 STEM Festival.

With the focus on sustainability, in particular the three R’s; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, students at Marian enjoyed working with their buddies to look at ways of making sure that our resources last a very long time or even forever! Some of the activities they took part in were; the oil spill activity, recycled musical instruments, water saving options and the marble run.

The Years 3-6 students were challenged to “Think Outside the Box” where they had to create an arcade game using cardboard, other recycled materials and imagination. Once complete, the students had the opportunity to put their games to the test with their peers. The challenge allowed the students to explore their interests and passions; teach critical thinking, resourcefulness, perseverance, teamwork; and brought the community together to foster and celebrate child creativity.

The STEM Festival was a great opportunity for all students to explore and experience Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through engaging hands-on activities and to better understand STEM concepts. All of the notions mentioned shed light on our College鈥檚 (Matthew 5:16)

Pre Primary Landsdale Farm Excursion

Jo Dunn on 09/08/2019

On what was a beautiful sunny Friday, the Pre Primary students embarked on their journey to Landsdale Animal Farm.

We explored and learnt about the basic needs of living things as part of our Biological Science unit of work. We became farmers for the day; meeting, feeding and learning about all the animals on the farm including, cows, ponies, alpacas, sheep, goats, geese, chickens, roosters and rabbits.

Learning about the lifecycle of a chicken was definitely a highlight because we were lucky enough to give the chickens a cuddle at the end. We also enjoyed going on a gnome hunt and riding in carts around the farm. We had a terrific day and we learnt so much about animals that live on a farm!

Maddie Ciullo, Pre Primary Teacher

Newman News Term 3 Week 2: From the Principal

Jo Dunn on 02/08/2019

Beyond the Bounds of 今日吃瓜

I have said to our students many times over the last four years to think of the world beyond the bounds of 今日吃瓜. The world is a big place and we need our students to cast their eyes and expectations into their place in it. The great strength of our College is the plethora of opportunities our students have to engage with the world. Such opportunities were exemplified over the term break when we had students participating on the to New York and another on the to Sydney and Canberra. Both highlight our desire for students to seek new ways of learning, seeing and thinking about the world.

Later this term, our Year 11 REMAR students will travel to Mullewa north of Geraldton, to serve in the local community. This will be followed in December by more students travelling to the Philippines on our immersion. Such experiences empower students to gain the skills, confidence and agency to make decisions and create opportunities that impact their lives and the lives of others in a positive way. Moreover, it creates the space for our students and teachers to develop soft and firm skills including adaptability, decision-making, problem-solving, resilience and self-reflection. Critical to these experiences is the role of our teachers. We are very fortunate to have teachers who are passionate about their specialisation which enable such activities to occur. I challenge all our students to take the opportunities that are presented across PK-12. Such a challenge encapsulates our and its intent to let our light shine.
New York Arts Tour New York Arts Tour

Marist Schools Australia (MSA) Conference, Melbourne

This week I attended, with Ms Fogliani and Mrs McCartan, the MSA 鈥淗oly Today鈥� Conference in Melbourne. Those attending the conference came from the 53 Marist Schools and Ministries across Australia. The central them Holy Today focused on how we can be present to God by actively listening and being present to those we are in relationship with. Pope Francis (2016) contends that listening is more than simply hearing. Hearing is about receiving information while listening is about communication鈥�.paying attention, wanting to understand, to value, to respect and to ponder what the other person says. This message resonates within the life of our College as we grow. Listening for example to our students and understanding their view and their experiences is fundamental to our future directions.

Bishop Homeming (Diocese of Lismore) in his keynote challenged us to practically consider how we can present to others by taking time to cultivate our relationship with God simply by asking ourselves 鈥淲hat kind of person does God want us to be?鈥� This challenge can be achieved if we take the time to listen and be present. This is the intent of our Marist spirituality and the hope we have for our College community.

The other aspect of the Conference was the opportunity to present our vision Shine Through Discovery – Let Light Shine Mat 5:16. The central focus on our presentation was on building the capacity of teachers in the alignment of our learning framework across PK-12. The aim and result of this intent have been in creating a student experience of learning that will see them engaged and motivated to grow.
MSA Conference

Junior PALS Project 2019

Today I was part of an Arts experience, a song, movement and storytelling performance by the Year 4 and 5 students of the Lavalla Dance Troupe. This storytelling performance, choreographed and directed by Mrs Amy Raveendrakumar, was based on an abridged version of Dr Noel Nannup鈥檚 creation story, 鈥淭he Carer鈥檚 of everything鈥�.听 The intent of this PALS Project was clearly communicated by these excellent performers as they told a story that encouraged us to reflect on Aboriginal culture and histories as we walk towards Reconciliation. This performance will also be part of the nation-wide Wakakirri Performing Arts Festival, semi-final, to be held in Perth on Wednesday 7 August at the Perth Concert Hall at 7.00pm – 9.00pm.
听

Newman Parents Consultative Committee Meeting – Monday 5 August, 7.00pm in the Marist Auditorium Studios

I warmly invite parents and care givers to our NPCC meeting. The them of the meeting will be focused on:

  1. Early Childhood Initiatives
  2. Whole School Literacy
  3. Australian Catholic Youth Festival
  4. Strategic Plan, 2020 and beyond

CEWA Governance

An announcement was made this week by the Bishops of Western Australia to incorporate Catholic Education in Western Australia, with the new Company being known as Catholic Education Western Australia Limited. This change will strengthen legal, risk and financial compliance frameworks.

Although a member school of Catholic Education WA, 今日吃瓜 is a congregational school owned and governed by the Trustees of the Marist Brothers. The incorporation of Catholic Education WA does not affect the governance of 今日吃瓜.

Wishing all families are great term ahead.