今日吃瓜

Finance & Operations Update – Term 1 Week 8

Jenni Vile on 28/03/2025

Chatered Bus Service Survey

As a follow-up to discussions at our Parent Forum last week, please see below for a link to a survey regarding possible chartered bus services from Glendalough & Karrinyup stations.

We have lobbied Transperth for an increase in services, but unfortunately, they are unable to assist in this regard.

We have therefore investigated various charter options & whilst these services are possible, the cost of these services are far more expensive than normal Transperth services. The price estimates provided are purely reflective of the cost of the service quoted to the College by the charter company. There is no increase or markup included in these calculations.

If we receive confirmed commitment from the required minimum number of families, we will progress discussions to the next stage.

We look forward to your response.

Mr Jody Cabalzar

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS

Ministry Update – Term 1 Week 8

Jenni Vile on 28/03/2025

I have noticed recently that my son, who is nine, can find it difficult to 鈥榞et over鈥� conflict with his sister. He holds onto feelings of frustration and anger, and although in time they often pass, it can take some gentle coaxing and conversation for him to reach this position. But that鈥檚 all ok 鈥� he is young, and he is learning.

Forgiving someone isn鈥檛 always easy 鈥� whether you鈥檙e 9 or 49, it can be a challenge. When someone hurts us, our first instincts are rarely to offer forgiveness. Instead, we might seek to retaliate or hold a grudge, or we might even hold on to the pain 鈥� replaying the moment in our minds, feeling the anger rise whenever we think about it. We might even believe that holding onto resentment gives us a sense of justice, as if our hurt proves that we were right. But the truth is, when we refuse to forgive, we鈥檙e the ones carrying the heaviest burden. This was the message shared with Year 8 students this week when we gathered as part of their Wellbeing program.

This week鈥檚 Gospel tells the story of the prodigal son – a young man who makes mistakes, squanders his father鈥檚 wealth, and then returns home with nothing. His father, rather than punishing him, welcomes him back with open arms, offering love and forgiveness. It鈥檚 a powerful lesson about the unconditional love and forgiveness offered to us by God. But there鈥檚 another character in the story who often gets overlooked – the older brother.

He鈥檚 the one who stayed. The one who followed the rules. Yet, when he sees his father celebrating his wayward brother鈥檚 return, he鈥檚 angry. He refuses to join the feast because he鈥檚 trapped in his own sense of injustice: Why should he be forgiven so easily? What about me?

Many of us can see ourselves in both sons in this story. Like the younger son, we鈥檝e all made mistakes or acted in ways we regret. And like the older son, we鈥檝e felt the sting of frustration or resentment toward others. But in clinging to his anger, the older brother shuts himself off from joy. He distances himself not only from his brother but also from his father too. This is what unforgiveness does to us – it builds walls. It keeps us stuck in the past when life is moving forward.

Letting go of resentment doesn鈥檛 mean pretending the hurt never happened. It doesn鈥檛 mean ignoring injustice, and it certainly doesn鈥檛 mean that what may have happened to us is ok. It means choosing to free ourselves from the weight of anger. It means making space for healing, for peace, and for the possibility of restored relationships.

Jesus calls us to love as He loves – not because it鈥檚 always easy, but because it鈥檚 what sets us free. In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus calls us to love our neighbour 鈥� a group that he later goes on to explain includes our enemies just as much as it does our friends.

You might like to take some time over these next few weeks to think about where there is space in your life for forgiveness 鈥� either for yourself or for others. What hurt, anger, or pain might you be holding onto, that deep down, you know is weighing you down? And what small steps might you take to allow these feelings to pass? These are some of the same questions we reflected on this week with our Year 8鈥檚. 

Keep in mind, forgiveness isn鈥檛 always instant, and it鈥檚 not always easy. In fact, it rarely is, especially for young people who are still learning to explore and understand their emotions. But when we choose to let go – even in small ways – we open ourselves to a sense of peace and contentment, and the chance to move forward without the weight of resentment holding us back.

As we continue through Lent, may we find the courage to forgive, the humility to seek forgiveness, and the wisdom to embrace the healing that comes with both.

Mr Stuart McClorey

DIRECTOR OF MISSION & CATHOLIC IDENTITY

From the Vice Principal – Term 1 Week 8

Jenni Vile on 28/03/2025

Marist Basketball Carnival

This morning, our Marist Basketball Teams departed for Marcellin College, Bulleen, Victoria, to compete in the Marist Basketball Carnival. Led by Ms Jade Nicotra and Mr Ben Goldie as well as coaches Nic Vlahov and Brendan Gaunson, our teams will take on fellow Marist schools from across the country in an exciting showcase of skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

We wish them safe travels and a fantastic experience competing alongside our Marist friends.

Walk For Water

On Tuesday 1 April, our Year 4 and Year 11 students will take part in the Walk for Water, a meaningful initiative that highlights the challenges many children around the world face in accessing clean drinking water.

Students in Year 4 and Year 11 are encouraged to wear their Guild Uniform for the day. As an added incentive, the Guild that raises the most funds will earn the opportunity to wear their Guild Uniform on an additional chosen day.

All funds raised will be donated to Caritas Australia, supporting their vital work in providing water taps near homes and schools. This initiative helps reduce the burden on children who would otherwise walk over 6km daily to access clean water.

College Production Bugsy Malone

Excitement is building as we approach next Thursday鈥檚 opening night of our College Production, Bugsy Malone! This production has given students with a passion for the Arts a chance to 鈥榣et their light shine鈥�, showcasing their dedication and hard work in what promises to be a spectacular performance.

A huge thank you to Kathy La Brooy and the many staff members whose generosity of time, enthusiasm, and commitment have made this possible. Their dedication ensures that students have opportunities to grow, perform, and shine on stage.

With all four shows completely sold out, those lucky enough to have secured tickets are in for a fantastic night of entertainment. We can鈥檛 wait to share the magic of Bugsy Malone with you!

Your Move Update

On Thursday, 20 March, students from Pre-Kindy to Year 12 took part in our inaugural 鈥淗ands Up鈥� survey, an initiative of the program. This survey helps the College understand how students travel to school, providing valuable data to guide future initiatives.

With over 1,500 students participating, the results will serve as a baseline to measure the impact of programs aimed at promoting active travel, reducing traffic congestion, and supporting sustainability. We look forward to conducting the survey again at the end of the year to track our progress.

Year 2 Blue were excited to compare their results to the secondary school, to see if and how movement changes through schooling.

Carpark Flow Improvement at Lavalla Carpark

We are pleased to see a noticeable improvement in the afternoon traffic flow in and out of the Lavalla car park over the past few weeks. This has been made possible through the cooperation and patience of our parents, and we sincerely thank you for your efforts.

Some of the key behaviours contributing to this positive change include:

鈥� Arriving 5鈥�10 minutes after the final bell so students are ready for collection
鈥� Following the no standing or parking rule in the left 鈥楰iss N Drive鈥� lane
鈥� Moving forward promptly in the 鈥楰iss N Drive鈥� lane as spaces become available
鈥� Clearly displaying family names on dashboards for quick identification
鈥� Encouraging children to enter the car independently (where appropriate) without parents needing to exit their vehicle
鈥� Practising courteous and safe driving at all times

Your continued support in following these guidelines helps ensure a safer and more efficient pick-up experience for everyone. Thank you!

Mr Michael Chiera

VICE PRINCIPAL

Secondary Update – Term 1 Week 8

Jenni Vile on 28/03/2025

School Specials 鈥� Transperth Bus Update

The College is still monitoring the arrival times of school specials and communicating with Transperth in the instance of late arrivals. Transperth is working on measures to prevent these instances. We appreciate the undue stress that this causes students and would like to assure parents and caregivers that their child should not be receiving penalisation if they arrive late due to the school special running late.

So that we may capture the specific days and routes that are arriving late, students are asked to present to the Student Reception if their bus arrives late. They will be asked to provide their bus route number and arrival time.

Year 12 Business Management & Enterprise

Our Year 12 Business Management and Enterprise students had an exciting opportunity to attend the Curtin Business School Challenge Day, applying their learning to real-world business scenarios. Through interactive activities and competitions, they developed critical thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. This hands-on experience enriched their understanding of business strategy while offering insights into university life and future career pathways.

Year 11 RAC bStreetsmart Road Safety Demonstration

On Tuesday 25 March, our Year 11 students, along with their EGT teachers, participated in a powerful and thought-provoking road safety event in collaboration with RAC, WA Police, Royal Perth Hospital, and St John of God.

The centrepiece of the program was a confronting car crash re-enactment, vividly illustrating the devastating consequences of risky driving behaviours such as alcohol consumption, distractions, and speeding. The scenario followed multiple perspectives, from the drivers and passengers to the first responders – including paramedics, police officers, and firefighters.

Students witnessed the harrowing reality of emergency response efforts, gaining insight into the critical work of surgeons and trauma teams who fight to repair the damage caused in just a few reckless moments. The re-enactment was designed to leave a lasting impression, reinforcing the message that road safety is a shared responsibility.

The event also featured deeply moving stories from individuals whose lives have been irrevocably changed by road trauma. Hearing first-hand from survivors added a personal and emotional layer to the experience. This immersive learning experience was an invaluable opportunity for our students to reflect on their own responsibilities as future drivers and passengers.

We encourage our students to take these lessons to heart, making safe choices every time they step into a vehicle.

Year 7 Immunisations

The School-Based Immunisation team will be visiting 今日吃瓜 on Monday 31 March and Tuesday 1 April to administer the dTpa vaccine booster (diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough) and the HPV vaccination (human Papillomavirus) to all Year 7 students.

For this to occur, parental consent must be given. Please complete this as soon as possible to ensure that your child is able to receive their immunisation.

How to Give Consent

The preferred method of consent is via the VaccinateWA digital consent form, which can be accessed

If you are unable to provide consent using the digital form, please complete a Please sign and return to the School, even if consent is declined. Please note, Paper-based consent forms will be entered onto VaccinateWA and you will receive an email confirming this.

Schedule

Monday 31 March 鈥� Brigid, Camara, Catherine and Chisholm

Tuesday 1 April 鈥� MacKillop, Marcellin, Romero and Thomas More

Uniforms           

Students are permitted to wear their Guild uniform on their scheduled immunisation day.

Year 7 鈥� 12 Guild Activities

Year 7 鈥� 12 students will be participating in guild activities on Wednesday 2 April. Students are permitted to wear their Guild uniform to and from school on this day.

Primary Update – Term 1 Week 8

Jenni Vile on 28/03/2025

Here we are at the end of Week 8 and with only 2 weeks to go of Term 1! Our Term so far has been a wonderful celebration of learning across so many domains.

Update to Front Office Procedures 鈥� Affecting All Parents

The Primary Leadership Team and Primary Administration have recently been reviewing our procedures within the front office, considering feedback from our teachers and students.

Currently, there are a large number of PA System announcements in our classrooms for reasons such as early collections and to pass on messages to students. These interruptions are having an unfavourable impact on our teaching and learning programs. As such, the following changes will now take place as of Monday 31 March.

  • If parents need to collect their child before the 3.00pm school bell, parents will need to sign themselves in at the front office, wear the print-out visitor sticker, and follow the below:
    • At Marian Campus: sign your child out as normal and be given a Signed Out card from Mrs Wiedermann/Mrs Scott and then head to the relevant classroom to collect your child and hand over the Signed Out card to the classroom teacher.At Lavalla Campus: sign your child out using the SEQTA Kiosk iPad, take the automatic printed Sign Out Sticker and head to the relevant classroom to collect their child and hand over the Sign Out Sticker to the classroom teacher.
    • After you have collected your child, return to the front office to sign yourself out.
  • Please note: Parents presenting to classrooms without the Signed Out Slip will be re-directed to the front office before taking their child home.
  • If dropping something urgent to your child (i.e. lunch/forgotten uniform), front office staff will ask parents to take the item to the child鈥檚 classroom 鈥� please note you must go through the front office and sign in before going to the classroom, then return to the office to sign out once complete.
  • Marian Campus only: When students are dropped off at school late, parents will need to sign themselves in first and wear the print-out visitor sticker. Please then sign your child in as normal and collect a Signed In slip from Mrs Wiedermann/Mrs Scott, and then take your child to their classroom yourself, handing over the Signed In slip to the classroom teacher. Parents will then need to exit through the front office and sign themselves out.

It is essential that parents go through the front office and sign in/out as part of our Child Safeguarding procedures, as well as ensuring we know who is on-campus at all times, which is particularly important during emergencies. Please ensure you wear your visitor sticker so staff can easily identify that you have signed in. We will trial this updated process for the coming weeks. Your support in reducing the interruptions to our teaching and learning programs is greatly appreciated.

Neurodiversity & Harmony Week 2025

Neurodiversity and Harmony Week was a huge success at 今日吃瓜 last week. Throughout the week, students learnt all about neurodiversity and harmony, and participated in a wide range of activities to understand each of these concepts at a deeper level. I hope your children came home talking about all the things they learnt last week.

Neurodiversity is a relatively new term that many parents would not have been exposed to in their own schooling. It is so fantastic that this generation of children are growing up learning about neurodiversity and celebrating the neurodiversity that exists amongst our community.

Hugh van Cuylenburg (founder of The Resilience Project) has recently shared a very thought-provoking reflection on what it is like to be the parent of a neurodiverse child. I encourage all parents to watch , to understand more about neurodiversity, what neurodiverse students experience and what it feels like as a parent. I would say this is essential viewing for all in our community.

4B and 2B Assembly

In the last fortnight, we have had 2 fantastic assemblies, where 4 Blue and 2 Blue shared their learning with us. Last week, 4 Blue shared a beautiful assembly all about celebrating our diversity as a multicultural Australian community. 4 Blue shared information about each of their cultural backgrounds and then presented a fun dance to the song 鈥楢bsolutely Everybody鈥� 鈥� highlighting the importance of coming together as one community in a kind and respectful way.

This morning, 2 Blue started their assembly by sharing their beautiful singing voices with us, singing the beautiful hymn Way Maker. They then shared with us their recent Literacy learnings about parts of speech. Our 2 Blue students used the book If You Were an Adjective as a base for their assembly, adapting the text and creating their own fantastic work and sharing many brilliant adjectives with us, helping us to learn all about these important parts of speech!

College Swimming Boardshorts

Please be advised that alongside the College Jammers, College boardshorts will soon be available for purchase by Primary families from the Uniform Shop for use during swimming at school.

KISS N DRIVE 鈥� Marian Family Name Tags

As we continue preparations for the move of Marian Campus to the Main Primary Campus in the coming months, we look to prepare for the new cars that will utilise the Lavalla Kiss N Drive once our Marian families move across. To prepare ahead of time, if you will utilise (or think you might) the Lavalla Kiss N Drive option once Marian families move across, please complete so that we can prepare a family name tag for you which you can place on your dashboard to assist us with smooth and efficient collection procedures once the move is complete. We are hoping to do this now, ahead of time, so all families are ready when the move occurs. Thanks to those families who have already completed this. Your family name tags will be sent home with one of your children in the coming weeks.

All Lavalla families should now have their family name tags if ordered. If Lavalla families still require one, please email Amanda.johnson@newman.wa.edu.au

The name tag system saves considerable time when collecting students so your support and use of these name tags is greatly appreciated.

Marian Playground After School

A reminder that we ask parents to move off-site quickly after school with their children. Children are not permitted to play in the playgrounds before or after school when there is no teacher supervision. OSHClub utilise the outdoor play spaces after school and cannot go outside whilst there are parents on-site. As such, we ask for your support and cooperation in moving off-site quickly (and when asked by staff) and keeping your children off the equipment. We encourage parents to visit a local park to socialise and allow children to play together.

Community Mass

When your child鈥檚 Guild is invited to Community Mass on Thursday mornings at 8:00am, it would be wonderful if they could be there to support. To build Guild spirit, students that attend the Mass are able to wear their Guild sports top for the entire day. The remainder of the Guild Masses for Term 1 are listed below for Lavalla parents to mark on their calendars:

Week 9: Thursday 3 April – Romero

Week 10: Thursday 10 April – Camara

Easter Raffle

Our annual Easter Raffle will be held on Friday, 11 April. Thank you to all families who have generously donated Easter eggs and have returned their tickets and money. Please send all Easter egg donations to the administration by Monday 7 April.

If any parents are able to assist with the wrapping at Marian, we will be gathering in the hall immediately after the assembly on Friday, 4 April, to wrap the prizes.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity.  

Newman Norms / Medals of Marcellin

Each fortnight at each Primary campus, one person will be drawn out of the raffle and receive a small prize for living out our Newman Norms. Congratulations to Taylor, Eva and Katelyn (Week 6 Lavalla) and James (Week 7 Marian), who were our recent winners! Each raffle ticket received is swapped for a token, and the Guild with the highest number of tokens at the end of the term wins a prize for the whole Guild!

URSTRONG

A reminder that parents continue to have access to a . We hope that as a URSTRONG Family, you will reinforce the important messages of empowerment, self-compassion, & kindness at home.

Homework Club – Lavalla

A reminder that Week 9 (Tuesday 1 April) is the final Homework Club for Term 1. Homework Club resumes in Term 2, in Week 2 on Tuesday 6 May.

Smartphones

Recently, one of our Primary parents drew my attention to an initiative called .

Wait Mate is a not-for-profit Australian movement empowering parents to hit pause on smartphones until at least high school. The website connects parents with like-minded families in your child’s school and year level and encourages you to take the pledge to 鈥榮ign the pledge鈥�. The aim of the initiative is to 鈥榗reate a world where kids can be kids for longer鈥�.

Why wait? Smartphones:

  • are addictive,
  • are changing childhood,
  • increase the risk of anxiety and depression,
  • put your child at risk of cyber bullying,
  • may expose children to inappropriate content,
  • interfere with relationships, and
  • can impair sleep.

I strongly encourage all parents to at least visit to explore how it works. It sounds like a brilliant movement to support our children.

Primary Staffing

We have had some recent staffing changes, which we can now share with our community.

Miss Arden Lavelle (Lavalla Education Assistant) has resigned to pursue her studies in Secondary English teaching. Miss Lavelle developed a wonderful connection with our Years 3-6 students and was a valuable member of the support team.

Mrs Kellie Thwaites will be heading off on Maternity Leave at the start of Term 2. Kellie has transformed the Primary Performing Arts Program over the past 2 years and her contributions are truly appreciated. We wish Kellie and her husband well for the upcoming birth of their first child.

Mrs Tasha Richards has been successful in gaining a position at Prendiville Catholic College as a Secondary Physical Education teacher. Mrs Richards has been a brilliant Primary Sport teacher throughout her time at Newman, implementing a number of initiatives and bringing such passion and commitment to her role in promoting physical education to our Years 3-6 students.

Mrs Alison Le Dan, who is currently on Long Service Leave for Term 1, will be concluding her time at 今日吃瓜 after her Long Service Leave comes to an end. Mrs Le Dan has been an outstanding Teacher-Librarian, sharing her absolute passion and love of books and literature, and her gentle nature, with our Pre-Kindy to Year 6 students over the past 11 years, leaving a lasting imprint of the importance of literature on so many of our students.

We thank all of these Primary staff members for their time, dedication and commitment to 今日吃瓜. Whilst they will certainly be missed, we wish them well for the exciting new chapters in front of each of them.

As we say farewell to these members of staff, we look to the future and welcome some new members of staff.

Miss Holly Drinkwater (a fairly recent 今日吃瓜 graduate) has been appointed and has commenced in her role as Years 3-6 Education Assistant.

Mrs Samantha Wynne, who has a wide and varied background in the Performing Arts, has been appointed to teach Performing Arts when Kellie Thwaites starts Maternity Leave. Mrs Wynne has been our Library Teacher throughout term 1, so she already knows our students very well.

The process to appoint new Physical Education and Library Teachers is underway and will be shared in the final Newsletter of the term.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Mr Ryan von Bergheim

HEAD OF PRIMARY