Last Friday Year 3 Blue presented an amazing assembly focusing on the spirit of Christmas. The students shared how it is important to spread love and kindness throughout the season of Christmas and that it was about giving to others. 3 Blue shared some great examples of how we can give to others (donating to charity Christmas appeals) in a very entertaining and engaging way! Thank you 3 Blue for your wonderful assembly!
Christmas Carols & Primary Awards Night
Thank you to all of our Primary families for attending our Primary Carols and Awards Evening. It was a wonderful celebration of Christmas Music, and a celebration of the year, with recognition of those K-5 students who received awards on the night. A special thank you to Ms Laura van Rijn for her preparation, and coordination of the event – a huge task!
Year 6 Graduation Mass & Awards Night
On Tuesday night we celebrated a huge milestone for our Year 6 graduating class of 2024. Our Year 6 students, families and College staff celebrated a beautiful Mass, followed by our annual Year 6 Awards. It was a beautiful occasion and a fantastic celebration of our Year 6 cohort. We wish our Year 6’s every success as they move into our secondary campus here at Newman College, or move onto another secondary school. We know they all have bright futures ahead of them.
Transition Days
Last Friday was a fantastic day for all of our K-5 students as they met their new 2025 teachers and classmates and participated in fun activities as a new class. All students came home with a ‘Meet the Teacher’ page to learn more about their 2025 classroom teacher.
Newman Norms / Medals of Marcellin
As it is the end of term, our winning faction (with the most ‘medals’) has been revealed at each campus! The results were very close amongst the factions. Our winning factions were:
Marian: Brigid
Lavalla: Knox
Students in these factions received a prize of wearing free dress on Monday. Congratulations to these students.
Our Newman Norms have been a great success this year and will return next year, with our token system adapted to suit our new Guilds.
All students in Pre-Primary to Year 6 are asked to bring in headphones/earphones for the start of the 2025 school year, to be stored in the classroom, utilised with devices and for other purposes when required.
Stationery Items for 2025 Lavalla Students
There are no booklists for students in Years 3/4/5/6. Supplies will be provisioned by the classroom teachers. Students will however require the following items (teachers may have already provided your child with a specific list during the transition afternoon):
pencil case
ruler
sharpener
highlighters x2
eraser x 2
coloured pencils
coloured textas
lead pencils x 8
scissors
glue sticks x 5
whiteboard markers x 5
5 x blue pens & 5 x red pens (Year 5 & 6 only)
iPad Program 2025
The College will continue with its rollout of College-owned and managed iPads. In 2025, students in Years 2 – 5 will have a College owned and managed iPad. Students in Years 6 will continue to use their BYOD iPad.
Sacramental Program – Years 3, 4 & 6
Students in Years 3, 4 and 6 in 2025 will be preparing to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation.
If your child is preparing to receive a sacrament you will need to contact your Parish and complete the enrolment process. Further information regarding the Sacramental Program can be found via the links below and the 2025 information should be available before the beginning of the 2025 school year.
A reminder, parents continue to have access to a FREE URSTRONG parent membership. We hope that as a URSTRONG Family, you will reinforce the important messages of empowerment, self-compassion, & kindness at home.
Reports
Primary reports are available to view via SEQTA Engage.
Should your child not be returning to Newman College in 2024, we remind parents of the requirement to download all reports from SEQTA Engage by 31 December. After this time the student record is archived.
SWIMMING
2025 Primary Staffing
Please see below for 2025 Primary Classroom Staffing
Blue
Green
Red
PK
Colomba Iannitelli EA: Helen Cawley
Megan Bankes EA: Julie Topini
Kindy
Sarah Francia EA: Lisa Matthews EA: Helen Cawley
Lisa Carbone EA: Suzanne Pluske EA: Kate Bartlett
Kelly Simpson EA: Elliana Celisano EA: Meegan Seaborn
Pre-Primary
Sarah Isherwood EA: Naomi Fisher
Amy Donnelly EA: Lisa Matthews (M) EA: Lucinda Hope (T-F)
Rebecca Rose EA: Lisa Johns
1
Tess McKenna
Lauren Guarino
Holly Cooper
2
Alessia Chiera
Catherine Nicolau
Amy Dawson
3
Melissa Heaver
Juliet Ferris
Sharon McAuliffe
4
Sarah Dalton
Drew Elliott
Erica Horn
5
Delia Kretzmann
Josh Houwen
Lucy Zambonetti (M-T) Robyn Hatchett (W-F)
6
Imogen Crostella
Adam Read
Lara Gray
Marian
Lavalla
General
Maria Franklyn, Trish Eindorf, Julie Romano
Pauline Tutungis, Rosa Testa, Arden Lavelle
Special Needs
Kathy Biancuzzo, Alicia Salvati, Kate McMahon, Danae Florias, Siena Parrisis, Hannah Volleman
Please see below for 2025 Primary Specialist Staffing
Marian
Lavalla
Performing Arts
Kellie Thwaites
Music
Laura van Rijn
Visual Art
Sarah Spencer
Melissa Corbett
Physical Education
Lara Vlahov
Tasha Richards
Languages (Italian)
Maria Lynch
Technologies
Justin Kirry
Library
Alison Le Dan Technicians: Tania Bailey & Catherine Hall
SHINE (Y1-6)
Clare Cole-Carter
Maths Extension (Y1-2)
Edwina Battersby
Maths Extension (Y3-6)
Clare Cole-Carter
Maths Support
Edwina Battersby
Jane Short
Literacy Support
Education Assistants
Anne-Marie Terry Education Assistants
Social Worker
Caryl Gioia
Please note that Languages are only compulsory (as per SCSA requirements) for students in Year 3 and above. Next year, Marian students will participate in a new Technologies specialist subject, and Lavalla students will continue with Italian.
Primary Admin Staff
Lavalla: Amanda Johnson
Marian: Jess Wiedermann (M-W) & Jen Scott (Th-F)
Primary Leadership Team
Head of Primary: Ryan von Bergheim
Leader of Learning Primary: Catherine Young
Leader of Wellbeing Primary (PK-1): Edwina Battersby
Leader of Wellbeing Primary (Y2&3) & Religious Education Coordinator: Jane Short
Leader of Wellbeing (Y4-6): Justin Kirry
Merry Christmas
As we wrap up the 2024 school year, on behalf of the entire Primary staff, I want to thank all Primary families for their support throughout 2024. It has been a wonderful year, with plenty to reflect upon and celebrate. I wish all families a very Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy a relaxing and special time together as a family over the Christmas holiday period. I look forward to seeing students return to school for Term 1, 2025. 2025 is shaping up to be Newman College’s biggest year yet!
Well, we have reached the end of the term and the conclusion to the 2024 academic year! We celebrated and gave thanks for 2024 in recent days with the Thursday Community Mass, liturgies and assemblies. In each celebration, we focused on the joy of the year, our expression of Marist characteristics and the various contributions of our students to College life. In recent days, we experienced the Christmas joy of the Primary Christmas Carols and Kindy – Year 5 Awards, the Marian Advent Liturgy, the celebration of the Education Support Music Rocks End of Year Christmas Concert, Ministry and Discovery Festivals for Years 7 to 9, the 2025 Year 12 Leaders Marist Leadership Camp and the Year 6 Graduation and Awards event. Our Year 11 Philippines Immersion have returned from a truly enriching experience and our Marist Cricket team are enjoying the competition of the Marist Carnival. The term’s end reflects the nature of our whole year program – wonderful opportunities for our students to Shine Through Discovery.
Awards Ceremonies
On Friday 22 November, we celebrated the Year 7-11 Awards Ceremony in the Gymnasium and Marist Auditorium. Students who have excelled in academic, service, leadership, the arts and sport were recognised. It was wonderful to host so many families who attended the function. The Kindergarten to Year 5 Awards and Primary Carol Evening was a wonderful family evening on Friday, 29 November. Again, it was so pleasing to acknowledge student achievement and be led in the singing of carols by each year group. The final awards event was our Year 6 Celebration Mass and Awards where we acknowledged the end of the Primary journey for the class.
Staff Farewells
Newman College is fortunate to have 259 dedicated staff to support our students. In any year there is movement and we offer a sincere thank you to the staff who will be moving on, whether they have been with us for a short period or many years. Each has made contributions which have helped our students flourish. Some are moving into leadership positions in other schools, which speaks highly of their abilities as leaders, and the support Newman College has provided in nurturing their leadership. Some staff are moving into retirement. Many of our other departing staff will take their great experience and formation at the College and add to the rich fabric of their new schools. Farewell to
Retiring
Steve Halley Wright – Director of Finance and Operations
Liliana Bellandi – Teacher, Secondary
Kathy Fryer – Education Assistant Special Needs, Secondary
Peta Ing – Education Assistant Special Needs, Secondary
Sharon MacBean – Teacher, Primary
Promotional Roles at other schools
Sarah Ellam – Acting Deputy Principal Secondary
Cameron Tremayne – Head of Health and Physical Education
Moving to other schools
Kate O’Keefe – Japanese Teacher, Primary
Charlotte MacLean – Teacher, Primary
Jane Ward – Teacher, Secondary
Joel Kandiah – Teacher, Secondary
Renee Passell – Teacher, Secondary
Annette Doe – Education Assistant, Primary
Elija Meegan – Education Assistant, Secondary
Non Teaching Staff
Jennifer Smith – Relief Coordinator
Kellie Pethick – Senior Laboratory Technician
Finishing after Short Term Contracts for Leave Cover
Lauren O’Brien – Teacher, Primary
Tamara Bastow – Art Teacher, Primary
Rosalba Bottega – GATE Teacher, Primary
A particular farewell to two of the College Executive:
Mr Steve Halley-Wright
Steve has been at Newman College for 17 years, undertaking the senior leadership role of Finance Director and Director of Finance and Operations. He has been an outstanding Marist leader and overseen the development of the College in providing first-class facilities for our students, staff and families. Steve is moving to retirement and will be greatly missed by the Newman College community.
Mrs Sarah Ellam
Sarah joined Newman College three years ago as a Leader of Wellbeing on the Marcellin Campus. An experienced middle leader, Sarah quickly made her way into senior leadership as the Acting Deputy Principal, Secondary. She has been an outstanding leader at the College and now moves to the ongoing role of Deputy Principal at Holy Cross College.
We wish Steve, Sarah and all our departing staff all the best for the future.
American novelist, Ursula. K. LeGuin wrote ‘It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.’ The 2024 academic year ends with today’s newsletter and it has been quite a journey for our community. In our students, we witnessed a positivity and determination to make the most of every opportunity, event and program. Our whole staff have been professional and generous, not only through important in-class learning experiences but a full range of full co-curricular activities across the year. As always, we received great energy and support from our families throughout 2024. Thank you to for the many warm expressions of gratitude to teachers and staff in your Christmas messages. At the end of this article are the key Term 1 dates for 2025.
Advent and Christmas
We are in the season of Advent and we have begun this beautiful liturgical celebration which draws us towards Christmas. The notion of ‘waiting’ figures strongly in Advent; we await the birth of the Saviour. What an interesting message of patience and focus this presents for us against a backdrop of the more commercial tone of rush and a countdown of shopping days left until Christmas. May the Advent season sustain us in our waiting and give us courage in our living.
From all at Newman College, having the opportunity to support, guide and celebrate your child’s journey is the greatest privilege any educator and mentor can possibly have. I wish every student, staff, parent, guardian and family of our community a joyous and blessed Christmas. I know many parents will have only a small window of opportunity over the break for rest and time with their families, but I hope it is precious time. See you all for the new academic year in 2025!
2025 Information
The College will be sending out a Welcome Pack and pertinent information relating to the 2025 school year, prior to the commencement of students. A list of upcoming important College events for Term 1 can also be found here.
After extensive consultation and consideration of the future needs of the College, the following start and finish times will apply for classes from 2025:
Doors Open/First Bell
Start Time
Finish Time
PK-6 students
8:35am
8:40am
3:00pm
Y7-12 students
8:35am
8:40am
3:15pm
To support this change, Transperth has adjusted their services to ensure that all school buses will arrive by 8:30am. After-school teacher supervision will continue to be provided until all students are collected from Marian and Lavalla, giving families with children at both primary campuses time to manage pickups across the two sites.
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. We value your input and appreciate your continued support.
2025 School Start Dates
Please refer to the table below for your child’s start date and time, as this will differ for each year group.
YEAR
DATE
TIME
VENUE
PK-6 Students
Thu 30 January
8.40am 8.40am
Marian – PK to Y2 Lavalla – Y3 to 6
Y7 Students Y12 Students Y8-11 New Students
Thu 30 January
8.40am 10.00am 8.30am
Founders Court Auditorium Main Administration
Year 8-11 Students
Fri 31 January
8.40am
Marcellin
Term One 2025 Key Dates
The table below provides a summary of some key events in the first few weeks of Term 1, 2025
EVENT
DATE
TIME
Parent Welcome Sundowner
31 January
5.30-7.30pm
Year 7-12 Information Evening
3 February
5.30-8.00pm
KG-Y6 Information Evening
6 February
5.00-7.30pm
High Achievers Assembly
13 February
9.35-10.50am
PK-12 Family Mass & Commissioning of Student Leaders
18 February
5.30-6.45pm
Primary Family Picnic
28 February
5.00pm-7.00pm
Newman Parents Forum
10 March
6.00pm-7.00pm
As events and activities for 2025 are confirmed, they will be added to the College Calendar. We kindly ask families to consult the calendar when planning holidays and other commitments and to support and prioritise College events whenever possible.
Reports
Primary reports are available to view via SEQTA Engage.
Secondary reports will be available through SEQTA Engage after Friday 6 December.
Students not returning in 2025
If your child will not be returning to Newman College in 2025, please ensure you download all reports from SEQTA Engage by 31 December. After this date, student records will be archived and no longer accessible.
Thank you
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all families for their invaluable contributions to our vibrant Marist community. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary work of our dedicated staff, who provide such rich learning experiences for our students. Thank you for continuing to entrust us with the responsibility of caring for your children and working together to develop them into good Christians and good citizens.
The College will be in touch early in the new year with the Welcome Booklet and Letters. Until then, I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday break and a blessed and holy Christmas.
Next Friday 22 November, our Secondary students will come together to celebrate outstanding achievements across the semester. The assembly will honour students’ accomplishments in academics, sports, and leadership, including Academic Excellence and Subject Awards, Sporting Awards, and the Game Changers Awards. We will introduce our Student Guild Representatives for 2025, and acknowledge the contributions of departing staff members. This event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the dedication and spirit within our College community.
We look forward to sharing this special event with our students, parents and staff.
Further details can be found in the Secondary section of this newsletter.
Year 6 Graduation
Newman College is excited to celebrate the achievements of our Year 6 students as they complete their primary years and prepare for the next stage of their journey. The Year 6 Graduation Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, 3 December 2024, from 5 – 7pm, beginning with a Mass in the Champagnat Chapel, followed by an Awards Ceremony in the Marist Auditorium. This special event will honour the accomplishments of our graduating students, and we look forward to celebrating with them and their families.
Further details on this event can be found in the Primary section of this newsletter.
Philippines Immersion
Next Saturday morning, 23 November, our Year 11 Philippines Immersion will begin, with sixteen students and three staff departing Perth for Manila. They will be joined by five students and a staff member from St Joseph’s School, Northam, embarking together on a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in another culture and bring to life our vision of being “good Christians and good citizens.”
During the trip, students will visit four key organisations, including a local PK–12 Marist College similar to our own, where they will have the chance to listen, learn, and connect with Filipino students their age. They will also spend time at the Marist Asia Pacific Centre, where young brothers undergo formation to become Marist Brothers. Additionally, students will visit agencies that support vulnerable children, including those who have experienced abuse or face unstable family situations that lead them to live on the streets.
Our hope is that this experience inspires students to grow in their heart for service, returning with a deeper awareness of God’s presence, even in challenging circumstances. We wish our students and staff a meaningful journey and look forward to hearing about their experiences upon their return.
Reports
Primary reports will be available through SEQTA Engage after Monday 2 December.
Secondary reports will be available through SEQTA Engage after Friday 6 December.
Should your child not be returning to Newman College in 2025, we remind parents of the requirement to download all reports from SEQTA Engage by 31 December. After this time, the student record is archived.
As I write a summary of a few key events over the past few weeks, I find myself reflecting on the ways Marist Family Spirit is expressed in our community.
November
In the last edition of the newsletter, I highlighted the importance of November in the Church calendar. Starting with All Saints and All Souls days, November is the month to remember. In each of our Marian, Lavalla and Marcellin settings, we recognised Remembrance Day with assemblies, prayers and laying of wreaths on Monday 11 November. Along with this solemn time, we have held in our prayers and thoughts all members of the Newman College community who have passed away.
A beautiful part of our remembrance is the Memorial Garden which sits alongside the Champagnat Chapel. During the year, various seasonal flowers, including roses, are in bloom which are memorials to members of our College community who have passed away during their time at the College. A lovely plaque sits in front of each rose and reminds us of the name and life of these dearly held people. As November progresses, let us take the time to remember all in our families who have passed away.
Primary Music Concerts
This week, we have been entertained by the talented students in Primary who are learning musical instruments or involved in singing. Each of the performances have been greatly supported by proud parents and family members in the audience and have been a joy to watch. Thanks to Ms Laura van Rijn with the assistance of Ms Selena Barrett and the Music Tutors.
Year 5 Leadership Letters and Speeches
Following the recent, very successful Leadership Day, the Year 5 students have been busy discerning their part in leading Primary during 2025. I have received wonderful letters written to me by Year 5 students keen to be a part of the leadership group for 2025 and showing the desire to strengthen the Primary family we have at Newman College. Year 5s also gave speeches to staff and students this week outlining their desire to serve the College and outline a legacy of commitment. Well done, Year 5! In true Marist spirit, you have embraced the duty of leadership.
Year 7 2025 Secondary Experience
Last week, we hosted our Year 7 2025 students and their parents in an after-school experience of the Marcellin Campus. The students and parents met with the Pastoral Care Group teachers and followed a self-guide familiarisation tour around the campus, stopping to talk with various speciality area staff along the way. We were very pleased to have representatives from the eight Newman Sports Association clubs on hand to chat to interested parents and students.
The feedback we have received from our existing students and parents when they went through transition to secondary very much shaped the nature of this event. Both our incoming Year 7 parents and the students have each had two events in recent months to assist the transition into Secondary.
Alumni Reunions
Family Spirit does not cease when formal schooling ends. We warmly welcomed back two Alumni year groups for milestone celebrations during the past weeks. The Class of 1994 celebrated 30 years since graduation with a well-attended event in the John Henry Newman Hub. Alongside our Alumni Team were Mr Bern Willett, Mrs Jenny Lindsay and Mr Mike Diamond, three faces the Class of 1994 knew so well. These staff members led the tour of the College, and our past students had a great time reminiscing. Br Terry Orrell was their Principal and sent his best wishes to the group as he was unable to attend.
A week later the Marist Class of 1974 were in the Hub for their 50th reunion. They were joined by a small group of students from Brigidine College from the Class of 1974, as the connection between the two schools was so strong. Again, these men and women had a great time catching up and attentively listening to the development of the College on their tour of the facilities. They had a video message played to them from their Principal of the day, Br Tim McDonald who now lives in the United States.
In these two reunions are a number of current parents, grandparents and past parents of our Newman-Marist-Brigidine network.
School Fee Reminder
Families are reminded that fees and music accounts are to be finalised by 30 November 2024. Parents and guardians are encouraged to process any outstanding monies as soon as possible. If there are any issues, please contact fees@newman.wa.edu.au.
