From the Principal – Term 4 Week 9
Dear Newman College Families,
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.
ANDREW WATSON
PRINCIPAL