Newman News Term 3 Week 6: From the Principal
Read, Grow, Inspire
This week we have celebrated Book Week and the 2023 theme of “Read, Grow, Inspire”. The foundation of Book Week is fascinating and comes from a post-war period in Australia where there was a recognised dearth of children’s literature. Each of our campuses celebrated the week in their own way. For Marian and Lavalla, the highlight was the Book Parade, with students dressed as their favourite book character. Anything that supports children to find a purpose to read is an important reason to get behind, as we all want young people to find their spark for literature, which will be with them for life.
Year 11 Game Changers Mullewa Immersion
The College has spent this week as part of the Mullewa Community. The Town of Mullewa is in the state’s Midwest, a short drive from Geraldton. Mullewa is best known for its beautiful Church of Our Lady of Mt Carmel and the Holy Apostles of St Peter and St Paul, as well as a place of great beauty during wildflower season. The opportunity for our students and staff to support the local community is a well-established program at Newman which allows our students to exercise community outreach and service.
Newman Parents Forum
Earlier in the week, we held the Newman Parent Forum, where the focus was to present the recently launched “Vision for Wellbeing” to parents. Mr Ryan von Bergheim, Head of Primary and Mr Simon Martino, Deputy Principal Secondary, discussed the overarching framework. Mrs Edwina Battersby and Mr Justin Kirry, Leaders of Wellbeing, outlined its application in the Zones of Regulation which has been implemented in Primary. The meeting was recorded, please click here to view the recording. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday 6 November
Industry and Careers Networking Breakfast
On Tuesday, the College held an Industry and Careers Networking Breakfast for Year 12. The majority of the guests who hosted conversations at the tables over breakfast were Alumni of the College or of our founding colleges. In small table groups, each guest discussed their pathway in their profession or career, answering many good questions from the students who were eager to gather information about developing careers and networking. Year 12 students were also informed about the opportunity to join our Alumni and the importance of maintaining the relationship with the College as graduates. Christine Tonkin, MLA, Member for Churchlands, addressed the students with insights into her passion for serving that formed her career in politics, as well as highlighting the defining role her Aunt, Brigidine Sister, Bernice, played in forming her desire to make a difference in people’s lives. Sister Bernice is also an Alumni of Brigidine Secondary School and Principal of two of our Primary Schools.
Principal – Mercedes College
Earlier in the week, I shared with the community the exciting news that our Vice Principal, Dr Lucie McCrory, has been appointed Mercedes College Principal commencing January 2024. Mercy Education recognised in their search for the next leader of Mercedes College, Lucie’s exceptional leadership skills and formation through her own professional development and the experiences of leadership at Newman and other Catholic schools. I am sure you will join me in congratulating Lucie. The communication can be viewed here
