On 10 May 2021, Br. Ernesto, Marist Brothers Superior General, communicated to the Brothers of the Province of Australia and District of the Pacific that, from 8 December 2022, the two Administrative Units will be the Marist Brothers Star of the Sea Province. The new Province will be formed by ten countries, with all Marist presence in the Oceania continent.
The new Province will be inaugurated on 8 December 2022, during the first Chapter, that will be held in Mittagong, NSW, 8 – 15 December 2022.
The new Province will be a focus of our upcoming liturgies and at one of our Thursday morning Community Masses.
Arts Festival 2022
Last week wound up our tremendous Performing Arts year with the Mythos Dance Showcase on Sunday 23 October and Visual Arts and Technologies Exhibition Opening on Wednesday 26 October. These came after Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Production and our participation in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival.
The impact of COVID-19 during the first half of the year had a significant effect on our Arts scheduling and resourcing. Notwithstanding, all events have been executed in an outstanding manner and a credit to the Performing Arts Team, led by Yvonne Wiese. My thanks to all who have contributed to the success of these events – staff (teaching and non-teaching), the significant parent support and of course our outstanding students.
Next year’s events are currently being considered by the Executive. Our resourcing, staffing and programming requires broad collaboration with respective personnel and decisions will be made and announced by the end of the term.
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with our aspiring student leaders in Year 5, as they undertook their leadership preparation course before moving into Year 6. While we spent much of our first workshop exploring our understanding of leadership, and the qualities we recognise as important in leaders, in our second workshop we looked at what this means in a Marist community. It was so beautiful to hear students speak about what it means to be a Newman College student, and how the Marist pillars and Mary as our model plays such a significant part in our understanding of what it means to be a student in our community. Please see some of the response’s students shared in our conversations below:
How can we make Jesus real in our community?
How was Mary a good leader? What can we learn from her?
Well done to all of our Year 5 students who participated so enthusiastically and wholeheartedly in the student leadership process, and to their Year 5 teachers and Mrs Battersby for their support in their formation. It is very encouraging to know that the future of our community is in good hands.
Socktober
Over the past two weeks, our Year 6 Mini Marists in the primary school have been busy raising awareness for Socktober. This is a time of the year when we raise awareness of the large number of children around the world who are living in poverty through the world game of soccer. Students have been spending their lunchtimes making their own soccer balls from string and plastic bags, and on Friday, students right across the Lavalla campus had the chance to play with these at lunch, sparing a thought for those who so often go without. We also held our traditional staff vs students game which ended in a 1-1 draw. It was great to see so many students enjoying themselves on Friday, and we owe a big thanks to Mrs Jane Short and our Year 6 Mini Marists for leading this initiative.
Game Changers Wind-up Gathering
After another great year of building Game Changers, we finished off the Year 11 meetings with an All-Year Wind up. Students from Game Changers groups in years 7-11 had a terrific time bowling, eating pizza and drinking soft drink while attempting to score a strike. Although few strikes were actually made, the students clearly had a great time and really connected and celebrated a great year. There was inter-year group mingling and sharing of fun and challenging experiences the year had held for them. Year 7-10 will continue to have meetings in Weeks 6 and 8, where they will get involved with 24/7 Youth Ministry and plan out their initiatives for next year.
I would like to sincerely thank all the teachers who have volunteered their time to mentor our students; Matt Box, Albert Zollo & Jade Nicotra, Jordan Coveney, Chris James, Bonnie Keynes, and Adeline Hendriks. Their unwavering commitment makes each meeting worthwhile and enjoyable for those involved. I would also like to thank Issy Ochtman, and previously Liam Street, as our Marist Regional Assistant and their running of our retreats and camps, Br Paul for helping and being our bus driver, and lastly, Amanda Redwood for all the behind-the-scenes organisation and planning aid. We are fortunate to have the support and assistance of such a great team!
Mrs Aleisha Bryson (Leader of Youth Ministry & Advocacy)
Year 10 Game Changers Retreat
The Year 10 LaValla retreat day was all about our students discovering their personal True North! What are our future aspirations? How are we heading there? Who is guiding us? We also looked at understanding, empowering, and creating meaningful relationships with the people around us through social justice. This led us to discussions on what are some of the things we can do this year and next in the way of social justice and community service. Out of this came the plan to visit our Mini Marists in Lavalla Week 6, something our Year 10s are very much looking forward to. Next year we have the intention of continuing these visits, as well as bake sales, immersions, and involvement in the wider community, stay tuned to see how it all plays out in 2023!
Community Mass
It was great to welcome so many of our students and their grandparents to our community mass last week – thank you to everyone who attended in support. We warmly invite the entire Newman College Community to gather with us for Mass at 8.10am on Thursday mornings in the Champagnat Chapel. Mass is celebrated by a Priest from a local parish and is hosted by both primary and secondary school students. Please see the upcoming schedule below;
Week 5: Thursday, 10 November; Marcellin and Year 4 Red, Monsignor Kevin Long
Week 6: Thursday, 17 November; MacKillop and Year 4 Blue, Fr Ruben Cardona
Tuesday 25 October – Year 7 2023 Transition Workshop #1 – 3.30pm, Marist Auditorium Wednesday 26 October – Visual Arts and Technologies Exhibition – 5.00pm, Marist Auditorium Friday 28 October – Parent Soiree – 6.00pm, Marist Auditorium Monday 31 October to Friday 18 November – Y12 WACE Exams Monday 7 November to Friday 18 November – Y11 Exams
Welcome back to our final term of 2022. I hope that the fine weather during the holidays gave everyone an opportunity to appreciate the warmth outdoors and enjoy the time away from the daily routine of school life. This term will go quickly and if the first two weeks are anything to go by, it will be busy, productive, and enjoyable.
We welcomed our incoming Year 7 students for 2023 on Monday of Week One with their Orientation Day and bid farewell to our 2022 Year 12s at the Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday of Week Two. This Sunday marks the beginning of our Arts Festival, where our Performing and Visual Arts students will showcase their wonderfully artistic creations from PK to Year 12.
Our College community celebrated our Patron, Saint John Henry Newman on Friday of Week One with a K-11 liturgy in the Marcellin campus. This beautiful celebration was followed by a buddy day in our Primary School. The buddy day took on a carnival theme and the Primary community, under the leadership of our new Year 12 student leaders for 2023, raised funds for our very own Telethon Little Star, Emily Siew. Our Secondary students also fundraised for Emily with ice creams, drinks and a staff vs students Basketball game. The Community raised over $11, 500 for telethon7.
Arts Festival
You are invited to join us in the Marist Auditorium next week for two spectacular showcases of creative talent.
Mythos, the Newman College Dance Showcase for 2022, is a celebration of human storytelling and of those iconic stories which have endured through time. Sunday 23 October at 10.00am. Tickets can be purchased here
Ignite showcases our emerging artists and designers from Kindergarten to Year 12. Come along to opening night on Wednesday 26 at 5.00pm to celebrate our students’ endeavours in painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and woodwork.
Two great events, not to be missed! We look forward to seeing you.
Featured artwork: ‘Leo and Stella’ Graphite drawing on paper by Year 11 student Olivia Li Castro
Uniform – Bathers and Rash Vest requirements
As previously communicated the College has introduced New College bathers and rash vests. In keeping with College uniform expectations, students are required to adhere to the following changes relating to College bathers and rash shirts.
Years 1-2: No change. Students continue to wear their own personal bathers and rash vests.
Years 3-9 (2022): College bathers and rash vests are compulsory.
Years 3-10 (2023): New style College bathers and rash vests will be compulsory. No old bathers or rash vests can be worn.
** Due to stock issues earlier in the year, students in Years 7 to 10 may wear the older version of the College bathers and rash vests for the remainder of 2022. New bathers and rash shirt must be purchased for 2023.
Transperth – School Service Changes
Transperth have asked we share this information with our College Community.
Services often change at the start of a new Term. These changes include School Specials, as well as regular routes that service schools in the area.
These changes are made in order to offer the best possible service across the network.
Students intending to travel to school via public transport should:
Check transperth.wa.gov.au for information. As services change, website information will be updated
Plan your journey prior to the start of school. The JourneyPlanner will be updated with the new school services two weeks prior to the start of school. Remember to change the date in the JourneyPlanner to the first day of school
Not every school will undergo changes, however all students should plan their journey using the Transperth website.
Staff Movements
Following the promotional appointment of Mrs Lisa McClue to Principal of Our Lady of Good Council, the College undertook an extensive recruitment process. The College is very happy to announce that Mr Ryan von Bergheim will take on the role of Head of Primary at Newman College from 2023. Mr von Bergheim has 13 years of experience in Catholic Education and has held roles such as Curriculum Leader, Digital Lead, Assistant Principal Religious Education, Assistant Principal Administration and Acting Principal at St Thomas’ Primary School. Mr von Bergheim is currently the Assistant Principal of Padbury Catholic and was the Acting Principal in Terms 2 and 3 of this year. We look forward to welcoming Mr von Bergheim into our Newman family in 2023.
Congratulations to three of our staff members who have been appointed into promotional positions in other communities. Mrs Jenny Miraudo, Director of Transformational Learning PK-12 will be moving to Corpus Christi College next year as Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning PK-12. Ms Katya Anderson, Leader of Learning PK-6 will also be moving to Corpus Christi to take on the role of Head of Primary; Mr Mat Puljiz, Leader of Wellbeing Year 12 will be moving to Santa Maria College as a Dean of Year.
We are happy to announce that the new Deputy Principal of Teaching and Learning PK-12 at Newman College will be Mrs Beth Murphy. Mrs Murphy comes to us with 15 years of educational experience in Catholic PK-12 and secondary schools such as Mazenod, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart and Corpus Christi. Mrs Murphy has expertise in the areas of teaching and leading in Humanities and Social Sciences, English, Learning Diversity and Religious Education. Additionally, Mrs Murphy spent five years as a Unit Coordinator and lecturer at Curtin University in the Faculty of Humanities and in the School of Education. She worked closely with Undergraduate and Master of Teaching Students. Mrs Murphy has experiences in Middle and Senior Leadership in positions such as Learning Support, Learning Diversity, and Leader of Pedagogy & Practice. Currently, Mrs Murphy holds a senior leadership role as the Assistant Deputy Principal of Pedagogy and Practice at Mazenod College, Lesmurdie. Mr David husband, Mrs Jo Smith and Mr Luke O’Mara will be joining our Leaders of Wellbeing Team next year. All three staff members have experiences in middle and senior leadership, in a variety of schools and in the wellbeing space.
Following Mr Stuart McClorey’s appointment to Director of Mission and Catholic Identity in Newman, I am pleased to announce that Mr Justin Kirry will be stepping into the role of Leader of Wellbeing Y3-6 next year. Mr Kirry comes to us from St Lukes with experiences in roles such as Assistant Principal, Digital Technologies and Transformation Lead, Quality Catholic Schools Coordinator and classroom teacher from Years 2 to 6. Our Leader of Wellbeing PK-2 will be announced in the next newsletter.
Mr Matt Connell has stepped down from his position of Leader of Sport. Mr Connell will be returning to the Physical Education and Mathematics classroom from 2023. Mr Tom Williams will be taking a year of leave from his position of Assistant Leader of Sport in 2023 and has taken up the Guild Coordinator role from Term 4 2022. We have appointed Mrs Marnie Barrett into the Leader of Sport position from 2023. Mrs Barrett is a highly experienced leader and comes to us from Holy Cross College, where she is currently the Leader of Sport K-12.
Ms Margaret Goldsmith, PK-12 Coordinator of Music, has been appointed to the role of Dean of Music at Northshore Christian Grammar School, commencing next year. Ms Louise O’Mahony will be finishing as a Home Economics Teacher and Mackillop Guild Coordinator effective the end of the year and will be taking a role in Iona Presentation College. Ms Laura Goodwin, English Secondary Teacher has been appointed as an English Teacher with English Curriculum Leader role at FCJ College in Melbourne, commencing next year. Ms Bethwyn Legg, drama teacher, will be moving to St Marys for 2023.
We will have an opportunity to thank outgoing staff members for their significant contribution at the end of the year and look forward to welcoming our new staff into the Newman Family.
Other Appointments for 2022 / 2023
Alessia Chiera
Neurodiversity Specialist
Ashley Lloyd
Secondary HASS Teacher – Ongoing
Caelin Peters
Secondary English Teacher
Elena Buemi
Music Tutor
Emily Mincherton
Home and Economics Teacher
Kellie McDonald
Primary Dance Teacher
Nicolletta De Gennaro
HASS Teacher
NPC Meeting
The next meeting was originally scheduled to take place on Monday 31 October. Please Note: this meeting date has been changed to Monday 7 November 6.00pm, St John Henry Learning Hub.
This group is critically important in providing input and feedback. We encourage parents to join us at this meeting to gain insight into our school improvement plan and to discuss school concerns.
We look forward to welcoming you on Monday 7 November.
Staff and students have made an outstanding start to Term Four. We have had a significant number of events across the Marcellin campus, including orientation for 2023 Year 7 students, Year 10 Camp, St John Henry Newman Feast Day, Telethon Fundraising for Emily Siew, Year 7 and 8 Waterwise Experience, Year 12 exams, Graduation and so much more.
The Class of 2022 Graduation
Wednesday 19 October we were able to celebrate the Class of 2022 and the hard work of families, staff and students as they come to the end of their formal school years. Everyone who has had a part in the formation of these students is to be congratulated for their success. We wish all our Year 12 students every success for their future beyond Newman College.
Our 12 Year students have now completed their schooling, ATAR students will be busy preparing for their final WACE exams scheduled to commence Monday 31 October.
Year 12 Reports
Year 12 reports, with the exception of IEPs, were made live on SEQTA on Wednesday 19 October at 4.00pm. Hard copies of the statement of results and certificates of service (Co-curricular) were presented to students in their Graduation folders at the Class of 2022 event.
Year 10 Camp
“There was a mixture of excitement and trepidation as we departed Newman College bright and early at 715am on Monday morning. Our stop in Australind with the cold wind prepared us for the temperatures of our five day camp in Karridale.
Upon arrival our Year 10 students were welcomed by the Outdoor Education Group staff. They were given a hiking pack and instructed on how to waterproof their clothing for their two day journey away from base camp. They become accustomed to long drop toilets and the smells that emanate from them in the late afternoon, and the one two–minute shower for the duration of the camp came as a shock to many (some sadly chose to forgo their one chance to have a shower).
Our Year 10s were challenged at times: Tuesday brought with it rain and the cold, getting lost on an already long bush walk, carrying 20 litres of water up the hill and abseiling down a 20 metre cliff. These incredible young people took it all in their stride with some shedding tears and throwing some tantrums along the way. Despite the challenges, the benefits of this experience were evident in the conversations, connectedness and care for one another. The Marist spirit underpinned a lot of what our young people did during this five-day camp: the strong sense of family spirit and their kindness and compassion towards one another as reflective of Mary our Good Mother.
Every student who attended achieved something or challenged themselves: sleeping in a tent, conquering their fear of heights or simply connecting with a peer that they hadn’t had a conversation with before.
Our teachers who attended are to be commended; their ability to manage conflict and inspire courage in our Year 10 students was phenomenal given the lack of sleep and coffee on offer. Thank you to Mike Diamond, Tiyana Kerimi, Maria Famiano, Cate McKnight, Bonnie Keynes, Gill Kennedy, Holly-Hope Grainger, Alex Gerreyn, David Nelson, Chris James and Jo Smith for their willingness to support our students during this five day experience. Special mention must be given to Paige Adams and Jorja Clark for their logistical expertise as they coordinated a significant number of bus shuttles to and from various camp sites and activities, and for overseeing the camping experience for our staff and students.“
Year 7 and 8 Waterwise Experience
This week, all students in year 7 celebrated National Water Week with a range of classroom activities including ‘water tasting’ where they had the opportunity to taste test samples of water ranging from tap water to high-end, imported bottled water. Students also participated in a Water Wise experience. An interactive, multi-sensory incursion on water sustainability
2023 Guild Representatives
Guild Representative nominations will begin shortly for 2023. Students in Years 7-11 who are seeking opportunities to be recognised as leaders within the community are encouraged to apply. Details about the process will be posted on student Teams in the coming weeks.
Year 11 Information for Exam period
October 21
Final date to place and order and pay for 2023 Leavers Jacket Week 2
7 November
Year 11 Examination Period Week 5 – Week 6 Examination Timetable can be located here Examination Rules can be located here
21-23 November
Year 11 Semester 2 Examination Feedback Days Week 7 (compulsory for all ATAR students) Compulsory Feedback Timetable can be located here
24 November
Year 11 Final Day – Compulsory for ALL Year 11 students Lunchtime Dismissal Week 7
Transperth School Bus Services
Transperth have notified the College that there are a number of students using the School Bus Services with insufficient funds on their SmartRiders. If your child utilises the Transperth School Bus Services, please ensure that they have sufficient funds for their journey. Please also remind your child about the expected behaviour on public transport.
Student Uniform
The College uniform forms part of the student code of conduct and common expectations that all students must meet. Please support staff in ensuring you child is prepared for school with the appropriate uniform. Students are reminded particularly about appropriate jewellery, skirt lengths, haircuts, and hats.
Homework Club
Homework Club is place for students to come and finish their homework, study and access different specialist Teachers and Tutors. Students are welcome to attend Homework Club before after school commitments (such as sport). However, they must be prepared to work productively during that time and be respectful of the students around them (especially those that are preparing for exams). Students who do not meet these expectations will be asked to leave Homework Club.
Sun Smart at Newman College
As is College policy, students are reminded that College hats must be worn on the oval during recess, lunch and for Physical Education. Hats can be purchased at the Uniform Shop.
I trust Term 4 has commenced well for all families. Our first two weeks have provided many opportunities for our community to come together, both as cohorts and as a College. Our incoming Year 7 cohort for 2023 participated in an Orientation Day with a program assisting their familiarisation with Secondary School for the commencement of 2023. Year 10 students came together for their week-long adventure camp in Margaret River and Year 12 students finished their mock exams. As a school we celebrated St John Henry Newman Day last Friday along with our primary school buddy day and fundraiser. Emily Siew is one of the Little Stars for this year’s Telethon. The College is very proud of Emily and we look forward to supporting her during this weekend’s Telethon.
Year 12 Graduation
On Wednesday evening we celebrated the Class of 2022’s Graduation at Optus Stadium, with 640 people in attendance. This significant event, which commenced with Mass and followed by our formal Graduation presentation, marks the end of our Year 12 students’ formal Secondary education.
The Year 12 motto this year, “United in spirit and mind, the class of 2022 forever aligned”, has been lived out throughout the year. Our Year 12 students, as individuals and as a collective, have conducted themselves in a commendable manner and have exemplified our College’s Vision for Learning ‘Shine through Discovery’ – let your light shine (Matthew 5:16).
In my speech I referred to the poem, The Road not Taken by Robert Frost, and the impact decisions we make have on our lives. Do we take the easy road, or the road less travelled. To view my speech in full, please click here.
I thank the Year 12 students for their contributions to Newman College and look forward to hearing of their journeys in the years to come.
School Registration
The final aspect to Newman College’s School Registration was held on Monday when members of the Non-Government Schools Regulation Department visited the College and met with our new Marist Schools Regional Director, Darren McGregor. Renewal of School Registration this year by the Department of Education is a result of the incorporation of Marist Schools Australia Limited becoming our governing body from 1 January 2022.
Newman College now has certified registration for a 5 year period, 1 January 2022-31 December 2026, under the governance of Marist Schools Australia.
Newman College Advisory Council
The Advisory Council took advantage of the visit of our MSA Regional Director and brought forward their final meeting for 2022 to last Monday 17 October. Darren McGregor spoke at length about the governance structure of Marist Schools Australia which ensures each of their 12 governed schools is well supported by a Regional Director. He provided a roadmap about how he would personally support Newman College in his role, ensuring that he visited the school on a number of occasions throughout the year.
Arts Festival 2022
Please click here to view details of two significant upcoming events – Mythos Dance Showcase on Sunday 23 October and Visual Arts and Technologies Exhibition Opening on Wednesday 26 October.
Newman Parents Consultative Committee (NPC) Meeting – Monday 7 November
The final meeting of 2022 will be held on Monday 7 November. Further information will be circulated closer to the time.
COVID-19 Update
Please click here to view the latest update on our College website.
Marist Sporting Carnivals
We are delighted to report that our Marist Sporting Carnivals are resuming, commencing with the Cricket Carnival 4-9 December this year in Warragul Victoria. The Basketball Carnival will be held in Adelaide 26-30 March 2023 and the Netball Carnival will be held in Perth 19-21 June 2023. We have commenced our planning for the staging of the Netball Carnival here in Perth and very much look forward to welcoming our visitors to Perth.
New Members of the College Executive
We welcome two new members of staff to the College and its Executive Team commencing 2023:
Beth Murphy has been appointed to the position of Deputy Principal of Teaching and Learning PK-12. Beth replaces Jenny Miraudo following Jenny’s appointment to Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning PK-12 at Corpus Christi College.
Ryan von Bergheim has been appointed to the role of Head of Primary. Ryan replaces Lisa McClue following Lisa’s appointment to the position of Principal at Our Lady of Good Counsel at Karrinyup.
We wish Jenny and Lisa every success in their new roles and look forward to celebrating their contributions to Newman College at the end of the year.
