Administration

MARY’S PRESENCE

“Mary made her presence felt in our assembly.  She took us by the hand, revealing her maternal love and urging us to go in haste to a new land.”

Report on the XXI General Chapter of the Marist Brothers, October 2009

Awards & Thanksgiving Ceremony
Years 7 – 12 

Friday 27  November 2009
7.30pm
Convention Centre - Perth

We encourage all families of the Newman community to attend the above function with your children from Years 7 – 12.

This two hour presentation will be full of the colour of the many facets of the College and year now concluding. A multimedia presentation of the school year and performances by Performing Arts students will provide a very entertaining addition to the presentation of our Annual Awards.

Tickets are $20 per family and are available from Marcellin Campus Administration. There is no limit to the number of family members who may attend on the one family ticket.  Please note also that students who are performing on stage or who are award winners do not require tickets.

From the Principal

Dear Parents

Condolences

During the week we received the sad news of the death of Br Des Crowe, a Principal of Newman College 1970-1971.  Br Terry Orrell has written a short biography of Br Des’ life as a Marist Brother. 

I also ask you to remember in your prayers Mr Jim Hunt and Damian Connell both of whom died recently.   Jim Hunt was the father of Peter Hunt, Year 6 teacher Lavalla Campus, and Damian Connell, the father of two daughters Ali (Year 10) and Meg (Holy Rosary Year 6).

May they rest in peace.

With best wishes

Bernie Boss, Principal 

Br Des Crowe  

Br Des passed away in Adelaide this year at the age of 79 and in his 61^st year of religious life as a Marist Brother.

Br Des came to Perth to teach at St Joseph’s, Subiaco, and then moved out to the newly formed Marist College, Churchlands, in 1965, as part of the initial staff of the Senior School. In 1970 he was appointed Headmaster of Marist Senior, replacing Br Cletus Read.

Br Des’ teaching expertise centred on the study of Latin and the pages of “Spectrum”, the periodical which captured life at Marist Senior in the early years, abound in efforts of the students to emulate the Roman writers.

In later years Br Des turned to lecturing in the area of adult faith education, particularly in Theology, Scripture, Catechetics and Mariology. He returned to Perth as Director of the Maranatha Institute of Adult Faith Education for a number of years.

In addition to his presence in the Australian education system, Br Des was also well known at the Brothers’ General House in Rome. The recently appointed Superior General, Br Emili, pays tribute to Br Des for coining the realistic expression “dust on her feet” in relation to Mary. He goes on to write: “ It seems wonderful to me to imagine Mary opening her arms at the heaven’s gate to welcome Des and refresh his feet, tired by years of hard work and illness.”

Br Terry Orrell, Campus Minister

ICAS Awards

Two students from Newman College were presented with major awards at a special medal ceremony last week following their outstanding results in International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) tests earlier this year. 

Year 12 student Adrian Cooper achieved the highest score in Western Australia in the ICAS Science test (Year 12 category), while Year 5 student Mia Fontaine also topped the state in Computing Skills (Year 5 category).

ICAS tests are developed by Educational Assessment Australia in partnership with the University of NSW, and are designed to assess students’ academic ability in Computer Skills, English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Writing.  The tests are conducted annually in over twelve countries.

Congratulations to both Adrian and Mia on their fantastic achievements.

Pictured below left is Mia Fontaine with Year 5 Blue teacher Trish Lotter and Head of Primary Jocelyn Hansen at the ceremony, and below right is Adrian Cooper with his medal.

  

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Head of Primary

Orientation at Lavalla Campus

Last Friday, current Year 2 and Year 3 students and many of their parents visited Lavalla Campus as part of Orientation Day.  The day was enjoyed by all, and had the added benefit that many of the current Year 2s and 3s are now quite familiar with a number of the students that they will be mixing with in 2010.

The Parents’ Auxiliary did an outstanding job preparing and organising morning tea for so many parents on the day.  Thank you to this wonderful group of parents who always give their time and effort to support the events of the College. The Auxiliary were very well supported by the Cooking Parents, whose efforts are also very much appreciated.

This Friday 20 November the Marian Campus Orientation Day will be held from 9.40am in the Marian Campus hall.

ICAS Awards

This week Year 5 student Mia Fontaine was awarded a special medal for achieving the highest mark in the International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) test in Computing Skills.  The ICAS tests are one category of a number of assessments which are run annually through the University of NSW.  Mia was awarded the medal at the City Town Hall. Congratulations to Mia for this wonderful achievement. 

Pictured below is Year 5 student Mia Fontaine receiving her medal.  Please scroll up to the Principal’s section for additional photos.

Booklists

Booklists were sent home on Monday.  There are three options for ordering books for 2010:

• Ordering on line, which must be completed by 11 December.  The orders will be delivered to your door, free of charge.
• Posting the order, which must be received by the company by 11 December.
• Visiting the shopfront and picking your own goods from the booklist.  This can be done anytime during the opening hours as outlined on the booklist order forms. 

Thank You Morning Tea

On Wednesday 25 November a special ‘thank you’ morning tea will be held from 11.00am-12.00pm in the Marian Campus hall to enable staff and students to express their gratitude to all the parents who have so generously volunteered their time on either of the Primary campuses over the past year.  A great number of events take place each year which would not be possible without the support of parents.

Please give consideration to attending this event if you have been an active helper in the College this year. If you are able to attend, please contact the front office to give your name for catering purposes. 

Parents and Friends Meeting

Last Monday the final P & F meeting for 2009 took place.  This dedicated group of parents work throughout the year to help the Primary school with a variety of projects that support the teaching and learning of students.  These projects include minor capital works across both campuses such as the installation of more electronic whiteboards in classrooms, and the purchase of Literacy and Numeracy resources for students and classrooms.  I would like to thank the P & F on behalf of the College community for their commitment to the education of our students and for their ongoing support of teachers and families.  I look forward to working with the group again in 2010.

Dates to Remember for the End of the Year

• 20 November  – Orientation Day at Marian Campus at 9.40am
• 23 November to 3 December – Daily swimming lessons for Years 1 – 6
• 25 November – Thank you morning tea  from 11.00am – 12.00pm at the Marian Campus hall
• 2 December – Nativity Story at Marian Campus
• 7 December – Reports sent home with students
• 8 December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass for Years 4 – 6 at the Lavalla Campus hall
• 9 December – Pizza and Pool Day for Year 4 students
• 10 December – Final Paraliturgy for Kindy to Year 3 students at St Cecilia’s Church
• 10 December – Pizza and Pool Day for Year 5 students
• 11 December – Awards Ceremony for Year 6 students at the Champagnat Chapel at 9.00am, followed by Year 6 Pizza and Pool Day
• 11 December – Final day for all students at Newman College

Jocelyn Hansen, Head of Primary

Religious Education

Prayer Assembly

On Wednesday 25 November Year 6 Red will lead the prayer assembly celebrating the season of Advent at 2.45pm in the Lavalla Campus hall.  Parents are invited to join us.

Altar Server Training

Any child in Floreat Parish who has received their First Communion and would like to train as an Altar Server, please phone the Parish Office on 9387 1158 to register for training.

End of Year Mass and Paraliturgy

Lavalla Campus’ Mass of Thanksgiving and celebration of the Year of Mary will be held on Tuesday 8 December (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary) at 9.00am in the Lavalla Campus hall.  All classes at Lavalla Campus will attend.  Parents are invited to join us.

Marian Campus’ Paraliturgy of Thanksgiving and celebration of the Year of Mary will be held on Thursday 10 December at 9.00am in St Cecilia’s Church.  All classes at Marian Campus will attend.  Parents are very welcome.

Christmas Hampers

Each child has received an invitation to contribute festive food to their class Christmas hamper, which will be distributed to the needy by the St Vincent de Paul Association in time for Christmas.  These hampers will be presented at the Thanksgiving Mass and Paraliturgy mentioned above.

Dianne Grinbergs, RE Coordinator K-6

Careers

Australian School of Tourism and Hotel Management Open Day

The Australian School of Tourism and Hotel Management will be holding an open day from 10.00am – 2.00pm on Saturday 5 December at 641 Wellington St Perth.  The open day will give attendees the chance to learn more about careers in tourism and hospitality from industry professionals.  For a detailed program, please collect a flyer from the Careers Centre or contact Hanne Hartopo on 9322 3202.

Traineeships Cert III Outdoor Recreation

Dwellingup Adventures is offering two 12 month traineeships in Outdoor Recreation for 2010.  Please click on the following link for further information: Outdoor Recreation Traineeship ( 43Kb)

Events

Science and Engineering Challenge

Last week Year 9 Science students travelled to the Perth Convention Centre to participate in the annual Science and Engineering Challenge.   The event aims to present science and engineering in an inspirational manner through hands on activities that range from problem solving scenarios to designing and building projects.   Students were required to work collaboratively in teams of four, exercising their problem solving skills, applying practical applications of previous learning and also being involved in logic based activities.

Newman students performed impressively at the event, scoring well in the various activities and challenges that occurred throughout the day. 

Pictured below are Newman students putting their bridge to the test in the finals.

Year 11 Onsite Try a Trade

Year 11 Onsite students were fortunate enough to receive funding through the ABBTF to allow them to attend Balga TAFE for three Tuesdays to have a go at bricklaying.  The students were taught the basics of bricklaying and were such quick learners that they were able to attempt to build dome-shaped pizza ovens, which involved the use of many mathematical calculations.  As you can see from the pictures, they did an amazing job. 

Chris Re, Careers Advisor

Student News

Year 7 Student Wins Justin Langer Shield

Congratulations to Year 7 student Richard Thacker for winning the prestigious Justin Langer Shield for Man of the Match at last week’s cricket game at Aquinas.  Richard is just the second Newman student to be presented with the award in the ten years since it was created.

Congratulations, Richard.

Year 10 Student to Compete in Athletics Nationals

Year 10 student Yvonne Neille won two silver medals at the 2009 WA All Schools Track and Field Championships in the under 16 women 800 metres and 1500 metres, which were held from 30 October to 1 November.  Following her outstanding performance, Yvonne has been selected for inclusion in the State Athletics Team, which will be competing at the 2009 Australian All Schools and Youth National Track and Field Championships from 4 December to 6 December in Hobart. Yvonne will be competing in the 3000 metres, the 2000 metre steeplechase, and the 1500 metres and 800 metres events in the under 16 women category.

Well done, Yvonne, and best of luck for the championships.

Three Students Selected for National Gymnastics Championships

Year 9 students Stephanie Eindorf and Tayla Zaekis and Year 8 student Holly Daniels have all been selected to compete in the National Gymnastics Competition, which will be held in Canberra from 26 November to 3 December. 

Best of luck for the competition, girls.

Year 12 Student’s Soccer Dream a Step Closer

Year 12 student Bernard Marcelo’s dream of winning a soccer scholarship to a United States university is a step closer following his recruitment by a top talent-scouting agency in the USA.  Bernard’s entry on the NSR website, which includes details of his impressive achievements, can be viewed by clicking here.