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ÐãÐãÖ±²¥ News Term 1 Week 4: From the Head of Primary

Jo Dunn on 28/02/2019

As we celebrate a successful start to the year it is important that we acknowledge you; the parents and care givers of our students. It is because of your dedication to our College that your child has enjoyed a positive, settled start to the year. As the first educators of your child, you send them to school prepared and equipped for them to learn. You teach them how to build relationships, how to be kind, how to show empathy and how to bounce back when things get hard. We are grateful for the many ways you support our College.

Marcellin Award

Congratulations to the following students who received a Marcellin Award in Weeks 3 and 4:

Avia Picotti, Year 2 – #IntheWayofMary – Always taking time to cheer people up when they are sad

Ella Nguyen, Year 6 – #IntheWayofMary – Acknowledged for the unassuming way she helps others without making it noticeable, allowing them to feel safe and to have a go at things. She is a diligent student that can be relied upon for all tasks in and out of the classroom. Her leadership skills and service qualities are admirable, in her ability to show initiative and see when something needs doing without being asked, and even coordinates other peers to join in and help out.

The Marcellin Award at Marian Campus is drawn from submitted nominations each Wednesday morning at Prayer Assembly. At Lavalla Campus, the Marcellin Award is presented at campus assemblies to one student selected by the Leadership Team from submitted nominations.

Marian Campus Entrance

Parents are reminded that for the safety of our students a new door has been installed at the entrance to the Marian Administration building. This allows us to accurately monitor who is on site at any given time. Parents are reminded that this door is locked from 9.00am – 2.55pm.  We ask parents not to gather in the Administration area before the final afternoon siren as it makes work in the office very difficult.  The tennis court gates will be opened at 2.45pm should you wish to use the undercover area to wait for your children.

Homework Club and Coder Dojo

Parents are reminded that Homework Club and Coder Dojo are back up and running.

Homework Club

  • When: Every Monday
  • Where: Lavalla Library
  • Time: 3.15pm – 4.30pm

Coder Dojo

  • When: Every Tuesday
  • Where: Lavalla Multipurpose Rooms
  • Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm

*All participating students (new and old members) must complete the Parent Permission Form prior to attending their first session.

Signing in and out of Marian and Lavalla Campuses

All parents and visitors to the College are reminded they need to sign in at reception on arrival.  Parents onsite between 8.45am – 3.15pm must sign in using the iPad technology application ‘Who’s on Location’ at reception.  Parents are required to be accompanied by a staff member at all times while on campus. Messages for students, misplaced or forgotten items can be delivered to reception and in turn these will be passed onto the student. Please do not contact your child via any messaging system on their iPad.  This process ensures the safety of all students during the school day.

ÐãÐãÖ±²¥ Parents Information Sessions with Dr Justin Coulson

9 Ways to a Resilient Child (content is most suited for Early Childhood parents)

Parents will learn the psychological secrets that build their child’s sense of identity, strengths and growth mindset in order to perform better, be happier and build resilience. 9 Ways to a Resilient Child is based on Dr Justin Coulson’s best-selling book and shows parents how to help their children cope powerfully and positively with the challenges that life throws at them.

Respectful Relationships; Love at Home

How to get along with your kids and help them get along with you (and their siblings)

We all say we get along just fine at home… but there are those uncomfortable niggles. There’s the eye-rolling, the disrespect, the lack of motivation to help out, and the sibling warfare. If we’re honest, most adults have been known to shout a bit too, and let’s face it, we don’t always listen that well to our kids.

Conflict and friction at home cause more trouble than we need, and interfere with everyone’s wellbeing. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some simple, practical things we could do to help everyone get along better – starting right now?

Parents will learn the best ‘relationship rules’ for a happier family so home life really does feel loving… most of the time!

The presentation will be followed by a Question and Answer session.

Parent Information Nights

Over the last two weeks, the College has hosted the Lavalla and Marian Parent Information nights. These nights offered families the opportunity to hear from their child’s classroom teacher and the College’s Senior Leadership Team. It is important that parents remember to always contact the classroom teacher to discuss their child’s learning.

2019 Parent Representatives

On Wednesday 27 February, the Parent Representatives for 2019 met to understand their role in supporting our teachers and the community. Your Parent Representatives will inform you of any requirements our teachers may have, organise social events and support you in preparing your child for school.

To further support this important role, the College launched a new parent communication platform (Facebook Groups) for each cohort. Parents are invited to join their respective groups as a simple way of communicating.

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival

The Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival will take place on Friday 15 March. Please note the revised start time of 9.30am. This will allow parents of both Marian and Lavalla students to attend the Year 2 Blue Assembly and the Carnival.

Primary Family Picnic

Thank you to the Primary Social Committee for organising the first event of the year, the Family Picnic. Our community enjoyed a relaxed evening on the Lavalla Oval where students played and parents connected.

Fitness Friday at Marian

Last Friday saw the launch of the new initiative at the Marian Campus, Fitness Friday. Students enjoyed a selection of activities including Lego Club, Cosmic Yoga, Running Club and Dance Aerobics. Thank you to our dedicated staff for leading this initiative. Fitness Friday will continue every Friday coinciding with Coffee at the College for parents.

Primary Social Committee Annual General Meeting

On Tuesday 5 March, the Primary Social Committee will hold their AGM. All are welcome to attend and join this committee which is dedicated to providing social events for students, parents and families and supporting the College. The meeting will commence at 7.00pm in the Marian Staff room.

PK – Year 6 Homework Policy

The revised PK- Year 6 Homework Policy was sent to all families on Tuesday 26 February. The purpose of this policy is to support parents to understand what homework is required for each year level and to promote time after school for playing, socialising and connecting with your family. Reading is the key focus for homework in the Primary School as this has the greatest impact on student growth.

Resetting your Seqta Password

Please follow the steps below:

  • Click on ‘Forgot your Password’
  • Enter your email address for BOTH your username and email address (ie: your username is now your email address)
  • Click on ‘Reset my Password’
  • You will be emailed a link to reset your password
  • NOTE: the reset link will only last one hour.

For all other Seqta queries please contact Mandy Keeling Mandy.Keeling@newman.wa.edu.au

eSaftey Commissioner

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is committed to empowering all Australians to have safer, more positive experiences online. The College’s Annual School Improvement plan identified eSafety as a focus area for the wellbeing of students. Key themes and ideas from the Keeping Safe curriculum and Wellbeing program will be presented to students and parents later this year. ÐãÐãÖ±²¥ Parents will host a Cybersafety information session to educate and empower parents to support their children in managing their online profiles and behaviour.

The Office of eSafety Commissioner website has excellent resources for families and children and I encourage parents to subscribe to the eSafety newsletter for additional information and education. to access their website.

Years 7-12 Guild Swimming Carnival

Jo Dunn on 25/02/2019

On Thursday 21 February, the Years 7-12 students came together for a day of competition and Guild spirit at their Swimming Carnival. For the first time, the carnival was held at HBF Stadium as a whole secondary school event.

There was a strong contingent of athletes vying for positions in the traditional events as well as large numbers enjoying the novelty events.

Congratulations to Romero Guild who won the Guild Spirit Award. By only a very small margin the overall winner of the Carnival was Chisholm Guild!

Four records were broken on the day. Congratulations Luke Bourke (Year 7) who swam the 50m Butterfly in 32.43 (broke the record by 4 seconds) and Emily Holland (Year 9) who broke records in the 100m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke and 50m Butterfly.

Well done to all of our Year Group Champions:

Year 7: Imogen Boss and Luke Bourke
Year 8: Ella Hodgson and Jake Paynter
Year 9: Emily Holland and Joshua Downes
Year 10: Amelia Johns and William Hymus
Year 11: Jessica Sandford and Mitchell Harris
Year 12: Anthea Todman and Dylan Burgess

REMAR Embarkation Camp

Jo Dunn on 21/02/2019

In Week 2, the Year 11 Blue and Year 12 Gold REMAR students took part in a three-day retreat held at Serpentine Camp Centre. The program focused on peer support, role modelling and community formation.

Student Reflection

“On the Embarkation camp, we learned a lot more about ourselves, our faith and how we can be a witness in our community through the values of perseverance, presence and simplicity. From the Gold Embark, I believe that our caravel has become even stronger than ever before. We did a lot of sharing amongst the group resulting in us feeling like more of a family and without one person we cannot function. There are too many highlights from this camp, but the one that sticks out the most is singing ‘My Lighthouse’ for the last time as a caravel at Serpentine Camping Centre”.

“I gained a better understanding of myself and the others around me. What I found particularly important was the value of simplicity in my life. My highlight from the camp was definitely the constant affirmations from my caravel. It was nice to take a step back and see how much our caravel has grown”.

“From the Blue Embarkation, I gained so much. I gained confidence, leadership and team-building skills, but most importantly, I gained the trust of my peers and caravel members. My highlight of the camp was getting the opportunity to speak to the Gold Rowers about their own REMAR experiences, and forming to new friendships, as well as growing closer to my own caravel members and learning more about them through the sessions we participated in as a group”.

“The Blue Embarkation Camp gave me the opportunity to not only celebrate my REMAR and faith journey so far, but to also create new relationships with my fellow ‘rowers’. I feel as if the camp gave me an opportunity to look back and reflect on everything that has happened in the previous year, and create goals and to look forward to the new year ahead. I have come away from the camp feeling renewed and excited to see what the future holds”.

High Achievers Assembly

Jo Dunn on 21/02/2019

On Wednesday 20 February the College recognised and celebrated the Class of 2018 who achieved Outstanding Academic Achievement. The High Achievers Assembly was an opportunity for students past and present, family members and staff to reflect and gather together as part of our Marist family.

In his Principal’s Address, Mr Finneran spoke about culture which defines who we are. “Your efforts demonstrated by application, resilience, discipline, shared values friendships and self-belief have enhanced our ÐãÐãÖ±²¥ culture. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents”.

Jai Taylor (Class of 2018) gave an inspirational address with his main message being; you need to take every opportunity the College has to offer to support your learning without undermining your personal wellbeing.

Congratulations to Kascia Pavisich who was awarded the 2018 Principal’s Award (highest ATAR score) and was recognised for her Outstanding Academic Achievements; a General Exhibition, Subject Exhibition in Psychology and a Subject Certificate of Excellence in both English and Psychology.

Along with the 23 students who achieved and were recognised for their Outstanding Academic Achievement by obtaining an ATAR of 95 and above, Samantha Ashby was recognised for achieving a Certificate of Excellence for Mathematics Applications and Jessica Ranieri for being the recipient of the VET Award.

Well done to the students who made the morning extra special by sharing your gifts and talents in the Symphonic Winds and Chamber Choir.

ÐãÐãÖ±²¥ News Term 1 Week 2: From the Principal

Jo Dunn on 15/02/2019

PK-12 Family Mass

Congratulations to all students and families for the excellent start to the year. The joy and happiness emanating from our students is a testimony to the collaboration with families in the faith and learning environment that is developing at our College. Our PK- 12 Family Mass has now become tradition that exemplifies our commitment as a community to celebrate our identity that places Jesus Christ at its centre. Thank you to students and their families for their attendance and participation in the liturgy. The family spirit that was evident is an exemplar of what it means to be part of a Marist community. Congratulations to our Year 12 and Year 6 student leaders respectively who were commissioned on the night into their roles for 2019. We look forward to the year ahead.

ICSEI Symposium Norway January 2019

In early January Ms Lisa Fogliani and I were invited to co-present with the University of Southern Queensland Leadership Research International (USQLRI) a symposium on the development and implementation of our College’s Vision for Learning Shine Through Discovery – Let Your light Shine (Matthew 5:16). The International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement () is an internationally renowned meeting of policy makers, research and practioners in education focusing on best practice in learning. To be selected to present is a great testimony to our school improvement agenda in building our student experience of learning animated by our pedagogical pillars of Challenge, Collaborate, Create and Celebrate. The reception of the symposium participants was affirming and complimentary of what we have achieved over the least three years. Critical to our growth has been in aligning our strategic framework with the following strategic intents:

  • individual and team building of staff capacity
  • a strategic approach to staff professional learning
  • focus on growing innovative cultures for school change
  • engaging student voice in their learning
  • systematic delivery of curriculum
  • new contemporary learning spaces reflective of pedagogical pillars
  • sustaining commitment and energy of whole school community
  • ongoing leadership and management of #shinethroughdiscovery
  • captivating creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship

The alignment of these aforementioned strategic intents, put simply, has improved our students’ learning experience. Our learning pathways are guided by the capacity of students to engage in their learning collaborating with our teachers, commensurate with their interest and ability. This has been exemplified in senior school where student goal setting and achievement, combined with subject counselling, has provided a more targeted approach to each student’s pathway. Our outstanding WACE results last year, particularly our median ATAR of 84.5, reflected the importance of this strategy.

The highlight of the conference was in both the staff and student voice examples we presented. Unscripted, our students’ voice demonstrated the growth in their confidence to articulate what is important to them in their learning and the impact of Shine Through Discovery – Let Your light Shine (Matthew 5:16). The same is apparent for our staff who have embraced the concept that they lead learning as co-learners with our students.

to watch the student video.

to watch the staff video.

The driving question from the feedback to the symposium was on the strategy not just for consolidation, but for ongoing improvement.

Focus for 2019

Our focus in 2019 is to continue to build the capacity of the teacher and animate student voice. The opportunities that are afforded to students through recent initiatives, like the IDEAs Lab in Early Childhood, STEM Festival at Lavalla and Solve It at Marcellin will continue to grow and gain traction with our students. Long term support through Homework Club and targeting intervention in literacy and numeracy will continue to grow. Other examples include developing industry partnerships to provide real world experience for our students. An example has been an agreement we have just confirmed with the mining company MACA. This partnership is focused on providing students with opportunities across engineering, service and apprenticeships.

Annual School Improvement Plan 2019

The Annual School Improvement Plan (ASIP) 2019 will continue to focus on our Vision for Learning and its animation across the College. Central to its success will be the leadership of our staff in its actioning. Please to view the College plans for this year.