From the Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Students, Staff and Friends of St Norbert College

In early September, the College was blessed with a visit from the Abbott General, Josef Wouters O. Praem, from Rome, and Fr Stephen Morrison O. Praem, from London. They enjoyed a tour of the College and a morning tea with staff. While visiting Perth, they were also present when Ms Amanda Marsh unveiled her portrait of Fr Stephen Cooney O. Praem, a founding father who passed into eternal life on Sunday 9 July 2023, to our Prior, Fr Peter Joseph O. Praem. It was a special moment.

In this final newsletter for Term 3, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of staff, who continue to challenge our students to be their best. It has been a busy and vibrant term, and many of the reports on events will be included later in the newsletter.

In summary, one common observation is that behind the final, visible achievements and involvement in events is the hard work and commitment by staff, students, parents and carers. While I proudly watched events such as SoNiC, the Creative Arts Exhibition, Dance Night, Music Night, Catholic Performing Arts, ACC Athletics and Inclusive Carnivals and Tournament of the Minds branch final, I knew the time and energy required for our students to perform to the best of their ability. I thank all involved for allowing our students to discover and develop their talents, building our school community, and making it a school of choice.

Br Patrick Doolan Award

We have an opportunity to recognise the good works of our staff by nominating a staff member for the Br Patrick Doolan Award.  Staff, students, parents and carers are invited to lodge nominations in writing by completing the nomination form below. Nominations are due at the end of Week 1 of Term 4, Friday 13 October. A selection panel will process the nominations and select the awardee who will be recognised at Presentation Night.

Presentation Night

We will be coming together as a community at our annual Presentation Night on Tuesday 24 October at the Perth Concert Hall. It will be the first time since 2019 that we will host a live Presentation Night. A reminder that it is compulsory for students and at least one parent to be in attendance. It is a night that showcases our talented community with the presentation of awards and a variety of performance including a mass choir. More information regarding tickets will be sent out early in Term 4. There will be a Home Study Day on Wednesday 25 October for students. Please mark these dates in your calendars.

Construction works

The construction of our new building is coming along nicely. While we had hoped that the O’Reilly Centre changerooms and toilets would be ready for the commencement of Term 4, it is likely that it will be later in the term. The current PE uniform arrangement will continue until further notice. 

The new building, now with a roof, is scheduled for completion over the Christmas holidays and we look forward to using the four new classrooms, lift and staffroom next year.

Climate Survey

Thank you to the students, staff, parents and carers who have completed the Climate Survey. For those who may have forgotten, you still have an opportunity to provide feedback before the closing date of Friday 22 September. Please check your Direqt Messages or email for the access code.

Kimberley Immersion

I'd like to conclude with a beautiful email we received a week ago:

This week my husband and I stayed at the Kimberly Croc in Kununurra in the midst of your Year 10 students and teachers. I would like to share with you how impressed I was with your students and their teachers. The students were a happy and very respectful group, well looked after by their teachers. I am a retired school principal from Victoria and thought you may appreciate some positive feedback.

Well done to Ms Margaret Kyd, Miss Katie Woodford, Mr Jacob Aquino and our Year 10 Immersion students for being outstanding ambassadors for our College.

Enjoy the holidays. Stay safe and best wishes to our Year 12 students commencing their final College examinations. 

God bless.

Ms S Rainford

(Principal)