Newman Program

“Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of education.”

– Martin Luther King Jr 

We have already had a fantastic start to the year in the Newman Program for 2025, with our girls participating in opportunities to demonstrate their intelligence and character on a local stage. Students and teachers from across the school have volunteered to provide enrichment opportunities for our ‘Mercy Girls’. 

We have a group of students out competing in the Rostrum Voice of Youth and Sydney Catholic Schools Public Speaking Competitions, with huge thanks going to Mrs Kamp for her support and encouragement of these girls. Saoirse O’Brien in Year 9 recently competed in the Rostrum Voice of Youth regional final, receiving positive feedback from adjudicators and the audience.

Debating has been in full swing, with OLMC hosting and attending debating events for the Catholic Schools Debating Association competition. Not only does participation reflect students’ responsibility, but we have received beautiful feedback on the character our girls have demonstrated during these events, with one adjudicator commenting:   

“…it was the first Year 7’s that were so polite in their rebuttals… I also wanted to thank you for your timekeepers – your students did an amazing job.”

Again, many thanks go to Mrs Kamp for her organisation of Debating and Public Speaking, and the explicit teaching of our Mercy values which has become a defining feature of OLM students. 

Students have also shown resilience and tenacity in their application to the Da Vinci Decathlon training. Each Wednesday lunch and Thursday Sport-time, students have been dedicating their time to collaborating and preparing for the illustrious Da Vinci Decathlon to be held at Knox Grammar School in Week 4. This is a truly intellectually rigorous experience and we look forward to seeing the girls succeed in this competition. 

Lastly, we have had a growing group of interested students creating a Book Club, which is to be held regularly in the Library at Recess on Friday Week B. These students have been discussing and borrowing books, based on peer and teacher recommendations. It has been beautiful to see their joy and enthusiasm about reading! We are looking forward to some collaboration with Book Clubs in the Sydney Catholic Schools South East Precinct in the future. 

There are many opportunities for our girls to shine at OLM, as they are empowered to share their gifts with their learning colleagues and the wider community. We are especially looking forward to the 2025 OLM Newman Symposium, with the first planning day being held at the end of the term on June 26.

Most of all, we are looking forward to seeing our Mercy Girls continue to build and share their gifts.  

Newman Facilitators:

Kate Berger 

Ellouise Bernie

Lisa Romberg