The Lumen Bulletin - Week One Term One

Welcome to the 2024 Academic Year

As we come to the end of our first week of Term One, I would like to welcome you all to the 2024 academic year and extend a particularly warm welcome to all those students and families who are new to our College.

On Wednesday our Year 7 students, and all students in Year 8-12 who are new to the College, started their Lumen journey. These students have shown initiative and enthusiasm, with many staff already commenting on their engagement and commitment to learning. It is wonderful to see so many smiling faces as the students make new friends and settle into College life. On Thursday, we welcomed back our returning Year 8-12 students. As a College, we look forward to continuing to build strong partnerships with families and supporting new students with their transition into the Lumen community.

A crucial aspect of the holistic education of all students is the home-school partnership. Over the coming weeks, we will hold several Parent Information Nights which I encourage all parents and caregivers to attend. These Parent Information Nights offer a variety of workshops addressing a range of topics designed to help parents and caregivers to support their child’s education. There will also be an opportunity for parents to engage in conversation and share common approaches to managing their child’s online use.

Another important opportunity for developing the parent-school partnership is through the Parent Voice. The first meeting of Parent Voice for the year will take place on Thursday, 8 February at 5.30pm in the Discovery Centre. On behalf of the Parent Voice, I invite you to attend this meeting if you would like to further develop your involvement with the College. You can also join the Parent Voice Facebook group via this link.

As the term progresses, we look forward to the many exciting opportunities that will be offered. To find out what’s planned for Term One, please access the College calendar via this link.

Each fortnight, the College publishes the Lumen Bulletin highlighting some of the most recent activities, events and learning opportunities that have taken place. I encourage you to read through these bulletins to keep up to date with College news and events. You can also find regular updates on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Please enjoy reading the following items which provide a snapshot of our first week of term, as well as some useful information for those who are new to the College.

God Bless.

Karen Prendergast
College Principal

As a community, we congratulate and acknowledge the Class of 2023 on their outstanding academic achievements last year. Regardless of their individual pathways, or post-school destinations, each of our students worked diligently to achieve success in order to set them up for the future. As a group, 94.3% of our Year 12 students achieved their WACE, the highest percentage of students of any Year 12 cohort across the past five years. Of our 145 Year 12s, 78.6% of them achieved a Certificate II, III or IV to open up a range of possibilities to further their education beyond their time at Lumen. From the students who generated an ATAR score by studying four or more ATAR courses, 20% of them achieved an ATAR score above 90, with a further 65.3% of students generating an ATAR between 60 and 90. In total, 60 of our students applied to study at a Western Australian university in 2024, of which 88.7% of them were offered a place. As a College, we are incredibly proud of the efforts of each of our students and wish them every success for their future endeavours.

Sheldon McIntyre
Deputy Principal Senior School

On Wednesday, we welcomed our Year 7 students as they commenced their first day of secondary schooling. Students started the day with a year group assembly, before spending the rest of the day in their Houses. They focussed on getting to know each other and familiarising themselves with key secondary schooling resources such as their locker, SEQTA, timetable and laptop. On Thursday, the College held our first whole school assembly where the Year 7 students were formally welcomed into the College with the Year 12 students forming a guard of honour for them.

On Wednesday, 24 January our Year 12 students kicked off their final year at Lumen Christi College with their Year 12 Ball. This year's Ball was held at the Hyatt Regency in Perth, and was a fantastic and memorable event. It was wonderful to see the students so happy and looking so beautiful in their formal attire. Everyone had a great night filled with lots of dancing and fun. Such events are often cherished moments, creating lasting memories for everyone involved. It was a wonderful way to commence what will be the students' final year as Lumen Christi College students. Thank you to all staff that assisted to help make the night a success.

Lea-Anne Gaffney
Head of Year 12

As we begin the 2024 school year, we are excited to see the Year 7s and some of our other students in the new College uniform.

The new uniform is the result of many months of consultation and design by a large group of staff, students, and parents with a view to making the College uniform a contemporary and comfortable uniform for students to wear, while providing good value for money for parents through its durability and price point.

This week marks the beginning of a two-year transition from the old uniform to the new uniform and as such, any students who were at the College in 2023 can continue to wear the uniform until the beginning of 2026.

Accompanying the uniform change, is an update of the College’s Uniform and Presentation Guideline, which has been amended to reflect feedback from the community and aims to remove an ambiguity about the College’s expectations of student presentation.

The College uniform is an important symbol of the College’s values and wearing it correctly reflects a student’s commitment to and pride in belonging to the Lumen Christi College community. The Uniform and Presentation Guideline can be found here and I encourage parents and students to read through it carefully.

All students will continue to wear House uniform on a Wednesday but are reminded that they must wear the College uniform on other days.  

Caroline Watson
Deputy Principal Mission

From Monday, 5 February 2024, all primary and secondary school students with a valid Student SmartRider will be able to travel for free on Transperth services for any journey Monday to Friday, until the end of the school year.

Students must tag on and off, or they will receive a default fare. If their SmartRider goes into negative balance as a result, they will not have access to free travel.

Students located near the Armadale/Thornlie Line can now access their free travel via their Student SmartRider.

Note that the free travel initiative does not apply to the privately chartered buses that the College provides through Bus West.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What if I don’t get my Student SmartRider until the end of February?
Given some school students don’t get their SmartRiders until the end of February, if a student does not have a SmartRider on 5 February they will be allowed to travel for free without a valid ticket, however, from 1 March students must have their Student SmartRider to travel for free or purchase a cash ticket. When students have received their Student SmartRider they should start using it immediately by tagging on and off each journey to avoid their SmartRider failing to activate.

2. Where can I find out more information about Student SmartRiders?
Visit www.transperth.wa.gov.au/smartrider/types-of-smartrider/student-smartrider for more information.

University Early Offer Program

Conditional Offer
If your predicted ATAR is less than five points above the ATAR score required for your course, you can still receive an early offer for a place at University.
You’ll need to achieve a final ATAR that meets course entry requirements and meets WACE, English and subject requirements for the course.

Unconditional Offer
If your predicted ATAR is five points above the required ATAR score for your selected course, you’ll receive an early offer to secure your place in semester 1, 2024. This should not be used as an opportunity to check out of your courses; keeping up with your academic rigour is encouraged, as you will still need to complete WACE and meet the English and subject requirements for the chosen course. Some universities offer a discount on student fees as an incentive to keep motivated as long as the predicted ATAR stays the same.

Rosa Nicholls
Careers Coordinator

View the College Calendar