The Newman Selective Gifted Education Program

De La Salle College Ashfield is committed to addressing the individual learning needs of each student in our care. It is our aim at the College to provide support for our Gifted and Talented students in a variety of educational settings.These students are offered a broad range of opportunities, stimulation and experiences that develop their potential and satisfy their individual learning needs. We seek to motivate and engage accelerated learners in our College community.

De La Salle College Ashfield is a member school of the Sydney Catholic Schools Newman Research Project. This project has been developed by Sydney Catholic Schools to cater for the significant learning needs of Gifted and Talented students. The Newman class for the project includes students who have been identified as highly capable in the key learning areas of Science, Mathematics, English and HSIE. 

The Newman class is available to all students who meet the selection criteria. This identification process is based on various forms such as pre-testing including Robert Allwell and Associates assessment, teacher nominations, parent nominations, student interest surveys and external testing. Student placement in this class is reviewed on a regular basis. 

The College takes great pride in assisting those students selected for the Newman Selective Gifted Education Project by creating a Professional Learning Community made up of a  designated Newman Leader of Learning, classroom teachers of the Newman classes and all College staff members. Together we offer mentorship to the students, differentiate curriculum so learning occurs at an appropriate level of extension and liaises with parents to ensure that the Newman Selective Gifted Education Program is part of a home-school partnership and is academically challenging and engaging.

When considering if your son may qualify for this exciting and rewarding project you might dwell on the words of Baska (1989), 

“In general, gifted children display unusual cognitive behaviour from infancy. They may use abstract thought at an early age, process information quickly and display persistence in areas of interest. They may have especially well-developed memory, early language development, curiosity, a preference for independent work and the ability to generate original ideas. Affective characteristics observed in the gifted often include concern with justice, mature moral reasoning, a keen sense of humour and high levels of energy coupled with emotional intensity”.