LEADERSHIP ADDRESS

Dear Parents and Carers
This week our community has focused its attention on NAIDOC week and the wonderful contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to make to the life of this nation. As a school that views its diversity as ‘a source of strength and a sign of hope’ such a celebration is very important.
The importance, resilience and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages has been the focus of national celebrations marking NAIDOC Week 2017.

The 2017 theme - Our Languages Matter - aims to emphasise and celebrate the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

Some 250 distinct Indigenous language groups covered the continent at first significant European contact in the late eighteenth century. Most of these languages would have had several dialects, so that the total number of named varieties would have run to many hundreds.

Today only around 120 of those languages are still spoken and many are at risk of being lost as Elders pass on.

As a community committed to reconciliation, we also offered our support to the Recognise Campaign. The campaign, which is governed by Reconciliation Australia, is spearheading the movement for constitutional recognition. The Recognise campaign is recommending that Australians vote in a referendum to:

Remove section 25 – which says the states can ban people from voting based on their race.
Remove section 51(xxvi) – which can be used to pass laws that discriminate against people based on their race.
Insert a new section 51A – to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to preserve the Australian Government’s ability to pass laws for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Insert a new section 116A, banning racial discrimination by government.
Insert a new section 127A, recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were this country’s first tongues, while confirming that English is Australia’s national language.

It is widely known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a significant health gap when compared with non-Aboriginal Australians, primarily due to poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, poor housing and poor educational outcomes. There is also evidence that access to good health care is compromised. The purpose of constitutional recognition is to recognise Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and remove legal remnants of discrimination. According to the Lowitja Institute – Australia’s National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research, constitutional recognition will provide a sound foundation for addressing the social and economic determinants of health and wellbeing.

Support of the move towards constitutional recognition would be a logical next step in terms of advocating for health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Late last year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of St John Paul II’s iconic words to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Alice Springs on 29 November 1986. In acknowledgement of the anniversary, all Australians were strengthened and emboldened by a message of hope and a blessing received directly from the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Pope Francis wrote, “This anniversary affords me the happy opportunity to express my deep esteem for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for your ancient cultural heritage”. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is built on mutual respect and dignity.

Drawing upon St John Paul II’s words, Pope Francis reminds us that the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is precious, with much to offer the Catholic Church around the world.

"Your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear. Do not think that your gifts are worth so little that you should no longer bother to maintain them. Share them with each other and teach them to your children. Your songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages, must never be lost."

God bless

Simon Dash
Principal

HEADS OF COLLEGE ADDRESS

Dear Parents,
2017 Igloo.jpg

We have had a very calm start to the term with students returning to school ready to learn, full of enthusiasm and a persistent attitude when challenged. One example of this persistent was demonstrated when Prep 3 arrived at school to find that the Milk Carton Igloo they had been building had completely collapsed. We talk a lot about not giving up at Xavier and in this instance the Prep staff and students demonstrated this attitude without hesitation. They set to the task with the able assistance from Mr Chris Relf and as you can see from the picture below, their persistence resulted in some amazing results. Well done Prep.

This week we recognise and celebrate several special occasions in the school’s calendar. Some details of these events are shown below:

NAIDOC WEEK
The 2017 theme for NAIDOC Week - Our Languages Matter - aims to emphasise and celebrate the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song. We will be holding many events across the college on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to recognise this significant event in the Australian social calendar. These events will include activities focusing on Indigenous Language, Arts and Craft and Traditional Games. We will also come together as a P-12 community for our NAIDOC Week Liturgy on Wednesday 19th July, 9.15 am in the JPAC centre. Parents are very welcome to attend this special Liturgy.

2017 NAIDOC Week.jpg

BASTILLE DAY
On Friday, we will celebrate Bastille Day, France’s National Day, and acknowledge the College’s connection to France and particularly the French language. As part of a day of French themed activities, staff and students will be dressing up and enjoying some traditional French snacks. The Junior Years' students will also experience some traditional French games/arts and craft and stories. The Junior Years' parade will occur in GOA at approximately 9.45 am and parents are very welcome to attend this part of the day.

SVDP SLEEPOUT
Students and staff will be sleeping out this week at the school to raise awareness for the homelessness. The SVDP sleepout is an annual event and we thank Mrs Donnelly for her ongoing work towards raising awareness of social justice issues within our college. As a Jesuit school, we are called to act and recognise the poor and marginalised. We thank all staff and students who are involved in the SVDP sleepout.

2017 SVDP Sleepout.jpg

Some key reminders for the coming weeks:

Parent Teachers Interviews for Years 7-12 are being held on Tuesday 25 July from 3.30-7.30pm. Bookings can be made through the Parent teacher Online booking system. Semester Reports, as well as Trimester 2 Reports for years 9 & 10, can be found on the ParentPortal. If you are having trouble accessing the portal or the booking system please contact the school.
The Hervey Bay Primary District Athletics will be haled on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th July. Information has been sent home with students who have been selected to attend this carnival.
Catholic Education Week Mass will be held in JPAC from 9.30 am onwards on Wednesday 26th July. All parents are welcome to attend.

Heads of School – Russell Davey & Kerry Sidaway

FROM THE APRES

Catholic Education Week
Next week schools across Queensland will be celebrating all that is wonderful about Catholic education. This year’s theme is “Sharing the Journey.” The week gives us pause to reflect on the holistic nature of Catholic education, with the aim of educating the intellectual, emotional and physical aspects of all students. The highlight of the week will be our college Mass at 9:30 am in the Goa Performance and Activity Centre. To kick off the week, students are invited to attend Mass this weekend at St Joseph’s Church, Pilaba in their school uniforms to represent the college. Masses are Saturday at 6:00pm and Sunday at 7:00am and 9:00am.

Congratulations to Raemah Krause, Hayden Kubler and Brandon Govers who received their First Communion at the 9:00 Mass this past Sunday at St Joseph’s Church in Pialba. Following on from the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, this completes their initiation into the Catholic Church. It is a joy to see young people engaging in their faith life and seeking to share their faith in our Christian community.

2017 Confirmation.jpg

Jesuit Visitor
This week, the college welcomed a special visitor, Fr Gerry Healy, SJ. He spent the week visiting classrooms to talk to students about a variety of topics, with a particular focus on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home. The talks focussed on the sustainability of our planet with an emphasis on the need for balance among social, environmental and economic policies to guide our interactions with God’s creation. On behalf of the college, I would like to extend our warmest thanks to Fr Gerry for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his wisdom with our community.

2017 Fr Gerry Healy visit.jpg

OPERATION RIMAU COMMEMORATION

Recently some of the Hervey Bay community and cadets gathered at Dayman Park memorial to pay their respects to the 23 Z Special Unit operatives of Operation Rimau. Lachlan Relf and Meg Collier represented the College laying a wreath at the site.

Considered the tragic sequel to the successful Operation Jaywick, Operation Rimau was an aborted attack on Japanese shipping at Singapore Harbour in October 1944. The Z Special Unit operatives were sourced from the Fraser Island commando school, which trained more than 900 soldiers between 1943 and 1945. All 23 Z Special Unit operatives were killed during Operation Rimau, which was aborted just before the planned attack.

CAMPUS MINISTER

Magis Minis Cook up a storm
On Monday afternoon some of our Magis Minis along with assistance from our senior Social Justice and Action team cooked up some beautiful soups for our annual SVDP school sleep out this week. A big thank you to Mrs Liz Mee who volunteered her time to assist us. One of the most amazing things that Mrs Mee commented on was that all the students were such cheerful givers of their time. Thank you for your donations of ingredients and a big thankyou also to Rueben D’Arney who completed the onguard training to be a part of this afternoon of cooking. A community of men and women for and with others.

Blessings
Carmel Donnelly

2017 Magis Minis Soup.jpg

ROADWORKS ON ENDEAVOUR WAY
The asphalt will be laid on the new carpark on Endeavour Way at the back of the College on Saturday22 July, 2017. This will have to be left for a week before the line marking is done during the week beginning 31 July, 2017.

LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR PATHWAY CONNECTING ENDEAVOUR WAY PARKING TO BACK GATE
We encourage our community to write to Councillor David Lewis to support the proposed pathway to connect to our back gate entrance. You can email him directly: david.lewis@frasercoast.qld.gov.au

The extract below can be pasted into the email and adjusted accordingly. Thanks for your support.

Dear Cr Lewis,

LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR
PATHWAY CONNECTING ENDEAVOUR WAY PARKING TO
BACK GATE ACCESS OF XAVIER

I/ we write in support of the proposed pathway connecting the new and existing parking to the back gate access of Xavier Catholic College and would appreciate this next stage of the park development be considered as a priority.

Yours sincerely,

[name(s)]
[address]
[contact no.]
[email]

UNIVERSITY OPEN DATES
Below are open days for some Queensland Universities. For further information or for information on other tertiary options, please visit the relevant websites:

Australian Catholic University	Brisbane	Saturday 22 July	https://openday.acu.edu.au/
Bond University	Gold Coast	Saturday 22 July	https://bond.edu.au/open-day
Central Qld Uni	Brisbane	Thursday 10 August	https://www.cqu.edu.au/campaigns/open-days
Central Qld Uni	Bundaberg	Saturday 12 August	https://www.cqu.edu.au/campaigns/open-days
Griffith	All Campuses	Sunday 23 July	https://www.griffith.edu.au/college
James Cook	Townsville	Sunday 13 August	https://www.jcu.edu.au/open-day
QUT	Gardens Point	Sunday 30 July	https://www.qut.edu.au/study/events/qut-open-day
QUT	Caboolture	Sunday 20 August	https://www.qut.edu.au/study/events/qut-open-day
University of Queensland	St Lucia	Sunday 6 August	https://future-students.uq.edu.au/campus-tours
University of Queensland	Gatton	Sunday 20 August	https://future-students.uq.edu.au/campus-tours
University of Southern Qld	Toowoomba	Sunday 13 August	https://www.usq.edu.au/openday
University of Southern Qld	Ipswich	Saturday 2 September	https://www.usq.edu.au/openday
University of Southern Qld	Springfield	Sunday 20 August	https://www.usq.edu.au/openday
University of Sunshine Coast	Sippy Downs	Sunday 23 July	http://www.usc.edu.au/open-day

The Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) will be held at the RICC Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July between 10am and 4pm. TSXPO offers a wealth of information:

Find out the latest careers, courses and study options available
Advice on how to enrol
Opportunity to speak to admission staff
Meet with interstate and overseas exhibitors
Compare course offerings between different providers
Information on bursaries and scholarships
Costs involved with courses and studies
Attend a variety of seminars
GAP year and overseas work experiences
and a whole lot more!

Visit the TSXPO website for more information. http://www.careersevent.com/tsxpo/

Annie Sexton
Guidance Counsellor (Grades 8-12)

Xavier crew add some sparkle to "SPACE"!
Last Friday, Xavier students, Lachlan Grumley. Andrew Love and Cameron Payne traveled to St Joseph's Primary School, Childers, to volunteer their sound and lighting expertise for the school musical 'SPACE'.
Twila Whittingham, the musical director, said the "sound and lighting Equipment from Xavier added the sparkle and shine to the fantastic night....and gave every one of those 75 students a memory that will be part of them forever."

"Our three young Xavier Gentlemen were Phenomenal. What an absolutely shining testament to Xavier Catholic College and themselves. They displayed the utmost of patience and their skills were clearly visible to all who saw them "in action."

Cameron Payne said "We had an amazing time, hitting the ground running at 7:30am and didn't stop until after 9 that night. What an experience, the show was fantastic! Thank you to the wonderful staff at St Joeys for welcoming us with open arms. The St Joeys students did an amazing job."

2017 SPACE.jpg

TUTORING ROSTER
We encourage our students to take advantage of our free tutoring sessions. These sessions have changed slightly from Semester One.

2017 Tutoring timetable S2.jpg

RECYCLED FASHION Recycled fashion2017.jpg

Year 12 Creative Arts students have been working on a collaborative task this term based on the theme of waste in clothing manufacture. The scenario devised was that the world has suffered a man made disaster as a result of poor management of manufacturing processes and waste disposal. Students had to come up with a garment that did not rely on new materials for its manufacture. The garment is made of used fabric that has been printed and dyed. The embellishments are all waste products from manufacturing processes, with the idea of reusing materials that might otherwise end up in land fill. The students enjoyed the process of working together to produce this garment and have become more aware of the cost to the environment of the current trend for fast fashion.

ART COMPETITION
2017 Art competition.jpg

TUCKSHOP HELP
We are calling for assistance from parents and guardians to offer some of their time to assist in the tuckshop lunch preparations. Either pop in during the day or you can contact Liz Mee via email. lmee@bne.catholic.edu.au

SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS
As you know volunteers are an integral part of our school. Many parents are already volunteering in our school community and contributing to helping our students in many different ways.

The below process is for those parents who would like to volunteer or who are volunteering but have NOT completed the volunteer training this year.

Please be aware the College is legally required to ensure all volunteers have completed the Volunteer Student Protection training before they engage in any volunteer duties.

If you have any question or require additional information please do not hesitate to contact either Libby Gaedtke, Melinda Fowler or Alicia Miles.

Library News… Junior School Book Club… Orders due Friday 28th July!
We are excited to have distributed Issue 5 of Scholastic Book Club this week. It’s jam-packed with over 350 titles at low prices, with something to interest everyone. Hopefully you have all had a chance to view it by now… if not, it is available online at http://www.scholastic.com.au/schools/bookclub/. All orders are to be placed using LOOP, the Scholastic Book Clubs Linked Online Ordering & Payment platform for Parents. This is a safe and easy method which eliminates the need for paper order forms and cash payments. Each Book Club order helps earn free books and teaching materials for our school. We hope our students enjoy Scholastic Book Club and they find lots of fantastic titles to read!

If you have any questions, please contact us:

Graham Bebington (Teacher Librarian)
Email: Graham.Bebington@bne.catholic.edu.au
Malina Blackley (Library Aide)
Email: mblackley@bne.catholic.edu.au

Loop book club.jpg

SPORTS NEWS

XAVIER BASKETBALL
Well done our Xavier basketballers in their opening encounter of the Fraser Coast Schools Competition. A 57-6 win for our Middle School boys and 25-5 win to the Senior squad. Tremendous defensive effort from both sides and wonderful team passing display. Thanks to the coaches Ms Nicholson, Mr Ninnes, and Xavier Alumni, Zac Lund.

Intermediate Team : Jack Sinn 14pts, Levi Snell 12pts, Dylan Mannion 9pts, Jasper Wright 8pts, Isaac Donnell 6pts, Mitchell Bowers 4pts and Garrett Moore 4pts.
Open Team: Jack Savage 8pts, Ben Barker 4pts, Patrick Stewart 4pts, Tom Cadden 4pts, Lachie Espulso 2pts, Jaiden Davis 2pts, Jeremy Hinton 1pt.

2017 Basketball Week 1.jpg

WIDE BAY REPS
Robbie Borsboom and Harry Armstrong recently competed at the State U/12 Rugby League titles in Townsville. Robbie began with a stellar opening match against Northern, earning best and fairest on field, but unfortunately his carnival was cut short when he broke his thumb during the 2nd game. Harry also earned a best and fairest nod for his performance in Game 3 against Met North. Definitely bright futures in the sport, well done boys.

Wide Bay Reps.jpg

2017 ALL Schools Oztag
Last weekend Xavier Catholic College competed in the 2017 ALL Schools Oztag competition at the Sunshine Coast. Only in its second year, the tournament has doubled in size. Our Open Mixed, Year 9 Boys and Year 9 Girls teams played three days of Oztag against schools from all over the state, as far away as Cunnamulla and Palm Island.

The Year 9 Boys teams were represented by students in Grades 9, 8 and 7. Playing their games with one or no subs, the boys played with an attitude of consistency, working hard and never never giving up. Fantastic ball handling skills, length of the field try-saving chases and commitment to working as a team saw them win a number of their games. They should be very proud of their efforts throughout the entire tournament.

The Year 9 Girls team was also represented by students in Grades 9, 8 and 7. The girls played a strong tournament at a level well above their previous carnival. They can all hold their heads high as most of their games came down to the wire and were often drawn or lost right on full time. The girls made it to the finals but were knocked out by the team that ended up winning the Grand Final. As a whole, they exceeded their coach’s expectations – well done.

The Open mixed team played a very fast-paced game with many spectacular tries and tags being taken. Special mention goes to our Year 10 girls playing in the Open Mixed team. They competed in the Year 12 Boys competition, only once playing against another mixed team. These girls held their own in the boys’ competition, scoring a number of tries along the way – well done girls! Overall the Opens made their way to the Plate Grand Final. They fought hard but unfortunately didn’t walk away with a win. However, each of them can be proud of their own game and the leadership and support they gave to our younger players – well done team!

Attending staff were very impressed with the level of commitment and hard work shown by all players at each game, along with the support they gave other Xavier teams in each of their games. As manager, I would like to give special thanks to Mr Michael Thompson, Miss Kate Duffield, Mr Craig Glover and Mr Troy Brien for their assistance in helping our Xavier students enjoy a fantastic weekend of Oztag. Many thanks must also go to the parents for their help and support throughout the weekend to create a fantastic carnival enjoyed by all.

Mrs Kath Thompson

2017 All Schools OzTag.jpg

Sunny Coast All Schools Touch
Xavier will have 6 teams competing at the Sunny Coast All Schools touch carnival on this Sunday 23rd July at Glass House Mountains. Students have been training Tuesday and Thursday mornings for some time now and are well prepared to play to potential this Sunday. A big thank you to our 5 volunteer referees: Jodie Houlistion, Phillipa Wright, Bel France, Meg Moore and Cree Forster. Good luck to all our hard working touch football students.

Middle/Senior Athletics
A reminder of the schedule of events for athletics over the next 2 weeks:

DAY	TIME	EVENTS
Thursday 20th July	10:40-11:20am	1500m Events (All Age Groups)
Friday 21st July	12:45-3:00pm	3 x Field Event Rotations (All Age Groups)
Monday 24th July	10:40-11:20am	3000m Events (Not for Age Championship points)
Tuesday 25th July	10:40-11:20am	800m Events (All Age Groups)
Thursday 27th July	1:30-3:00pm	200m Events (All Age Groups) All-Age Shuttle Relay
Friday 28th July	8:40am - 3:00pm	Athletics Day

Families are invited to come and watch students compete at any of the above dates. We look forward to seeing you there.

TRIVIA NIGHT

All parents and friends are invited to attend this year’s Parish Youth Ministry Fund Raiser Trivia Night at Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School on Saturday 29th July, from 6:00pm.

Tickets are $20 per person and include dinner (supplied by El Shaddai Parish Group) and a complimentary drink (wine or beer) upon arrival. A cash bar will be available throughout the night.

Tickets will be sold individually or tables of 10 will be available. All tickets must be pre-purchased. Please call Star of the Sea Catholic School on 4125 1220 to purchase your ticket.

There will be a number of raffles on the night and some of the prizes include:

2 nights accommodation (including breakfast and ferry transfer) for 2 people at Kingfisher Bay Resort
Fraser Island Eco Sail Adventure Family Pass onboard Blue Dolphin
4 x $25 vouchers toThe Torquay Hotel
3 x Family Passes to theHervey Bay Aquarium
$100 Gift Voucher from VIP Lawns & Gardens
1000 Business Card Package from The Sticker Company
$20 Gift Voucher from Ron Morgan
$70 Hair Package Voucher from All About You Hair Design

MS SWIMATHON
Please join and support this MS Swimathon team! Anyone, any age, any fitness, we have a team of all ages.
Swim a little, swim a lot, or stay dry and count laps...and moral support!

Hervey Bay event Sunday 17th September, 2017.

You will find Chunky Dunks Team on the website this Friday, go to:
https://www.msswimathon.com.au/swim-locations/hervey-bay

MS Swimathon.jpg

Get Started Vouchers
Get Started Vouchers - funding to help young people participate
Round 10 opens for voucher applications on 12 July 2017.

https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/getinthegame/getstarted/

Refer a young person for a Get Started Voucher
Where you know a child/young person who does not have access to a Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card but requires financial support to join their local sport or recreation club, you may wish to refer them to the program.

Welcome to Xavier Catholic College - Hervey Bay