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From the pen of the Principal

​Dear Parents and Caregivers,  

Fancy a little humour? Well, try this:

Standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand, the School Principal said, “Listen, this is a very sensitive and important document and my secretary has finished for the day. Can you make this thing work?" “Certainly," said the young teacher. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper and pressed the start button. “Excellent, excellent!" said the Principal as his paper disappeared inside the shredder machine. “I just need one copy."

Perhaps the moral from this slightly dark incident might be that not being aware can be costly sometimes.

Parenting can be a tough and thankless job. Often, we say that we need to be aware of everything that's going on in our children's lives but sometimes our lack of awareness can be costly to our children. Here is an old riddle: Five frogs were sitting on a log. Four decided to jump off. How many were left? Answer: Five. Why? Because there's a difference between deciding and doing.

To be “aware" parents and maintain harmony within our family, we need to have a proper set of family rules, understandings or expectations that are based on our family values. For example, if one of our expectations is for our children to maintain good results at school, we need to have what could be called preventative rules such as completing daily homework, limits on T.V. and Internet access time, balance of sporting, cultural and social activities with study time. For our part, we need to maintain regular contact with teachers to monitor progress rather than wait till the end of a whole semester.

If we set rules and create a structure that assists children along the way, it maximises their chances for success. For us, it allows us to be involved so that we can be aware of problems early and resolve them before they become overwhelming.

Of course, the hardest yet most important thing for parents to do, is to be consistent. If our rules or understandings are not enforced, it's the same as not having them at all and can undermine the effectiveness and structure of our family. Our children need to know that they can count on us to be consistent and dependable. They need to know that we are still not sitting on the log.

Letting things slide until they become big things, will create confusion and resentment in our children. We need to consistently follow through on what we have said, for only then will our rules and understandings be consistently followed.

Quite often we fail to give our children, particularly if they are in their teens, guidelines and boundaries because we are afraid of confrontation. However, we cannot afford to shirk our responsibilities, be log sitters, simply for the sake of keeping the peace. Topics such as sexual behaviour, underage drinking, drugs, group violence and other uncomfortable subjects that we might choose to ignore or make light of, hoping that such issues will not affect our family. The consequences of these issues can be frightening, devastating even deadly. Just as the “important and sensitive document" was swallowed by the shredder, because of “unawareness", so too, can our children be lost to us and deprived of their future if we are afraid to move out of our comfort zone and be proactive parents.

“God, our Father, help us to have the courage of Your Son, Jesus, when we are confronted by the difficult aspects of parenting. As with Your Son, we know that the reward will be great if we accept the responsibilities that are ours alone. Please be with us all the way. Amen."

Blessings and Peace

Simon Dash

Principal

Head of School - Primary - Russell Davey

Parent Teacher Interviews P-6

Bookings are open now for P-6 Parent Teacher Interviews, being held 7-11 March and 14-18 March. Bookings close 3 March 3pm. If you miss out on booking, there are no suitable times or you have queries, please email your child's teacher directly. This video is to assist in accessing the Parent Portal online to make your PTO booking. This can also be done via the BCE Connect App.

Head of School – Secondary – Ursula Witham-Young

Quality Teaching

We know at Xavier that quality teaching is the key to our students' success. We have highly skilled and innovative teachers who are passionate about learning. One of our strategic intents is to advance the performance of all or our staff in a collaborative and supportive learning environment enabling them to flourish as professionals for the benefit of our students. We are committed to supporting our teachers to continually improve their teaching practice and content knowledge. To achieve this aim, we have invested energy and resources into an innovative approach to professional learning. It is our intention to further implement transparent teacher observations focused on feedback to improve instruction. Our academic staff are currently focusing on their professional growth through this year and are meeting with members of the college leadership team to discuss how we can support them to flourish.

Positive Psychology at Xavier

Positive Psychology is a scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive by building on their strengths and virtues. It is built on the belief that people want to lead meaningful lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work and play. It also emphasizes the need to develop good and decent people as well as a civil society by promoting meaning and virtue and overcoming and transforming the negatives. Our Deans of House/Pastoral Care have been studying the work of Professor Martin Seligman (and others in this field) to help broaden our understanding of resilience and emotional wellbeing. Positive emotions are vehicles for individual growth and social connection: by building these resources, positive emotions transform us for the better. More to come soon!

Secondary Collaborative Planning Days

In 2022, our secondary staff have additional Collaborative Planning days, these days are now on our college calendar and will appear as Student Free Days. The two dates are the 24^th June and the 11^th July. There will be no supervision for secondary students available on these days.

Absences during school time – Attendance Matters

It is important for families and students to understand the implications of absences during term time. The academic program necessitates teaching and assessing, and this is ongoing up until the final days of term. Absences can be detrimental to your child's learning so where possible, these need to be limited.  

Mask Mandates and Bus Travel

As you would be aware, from 6pm on Friday 4^th March there is an easing of restrictions in QLD. It means that masks will no longer be required in schools, including for staff, students and visitors. However, masks are still required on public transport. Please see information from QLD Health. Wide Bay Transit has asked that we make you aware that as these are the QLD regulations, it is important that students from next week have a mask that they can wear on the bus.

With every blessing.

Ursula Witham-Young​

Upcoming Dates

​2023 Enrolment Applications

We are now receiving applications for the 2023 academic year.  Parents seeking enrolment of children for Prep 2023 and Year 7, 2023 are invited to submit an Online Enrolment Application.  This can be found under the ENROLMENTS tab at www.xavier.qld.edu.au​.  For further information about enrolment at Xavier Catholic College, please contact the Enrolments Officer, Michelle Dougherty, on 4197 1177 (select option 3) or email: enrolmentsxavier@bne.catholic.edu.au​

Homework Hub

WHEN:            Wednesday 3-4:30

WHAT:             Come for a little or a long time

WHO:              All students 7-12

HOW:              Supervised by Teachers

WHERE:           Library

The Homework Hub is a safe, supportive and productive student meetup out of school hours to assist students in completing their homework. Homework clubs provide vital support for students who do not otherwise have the help that they need or just want a quiet place to study with free Wi-fi.

Homework Hub can provide:

• a safe, quiet and calm space for students to concentrate

• a supportive environment

• one to one or small group support

• a chance to share knowledge

• work collaboratively on assessment

• an opportunity to build relationships

• an opportunity to develop good work habits and a positive attitude towards learning

• the chance to develop skills involved in becoming an independent learner

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Ash Wednesday – 2 March 2022 

This week the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

The theme of Project Compassion 2022 is 'For All Future Generations' and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion.

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Media Consent

At Xavier we take the media consent of our students very seriously. There are three levels of Media Consent that you can choose for your child. None (No Consent), Your School Community (Limited Consent) and Public (Broad Consent). Due to the public nature of our College Social Media (Facebook) and Newsletter (Public Website) if your child's consent is stipulated as 'Your School Community' they will not be able to appear in these forums.

We would like to remind you that you can easily review your child's current media status via the parent portal or BCE Connect app (My Students tile).

Should you wish to change your child's consent status please contact Michelle Dougherty, Xavier Enrolments enrolmentsxavier@bne.catholic.edu.au 

Enrichment Program

Students in Year 3 have been enjoying their Enrichment Program lessons with Mrs Relf this term.  We started off by considering the role of 'leaders in the Early Years' and how we can lead by example for the students in Prep-2.  We are now identifying factors and strategies that assist our learning.  We have discussed the following learning dispositions: Resilient and Persistent learners; Flexible and Reflective learners; Motivated and Independent learners.  With a range of hands-on activities and group work, each lesson we think about how these learning dispositions can be applied to our everyday schooling as well as bigger challenges in our lives.

PSDE

During PSDE lessons this week Year 4 were busy discussing what it means to be kind.  Each class brainstormed their ideas and created their own kindness poster.  These charts are ways students have suggested for kindness to be shown throughout their day.

Narwari Mission Awareness

Narwari Mission Awareness focuses on our patron, Edmund Rice, and our charity is Caritas Australia. Caritas, with our support, are able to work alongside the most marginalised and remote communities in Australia and overseas to address the challenges of poverty today.

Narwari Mission Day is on Thursday 10th March – during the lunch breaks on this day there will be activities to heighten awareness of Caritas worldwide and raise funds for their annual Project Compassion campaign.

Together, we can work towards a just world for all.

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Auditions for Downtown

It's Here! It's happening! Secondary students, you are invited to audition for this year's blockbuster musical “Downtown". There is room in the cast for whomever might like to participate.

Auditions for vocalists will be on Friday the 4th of March at first break in Room 38 (Drama Room) and will continue on Monday the 7th of March. These first auditions are intended for those who might like to take a main or a minor singing role. If you are not a strong singer, don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunity for participation as an actor in the chorus. Acting auditions will occur at a later time.

The auditions next week will simply require you to sing a section of a song (the recommended one is “Downtown") which shows your vocal capabilities clearly. (Vocal range, clarity, tone).

https://youtu.be/Zx06XNfDvk0

https://youtu.be/k6E6zZy0B5M  

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Lions Youth of the Year

A huge congratulations to our College Vice Captain Isabella Jensen who last weekend participated in the Hervey Bay Lions Youth of the Year Competition.

Students in the competition must first complete a lengthy application about their interests and achievements. On the judging day, they experience a panel interview and answer questions about themselves and the world around them. Finally, students are asked two impromptu questions before presenting a 5 minute speech on a subject of their choice. Isabella won the Public Speaking competition with a speech on “Parliamentary Privilege". She was an outstanding representative of Xavier Catholic College with many Lions congratulating her afterwards on her well prepared speech and impromptus, friendliness and positive approach. Well done Isabella!

Year 12 Health Class Initiative – Run4Charity

Year 7-12 Semester 1 Maths Tutoring Timetable

All students are welcome to attend any and all tutoring sessions they want. Please bring your Maths books and have the questions ready to ask the teacher. While the time is not for strictly one-on-one tutoring, students are welcome to stay for as long as they need to ensure all questions are answered. Tutoring is also a great environment for students to complete their Maths homework while having easy access to a Maths teacher when questions arise. Looking forward to seeing you at tutoring!

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Maths Pathway

Our goal for cycle 1 this year was book work and accuracy, to allow extra time to focus on this only 4 modules were assigned this cycle. If students wished to complete more had the option to ask for more. As you can see below students have done very well this cycle with their accuracy. Well done!

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SPORTS NEWS

Hervey Bay District Cluster 2 Trials

These trials were postponed from Monday 28th February to Thursday 3rd March due to the severe weather conditions in SE QLD impacting attendance and facility safety. We wish all students the best of luck who are attending these trials.

Secondary Swimming Carnival

Our Years 7-12 Swimming Carnival is scheduled for Tuesday 15th March at the Hervey Bay Aquatic Centre. This is a COMPULSORY day for all students. Buses will be running from Xavier to the pool and return to cater for students who require transport. We do encourage students to arrange private transport to and from the pool as the priority option. Students are required to be at the pool for an 8:40am start and will need to enter the pool grounds via the back gate (adjacent to the car park). The day concludes at 2:30pm. 12yr old Year 7's will compete on the day to earn points for their House but Age Champions are not awarded for this age group (12yr old Age Champions are awarded at the Primary School carnival in Term 4 where 12yr old Year 7's have an opportunity to compete if they wish). Our interhouse carnivals are inclusive where all students are able to participate according to their ability level. Houses will have a dress-up theme and the day is always a lot of fun. Please find a draft schedule for the day.