PRINCIPAL’S ADDRESS
Dear Parents/Carers,
Parental Engagement Committee
As a means of promoting consultation, communication and feedback, last year we established a Parental Engagement Committee (PEC). Being a member enables you to contribute ideas for school/community operations, as well as get answers to questions or concerns you may have in a small group setting. It is a well-known fact that being an involved parent can help to make your child's school experience be a more positive one. Meetings frequently serve an information function, but parents are encouraged to share global concerns or ask questions about the school curriculum, instruction, policies and procedures. The goal of the PEC is to broaden parent/community involvement in our school.
Parent Engagement Committees build parent engagement by:
- providing the school leadership with advice on parent engagement and how to communicate with parents;
- learning about proposed changes to school policy, procedures and operations and provide feedback from a parent perspective;
- developing strategies and initiatives to help the school leadership engage more parents in their children's learning at home and at school;
- sharing information with, and supporting the work of the school leadership;
- advising staff in developing and implementing local program policies, activities, and services;
- planning, conducting, and participating in information as well as formal programs and activities for parents and staff.
The Parent Engagement Committee (PEC) will meet once a Term for about 90 minutes. ALL parents and carers are welcome to attend. This is your opportunity to help make a difference in our school and our community.
Our first meeting will be held on Monday 26th March from 3.30pm to 5.00pm in Campion Theatre.
School Improvement Audit
In June this year Xavier Catholic College will be undergoing an external audit based on the National School Improvement Framework. This will be a critical review from which a new Strategic Plan will be developed.
In preparation, we wish to hear from all parents, students and staff. Last year we launched a very successful Community Satisfaction Survey which helped shape many new directions for the College including our new Responsible Behaviour Policy.
This year we are partnering with the University of Southern Queensland for our data gathering. USQ have developed a survey tool which aligns with the National School Improvement Framework. The survey tool is called the Diagnostic Inventory of School Alignment (DISA).
Your support in completing the survey is crucial to our future planning. Only when we hear all voices can we plan for long-lasting and sustainable improvement. Click the below image to complete the survey.
After this you will see a welcome page and you click on the dropdown box on the left-hand side to choose your survey (Parent, Student or Staff). The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete and it will be open for the next few weeks to give people the time and opportunity to have their say.
My thanks to you in anticipation.
God Bless
Simon Dash
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Please note the following upcoming events:
14/03/2018 Year 5 Camp
14/03/2018 P-12 Narwari Assembly
15/03/2018 Year 11/12 Legal Studies Supreme Court Brisbane visit
15/03/2018 Year 7-10 A&TSI Boys To Men Program
16/03/2018 National Day of Action against Bullying & Violence
16/03/2018 Year 6 Parish Mass at Howard
16/03/2018 Years 4-7 AFL Gala Day
17/03/2018 Year 7-12 FCAC 7's Rugby Union & 5-a-Side Netball
19/03/2018 St Joseph's Feast Day
20/03/2018 Holy Week Prayer Stations
21/03/2018 P & F Meeting AGM
22/03/2018 Holy Week Prayer Stations
22/03/2018 Year 7-10 A&TSI Boys To Men Program
22/03/2018 Principal's Afternoon Tea
23/03/2018 Year 5/6 Gala Day
26/03/2018 Holy Week Prayer Stations
27/03/2018 Year 7 Parent Evening for Maths Pathway
28/03/2018 Xavier Day & P-12 Parlauf Relay
29/03/2018 P-12 Cross-Country
29/03/2018 Easter Liturgy
29/03/2018 Holy Thursday
29/03/2018 Last Day of Term 1
29/03/2018 Year 7-10 A&TSI Boys To Men Program
30/03/2018 GOOD FRIDAY
31/03/2018 EASTER SATURDAY
01/04/2018 EASTER SUNDAY
02/04/2018 EASTER MONDAY
03/04/2018 SCHOOL VACATION
04/04/2018 Commonwealth Games to 15 April
16/04/2018 Student Free Day
HEADS OF SCHOOL ADDRESS
This Friday is 'National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence', and as a school we will be acknowledging this day of action.
As a Catholic School in the Ignatian tradition, Xavier Catholic College believes that a student’s wellbeing is paramount. That is, in order for students to learn to the best of their ability and to extend personal growth, they must have a safe and friendly environment in which to spend their time.
To read more about Xavier's Anti Bullying & Harrassment Policy, please follow the link to the document.
Anti_Bully_Brochure_XAVIER_FINAL.pdf
Parent Teacher Interviews for Years 7 to 12I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and guardians to log into the College Portal and access their student's Term One Interim Reports and where necessary book a time to meet with teachers about your son/daughter’s progress this term.
The interviews will be held in GOA on Tuesday 20th March from 3.30pm to 8.00pm. It is a great time to celebrate success and address any concerns so that the students are in a great position to have a successful year.
Parent Teacher Interviews P-6
Parent teacher Interviews will conclude for Term 1 at the end of this week. A very big thank you to all parents who have engaged in this important process and taken the opportunity to discuss their student/students’ progress in the classroom. Please do not hesitate to contact the College should you wish to discuss a matter further or if you wish to book a follow-up appointment with a teacher.
Year 5 Camp
Year 5 students and their class teachers head off on camp this week to Maranatha on the Sunshine Coast. Challenging students to achieve their best and asking students to form connections with their classmates are just two of the key themes for this activity-based camp. It is a wonderful experience and we look forward to hearing about their adventures at Assembly next week. Thanks to all the staff who have been involved in putting together the camp program.
Sporting Success at XCC
Congratulations to Colton Blyth who has been contesting the 2017/2018, 7 to 9 years Queensland Gatorade Triathlon series. On the weekend of 3rd and 4th March, the 7th and final round was held in Raby Bay.
Colton competed in 6 of the 7 rounds finishing with 1 Bronze, 1 Silver and 4 Gold medals. His combined points score saw him finish the series on equal points with his nearest competitor and this result led to him sharing the 2017-2018 series championship Gold Medal. Well done to Colton for what is truly an amazing achievement.
Please continue to share with the College stories of student success. Whether it be on the sporting field, in the Arts or another area we are always keen to hear about students who are striving to do their best.
ENROLMENTS OPEN FOR PREP AND YEAR 7 SIBLINGS FOR 2019
Applications
for Enrolment for ‘Non-Xavier’ siblings of our current families going
into Prep and Year 7, 2019 are now being taken.
We
encourage our current families, if they have not already done so, to
submit their enrolment application as soon as possible to ensure that
your place is confirmed before we open enrolments to the wider
community.
This process is being conducted to ensure all of our current families have prior access to a Prep or Year 7 position in 2019.
You are able to submit your application as a hard copy or
online via our website. A Prospectus with an enrolment application is available
from the Front Office. We are also conducting a
Principal’s Tour on Thursday 22nd March between 9am to 12 noon. If you would like to come along, please ring to register your name.
OFFICE OPENING HOURS DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
The
School Office will be closed from 30th March to 6th April, 2018. The
Office re-opens from Monday 9th April to Thursday 12th from 9.00am to
3.00pm. The office will re-open at midday, Monday 16th April, which is
a Pupil-free day.
XAVIER DAY 28 MARCH, 2018
Xavier
Day will be celebrated by our school community on Wednesday 28th
March. Parents and families of students from P-6 are invited to share
in our celelbrations this year by coming along for our "Lunch on the Lawn". Bring
along a picnic lunch and a blanket and join your child/children for an
early lunch from 10.35-11.15am. We would love to see you there!
THIS WEEK IS NARWARI MISSION WEEK - REMAINING ACTIVITIES
| | PRIMARY SCHOOL
| SECONDARY SCHOOL |
THURSDAY 15 MARCH
| Prep - Year 2 Carnival Games - 1st Break
(Goa)
| Icy Cups on sale all week.
Easter Raffle on sale all week. |
FRIDAY 16 MARCH
| Face Painting - 1st Break
(Goa)
| Jelly Eating Competition
Easter Raffle Drawn
(Outside Stage) |
PARENT PORTAL NEWS
Please log on and check your details.
LEADERSHIP THROUGH LIONS
On
3rd March students from the Fraser Coast area competed in the Regional
Finals of the Lions Youth of the Year Competition, held in Maryborough.
This long running competition develops leadership qualities in young
people and includes a panel interview, a five-minute prepared speech and
two impromptu speeches.
Congratulations to Year
12 students, Raemah Krause and Alexandria Pronk, who made it through to
the finals and were outstanding representatives of our College.
Both
girls demonstrated commitment, confidence and courage under pressure.
They spoke convincingly and articulately in response to the impromptu
topics which included:
- If you were the Queensland Premier for the day what would be your top priorities?
- What needs to change in the Australian Curriculum?
Well
done Alex and Raemah on continuing the tradition of Xavier students
being held in high regard and esteem by the Lions and Lioness members of
our community.
Would you like to enter in 2019?
The
Lions program encourages leadership, friendship, personal development,
citizenship, sportsmanship, public speaking and academic achievement. It
provides students with the opportunity to experience the interview
situation, meet other young people, meet leaders in the community,
present their own leadership qualities and speaking abilities and be
introduced to Lions community involvement. It also fosters communication
and understanding between students, teachers, parents and members of
the wider community.
Moreover, it showcases the best of
what this College has to offer: students who present their views with
passion, who demonstrate strong commitment and resilience, who conduct
themselves with great sportsmanship, poise and dignity and without
doubt, students who are seen by the wider community as worthy
Ambassadors of the College.
The National Youth will win
$5000 and a considerable travel prize which would normally amount to two
or three weeks travel. If you are in Year 11 and are interested in
entering the 2019 competition please attend the upcoming meetings
advertised in the notices or contact Ms Kliendienst:
jo.kliendienst@bne.catholic.edu.au
JUNIOR DEBATING WIN
Congratulations
to our Junior Debating team, Jasmine Miller, Sarah Garty, Jazmyn Hanily
and Lachlan Maag who won the first round of the Apex Debating
Competition at Aldridge State High School. The team debated the topic:
“That the internet does more harm than good”. As the negative team, they
needed to show all the benefits and positives the internet brings to
our lives. Their win was a great start to the debating season,
particularly as Lachlan and Jasmine had not debated before. Their
success was a result of enthusiasm, team effort, research and rehearsals
over many lunch breaks. On Tuesday 13th March, they took on Fraser
Coast Anglican College students arguing the topic: “That peer pressure
is beneficial to the individual”. We wish them the best of luck!
SENIOR LOCAL IMMERSIONAt
the beginning of this month six senior students took the risk and
immersed themselves into the life of our
marginalised members of society
in and around Brisbane. In the coming newsletters they will share this
experience and how they have
been changed by the people they met, the
activities they took part in and the experience as a whole. In this,
The Year of Youth, we are reminded that Jesus himself is the Lord of
risk and we too are asked to be more in our world, by taking
responsibility for it and transforming our world.
A
big thank you to Hervey Bay RSL for their support and for the time that
these students, Brianna Bagnall, Julia Sullivan, Hayley Kuilboer, Maddi
McGovern, Eleanor Beach and Mikaela Gray, gave of themselves by
participating in this immersion.
This
opportunity will be offered once more this year in October so please, if
you have a child in year 11 or 12 who would love to be a part of this
experience, please support them when it is advertised.
CARE AND CONCERN COMMITTEE GATHERING
This
Sunday the Care and Concern committee will be gathering at Arkarra Tea
Gardens for afternoon tea and a catch up. Food and drinks will be
available for purchase during the afternoon. If you are interested in
assisting in this committee please feel free to come and join us.
Please RSVP as per below.
Date: Sunday 18th March
Time: 2 pm – 4pm
Where: Arkarra Tea Gardens (28-34 Panorama Dr, Dundowran Beach QLD)
RSVP: cjdonnelly@bne.catholic.edu.au 41971165
PARISH YOUTH MINISTRY TEAM MEETING
WHEN: Sunday 18th March
TIME: 6pm – 8pm
WHERE: John Paul Centre next to the Church
WHO: Year 7 and above
RSVP: cjdonnelly@bne.catholic.edu.au 0448488443
It will be a simple rice meal to reflect Lent.
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL EXCURSIONThe annual Alliance Française French film festival has become one of the most popular events on the excursion calendar for our language students. This excursion took place last Friday 9th March, when our year 10, 11 and 12 French students set off to Brisbane for a voyage into the world of French cinema and an immersion into the language and the culture of the country for a short time.
Our first film was Belle et Sebastien 3, Le Dernier Chapitre. This is a heart-warming story of a 12 year old boy, Sebastien, who chooses not follow his father and his new wife to Canada. Instead he chooses to remain in the French Alps with his grandfather to watch over his dog, Belle, who has now become a mother to three beautiful pups. When a stranger arrives claiming to be Belle’s rightful owner, Sebastien finds himself in a position where he must protect his best friend and her little ones.
The next stage of our language adventure came in the form of a more serious movie, La Melodie. Plucking at the heart strings in this movie, we follow the story of Simon Daoud, a down-on-his-luck musician who, despite his talents, winds up teaching a sixth grade orchestra class. As far as depictions of contemporary Parisian middle school life go, this is a realistic one, with Simon’s multicultural class of rambunctious, trash-talking 12 year olds proving a test for his patience, yet one in which he ends up seeing potential, especially in a shy but gifted boy, Arnold. Simon makes a promise to his class to take them to perform at the Paris Philharmonic. Will they make it?
A wonderful day with exceptional behaviour and involvement from the students!! Many thanks to Madame Adriana Sardoni for her invaluable assistance on the day.
SPORTS NEWSXavier Cross Country
The K-12 Xavier Cross Country will be held on Thursday 29th March at the College grounds. All races will start and finish on the secondary oval. A draft schedule for the day is as follows:
09:00 – 09:30 Holy Week Liturgy (JPAC)
09:30 – 12:30 K-6 Cross Country Events
09:30 – 10:35 Normal classes (Yr 7-12)
10:35 – 11:20 Morning Tea
11:20 – 12:25 Normal classes (Yr 7-12)
12:25 – 12:40 2nd break
12:40 – 02:30 12yr to Open Cross Country Events
02:30 – 03:00 P-12 Presentations in JPAC
This is a compulsory school day where the Xavier spirit shines through. Students are being taken through the course during their HPE lessons. More details on this event will be communicated soon.
Wide Bay Cluster 2 Trials
Congratulations to all students who have been selected in Hervey Bay District teams to participate at the Wide Bay Cluster 2 Trials on Monday 19th March. Students have either been handed hard copies of paperwork (at their HB trials) or have been emailed paperwork. Both the Parent Consent Form (handed into Sports Box) and Qkr payment are due by Wednesday 14th March.
Wide Bay Reps
A number of Xavier students have been selected in Wide Bay teams already in 2018. Congratulations to all students on your selections. Parents are welcome to send in photos of students participating in Wide Bay teams to Nathan Milne at nmilne@bne.catholic.edu.au.
Oztag & Touch Football
Both the Oztag and Touch Football seasons are about to commence. Due to a clash of competitions on Sunday 29th July (both Sunny Coast All Schools Touch and QLD All Schools Oztag competitions being held), trials for Xavier Oztag and Touch Football teams will occur over coming weeks. Students who wish to play in both Touch and Oztag on this weekend will be communicated options once teams have been finalised.
HERVEY BAY CATHOLIC PARISH
NDIS WORKSHOPS
BAY BREAK