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From the Pen of the Principal 

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Occasionally, you might be so fortunate as to come across interesting snippets of 'information' such as the following:

“In the 1500's most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, brides would carry a bouquet of flowers to offset the onset of new odours. When the family bath took place, it was men first, then women followed by children and last of all babies. Because, by then, the water was so dirty, there arose the saying, 'Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater'."

Thankfully, we know that the above expression is German in origin and can be traced to a piece of satirical writing by Thomas Murner. Thankfully, there are no known instances of a baby being 'thrown out' when disposing of bathwater. Thankfully, infants in those times were treated with much the same care as infants today and would have actually been bathed in clean water in a small vessel.

However, 'Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater' can have present day interpretations and cautions for parents, such as:   

• If your child has a messy room, don't harp on it till your child breaks off communications.

• If your child has many extra-curricular activities, don't insist your child has to keep them all going, lest perhaps your child becomes too fatigued and ends up doing none of them.

• If your child has an imposed academic performance expectation, don't be too rigid in your expectation in case that expectation cannot be achieved and your child loses all confidence and becomes a non-achiever.

A golden rule that has guided people for nearly two thousand years is to, 'Treat others as you want to be treated'. From a parent's perspective, this means teaching our children to be moral people and, if we are to succeed in raising moral children, we must help our children to not only think morally, but to act morally. This means deliberately teaching our children moral skills such as empathising with other people, resolving conflicts, managing anger, using self-control. It means teaching values such as honesty, compassion, integrity, tolerance, loyalty, belief in human worth and dignity; all these values are embedded in the religious and civic fabric of our society. Our children are being steadily bombarded with “outside" messages that promote behaviour that is contrary to these values. Our children need us to be their first and most powerful moral teachers.

Of course, our ability to assist our children will depend on the quality and consistency of our moral behaviour. 'Like mother, like daughter'. 'like father, like son' and 'chip off the old block' can be more than passing observations when it comes to the influence that parents can have on their children. Usually, children who act morally have parents who expect them to and who set standards by their own behaviours.

If we show that we value others by treating them in a courteous and considerate way, if we demonstrate concern about the welfare and feelings of others, if we show respect and dignity for the rights of all people and show an appreciation for diversity and counter stereotyping to help eliminate prejudice, then, we will certainly be living examples to our children of, 'Treat others as you want to be treated'.

God, our Father and Mother, may your Spirit work through us. May we strive to be good role models to our children, no matter how many times we fail to live up to the mark. May we always have the courage to pick ourselves up and try again, so that we can appreciate all that is life-giving. May we be people of hope and optimism, so that your presence can be felt through our presence to others.  Amen.

Peace and Best Wishes.

Simon Dash

Principal

Calendar of events

From the Head of School – Primary: Mr Russell Davey

​3-6 Athletics Carnival

This Friday, 25 June, our Year 3 to 12 year old students will take part in the Primary Athletics Carnival. This event will take place on the Senior Oval starting at 9am. House shirts should be worn and don't forget your loud cheering voices and team spirit. While the tuckshop is operating, students are encouraged to bring food from home, as break times are short. Parents and supporters are welcome to attend. Please follow correct COVID registration procedures.

On Thursday 24 June, there will be pre-events held for the 800m (2pm) and Discus.

K-2 Athletics Carnival

Our Kindergarten to Year 2 students had a blast last Friday morning, participating in their Athletics Carnival events. Thanks to all the staff, volunteer students and parents who made the morning so fantastic.

Prep Visitor

The Preps have been reading The Bird in a Herd. They have been learning about farm animals and the things they see on a farm. Last week students were so excited because Mrs Ridgley brought in one of her baby lambs to have a pat of. 'We all thought the lamb felt so soft and it was very cute. Mrs Jacobs enjoyed her cuddles very much.'

From the Head of School – Secondary: Mr Chris Relf

Term 2 has seen many wonderful opportunities for our Secondary students to engage in academic and co-curricular activities. It is always pleasing to hear the positive stories of how our students have excelled in these events. Well done to all students who have set high expectations for themselves this term and worked hard to do their best.

On Sunday June 27th, the Xavier QISSN team and the Xavier Confraternity Rugby League team will head off to Brisbane to compete at the Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Netball Carnival and the Confraternity Rugby League Carnival respectively.  The commitment and effort of these teams at training and in their trial games has ensured they are well prepared for these carnivals. These students are proud to be representing our school and aspire to live up to the ideals instilled in Xavier sporting teams. We wish them all the best for what will be an extremely rewarding week for these students.

We would like to thank the following businesses for their generous sponsorship of these teams this year:

• Hervey Bay RSL
  

• Sportfirst Hevery Bay

• CSG Law
  

• Allied Fitness
  

• Rejuvenate Construction Solutions Pty Ltd
  

• Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters
  

• Advice Centre
  

As this is the final newsletter for this Term, I would like to thank all staff and students for their hard work during a

very busy time of year. Students, your efforts and dedication are noted with thanks and I hope you all have a restful

holiday, ready to 'get back into it' in Term 3. 

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

• a space 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
  
  

Year 4 Special Guest

Councillor Jade Wellings visited Xavier last month to help Year 4 students learn about Local Government issues and responsibilities as part of their studies in HASS / Civics. Jade told the students about many new projects happening in the Fraser Coast Region. It was a very interesting session and Jade was able to address many questions from the students regarding specific council roles and proposed improvements to our region.

Readers Cup

Congratulations to our Year 8 Readers Cup team who  placed third in the recent competition held at Rosedale. They did their best against the 16 other teams competing and won some great prizes along the way. The girls were outstanding in terms of their team spirit, behaviour and sportsmanship. Well done!

Noosa Film Academy

Thanks to Greg and Andrea Huglin from the Noosa Film Academy, for running a workshop with our Year 11 Film students last week. Greg's wealth of knowledge and experience as a cinematographer was greatly appreciated as students, who got to fully develop a short film and shoot on a RED digital cinema camera. Their work will screen as part of the Mary Poppins Festival at the Brolga Federation Room over the holidays.

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OSHC – Vacation Care Program

Xavier Green Team

Thanks to Mr Toole for his construction to encourage our recycling of bottles, cans and poppers. Remember though that lids need to be removed from plastic bottles. 

Endangered Animals

Year 4 have enjoyed an Australian theme in 'The Arts' this term.  After learning Australian songs and painting Australian landscapes using blending techniques, they chose an endangered animal to represent. 

Maths Pathway – Year 7-9 Growth Gurus

Each fortnight we will be recognising the students who have mastered six or more new mathematical concepts for the cycle. These students have achieved rocket status for their growth rate.  

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Maths Pathways – Week 10 Results

SPORTS NEWS

Secondary Athletics

The Xavier Secondary athletics carnival will primarily take place on Thursday 22^nd July (12pm-3pm) and Friday 23^rd July (all day). In addition, some pre-carnival lunch time events will also be held in the days leading up to the carnival. Please see the program below for more details. This is a compulsory school day for all students and is an excellent opportunity for students to show pride in their PC, House and College by actively participating in the carnival either at a championship or participation level. Parents and caregivers are very welcome to attend the event to support students in their efforts and are reminded to sign the COVID register upon arrival.

Year 7 - 12yr olds (born 2009)

Students turning 12 who are in Year 7 (born 2009) have been invited to self-nominate to compete in the Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival taking place this Friday 25^th June. At this carnival, 12yr old Year 7's will compete against 12yr old Year 6's for age champion honours and to gain selection into the XCC team compete at the HB District carnival. At the Secondary Carnival (Thursday 22^nd July and Friday 23^rd July), 12yr old Year 7's will participate in events throughout the day but it will not be for age champion honours.

3000m and 1500m events – COMPULSORY for all Touch Football and Oztag Players

All students playing Touch Football and/or Oztag for Xavier this year are required to compete in both the 3000m and 1500m events. Aerobic Capacity (cardio-vascular endurance) is a major fitness component required in touch football and Oztag. Competing in both the 3000m and 1500m is an excellent opportunity to continue to develop this crucial area of fitness. Students who fail to meet this compulsory expectation risk losing their place in the team. Please see program details below for times of these events.

Overview of Events

Schedule of Events – Thursday 22nd July

Schedule of Events – Friday 23rd July – ATHLETICS DAY

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Get along to see our very own Mr Dunns' latest show as Director, 'Flummoxed' performing at Z-Pac Theatre from 2 - 18 July. The Hervey Bay Advertiser had great things to say about this upcoming local production. Book your tickets today!  https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=580300

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