From the Pen of the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the ‘Be You’ Virtual Conference sponsored by Beyond Blue which covered many aspects of positive psychology in schools.
One particular session caught my attention. Its focus was on resilience, or more accurately, the misuse of the word.
As parents and educators ‘resilience’ gets bandied around a great deal by experts. Please don’t misunderstand me, I think it is an important concept, but we need to dispel the erroneous explanations before we can engage in a deeper understanding.
Here are some examples of how it can get misused:
- When resilience is seen as ‘bouncing back’ from adversity. Going through a difficult, tough and adverse situation can change your life and perspective forever. Usually, there is no ‘going back’ to how things were the way before. It is how we harness and grow through tough times that better describes resilience.
- Resilience is not the absence of emotions. Observing the person who shows little emotion and calling that resilience, misinterprets the word. You can be resilient and be sad or stressed. Resilience is not the absence of emotion, rather, it is the ability to cope through emotions and states of stress.
- Likewise, when we use resilience to describe a person’s personality it makes resilience a static state unrelated to the environment or changing conditions. Resilience happens in different ways at different times in our lives and can be built upon.
Having clarified what resilience is not, we can take a better look at what it actually is:
- Resilience Youth Australia defines it as, “Resilience is to feel connected, protected and respected… this is the CPR of Wellbeing.”
- Kids Helpline describes it as, “The ability to cope when things go wrong.”
If you look at resilience through an Occupational Therapy Model, it ties into the interrelationship and interconnected of three domains that shape our lives: The Person and their innate traits, the Environment whether we control it or not and the Occupation which is not just our jobs but any activity that occupies our time. How these three dimensions interact can sometimes be within our control and at other times be completely out of our control.
Knowing the warning signs when we are getting out of balance is an important part of being a resilient person. It’s at that point we must recognise the need to step back and find ways to reenergise.
Putting this another way, it is knowing what ‘fills you up’ when you are struggling and to take the time to turn on the taps. It is analogous to how we drive a car. We don’t wait until the fuel light is flashing and run the risk of running out of petrol. We watch the gauge and, when it reaches a certain point, we recognise the need to fill up.
How’s your fuel gauge and what do you do to ‘fill up?’
As young people grow to maturity within a school environment, they are not just learning in an academic sense, they are also learning in the emotional sense. Emotional Intelligence is critical to growth and nurturing emotional competencies in young people is a key aspect of our work.
So, when we talk of resilience in schools we are not saying ‘have a teaspoon of cement and harden up!’ What we are saying is ‘keep an eye on your fuel gauge, be mindful of the things that lower the tank and learn the things that reenergise you and fill that tank back up.’
Blessing and Peace,
Simon Dash
Principal
Acting Head of School - Primary
Prep Enrolments for 2024
Round 1 enrolments for 2024 have commenced. If you have a child who is due to start Prep next year, please submit an online application on the College website: www.xavier.qld.edu.au .The online Application for Enrolment form can be found under the ENROLMENT tab.
To secure an Enrolment Interview in the first round, the online application needs to be lodged by Monday, 22 May. Prep Enrolment Interviews will begin on Tuesday, 30 May.
Enrolment enquiries can be made on 4197 1177 (select option 3) or email: enrolmentsxavier@bne.catholic.edu.au.
Under 8s Day 25th May
To celebrate the fun of learning in the Early Years we are having our Under 8's Day in week 6. This year's theme is “PLAY – You, Me and our Communities.” Play is such a brilliant tool for learning in the early years and we're excited to bring this theme to life with you all.
- Who: All students from Prep, Year 1 and Year 2
- Where: Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
- When: Thursday 25th May, 9.30 to 11am
- Dress: Free dress play clothes with school hat
- Transport: Buses will leave Xavier Catholic College at 9:00am and will return to school at 11:30am
Parents are welcome to attend.
More information, along with permissions, to follow via parent slips in the coming weeks.
Mother’s Day Liturgy
A big thank you to Mrs Laura Oliver for all her hard work organising the Mother’s Day Liturgy for Friday. She has put many hours of work into this event to ensure it is a special celebration for all the women in our student’s lives.
Head Lice
Head lice are a common problem, especially among school-aged children and their families. Lice can attach to the hair of anyone's head and it doesn't matter if hair is clean or dirty.
Though head lice can be a nuisance, they don't cause serious illness or carry any diseases. However, they are easily spread to others through the touching of heads and or sharing of hats.
Treatment should only be applied when live lice are found on the head. If more than one person in your family has been affected, treatment should be applied at the same time to break the cycle.
There are two methods of treatment:
- Conditioner and combing technique (non-insecticidal treatment)
- Treatment with synthetic or natural insecticides or other chemicals plus combing
I have included a link to the QLD Health advice on the treatment of head lice if you require more information on the best ways to treat and prevent infestations.
QLD Health advice on head lice.
First Prep Come and Try Session
Don’t forget we have our first Prep Come and Try session next Monday (15 May) from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. These events are a great opportunity to explore the beautiful Prep facilities, while meeting teachers and making friends before starting school in 2024.
You can RSVP by clicking this link.
Change of Weather
Now that it is starting to get colder, especially in the mornings, can I please remind parents to label school jackets with your child’s name. It is surprising how many unnamed jackets are handed in to the office each week. If jackets are named, they are always returned to their owner promptly.
Kind regards,
Sarah Love
Head of School - Secondary
Broncos Challenge
Last week, we were fortunate to have some former Broncos rugby league players come here to the College. I would like to thank the Broncos for the time they gave up to visit us and also the messages they shared with our students. Paul Dyer talked about the, “value of Being a good human being”. I thought this was fantastic for our students to hear. Some of the other messages were: Perseverance, tough times usually last only for a season, and to remember Spring and Summer will come after this. Thank you to Tony McQuaid for organising this wonderful opportunity for our students.
Uniform reminders:
Parents, could I please ask you to remind your son/daughter of the following:
- Senior jerseys – Our 2023 senior jerseys look great and are getting plenty of use, however they are not part of the formal uniform and are not able to be worn on Wednesdays, whether you are in formal uniform or not.
- Jackets and hoodies – Hoodies or jumpers (including XCC sports hoodies) are not part of the school uniform and should not be worn to school. A check in at the uniform shop indicates they have a good supply of school jackets which you can purchase. If you are unable to purchase one you can check in with the House Deans who will assist you in solving the issue.
- Jewellery and piercings – please ensure you are continuing to comply with College jewellery guidelines, including no facial piercings, one pair of small earrings at any one time, and an earring in both ears if you are wearing them.
With Blessings,
Ursula Witham-Young
News
Prep 2024 Come and Try Sessions
Xavier Catholic College is inviting parents and carers with children starting Prep in 2024 to come and experience the wonderful facilities at the College.
Our Prep 2024 Come and Try sessions will give children the chance to meet the teachers, explore the Prep classrooms and play area and make new friends – all before the start of the 2024 school year!
The College will host three Prep 2024 Come and Try sessions in the coming months:
- Mon 15 May 2023 – 3:30pm to 5pm
- Wed 14 June 2023 – 9:00am to 10:30am
- Fri 28 July 2023 – 9:00am to 10:30am
We can’t wait to meet you!
Please feel free to share the below flyer with your family and friends!
Experience Xavier Day for Current Year 6 Students
Our experience Xavier Day for students currently in Year 6 will be held on Friday, 19 May.
Parents / carers must provide students with their own transport to Xavier Catholic College for the day.
IMPORTANT:
- Students to bring their own morning tea and lunch, water bottle, hat and pencil case.
- Students are to wear their current school uniform – including footwear.
School Photos: Online Ordering
Parents and carers can now order photos taken by Academy Photography.
To do so,
click this link and navigate to ‘Order Online’ under the ‘Products for Parents’ tab.
You can use the secure access key located on your child’s envelope to begin customising your order.
If you have misplaced your envelope, please contact the College.
Online orders will be open until 19 May 2023.
'Relay for Homelessness' Makes the News
Congratulations to the Year 12 Health class for organising a successful ‘Relay for Homelessness’ last week.
The event saw students walk laps of the Secondary Oval in hour-long shifts for a period of 12 hours overnight.
Students also slept rough on the field – taking them completely out of their comfort zones.
You can still donate towards the students’ cause via Qkr! Local businesses wanting to assist can contact Mrs Tracy Grambower on tgrambower@bne.catholic.edu.au.
A big thank you to all the staff and students who helped organise and facilitate the event. Also to Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour who joined students and walked some laps of his own on the night.
Participants walked an impressive 945 laps in total - or 283.5km.
International Girls in ICT Day
Three Xavier Catholic College students attended the International Girls in ICT Day at St. Mary’s College in Maryborough last week.
Lily Spencer (Yr11), Emma Garty (Yr10) and Tamyra Farrell (Yr 10) attended the event that highlighted the importance of women in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The field is currently dominated by men and the goal of International Girls in ICT Day is to see the industry become more inclusive.
During the first half of the day, students listened to a panel of influential women within different areas of ICT. They spoke about the struggles they faced entering the industry and what they did to achieve the level of success that they have today. A male panel member also expressed the importance of inclusive workplaces and the skills women bring to these areas.
The second half of the event saw the girls engage in IT activities. The first required students to rebuild a computer that had been taken apart – it had to be able to turn on at the end of the task! Students then had to build and program an Arduino machine so that it lit up to the beat of a song.
When the event started, most attendees thought the main pathway into IT was through programming. However, by the end of the day, it had become clear how diverse the sector is and the different jobs that are available. The International Girls in ICT Day was a fantastic event that motivated and inspired students.
Mothers Day Stall and Raffle
Make sure you get your mum the perfect gift before Sunday at this year’s Mother’s Day Stall – located in the library. Raffle Tickets cost just $1 and can be bought at the Library or via Qkr! Money raised will be used to buy new resources for the school library.
The stall closes on Friday, 12 May, Raffle winners will be drawn at Lunch 2.
Numeracy News
Welcome to the first article of Numeracy News.
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure students have the best possible experience at Xavier Catholic College, the Newsletter will contain advice and resources about how to help your child with Numeracy. Working together gives students the best chance at succeeding.
Literacy and numeracy. Education. (2018, October 2). https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/school-information/literacy-and-numeracy
Students who have achieved 133% or higher Growth Rate or 100% Accuracy will be recognised each fortnight. To achieve 133% Growth Rate, students need to master four out of the six modules completed each cycle.
Why is 133% Growth Rate important?
Students achieving this consistently show more than a years’ worth of knowledge mastered. As students are filling in gaps in Year 6-8, this is ultimately the goal of Maths Pathway.
Each newsletter will acknowledge the achievements per cycle and the last newsletter for the Term will acknowledge the whole Terms achievements.
Congratulations to the students listed below!
Year 7-12 Maths Tutoring Timetable
Please see below the current Maths tutoring timetable. Students can attend as many sessions as they like. Have your questions ready to ask the teacher or attend to get through your homework.
Xavier Arts in Term 2 + images ((Chandi Marsden))
Hello all you Arts enthusiasts out there!
Well Term 2 has taken off its shoes and decided to sprint! There is so much going on.
Dance
Xavier now has its own Secondary Dance Team thanks to Ms Chandi Marsden who has gathered together a mighty team of dedicated dancers. This team has been created to showcase the talented artists who attend our school and to raise the profile of Xavier Dance and the Arts. As such, they will be competing in at least two competitions, as well as performing at school events such as the ARTOMIC Variety Showcase evening in August.
ARTOMIC
Yes, put on your radiation gear and get out your Arts-Geiger-counters because ARTOMIC is set to explode across Xavier in August. There will be competitions, Art and Film exhibitions, performances, food and more. Stay tuned for more info as the term unfolds.
Choir and Vocal
Calling all young funsters who want to grow and know the joy of song. We would like to re-start Junior choir. Singing is great for confidence and well-being and as a part of a choir, also a social and fun activity.
If you would like to participate, drop me an email to express your interest.
Similarly, I still need a few more expressions of interest before I can re-start individual vocal tuition. Send me an email if you would like to learn singing individually.
String
The amazing String Ensemble taught and mentored by Ms Jenny Conlan is all set to perform at the Eisteddfod soon. However – slight roadblock – we are in desperate need of a pianist to accompany them. If you have any skills with the piano and can spare half and hour of a Monday morning, we would love to hear from you. Drop me or Jenny and email to let us know.
Till Next communication, stay Artsy!
Kind regards,
Jonathan Dunn
Art Competitions and Winners
There are also a number of exciting activities on the go for the College’s visual artists.
Have a look at the awesome opportunities available to creatives wanting to enter design, photography or art competitions.
Art Competiton
Photo Competition
White Shirt Design Transformation
Congratulations Chiara
Xavier Catholic College Arts and Culture Captain, Chiara Di Pietro attended the State Honours Ensemble Program on the Sunshine Coast recently following her successful nomination.
SHEP is a well-respected program that brings together the finest young musicians under the tutelage of a team of eminent international and national conductors in a world-class environment.
Its pursuit of excellence defines it as the highest quality performance avenue available to young ensemble-based instrumentalists outside of the Queensland Conservatorium and the Young Conservatorium.
Well done Chiara!
Care and Concern Committee
Xavier Catholic College has a group of parents who volunteer to welcome and help other members of the school community. They do this by:
- Holding first day morning tea (Meet and Greet opportunity) When and where possible
- Providing meals for school families experiencing a crisis
- Providing information about the school to families
- Assisting the College Board in planning and reviewing the Pastoral Care Policy of the College
- Working closely with the Campus Minister
At all times we encourage you to explore the parent portal or to talk to your child’s classroom teacher or Pastoral Care teacher about any questions that you may have as your first point of contact.
Each House has Parent Contacts from P-12. If you wish to reach out to a Parent Contact, their details will be published each term in the College Newsletter. We are always looking for parents to join the committee and to become Parent Contacts. If you would like to nominate yourself or request further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Confidentiality is treated with utmost respect and any information shared with our Parent Contacts will not be passed on unless you ask us to do so.
House Parent Contacts
Narwari House Parents
- Anna Anderson (Jack Anderson) aanderson4283@gmail.com
- Claire Sinclair (Alex Sinclair) 0428295730
- Mary Arnold (Corey/Joey) 0418729967
- Karen Grumley (Stewart) 41243034 / 0413306540
- Cassie Wilson (Max/Anabel/Imogen Wilson) 0409761207
- Rachael Trevillion (Luke/Sadie/Abbie Trevillion) rach.trev17@gmail.com
Buthu House Parents
- Michelle Wiegmink (Reece Wiegmink) 41287941/0409890188
- Karen Goffinet (Patrick Goffinet) 0421 322 121
- Shelly Hislop (Jordan/Lincoln Hislop) 0423 506 675
- Jess Pearson (Archer/Dexter/Hunter)
Dirum House Parents
- Rachel Loague (Oscar/Sophie Loague) 0417792179
- Melissa Lynch (Mya) missyjane300@gmail.com
- Chantelle McNulty (Ari, Ella, McNulty) 0419134948
Kondari House Parents
- Michelle Begaud (Blake Begaud) 0438242252
- Alison Keal (Angus/Seth) 0466250799
- Emma Pearson (Ava /Shayli) 0403599406
Blessings,
Carmel Donnelly
cjdonnelly@bne.catholic.edu.au
41971165
Upcoming Webinars – Positive Partnerships
Sport
Xavier Wolves Reign Supreme at 2023 Broncos Challenge Finals
The Broncos Challenge Finals at Stafford Park in Hervey Bay proved a successful evening for Xavier Catholic College.
The Xavier Wolves won four trophies on the night.
Players represented the College well in terms of high skill levels and, more importantly, outstanding sportsmanship.
Congratulations to the Year 7/8 Girls for winning their division.
2023 was also the first year all three of our Boys teams made a clean sweep of their respective divisions.
A big thank you to all Xavier staff and student spectators who made the effort to support the teams.
Go Wolves!
Final scores:
- Yr 7/8 Girls: Xavier 28 vs 12 Hervey Bay SHS
- Yr 7/8 Boys: Xavier 14 vs 8 Urangan SHS
- Yr 9/10 Boys: Xavier 28 vs 4 Riverside
- Open Boys: Xavier 42 vs 12 Urangan SHS
Xavier Catholic College Crowned Cross Country Champions
Well done to the Xavier Catholic College Cross Country team for being the overall winners at the 2023 Hervey Bay District Cross Country (Years 4-12) event held at the Fraser Coast Sports Precinct.
Xavier was represented by 108 students at the event – coming third in the Junior Trophy category (13-15 years) and taking top spot in the Senior Trophy category (16-18 years).
The team finished with a combined total of 536 points, more than 140 points ahead of the second placed school.
Age Champions from Xavier Catholic College:
- 13 boys: Ryan Wright
- 17 boys: Harry Rayner
- 18 girls: Charlotte Davies
Runners up from Xavier Catholic College:
- 11 girls: Roisin McDonald
- 15 girls: Ellie Stewart
- 16 boys: Lachlan Kenworthy
- 17 boys: Jackson Dundas
Don’t forget
You can also stay up-to-date with Xavier Catholic College by following us on
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Thank you to all the parents and carers who have already joined our growing online community.