PRINCIPALS' ADDRESS

Dear Parents and Carers

Term Three is well and truly underway with students hitting the books in what is shaping up as a very busy Term.

Over the holiday break Xavier sent a delegation of nine staff members to the Jesuit Education Conference hosted by St Ignatius College in Adelaide. The conference is held every three years and the topics covered both challenged and inspired all who attended. Guest presenters covered topics from social justice issues such as our response to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concerns, to Asylum Seekers and Refugees, to caring for our planet. I was particularly taken by the presentation on the Ignatian Discernment as a way of reflecting upon matters of such importance which leads to effective action. A critical underlying theme of the Conference was ‘a faith that does justice.’

Over the next few weeks we will unpack many of the themes of the Conference and reflect on how our Xavier community will respond to these themes.

I was particularly taken by a story that Father Frank Brennan shared. While it was in relation to the challenges facing Aboriginal people, I believe the core message applies to all matter of social justice that confront us:

During the 1980’s, I often visited the fringe dwelling Aborigines from Mantaka near Kuranda in North Queensland. They were squatted beside the Barron River. They were seeking land rights and new houses. Across the river was a multi-million-dollar weekender built by a Melbourne businessman who used to bring his family in by helicopter. 

I would often describe this scene to school audiences in Sydney and Melbourne. The students would then ask all sorts of prying questions about the Aborigines, and I was unable to give them satisfactory answers: “Why don’t they build their own houses? Why don’t they move somewhere else? What’s wrong with the businessman having a weekender? Aren’t his taxes paying the Aboriginal welfare bill?” 

In the end, I would ask just two questions in response, “Which side of the river are you standing on as you ask your questions?” “Can you see that there are just as many unanswerable questions that you can ask form the other side of the river?

Mind you, they are very different questions.” Good education at a fine school can provide a bridge across the river. The bridge needs moral, political and legal pylons.

On another note, I wish to thank all those who have taken the time to complete the Market Research Survey. I have had a preliminary look at the results based on the 250 responses to date and it provides great wisdom and insight into the strengths of our community, as well as areas that we must improve upon. The survey is open for another 2 weeks so there is still time to contribute. The link to the survey is: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6RBCYW6

God Bless

Simon Dash

HEADS’ OF SCHOOL ADDRESS

Book Week Activities

This year we will celebrate Book Week across the term with a host of activities designed to encourage a love of reading.  We are also very lucky to have the opportunity to recognise and celebrate Mr Bebington who has completed and published his very own children’s book titled “Fred Do-it’s Wacky Plan Really Fails’. Information about all the exciting activities to come will be in this newsletter and on our Facebook page over the coming weeks.  A love of reading is a life long gift that we can give all children and I would encourage all, to support these events across the term.

P-6 Musical

As you would be aware, we are conducting a P-6 Musical this year.  Rehearsals are well underway for ‘Shrek’ and the excitement is starting to build for what will be an amazing event at the College.  More information will be sent to parents in the coming weeks regarding details of performances and how to purchase tickets to the big show.

Prep Come and Try Day 2 

On Monday afternoon the College held the 2nd Come and Try Day for the year.  These sessions are an opportunity for all prospective and enrolled 2020 students to experience a Prep classroom in action.  It is also an opportunity to speak to our Prep staff and ask questions about this very important stage of a child’s development.  My thanks to all who attended and particular thanks to the Prep team for ensuring the day was a success.

Miss Larissa Rowe

This week we welcome Miss Larissa Rowe to the College. Miss Rowe will take on the role of instrumental singing teacher at the College.  Miss Rowe is an experienced singing teacher who is looking forward to joining our community and further developing our singing program at the College. Welcome Larissa. 

NAIDOC Week Celebrations

As a school we celebrated this important week with a Liturgy for all students on Wednesday morning. We heard from a local Elder and watched a dance performance as part of our Assembly. We thank Miss Tilly Davis for the work she did to organise this great celebration for our staff and students.

Potential Leadership Day

Last week several our Year 10 students travelled to Maryborough to join with students from across the Wide Bay region to take part in a range of activities aimed at developing their leadership potential. We thank, Tony McQuaid and Carmel Donnelly for providing this wonderful opportunity for these students. 

Book Week @ Xavier 2019 – We are calling it, Book Term!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Please note the following events:

KONDARI MISSION WEEK 

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​SPORTS NEWS

SECONDARY ATHLETICS

Kondari have emerged as the 2019 Champions for the Xavier Secondary Athletics carnival which was held on the last 2 days of Term 2. With some rain leading up to events, a re-schedule of the program was required to allow the track to be dry for track events on the Friday. Students competed with great spirit and sense of community over the 2 days with bright and cheery costumes on display and excellent levels of participation. All students are to be congratulated on their efforts and a big thank you must go to Mr Jonathon Wedemeyer who prepared the oval, Mrs Mee who provided a pop-up canteen stall and all Xavier staff who work so efficiently to adapt to the demands of the day.

Overall Results:

1st Kondari 

2nd Dirum

3rd Buthu

4th Narwari

Age Champions:

13yrs Boys Corey Arnold

13yrs Girls Eden Fitzgerald

14yrs Boys Seth Hatch

14yrs Girls Sophie Barry

15yrs Boys Dylan Ilka

15yrs Girls Isabella Jensen

16yrs Boys Dylan Crockford

16yrs Girls Riley Grambower

Open Boys Thomas Miller

Open Girls Danielle Sankey

PC CHAMPIONS TROPHY

The inaugural PC Champions Trophy has been decided for 2019. This competition involved Pastoral Care Classes competing against each other to decide the PC with the highest levels of participation across the Cross-Country and Athletics Carnival. With B5 sitting on top of the ladder following the Cross-Country, the challenge was laid down for all other chasing PCs. The Athletics Carnival proved a very tight competition with K11 claiming honours with the most participation. However, the combined points allowed B5 (Miss Geena White’s PC) to be the overall winners of the 2019 PC Champions Trophy with 129 points. Tied for Runner-Up was N2 (Mrs Ritter) and B9 (Mr Bebington) who accumulated 126 points and finished equal 2nd. K11 will celebrate their athletics victory with a pizza party this week and B5, N2 and B9 will celebrate their overall achievements with a game of laser tag in the coming fortnight. Congratulations to all students.

DISTRICT ATHLETICS

The Hervey Bay Secondary District Athletics Carnival will be

 held at Dundowran Little Athletics on Tuesday 13 (half day) and Wednesday 14 August. Xavier has a proud tradition of maximum participation at District competitions with the goal of ensuring all available spots are filled with a Xavier athlete. Students have been notified of who has qualified for this event and a team meeting will be held in the coming week. 

In preparation for this event, some specialised sprint training sessions are being provided by Level 2 Advanced coach Daniel Parker at Xavier on Friday afternoons from 3:15 to 4:15 with a cost of $10 per student. More information is available at the College.

QLD CROSS-COUNTRY

Congratulations to all Xavier students who represented the Wide Bay region at the recent QLD Secondary Cross-Country titles. Some known results include Toby Powers finishing 42nd in the 16yrs Boys and Charlotte Davies finishing 36th in the 14yrs Girls. Congratulations to all students who competed.

SUNNY COAST ALL SCHOOLS TOUCH FOOTBALL

The six Xavier Touch Football teams will open their competitive season this Sunday 28 July at the Sunny Coast All Schools Touch competition. This event forms a significant step in the players’ preparation for the QLD All Schools held in Brisbane in October. We wish all teams the best of luck.

Girls players are to be reminded that information for All Hallows Touch Carnival has been provided and Qkr payment and consent is due by Monday 19 August 9am. It was intended for the three Boys’ teams to compete at the South West QLD All Schools competition in August, but unfortunately, registration was not possible this year. An alternative competition will be looked at instead.

CONFRO

At the beginning of each Confraternity Carnival, former Australian and Queensland rugby league player Lionel Williamson (now 75 and asst coach of St Augustine’s Cairns) issues players and coaches with a ‘call to arms’.  That ‘Confro’ is not just about the physical, but also the emotional and spiritual. He speaks of camaraderie, mateship and respect, finishing with the famous catch cry of ‘taking away boys, and returning with men’. 

It’s fair to say that Lionel would be immensely proud of the 2019 Xavier Confro boys. 

Coming off the back of a bitter/sweet campaign in Charters Towers, the boys approached the 2019 Carnival in Bundaberg with a quiet determination, and for those returning players, an attitude that there was some unfinished business. A fumbling start to the first match showed that there were some nerves and, heading into half time of their first game against St Mary’s Woree with a 12-10 lead, there was the need to settle and refocus on the task at hand. From this point on however the boys slipped into gear and reeled of three consecutive wins in their pool games, outscoring their opponents by a combined 84-18. The boys were rolling and there was a growing feeling of belief that all of the ingredients were there for a run at the trophy.

The quarter final matches at Confro on Tuesday afternoon are often regarded as the toughest of the week. The boys are suiting up for their fourth game in two days, the opposition becomes tougher after seeding, and the competition has now switched to a knockout format for those wanting to take home a trophy. There are no second chances now. It was with both a sense of elation and relief that Xavier finished strongly to defeat St Augustine’s Springfield 16-4, heading home with a rest day to look forward to a semi-final spot booked for Thursday. 

At this point it would be appropriate to acknowledge the immense contribution of former Xavier College Captain and now physiotherapist Connor Gilliland, who gave up a week of his own time to travel with the boys.  His professionalism and attention to detail in both preparing the boys prior to matches, and assisting in body and injury management afterwards, provided us with not only a physical edge but had our playing group in the best condition possible for their matches throughout the week. Not only did Connor provide assistance with physical needs, his sense of humour, willingness to be available 24/7 for the boys (and QISSN girls) and ability to fully engage with the playing group added a to an already strong team dynamic, and there is no doubt that his presence was huge contributing factor to the tremendous results.

 Wednesday is a traditional day of rest for rugby league, and a time to get away from all things football. After building school spirit and supporting the QISSN girls, it was off to Bargara for some leisurely golf and a team dinner, allowing players and coaches alike to unwind and freshen for the final two days of competition.  

Thursday morning saw Xavier face off against St James College for a spot in the Cup final. St James have always provided us with physical, tough contests and this match was no different.  After falling behind 10-0 early, it would be understandable for heads to drop and to think that it wasn’t our day. Despite losing captain Casey to a HIA, playing against a bigger pack and off the back of an amazingly vocal XCC support crew, Xavier rallied to score the next 16 points, earning a 16-10 win and a shot at redemption in the grand final on Friday. Whatever the result from this point, at 5 wins and 0 losses the boys could be proud of their achievements. 

The results will show that Xavier lost the Cup final to Holy Spirit 12-4. What the results won’t show is that the game was called off early in the second half with a serious injury to one of our best in Cam Tobin. The results won’t show that, after the initial shock had subsided, the overwhelming concern of the team was not the result or the trophy, but for the welfare of their teammate. They won’t talk of the huge turn-out of XCC family and friends who travelled to cheer on and ultimately provide strength and support for the boys when the going got tough. We often use the word legacy during team talks before and during Confro, and the legacy of the 2019 team will be one of trust, belief and care in and for one another. It was fitting then that at the closing ceremony Xavier was awarded the 2019 Referees Fair Play award, a highly sought-after trophy awarded to the team judged by the referees as playing with the most spirit and respect. This is the second time in six years that Xavier has received the award and signifies the positive attitude and fair play mentality that is fostered in Xavier Rugby League. In recognition of his inspirational efforts throughout the week, Lachlan Armstrong was awarded the best and fairest for the week, while Jaiden Davis was awarded the spirit of Confro award. 

Confro is a success because of the efforts of a large group of people including:

• Sponsors – for offsetting the cost of the trip for XCC families

• Parents - special thanks to Tanya Armstrong, Mandy and Norman Shepherd and all who baked, cooked, helped, supported the boys, 

• Staff - thanks to Angela Hogan for pre preparing meals and helpIng with bookings and all staff for support prior to the carnival

• Supporters – your support was invaluable to players and coaches alike

We now look forward to Iona in next year and old Lionel calling us to arms once more, writing a new legacy for the team of 2020. 

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VET

ADF Work Experience

Recently, Chantelle McCarthy applied online to do Work Experience with the Australian Defence Force. Her application was successful, and Chantelle had the opportunity to spend the week at Gallipoli Enoggera Barracks. There are so many areas of employment now available for the students to investigate in the Australian Defence Force. Chantelle’s interest is in Personal Training and Fitness.

Arriving on base at 7am Monday, Chantelle watched a short induction video, this was then followed by a tour of the base before heading down to the Fitness and Training area. Chantelle’s time on the base consisted mainly of watching and participating in fitness and training drills by PFI’s (Personal Fitness Instructors). Chantelle was lucky to have the opportunity to look around and check out a few other jobs in the forces. On day 3, Chantelle met with combat engineers and talked about their jobs and life in the force. On day 4, she met with the dog handlers and asked questions about their roles. Day 5 involved more fitness sessions before meeting the MP’s (Military Police). Chantelle feels it was of great benefit and she totally enjoyed learning what opportunities are available. Well done Chantelle!

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NAVY

Ella See has her sights set on joining the Australian Navy, but wants to be sure before making the commitment. So, what could she do to be sure? Apply online to do work experience with the Defence Force. To Ella’s credit she was accepted by the Defence Force to participate and spend the second week of her holidays in Cairns on the HMAS Cairns. What an experience Ella got! Learning from some of the best in the field, Ella had the chance to experience soldering, welding, thermology, tune a 6cyl Mercedes Benz diesel engine and calibrate gauges. She was also taken out on the T4 landing barge and had a tour on a hydrographic survey catamaran. Overjoyed with her experience Ella is now more excited to follow this career path after school. We congratulate Ella for her enthusiasm and commitment in pursuing this opportunity. Well done! If anyone is interested in Defence Force Work Experience, please talk to Mrs Sexton or Mrs Moy for assistance.

SCHOOL-BASED TRAINEESHIP

Earlier this year Dylan Mannion secured a School-based Traineeship with McDonalds. The qualification Dylan is working towards is Certificate III in Retail. Once completed, this two-year traineeship will give Dylan the skills to work in a variety of areas including Sales Team Leader (Retail), Customer Service Representative, Retail Supervisor, Cashier, Sales Assistant, Team Leader and Retail Assistant. A qualification like this one is a great asset to any student as it gives them confidence and customer service skills which can be utilised across multiple industries. Dylan works at the McDonalds store every Monday where he learns the practical side of his traineeship as well as completing the formal training. We congratulate Dylan on securing this traineeship and thank McDonalds for the opportunity they give to many of our students. 

TAFE UPDATE 

After completing a Certificate II in Sport & Recreation in Year 11, Lenny Hazelwood decided to continue his study in Year 12 and complete a Certificate III in Fitness. This qualification enables Lenny to apply for positions as fitness instructor, gym instructor, sport/fitness worker, or community activities assistant. Lenny is passionate about his fitness and has grasped the skills of motivation. His energetic and friendly demeanour will ensure a vast array of opportunities in his future.  Lenny will be a great asset to any business, and we wish him well in the future.

ILoanda Moy   |   VET Links Officer/ Youth Support Coordinator

BOARD GAME CLUB

Wednesday was the first day of our Board Game club.  We had a few students drop in and check out the different games on offer whilst others jumped right in and played a game of Jenga.  Pictureka, Uno and Battleship also proved very popular but there were a lot more game choices on offer.  This is going to be a weekly event with rooms 9 and 10 open every Wednesday at first break.  Students are welcome to bring games from home or just pop in and play one of the games provided.  It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun and making new friends and we hope to see more students in the weeks ahead.