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From the Pen of the Principal 

​​Dear Parents and Caregivers 

With Father's Day nearly upon us, this week I have decided to focus on the importance of dads. For some this can be a sad time, particular if their dad is no longer part of their lives. My own father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly when I was 14, so I have some understanding. However, in the absence of a father, please think of a positive male role model.

So, having covered that important point, are you ready for a little poetry? Probably, you will be able to guess the age of the poet.

“A dad is a person

  who is loving and kind,

And often he knows

  what you have on your mind.

He's someone who listens,

  suggests and defends.

A dad can be one

  of your very best friends."

Children who can write poems like this are saying that they feel that they really matter and are important in the lives of their fathers. A father can do a lot for a child but it is the emotional bond that the child feels, that their dad is really there for them and that their welfare and progress socially, intellectually and emotionally really matter to their dad.

As men have become more concerned about balancing work and family, they have recognised the enormous benefits, rewards and satisfaction from being a good parent. They see that the emotional investment they make in their children comes back to them in terms of making them more open and more satisfied as an adult human being.​

However, being a dad entails knowing when to shift gear and move into a role that is appropriate to the development of our child. Mark Twain's witty observation has some advice to offer: “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have him around. When I got to 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years."

One thing that we dads have to do is to make a conscious change in the way we handle our children when they reach adolescence. In our child's young life we are traditionally depicted as the provider and the rule maker. When our child becomes a young teenager, we need to make a shift towards being an adviser, confidant and guidance counsellor. Instead of imposing rules, we can listen and allow our child to take some of the responsibility for making decisions and gradually take on a more adult role, while we provide the emotional security, nurturing and warmth that our child needs. If we fail to make the shift, we run the risk of giving our child the Mark Twain experience – a dad “gone missing" for seven years.

Oxford University's “Tomorrow's Men Project" surveyed more than 1500 boys between the ages of 13 and 19 and proved the importance of the role of a father. More than 90% of boys who felt that their fathers spent time with them and took an interest in their progress, emerged in the “can-do" category. By contrast 72% of those who felt that their fathers rarely or never did these things, fell into the group with the lowest self-esteem and confidence and exhibited behavioural problems.​

There is much truth in the observation that “A man's garden and his children, both reflect the amount of nurturing done during the growing season". Author unknown.  So, how about some more of that poem:

“Thank you, dad,

  for listening and caring

  for giving and sharing'

  but, especially,

  for just being you.

  Happy Father's Day!"

God, our Father,

Help us to use who we are for the benefit of our children.

May the guidance of Your wisdom and love be always with us.  Amen.

Blessings

Simon Dash

Principal 

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Upcoming Dates 

Head of School – Primary – Mr Russell Davey

CTJ Day

A reminder to all that this Friday, 3rd September is CTJ Day (Common Teacher Judgements). This is a student free day, which allows teachers the opportunity to moderate student work to ensure consistency and equity.

Book Term

Happy Book Term! Last week we celebrated in style with the most incredible costume parade. Thanks to all the students, parents and teachers who fashioned costumes and made it such a memorable experience.  We have had many memorable experiences this term celebrating the joy of reading and letting our imaginations run free. My thanks to Mr Bebington and his team of helpers for ensuring each of these events were so well planned and enjoyable for our students.  We look forward to Rug Reading and our Book Door competition to complete the term.​

Year 3 & 4 Gala Day

I was very pleased to hear many positive reports from both students and staff following the Year 3 & 4 Gala day last Friday. For many of our students this in their first experience competing against other schools in our area. My thanks to Mrs Logan, Mrs Love and all staff and students for ensuring the day was a resounding success. 

Father's Day Breakfast

It is that time of the year again when we celebrate all the Dads and Father figures in the lives of our students.  The Father's Day breakfast sausage sizzle and games was very well received, and it was also nice to see so many parents present for the Father's Day liturgy.  On behalf of the College, I would like to wish all the men in our community who fill the role of Dad or are special in some way to our students a very happy Father's Day. 

Primary School - Excellence at XCC Award recipients     

These awards are for students who have demonstrated one or more of the following SAIL Expectations.    

•   We are Safe    
  

•   We Act Responsibly    

•   We Interact Respectfully    

•   We Love to Learn    

Award recipients - Term 3, Week 6

CLASS    AWARD RECIPIENT

P.1          Jemma Ferguson

P.2          Macy Dodsley & Oscar Littlejohn

P.3          Rowan Burke & Olivia Kostowski

1.2          Reuben Mason

1.3          Marlu Eayrs

2.1          Niamh Baker

2.2          Lachlan Lowe & Sammie Endres

2.3          Teddy Deal & Claiton Tanner

3.1          Alexx Stankovic

3.2          Josh Aplin

3.3          Jett Spicer

4.1          Rose Abberfield

4.2          Imogen Plate

4.3          Camryn Moody

5.1          Izaak McKillop & Ben Marks

5.2          Cooper Hall

5.3          Scarlett Spencer

5.4          Tobias Pacifique

6.1          Alex Berthelsen

6.3          Olivia Ikonen​

Head of School – Secondary – Mr Chris Relf

Congratulations to Senior Production cast and crew on the highly successful production, Love and Information which was performed last Wednesday and Thursday in Campion Theatre. The production was a thought-provoking piece of work that had the audience engaged and intrigued. Well done to Mr Dunn and the actors and crew members on a job well done.

We wish our Year 12 students well for their Formal which will be held at the Oaks Hervey Bay Resort on Friday evening. Arrivals begin at 5:30 p.m. and the event will be live streamed through the Xavier Facebook page.

On Friday 10th September, we begin the first of six days of mock exams for our Year 12 students to help them prepare for their final Year 12 exams next term. We wish all our Year 12 students well as they work hard to finish their Secondary schooling years.​

Position Available – Office Casual

Expressions of Interest are being called for Casual Relief staff to work in the School Office.  This position will be on an on-call basis to cover periods of absence due to staff leave or during busy periods in the school calendar.  Previous office experience and use of office systems is preferred and a Working with Children Blue card is essential.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please email your CV to Karen Goffinet at kgoffinet@bne.catholic.edu.au

PETER PAN! BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW!

https://www.trybooking.com/BTTYL

Don't PAN-IC, but the tickets are selling fast! Support our amazing Primary School cast and be amazed by the talent at Xavier Catholic College!  Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th of September, from 6:30 pm in the GOA hall.  Tickets are only $10 per adults and $5 per student.  A canteen will run at intermission.​

Father's Day Stall

This year Xavier has an absolute BUMPER Father's Day Stall in the library. Items for sale range from $1 to $8. Cash sales at any time including this week. QKR payments can be made from Wednesday 25th August. Students will have the opportunity to make purchases during their library time or lunch breaks. This year we have three fantastic raffles with tickets on sale for $1 each. The raffle will be drawn on Thursday 9th September at second break.

Care & Concern Committee – What they do …

Xavier Catholic College has a group of parents who volunteer their time to welcome and help other members of the school community. They do this by :

• ​Holding first day morning tea (Meet and Greet opportunity)

• 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 and they range from P-12.  If you wish to contact anyone of our parent contacts their details will be published each term in the College Newsletter.  We are in need of parent contacts in our P-6 area so if you would like to nominate yourself or to ask further information of what is involved please do not hesitate to contact myself, Carmel Donnelly (Campus Minister).  Confidentiality is utmost for our committee and any information shared with our parent contacts will not be passed on unless you so desire it.

House Parent Contacts
Narwari House Parents

Anna Anderson (Jack Anderson)  aanderson4283@gmail.com

Claire Sinclair (Alex Sinclair) 41295730

Jo O'Neill (Kate O'Neil) 0422942289  

Ellen Geldard (Lachlan & Matthew) 41286910/ 0400499508 egeldard@gslaw.net.au

Mary Arnold (Riley/Corey/Joey) 0418729967

Karen Grumley (Stewart) 41243034 / 0413306540. 

Cassie Wilson (Max/Anabel/Imogen Wilson) 0409761207.

Malina Blakely (Ryan Blakely) mblackley@bne.catholic.edu.au (0478 410 180)

Rachael Trevillion (Luke/Sadie/Abbie Trevillion) rach.trev17@gmail.com

Nikita Falconer (Lily & Mia Falconer) nikita.beattie@live.com.au (0432 265 632)

Buthu House Parents

Michelle Wiegmink (Reece Wiegmink) 41287941/0409890188

Karen Goffinet (Patrick Goffinet) 0421 322 121.

Allison McGovern (Georgia McGovern) 0411 416 943

Shelly Hislop (Jordan/Lincoln Hislop) 0423 506 675.

Dirum House Parents

Rachel Loague (Oscar/Sophie Loague) 0417792179

Melissa Lynch (Mya) missyjane300@gmail.com

Helen Hatchett (Summer/Sam Wilson) 0438347153

Kellie Robinson (Alysha Robinson) 0448623963

Kondari House Parents

Michelle Begaud (Blake/Kyle Begaud) 0438242252

Carole Dewhurst (Freya Golik) 41206240/0400793188

Alison Keal (Angus/Seth) 0466250799

Emma Pearson (Dylan/Ava /Shayli) 0403599406

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiations of Adults)

The RCIA prepares adults for initiation into the Catholic Church (with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist), which will be celebrated at the Easter Vigil 2022. For those wishing to become a Catholic, please contact the parish office to register.

RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation of Children)

This process is for children, over 8 years old who want to join the Catholic Church. The children will receive the Sacraments of Initiation, which are Baptism, Confirmation & Holy Communion. During this process, the children will receive a better understanding of what it means to know and love God. Contact the Parish Office to find out more.

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Maths Pathway Semester 2

This semester students have been focusing on achieving 100% accuracy.  For a student to achieve 100% accuracy they have mastered all the modules that had been assigned to them. We will still be acknowledging the students that achieve 200% + Growth Rate as this is also an excellent achievement each cycle.  Year 7 students have completed two cycles this term and Year 8-10 have only completed one, so in the Growth Rate rocket there are quite a few Year 7 students that have achieved 200% + Growth in the two cycles. Well done.

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Seeing Through the Indigenous Lens

Our Secondary students have been taking part in a program called “Seeing Through the Indigenous Lens".  This is a joint partnership with USC and Uniting Care Church. Last week we had Myles Broome from Butchulla Land Sea Rangers come in to school to talk about how to care for country and in particular K'Gari. The Land and Sea Rangers work closely with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services and other groups to rehabilitate land and water systems and restore natural landscapes, implement programs to control weeds and pests and help manage marine conservation and habitats. Myles shared some of the knowledge held by the Butchulla people along with cultural heritage values, natural heritage values, and overall needs for the culturally appropriate management of K'gari. Incorporating Butchulla people's Traditional Ecological Knowledge into the management of the World Heritage site is critical to protect the island's natural and cultural values.

Write a Book in a Day

We recently had a dedicated team of Year 11 students compete in the 'Write a Book in a Day' competition. Students received the following parameters and random words (distributed at 8:00am) that had to be incorporated in the final product:

Parameters

​Primary Character One: Grandmother

Primary Character Two: Trapeze Artist

Non-Human Character: Canvas Bag

Setting: Abandoned House

Issue: A holiday gone wrong

Random Words: Pineapple, Family, Lifesaver, Blue bottle, Big brother

Our team of ten very talented individuals included Sarah Garty, Stella Ignatenko, Emma Wiley, Jenah Cocker, Georgia Cassidy, Alexander Pacifique, Charli Thompson, Lizzie Murphy, Jordan Roberts and Hannah Smith.

​The students were awesome to deal with throughout the day, and each one of them played a significant role in the writing of their submission. Check out their creative work here.

OSHC Vacation Care Program

Please contact our Outside School Hour Care staff if you would like to book in for their upcoming September holiday program.​

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

Elders Swim Centre – School Holiday Lessons

Teddy Bear's Picnic

Orchid Fair

​Play Oztag for FREE!!!

Hervey Bay Oztag are offering FREE mens or ladies work teams for new players in Hervey Bay or Mixed teams for Maryborough for their summer competition.  Visit local website herveybay@oztag.com or maryborough@oztag.com for information or contact Glenn Hansen 0414893840