LEADERSHIP ADDRESS
Supporting Students in Their Transition through the CollegeThe College believes that if students are well prepared and supported in their move to the next year level this year, they will have the best opportunity for a smooth start to the new year. We are therefore pleased to inform you that we have created the following opportunities this Friday 25th November.
Prep Orientation Morning
This Friday morning our 2017 Prep students and their parents will attend an Orientation Session from 9.00-10.30am. The students will have the opportunity to experience activities in the Prep classrooms with the current Prep teachers. During this time parents will attend an Ignatian spirituality session and a morning tea. We welcome our Prep students to Xavier College and particularly our new families.
P-5 Transition Morning
Our current students from Prep to Year 5 will experience a morning in the year level above on Friday of this week. They will move up to engage in activities in their new classrooms and hear about their year level for 2017.
Year 7 Orientation
Our current year 6 students will be joined by a number of students from Star of the Sea and those from up to 8 different primary schools from across Queensland and even interstate. Mr. Reagen Collier and his team have organised activities for students to get to know each other as well as enjoy the many wonderful facilities that we enjoy at Xavier.
Reading Books for Vanuatu
Earlier in the term a group of Year 3 students came to Mrs Smith’s office to ask if they could start a charity to help other children. We decided to assist the children at a school in Vanuatu, Tassariki Primary School, that the Year 11 Marine Studies students will be visiting next week. Aysha, Zara, Madison, Shayla, Samara and Savannah spoke on junior assembly about the importance of providing children less fortunate than themselves with reading books. They asked our junior school students to collect reading books and donate them to this cause. Our Year 11 students have now packed them in their bags and will present them to the students when they visit Tassariki School.
Middle School Celebration Evening
Tuesday evening saw us gather as a community to celebrate the success of our students in years 6 to 9 in the fields of- Academic excellence, Application to Studies, Sporting, Cultural, Community Service and Spiritual areas. It was also an opportunity to “farewell” our students in Year 9 as they move from Middle School into the Senior School.
Australian Defence Force Long Tan Award
The awards recognise students who demonstrate leadership and teamwork within both the school and the broader community, and who display strong values, such as doing one’s best, respect for others and “mateship”, values considered integral to both the ADF and Australian society. They are presented to one student in Year 10 and one in Year 12.
- The Year 12 award was presented to Mikayla Doyle.
- The Year 10 recipient was Alexandria Pronk
Farewell to Staff
As the year draws to a close we farewell staff leaving Xavier College for other schools or exciting new adventures.
- Mrs Michelle White takes up a position as Assistant Principal Religious Education at St Mary’s Primary, Maryborough.
- Mrs Helen Freshwater takes up a position as Assistant Principal Religious Education at Stella Maris primary, Maroochydore.
- Mrs Bec Albouze returns from maternity leave to take up a teaching position at Star of the Sea, Torquay.
- Mrs Jayde Jacobs has been seconded to Northern Territory Catholic Education for 2 years to work at Ltyentye Apurte Community Education Centre, Santa Teresa, NT
- Mrs Trish Walker who likewise will be working at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic School in Wadeye, NT for the next two years.
- Mrs. Belinda France, will be take some time away from teaching to add to her family
- Mr. Paul Barker, will be taking a year of leave
- Karen Goffinett, takes up a position at St Marys, Maryborough (Secondary).
- And of course our Foundation Principal Mr Kerry Swann, who finishes his tenure with the College and moves on to new and exciting things.
We thank these teachers for their service to Xavier College and wish them well next year at their new schools or in their endeavours.
UPCOMING EVENTS
23/11/2016 11 Marine/MAP Vanuatu Cultural Excursion (until 30/11/16)
25/11/2016 Year 10 & 11 Last day of school
25/11/2016 2017 Prep and Year 7 students Orientation Day
25/11/2016 Yr 3-6 Choir Stocklands Performance
29/11/2016 Yr 11 Ignatian Student Leaders Conference, Sydney
29/11/2016 Junior Christmas Spirit Night
30/11/2016 P-9 Last Day of School
30/11/2016 P-9 Mass celebrating Feast of St Francis Xavier
FROM THE APRES (Assistants to the Principal, Religious Education)
Year of Mercy Comes to an End
This Year of Mercy began when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on 8 December last year. This date was significant as it was the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. The Year of Mercy concluded when Pope Francis closed that same door on 20 November 2016. For us working in Catholic schools, mercy is about empathising with people in their suffering, fear, confusion, or vulnerability. It’s about staying by their side, and offering them a kind of love, forgiveness or reconciliation that best respects and serves their circumstances as well as ours. It is also fair to say that simply giving in to people and giving them whatever they want, is not always mercy. Our challenge after late November will be to continue the focus on mercy beyond the Jubilee Year. Peter Hill (Director of Employee Services – BCE)
Advent
Term four in schools is traditionally very busy, filled with graduations, exams and Christmas parties. Sometimes teaching about the Church's liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas can be lost or even omitted as Advent only really begins in the last week of the term! Without context, the rich spiritual traditions of these important seasons can quickly become secularised and commercialised. Teachers will generally begin to teach about Advent in week seven and start teaching about the season of Christmas in week eight. (BCE website). It’s important that as the busyness to Christmas builds, we make time to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
Advent is the 4 weeks that lead up to Christmas when we watch and wait for the coming of Christ. It begins on Nov 27th through to Dec 24th and always contains four Sundays. Advent is the official beginning of the church year and it is represented by the liturgical colour purple. The word Advent derives from the Latin word meaning coming. The Lord is coming. (Wait/Prepare/ Be Ready for Christmas). It is a time of preparation for Christ’s birth and is symbolises ‘new beginnings’. It is the season when the impossible, becomes the possible and the gospel stories during advent provide examples of this.
Great Family Resource : http://www.xt3.com/advent/
The Xt3 Advent calendar is a website and app that contains a variety of videos, meditations, and podcasts for the Christmas season, providing people with the means to encounter the true spirit of Christmas in their everyday lives. This year, the calendar looks at the Nativity scene through the eyes of a child. Xt3.com has featured the winning artworks of the 2015 Christmas Story Art Exhibition, adorning the Xt3 Advent Calendar with beautiful images of the Nativity scene. These have been painted by children in Years 5 and 6 from Sydney schools and surrounding areas. The app is free and available on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Search for "Xt3 Advent" in the Google Play store or the App store (the app will be available to download the week before Advent).
Farewell From APRE, Michelle White
It has been an absolute privilege to work at Xavier again this year in the role of Assistant Principal in Religious Education (P-9). I am grateful and feel very blessed to have had yet another incredible opportunity to work with the staff, students & families at this College. Thank you all for the wonderful year and I pray that you and your families remain safe & happy during the remainder of the year. Next year, I take on a permanent role as APRE as St Mary’s Primary School. However, this is not goodbye. With three daughters at Xavier next year, I will not be a stranger and I look forward to seeing you around the place!
God Bless, Merry Christmas and thank you!
Junior School Spirit Night
Year 10 Business Market Day
Tuesday 15 November saw the inaugural Year 10 Business Market Day, students had prepared during the term to make this the success it was. After creating their product, determining the business name and logo it was all systems go, with cupcakes, slices, stationery, hand decorated mugs, glitter jars and other tempting treats made for the market. Students showed off their entrepreneurial style as they encouraged teachers and students to buy their product. The market was a huge success and raised over $300 for Catholic Missions and Jesuit Missions.
Instrumental & Vocal Music Program
On Friday, our Instrumental and Vocal Music Program students performed for our Junior school in order to showcase what is on offer for them in the future. If your student is interested in joining for 2017 please complete the application form.
2017 School Fees
The 2017 Schedule of Fees and Levies is now available.
A school fees information pack will be emailed to all families and will be available on the Parent Portal and the College Website. Reminder: Payment plans with a January 2017 start date must be received for processing by 2 December 2016.
Summer Reading Club - Fraser Coast Libraries
