Newsletter 6, 2 May 2022

Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Students and Staff,

Happy Mother’s Day: I want to take this opportunity to wish all mums, mother figures, significant females in the lives of our young people, the happiest of Mother’s Days this coming Sunday. I hope that you take the opportunity to spend some wonderful and joyous time together as families and to celebrate the contribution, love and nurturing that our mothers bring to life each and every day.

Commencement Mass: On Tuesday we were finally able to celebrate as a community, that most central part of our mission — the Eucharist. Fr Anslem celebrated mass for the College community which focused on our College Theme of Seeing all things New in Christ.  As part of our celebration we also inducted 5 College students — Ari Slattery, Zachary Sullivan, Carmen Stock and Thomas Robbins — and Macy Butler (YMO) as Special Ministers of Communion to build upon the wonderful work the College does in peer to peer ministry. 

NSIT - National School Improvement Tool: On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Mrs Falvey and I travelled to Coffs Harbour for a two-day Professional Learning opportunity focusing on the National School Improvement Tool created by ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research). Along with 13 other schools across the Diocese, Xavier Catholic College will be undertaking this new and reimagined review process which will involve communication and surveys with parents. The review will happen quite soon (May 30 – June 2) so preparations are well underway to ensure parents have a voice in the process. More to come shortly.

NAPLAN: Preparations for students in Years 7 and 9 have been quite smooth and seamless in preparation for NAPLAN, which commences in Week 3. Students should feel confident that the testing period is not meant to be a reflection on them, but rather a diagnostic tool to inform the College on curriculum delivery and requirements moving forward. Whilst all tests for our young people create some levels of nerves and anxiety, students should be comforted by parents and families and assured that this is a good way for them to start getting into practice for the high end exams coming later in their schooling careers such as the HSC. Practice starts now — do your best and you will be fine.

Staff Changes for the Remainder of the Year: Some further additions to our College faculty from the start of this term. We welcome Miss Sophie Day teaching Mathematics whilst Mrs Fitzpatrick is on maternity leave, and also to Mrs Jacinta Forestal teaching junior Science and Religious Education as a result of the movements of Mr White into Careers. Both are very welcome additions to the College community.

God Bless,
Mr Kevin Lewis
College Principal
kevin.lewis@lism.catholic.edu.au

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Welcome back to Term 2  and a special welcome to new students and families who have joined the College community.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING - WHOLE SCHOOL LITERACY GOAL

Staff at Xavier Catholic College are a professional learning community and regularly participate in professional development around targeted goals to improve student learning outcomes. On Tuesday 26 April, all teaching staff engaged in a professional learning workshop focused on evidence based strategies to improve literacy outcomes.  On Friday 6 May our Leaders of Learning continued to develop their expertise in literacy strategies by participating in professional learning with Max Woods, the creator of ALARM - a learning and responding matrix to move learning forward. Teaching staff will participate in Learning Walks in Week 5, whereby teachers visit classrooms to share their practice and model literacy strategies in action in the classroom. We are fortunate to have a highly professional and dedicated team of teachers who work collaboratively to maximise learning growth for students at Xavier Catholic College.

ANZAC Day March

Our College Captains represented Xavier Catholic College in the ANZAC Day march in Ballina. It was encouraging to see so many people in our local community join together to respectfully acknowledge and commemorate the effort of our Australian armed service men and women. 

Lest we forget.

Parent Teacher Evening

This term we are holding a parent/teacher evening for families with students in Years 7, 8, 9 & 10. Students are encouraged to attend the interviews as a way to receive feedback on their learning. The interviews will be on Thursday, 12 May from 3:30pm to 8:00pm in the Magis Centre. Bookings are via the Parent Portal.

NAPLAN

Students in Years 7 and 9 will sit Online NAPLAN tests from Tuesday, 10 May to Monday, 16 May. Please ensure all computers are in working order and students have headphones that fit their Chromebook (wireless headphones or airpods are not supported by the NAPLAN testing platform). One of the main features of the NAPLAN Online format is that it is a tailored (or adaptive) test. The tailored test provides a more precise assessment of your child’s performance in the areas of reading, language conventions (grammar, spelling and punctuation) and numeracy by adapting to responses. As your child progresses through the test, questions may be easier or more difficult, to better assess his or her ability. Your child should not be concerned if he or she finds the questions more difficult than expected – the pathway may be more challenging. Not every student doing the online test will be answering the same questions in the same order. Your child’s NAPLAN results and scores are based on the number and complexity of questions he or she has answered correctly.

The tests will be conducted during either period 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 on the following days:

Tuesday 10 May - Reading

Wednesday 11 May - Writing

Thursday 12 May - Catch Up Tests

Friday 13 May - Conventions of Language

Monday 16 May - Numeracy

Tuesday 17 May - Catch Up Tests

Students who are absent on test days will be required to sit catch up tests.

For more info:

• How to support your child during NAPLAN
• NAPLAN Public demonstration site

Term 2 Assessment Calendars Years 7 to 12

Please be reminded that year level Assessment Calendars are available on the College Website under the Curriculum tab/Assessment Information. These calendars serve as a valuable point of reference to open up discussion at home around learning and upcoming assessment tasks. Please highlight due dates for submission of all tasks. All assessment tasks are accompanied by a detailed task notification and marking criteria accessible on the Google Classroom for each subject area.

ABSENCE FROM ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES - FOR STUDENTS IN YEAR 10, 11 AND 12 

If your child is unable to complete an assessment task due to illness or requires special consideration due to individual circumstances, please encourage them to speak with their classroom teacher or the relevant Leader of Learning. They should also submit a response to the Absence from Assessment & Request For Special Consideration form 

Please note that your child must submit the form using their school login details. Parents are unable to submit on behalf of their children.

Please consult the Assessment Booklet on the website (under learning tab/assessment information) for further information on assessment procedures.

Year 12 Reports

Year 12 mid course reports will be available via the Parent Portal from Monday 16 May

after 4.00pm. The release of reports is slightly later than usual due to the Year 12 assessment block being pushed back by the flood. Thank you for your understanding in this instance.

Year 11 Reports

Year 11 Progress Reports will be available 3 June.

Mrs Amanda Falvey

Assistant Principal Mission - Staff and Students

Whole School Assemblies Return

On Tuesday we were able to celebrate our first College Mass for the year together as a ‘whole school’ community and on Wednesday we had the entire school in the Magis for our first College Assembly that did not involve Zoom. During the assembly, I had the opportunity to address our entire student community. I would like to also share this message with our families to reflect upon. The key points are all connected to the College’s Pastoral Care focus for Term 2, ‘Resilience’ and our College theme for the 2022 school year ‘See all things new in Christ’.

Firstly, what is ‘Resilience’ and how is it built? 

We’ve certainly heard the term thrown around over the past few years after fires, floods and throughout the pandemic “oh but this generation will be so resilient and adaptable growing up in all this chaos”  and  “They’ll be a strong and resilient generation”. Resilience by definition means the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. However, studies have shown it’s not the hardships that build resilience or surviving the hardships that build resilience, it has been shown that it is actually the social connectedness, the presence and experience of COMMUNITY, that has supported the person through these hard times that lead to the mental strength of resilience. During Pastoral Care last Friday the entire school watched the amazing accomplishment of Kurt Fearnley crawling the Kokoda Track. VIDEO LINK

This was not achieved just by himself; the support of his friends, family and local guides were a key motivation for him to keep going when things got really tough. Humans are social creatures, we thrive on physical interaction. Experiencing a positive and satisfying sense of connection to others (a sense of attachment, active involvement, and engagement with family, peers, school and neighbourhood) plays a strong role in mental health and wellbeing.

Studies have shown that the variety of connections we have is just as important as the number of relationships, so outside of family connections we also need to feel connected to multiple groups. At Xavier Catholic College we do a great job of providing opportunities for a variety of relationships and interactions, not only do students have their classes or year levels, but they also have a pastoral care group with a variety of ages and experiences, their houses, their sports teams, clubs and student formation experiences, the way students relate to staff members and volunteers - all these interactions build a young person’s resilience, because their human brain feels connected in a myriad of ways. That’s important! Similar to how many fine threads wind together to make a strong rope.

The students have been asked to look to make friendships, strengthen these connections and nurture these relationships through kindness, respect and appreciation, that the abundance of opportunities they have here can make them a stronger and healthier person. The flip side of that is that their kindness, respect and appreciation of others in-turn means they are helping to build resilience in other people too, and in this way we become a strong and resilient community - together!

Father Anselm asked us at Mass on Tuesday to start God’s Mission right here in our College. He asked everyone to look at the person next to them and realise this is who they need to serve first - this is where they need to start. And it couldn’t be a more appropriate time than right now, when we have had to deal with so many hardships, when we are fatigued by the fires, floods and pandemic, the VERY LEAST we can do is be there for each other. Be kind, be compassionate, build resilience in each other - DON’T break each other down! Get rid of the trash talk on the basketball court, hurtful gossip in the hallways, judgment, negativity, and hate - we don’t want that here in this community.

I’d like to make another connection here… a connection to our Ignatian Spirituality and our College theme for the year: See all things new in Christ. Students know those relationships in school that they find difficult, those characters that just seem to get on their nerves, the ones they don’t connect with? Well it’s time to look at those specific people they might have trouble connecting with and see if they can ‘See all things new in Christ’ by bringing love, kindness and compassion to every situation. This is exactly what Father Anselm, and God, has challenged us to do, we don’t have to look beyond our community when we can start right here. If we can decide to only operate from a place of love time and time again there is a great deal we can achieve. By choosing to operate from love we tend to forgive more easily, we are kind in our words and actions, gratitude and respect come easily …. This is the kind of community we want our College to be for each other: a truly connected and resilient community - and it starts with each of us.

Mr Peter Fear

Catechesis And Evangelisation

Easter Raffle

In keeping with a long standing College tradition, Term 1 concluded with a raffle of Easter Eggs. Many thanks to all the families who donated prizes for our end of term fundraiser.  Some much needed money was raised for the Bishop’s Flood appeal and the wonderful prize pool added some colour and excitement to that Friday lunchtime.  Congratulations to the lucky winners! (some of whom are pictured here)

Easter Mass

The first whole school gathering of 2022 was, quite fittingly, a celebration of the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection.  Our Whole College Easter Mass was on Tuesday morning.  For the first time since early 2020 we were able to invite the whole College to join in singing!  The student readers, leaders, servers, musicians and singers made an especially commendable contribution to our Eucharistic celebration.  

College Chaplain, Fr Anselm Okeke presided and in his homily advised that each one of us has a mission to carry the Good News of the Resurrection, and we are to start with those closest to us.

During the Mass, four of our Year 12 students - Ari Slattery, Carmen Stock, Thomas Robbins and Zachary Sullivan were commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.  They assisted Fr Anselm in this Ministry for the first time at Tuesday’s Mass.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Youth

A warm invitation is extended from our Parish Administrator Fr Peter and College Chaplain, Fr Anselm to consider a sacramental program developed specifically for secondary students.

This program is for students who are

• Not yet baptised
• Have been baptised but have not been confirmed or have not yet made preparations for First Communion.
• Were baptised in another Christian denomination but feel strongly connected to our Catholic faith community.

Candidates seeking Baptism, Confirmation, to be received into the Catholic Communion, or to receive the Eucharist for the first time will receive formation during RE lessons with Fr Anselm and our Youth Ministry Officers.  For more information, please contact our YMOs or your child’s Religious Education teacher.

Way of the Cross           

On Wednesday of Week 10 last term, the Year 10 ministry class prepared the Way of the Cross. They prayerfully traced the story of Jesus’ Passion and Death with a representative group of students from Years 7-12 and presented it in the Magis Centre to Year 7 and 8.  They then presented the same Devotion to the students at Holy Family Catholic Primary School.  All those involved are to be commended for their efforts.  

“SEACS” meeting

On Thursday of Week 1, Mr Eyles and Dr Beveridge attended a SEACS meeting in Tweed Heads. SEACS stands for Student Evangelisation and Catechetical Services. It was our first face-to-face meeting with the other Leaders of Catechesis, Evangelisation, and Assistant Princiapl Missions from across the Diocese in twelve months, due to Covid restrictions. We learned about an NCEC Framing Paper, a recent study of Youth Discipleship in the Diocese, and Registration and Accreditation. We also very much enjoyed catching up with our colleagues from the northern part of the Diocese. 

Welcome Ms Jacinta Forestal

We are delighted to welcome Ms Jacinta Forestal to the faculty. Ms Forestal is replacing Mr Julian White teaching 8A. Mr White has accepted a role as the Careers Advisor at Xavier (replacing Mr Evans!). We thank Mr White for his many years of valuable contributions to the Religious Education Faculty and wish him all the best in his new role. 

Mr David Eyles & Dr Madeline Beveridge

Wellbeing

WELFARE REPORT

Optimism and Being a Person for Others

Character Strength and Jesuit Value

This week’s Character Strengths in the Student Planner are Accomplishment and Optimism and they dovetail with the Jesuit aspiration of being a person of Competence.

JACSA (Jesuit and Companion Schools Australia) Wellbeing Conference.

Last week I was lucky to be able to attend the JACSA (Jesuit and Companion Schools Australia) Wellbeing Conference in another Companion School: Xavier Catholic College, Hervey Bay, Qld. It is a coed school and is only slightly younger than XCC Ballina. The first keynote speaker was Father Frank Brennan SJ. His address was titled “Student Well-being in a Catholic Context.” He encouraged us (schools, teachers and parents) to challenge our students to develop a spirit of discernment while being very aware of which “side of the river” you are standing on when making decisions about the plight of others.

As a Jesuit he emphasised the importance of “Cura Personalis,” care for the whole person. Fr Brennan reminded us that Jesus was the great includer, challenging the norms of his time by including the poor, woman, diseased and people of other tribes/races. In our schools we need a culture of inclusion so that the identity of every student is respected. 

We live in uncertain times where for the first time in a long time children can not be confident that they will be better off than their parents. There is a general loss of trust in institutions that once represented the values of the society and this is somewhat unsettling for our community.

Fr Brennan pointed to the great significance of the prayer life of our schools. The opportunity for quiet reflection in our student’s otherwise very busy days. It is an opportunity to develop a deep interior life that is not always easy in our society. He pointed out our dual role of tradition and authority in the lives of the students. He discussed the significance of forgiveness in schools. Social media seems to have made many things “unforgivable” and this is not a good thing for our students and our society, we all need forgiveness at some time. An excellent address.

The next Safer Drivers Course:

Byron Youth Activity Centre (YAC)

1 Gilmore Crescent,Byron Bay

Monday 23rd May 4pm to 7pm$140

https://www.bys.org.au/ldriver

Mr Anthony Condon

Faculty News



HSIE EXCURSION - SYDNEY 

In week 1, the HSC Geography, Legal Studies and Modern History classes travelled to Sydney for three days to undertake a variety of programmes designed to assist in their HSC preparation.

The Geography students participated in field work, studying urban dynamics at Pyrmont and Barangaroo. The Sydney Jewish Museum was visited by both the Modern History and Legal Studies students , who had the privelege of listening to a Holocaust survivor describe his experiences during WW2. They were also given tours of the very powerful displays centering on Nazi Germany and human rights abuses. The students also visited Parliament House for a deeper understanding of voting and the ways that laws are created in NSW.

The Modern History students also visited the NSW War Memorial in Hyde Park whilst the Legal Studies students were given a guided tour of Sydney's largest police station, at Surry Hills. All of these programmes contributed to a deeper understanding of a variety of topics. Of course, being tourists in Sydney also meant a visit to Paddy’s markets, Darling Harbour (with a trip on the Ferris Wheel) , dinner at a Teppanyaki restaurant, ice cream at Messina’s and a night of late night shopping at Pitt Street Mall.

Thank you to the teachers that gave up their valuable time to accompany these students and myself, Mr Matthew Wills, Ms Emily Jones and Mrs Emma Smith. The students had a wonderful time and were consistently complimented for their behaviour, cooperation and involvement in the programmes.

Maria Casamento - Leader of HSIE

House News

For the Calendar - Year 8 Pastoral Week

Significant events last term meant we unfortunately had to postpone our Year 8 Pastoral Week.

With Tyalgum Ridge Retreat being heavily booked for most of the year we have been able to secure a booking for Term 4.

Pastoral Week will now be held from 21 - 25 November with ALL students attending Tyalgum Ridge Retreat from 21 - 23 November and participating in pastoral activities at the College on 24 and 25 November.

We are really looking forward to a wonderful time with the Year 8 students as we approach the end of the year.

Janine Wallace

Head of Ignatius House

Sport News

Cross Country

Participation Fun Run

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Fun Run on the last day of Term 1. The course consisted of 2 laps around the entire College boundary with a time limit of 15 minutes in order to get a house point. Results below:

Championship Cross Country

The Championship Cross Country was run on Headlands Reserve, also on the last day of Term 1. Distances:

3 km (12 boys/girls, 13 boys/girls)

4 km (14 boys/girls, 15 boys/girls, 16 girls, 17 girls)

6 km (16 boys, 17 boys, 18 girls, 18 boys)

Congratulations to all competitors. Results below:

U12 Girls

1. Abigail Matthews
2. Layla Keough 

U13 Boys

1. Alby Shearer
2. Calvin Greely 
3. Lucas Hayden 
4. Jay Bernardes Skelton
5. James Kirby 
6. Blake Wells 
7. Max Buchanan 
8. Oscar Klose 
9. Finn Gisen 
10. Banjo Gallagher 
11. Kyran Hannah 
12. Harry Thompson Mills 
13. Tam Downie 

U13 Girls

1. Skye Dogan
2. India Spyker 
3. Molly Roservear 
4. Mika Cruden 
5. Zara Hulbert
6. Anastasia O’Connor 

U14 Boys 

1. Declan Wallace
2. Archie Power 
3. Asger Paungreen 
4. Jayden Matthews 
5. Archer Klose
6. Lennox Broadley 

U14 Girls

1. Marli Francis
2. Charlotte McNally 
3. Heidi Grimster 
4. Keiko Bond Sheehan
5. Tegen Brett 

U15 Boys

1. Tyler Dogan
2. Bede Francis
3. Tyler Hickey
4. Caiden Manley
5. Zach Thick 

U15 Girls

1. Siabh Rigley
2. Hayley Patterson

U16 Boys

1. Caleb Cowan 
2. Charlie Paskins
3. Oliver Cowan 
4. Angus Schirmer 

U16 Girls

1. Niamh Sharpe

U17  Boys

1. Thomas Grimster/ Tom Tullett
2. Benjamin Ghossein 

U17 Girls

1. Mia Viel

U18 Girls

1. Olivia Page

U19’s Boys

1. Brodie Viel

AWD

1. Charlie Ghossein

AFLQ Schools Cup

Junior Boys

First day back in Term 2 and the 7-9 boys had a trip to Byron Bay to compete in the AFLQ School cup. With 16 players the boys were in for a long day with a large amount of running and tackling ahead. In their first game against Maclean High and two players down, the boys managed to pick up a win. The boys displayed a high level of sportsmanship and determination within the next two games verus Lindisfarne and Mt Saint Pats. However, they couldn't come away with a win. Our boys showed great leadership and volunteered to score for the grand final match that we remained to watch. This was a fantastic day out, with boys from year 7-9 banding together and playing as a cohesive team and coming away with a 4th placing. Well done 7-9 AFL boys

Mrs Ferris 

Open Boys

The Open boys won their first game 21-19 points, by kicking two last minute goals. Special mention to Captain Tom Grimster, Sean Parry and Will Cass who played well. Unfortunately the boys lost their next two games  and ended up placing 4th. Congratulations to the 20 boys involved who had an enjoyable day.

Mr Cunynghame

Open Girls

Congratulations to the Open Girls who had an enjoyable day and finished 4th as well.

Mrs Byrnes

Diocesan Tennis

Congratulations to the following players who represented the College at the Diosesan Tennis Championships held at Tweed Heads on Thursday 28th April:

Open Girls Cadee Benson, Abbey Davies, Charlotte Kennedy and Mary Lynch. Open Boys Noah Helle, Bodhi Smith, Yali Amit and Marley Dekker. Junior Girls Mia Helle and Ariah Smith.

Open boys doubles pairing Noah Helle and Bodhi Smith won all of their matches and Junior Girls doubles pairing Mia Helle and Ariah Smith were runners up.

Bill Turner Cup Football Rd 2

Congratulations to the members of the Bill Turner Cup Boys Under 15 Football team who played their round 2 match against Byron Bay High on Thursday 28th of April. The match started with the boys conceding a goal and being down 1 - 0. However, they worked their way back into the match through Koby Mortimer who was composed in the box lifting the ball above the keeper on his left foot and into goal to equalize. Jacob Miletic put us in the lead  2-1 with a screamer from halfway. We conceded a penalty goal locking the score up at 2 - 2. But in the dying minutes Tyler Dogan was able to score the winning goal. Final score XCC 3 - 2 Byron High. We look forward to the boys playing their round 3 match, hopefully at home.

Mr Edmonds  

Individual Achievements

Diocesan Opens Football

Congratulations to the following students who traveled to Coffs Harbour and were selected in the Diocesan Opens Football teams to compete at the NSWCCC Carnival:

• Tommy Anderson
• Nelson Stock
• Will Cass
• Josh Groves 
• Mia Viel
• Matilda Peacock

NSWCCC Under Boys Rugby

Congratulations to the following students who traveled to Sydney to trial for the NSWCCC Under 16 Boys Rugby team: 

• Matthew Page
• William Picken
• Oscar Godwin
• Fynn Jonsson

Congratulations to William Picken who made the possibles vs probables match. 

Special congratulations to the following boys who were successfully selected in the NSWCCC Under 16 Boys state Rugby team:

• Oscar Godwin
• Fynn Jonsson

Mr Pat Kennedy & Mr Russell Asser

Canteen News – Term 2 2022

Mrs Denise Barnard – Canteen Supervisor

Canteen is a great opportunity to meet other parents and to be involved in your child/childrens school life

• Arrive at school by 8:45am and park on the street (or you will get locked in the bottom carpark!)
• Go to the Office to sign in and receive your Visitor Badge.
• Head over to the Canteen where you can start preparing for the day’s lunch orders.
• Volunteers receive lunch and their children receive a $5 canteen voucher.
• Finish time is approximately 1:30-2:00pm, depending how busy the day is.
• If you are unable to make your rostered day please email Denise at xcccanteen@lism.catholic.edu.au or phone the College beforehand on 6618 0180.
• Text message reminders are sent on Wednesdays the week before your rostered day.

College News

LIBRARY NEWS

The Library continues to be a vibrant Learning Hub at Xavier with students taking advantage of the comfortable environment to study, read and relax in. To this end all Computer Games have been banned and are not to be played in the Library. Instead, Board Games and Cards have been provided for students to use and enjoy during Breaks. Students are actively encouraged to peruse and read the abundant supply of Books, Magazines, Graphic Novels and Ebooks (Sora) available from the Library. Check out the Library Link (Oliver) on the Student Hub to access ebooks and to see the latest library books!

Mrs Kathleen McLennan

Library Manager

Xavier Instrument Tuition Program

Not only has learning an instrument  been proven to enhance learning, it can be a fun way to meet new like-minded people and play together with other musicians. It can be the beginning of a lifelong skill which can bring joy to you and others throughout your life!

At Xavier, students have a great opportunity to have professional tuition during the school day on a range of instruments and voice.

Application forms for the Instrument Tuition Program can be found using the link below.

Further information can also be obtained from kathleen.mclennan@lism.catholic.edu.au

Instrumental program Co-Ordinator