Newsletter 17 - 4 November 2022

Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Students and Staff,

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”

Being People for Others: This week during assembly I reminded our young people about the teachings of St Ignatius — to be People For Others (sometimes easier said than done, I know). A number of concerning examples have surfaced of late, and it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that our time during COVID, flood isolation and perhaps some other personal challenges, have caused us to lose a little focus on what this means for each one of us. It’s a well-documented phenomenon of late.

Being “people for others” means we are willing to shift focus and actually notice others and care about them. What does that look like on a typical day? Here are just a few ideas.

• When I’m around someone who is behaving badly, rather than think of how the behaviour irritates or upsets me, I wonder what might be triggering that person to act like this. Similarly when my response is to cheer them on rather than step in and stop poor behaviour can also be a challenge. 
• A loud or aggressive student in the yard. 
• A friend being rude in class. 
• Someone not using manners at the canteen
• While working with other classmates on a project, I resist worrying about how my input is received or how much I am noticed and concentrate on helping each person on the team do his or her best.
• I pray as much—probably more—for others than for myself.
• Rather than turning away and distracting myself from others’ suffering, I make some moves to help.
• My decisions about time, money and other resources always factor in how generous I can be, and I come up with concrete plans for sharing.

Being a person for others will always be challenging because we are conditioned from an early age to focus on “me and mine.” We might be encouraged to see the world as a dangerous place, to see many people as too different and therefore “other,” and to believe that there is never enough of anything to go around. Jesus requires that we resist this way of being in the world. He asks that, rather than growing fearful, we make an effort to be open. Rather than grasping and hoarding, we are to be grateful and generous. Jesus asks that, rather than operating in a judgmental and self-protective way, we extend to others God’s love and make room at the table for those we might call strangers.

Best Wishes Mr Matt Wills and Thank You: As you read this Mr Wills and his family will be setting off on some well-earned Long Service Leave holiday time. We wish Mr Wills and his family the very best and most relaxing time as he trips the country with the family van. We also note that this signifies the end of Mr Wills’ time as Head of Faber House. The role of Head of House is challenging, and the Leaders in those roles go above and beyond, often putting themselves second to ensure the love and care that each young person requires here at Xavier can be applied in the most pastoral of ways. Ultimately, this takes a toll and staff in those positions especially need to have a break. I have no doubt that after a few years of refreshing and focusing on classroom teaching here at XCC, Mr Wills will be ready and welcome to take on a new leadership challenge.

Remembrance Day — Friday 11 November: We remember the fallen and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during times of war. The College will be closed for students on this day; however, I encourage all families to mark this time with their own special memorial or celebration. Our servicemen and women deserve that.

School Improvement Planning — FINAL Staff Professional Learning Day - Friday 11 November: The last in our allocation of Professional Learning Days (student-free) will occur this Friday per recent letters and newsletter notifications.

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

Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Congratulations to our Year 12 students. We are extremely proud of their achievements during their time at Xavier Catholic College and in particular, for the manner in which they have conducted themselves during the many challenges they have faced on completing their HSC examinations. Our students approached the year with incredible determination, resilience and patience. May they take the lessons learned this year into 2023, especially that of finding hope.

May the Lord go before you to light the path and give you direction
May he go behind you to guide your steps
May he go beside you to keep you from stumbling
May he go above you to protect you and 
May he go with you to give you the power of the Holy Spirit

Year 11
Year 11 will have a number of assessment tasks in the forthcoming weeks. Please see link to Year 11 assessment calendar under Learningtab/Assessment Information/Year 11

Year 10 Examinations
Please find attached to this edition of the Newsletter a copy of the Year 10 examination timetable. Please note examinations for Year 10 commence on Friday 4 November and conclude on Tuesday 15 November. Students in Year 10 remain on side all day during the examination block.

Year 10 Examination Timetable

If a student is unable to attend a scheduled examination due to illness or misadventure, please call the College office on the morning of the examination. Medical certificates and additional paperwork will be required and must be submitted with an Absence from Assessment form. The Absence from Assessment form can be accessed at the link below, or by visiting the College website/Curriculum tab/Assessment Information.

We wish the students all the best for their forthcoming examinations.

Year 9 Examinations
Please note Year 9 examinations are scheduled from Monday 14 November to Tuesday 22 November. Students in Year 9 remain on site all day during the examination block.

Year 9 Examination Timetable

Years 7 and 8
All students in Years 7 and 8 will complete assessment tasks over the forthcoming weeks which will contribute to their Semester 2 report grades. Please encourage your child to commence tasks early and to carefully check due dates and submission procedures for all submitted assessment tasks. 

Please refer to the Assessment Calendars on the school website under the Learning tab to assist with forward planning and to allow tasks to be completed in a timely manner.

Mrs Amanda Falvey

Catechesis And Evangelisation

One Foot Raised - Jesuit Mission Walkathon
As part of the Year 10 Activities week in Week 8, students are participating in a walk-a-thon on the oval in support of Jesuit Mission. Students will complete as many laps as they are able to in two periods on Tuesday 29 November. 

Students are asked to ensure they are wearing their sports uniform and take appropriate sun-safety measures (hats and sunscreen). Students should carry bags of rice or bottles of water (such as 2L milk bottles filled with water) as an act of solidarity. 

Fundraising
If you would like to donate to Jesuit Mission, you can do so via their website https://jesuitmission.org.au/ 

Programs run by Jesuit Mission break the cycle of poverty through teaching and education, protect the well-being of communities by providing medical care and programs that improve access to clean water and toilets, develop independent, strong communities through livelihood training and income-generating projects, and provide vulnerable individuals with pastoral care, social inclusion and advocacy.

Stories of change - Jesuit Mission
Due to the work of Jesuit Mission, clean fresh water arrived for the first time at the remote community of Fatunero in Timor-Lesté. In Week 2, Meg Morrison visited Xavier Catholic College and spoke of the work of Jesuit Mission. Students were shocked to hear the story of a 20 kg, nine-year old boy who was walking four hours a day to retrieve drinking water, carrying a cart of 100 L of water back to his village (that’s 100kg+). The boy was so exhausted from this daily struggle that he spent most of his school day sleeping. At nine he was still illiterate and innumerate. Due to the work of Jesuit Mission his village is now supplied with safe drinking water and he is able to focus on his studies without the stress of daily multi-hour walks. 

Community Service Program
We are heading towards the final few weeks of the Men and Women for Others Community Service Program. The program gives students the opportunity to be acknowledged for the good works they are already doing and encourages them to undertake service to others in the community. Many students have already recorded hours of community service work in their planner. Below is a reminder about the details of the program.

How it works
Students undertake deeds in the service of others and keep a log of their hours in their planner on pages 28-29. Their hours must be signed off by a supervisor (such as a parent, teacher, community supervisor). At the end of the year, their Pastoral Care teacher will record their hours and they could be awarded a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Community Service Award.

Awards: 

• 20 hours of community service = Bronze Award
• 50 hours of community service = Silver Award
• 100+ hours of community service = Gold Award 

What is community service? 
Community service is an unpaid activity that serves the community. It could include work that is: volunteering, community work, sports coaching, Parish-based, tutoring (unpaid), or for the Xavier Catholic College community (e.g. Leos club, ministry activities, environment club, Year 9 program). If they assisted during the floods, either at Xavier or in their local community, this also counts as community service. The range of activities that ‘count’ as community service are broad - if students have any questions they can talk to their PC teacher, RE teacher, or Dr Beveridge. 

Senior Retreat
The HSC Class of 2023 travelled to North Tamborine for the annual Senior Retreat.  The retreat theme was taken from John’s Gospel “What are you looking for?” Jn 1:39. Workshops on the retreat were facilitated by Fr Ramesh Richards SJ and a team from the Cardoner Network. Fr Jose Sanchez CP presided at our retreat Mass and a 2nd Rite Reconciliation Liturgy.  A team of Spiritual Directors from the Faber Centre for Ignatian Spirituality led us all through an experience of Ignatian prayer.  We were also blessed to have an expanded  team of YMOs from across the North of the Diocese and some Xavier Catholic College YMO Alumni on hand to help lead discussion groups and prayer.

This was the first retreat experience for these students and their response to the prayer and sacramental celebrations and engagement with the workshops made a deep impression on the various presenters and facilitators.

Many thanks go to all the staff who generously volunteered their time to make this experience possible for our students: Mr Anthony COndon, Mrs Leanne Broadley, Mr Michael Raeburn, Mrs Jessica Ferris, Mr Sam Priddis, Ms Frances Jankowski, Mr Glenn Smith, Miss Amber Beverley and Miss Emily Jones.

For a glimpse of life on retreat - view the Retreat Compilation Video linked here.

Mr David Eyles & Dr Madeline Beveridge

Wellbeing

Optimism and Competence
[Character Strength and Jesuit Value]

This week’s Character Strengths in the Student Planner are Accomplishment and Optimism and it dovetails with the Jesuit values of Competence and Magis (Excellence).

Aerosol Deodorants
The propellant in these cans can have a devastating impact on students with asthma. It has always been a rule of the College that these items are banned at Xavier. (Planner - Student Regulations - point 10 - Banned Items.) If your student needs a deodorant at school please ensure that they are using a roll on product.

Mobile Phones and headphones/buds
These must not be used at school. They are a distraction to learning and are often used inappropriately.

Conflicted (A slightly adapted [by me] article written by Adam Voigt for teachers, but good for parents).
In recent times we have noted an increase in conflict between students, in terms of both frequency and severity. This observation runs parallel to a deterioration in overall social cohesion and conduct. It’s concerning. But it also leaves us, educators, at a critical fork in the road.

If we choose the role of arbiter in student conflicts, then our workload just multiplied. Put simply, you’re going to investigate incidents more vigorously, make more judgments based on biased evidence and frustrate more people who are dissatisfied with your rulings.

Or… we could seize this moment to teach our students a simple methodology for resolving their own conflicts. I’d suggest that a three-step, Past > Present > Future model would do the trick. (In this process you ask those involved to reflect on that is the background of these conflicts, what just happened and what would you like the future to look like?)

Its simplicity provides an easy entry point for us to know and understand. It’s application to a variety of conflict scenarios can be trickier.

This would position you as a facilitator when conflict arises, rather than the arbiter. And in time, you can actually make yourself redundant. This is chiefly because the students, as with any practiced skill, also get better. Schools are not judicial systems; they are learning systems. It’s time we taught a healthier attitude to conflict and its resolution … for our own sanity if nothing else.

Mr Anthony Condon

Canteen News – Term 4 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

Farewell Year 12

On the last Tuesday of Term 3 the students of XCC left chalk messages of Farewell to their Year 12 cohort. It was delightful to see how quickly students jumped on the opportunity to write a variety of well wishes for their senior students. Thank you to all the students who participated.

Rennae Reilly
Student Support

Community News