Xavier College Newsletter - Term 2 Week 6

Principal's Welcome

On Thursday, 20 May, we held our first Assembly for Term 2 with some of the highlights being a formal presentation of our Project Compassion results, the launch of the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, an update on our Stage 2 building development at Two Wells, the results of our St Columba Sporting Exchange and a wonderful music performance by students, Hollie Tuttle and Zac Sadiwynk.

Our Assembly commenced with a prayer service marking the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians.  Mary is the Patroness Saint of our Australian Nation, and she is also the global Salesian patroness.

I would like to thank Ms Sarah Moffit who works with the Archdiocese in supporting the work of Caritas Australia.  Ms Moffit congratulated our Xavier community on raising a fantastic figure of $11,706.55 across both campuses which will go to Caritas charities.

I would also like to thank our two College Captains, Luca Harper and Keeley Menadue for speaking to our community and highlighting how we can all contribute to making Xavier a better place.

Prayer to Mary, Help of Christians - Patroness of Australia and the Salesians of Don Bosco

Mary, our Mother,

You responded to the call of God with faith and courage. Help us to express our faith with honesty.

Help us to remain faithful in difficult times.

Help us to discover meaning and purpose in the events of our lives.

Help us to find healing in times of hurt.

Help us to be gentle, reasonable and loving in all our relationships.

Help us to be compassionate in the face of indifference. Help us to bring joy and hope into the life of others.

Help us to live lives of practical love. Mary, Help of Christians Pray for us.

Amen.

St. Vincent de Paul Society - Annual Appeal

Every year, the College supports the local Gawler Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society through our annual “Vinnies Winter Appeal”. Until the end of Week 8, we are asking every member of the College community to seriously consider donating cans of quality tinned food to help the local conference meet the increasing needs they face at this time of year. The tinned goods will be used to make up food hampers and support ‘Fred’s Van’ in the northern suburbs.

At the heart of this appeal should always be our response to Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he loved us. Through our acts of genuine generosity, we show our love for others and Jesus. We, therefore, show that we are his disciples of our time. Jesus’s love was never half-measured – it was full and rich, and so must our response to the winter appeal be. We should never be prepared to give others what we would not want to receive. The quality of our donations should reflect this. Our thoughts should not be – any old can will do. Our contributions should reflect a genuine love and concern for others, and they should be of quality and substance.

The local Vinnie’s conference has also asked for good quality rugs to be donated along with the canned food. All donations are to be received through Oratories at Gawler Belt and Year Level classes at Two Wells. Each campus is also running with Winter Woollies days where students can where beanies and scarfs on predetermined days for a gold coin donation which will go towards that class purchasing cans for the appeal.

Thank you in advance for your continued support of the St. Vincent de Paul Society through our annual appeal.

Gareth Watson
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission

Two Wells - Junior School

This term has been incredibly busy, but also very productive and exciting.

Our educators are busy with data collection, assessments, continual curriculum design and development, report writing and professional development. We have continued our emphasis on literacy and numeracy, but have also started to work on the implementations of the pedagogy of PBL – Project Based Learning. This involves authentic, real world problems that encourages the application of skills, integration of curriculum, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication skills.  The learning is engaging and allows learners to contribute to address global and local challenges. Exciting!

In addition to our teaching and learning emphasis, we have had some fantastic events happening. They include Adelaide Zoo visits, Zoo Snooze sleep overs, our brand new Reception “Bambinos” transition, our student leadership commencement through Oratory and House positions, the joining of Campuses through assembly, work on our Project Compassion, and the anticipated launch of our St Vincent de Paul winter appeal.

We are continuing to work on the next stage of our building with Edge Architects. We are at a very exciting stage, and anticipate that the site will be prepared to begin Stage 2 shortly. This will see new classrooms, Maker spaces, Music facilities, practice rooms, and another Hub space. There will be some disruption as this commences, but we are thankful for the patience and understanding of our community as we navigate our way through this to get to the next stage.

We welcome Mrs Lyn Furst as part of our staff in the role of Education Support Officer. Lyn has had a long history with Xavier College and the community of Two Wells. We also welcome Mrs Alison Bhraunxs in her role of Reception teacher for our new Term 3 intake.

Please continue to keep in touch with your class teacher. Xavier College values communication and working in partnership.

Janet Coomber
Head of Campus Two Wells

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Gawler Belt - Senior School

We were delighted to welcome Susan McLean from Cyber Safety Solutions to present to our parents this week in our College auditorium at Xavier College. Susan also presented to Our Year 7, 8 and Year 10 students during her time with us. Susan’s engaging and well researched presentation for our parents covered topics including:

• What our teenagers are doing online
• The warning signs associated with online grooming
• Cyberbullying
• The impact technology has on sleep
• Managing screentime
• Problematic Internet use and gaming issues
• The three R’s associated with the use of technology - Respect - Responsibility – Reputation
• Parents setting clear rules and boundaries (and reinforce them)
• Go to resources for parents - https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Susan also recommended the use of the following solution to manage digital devices in the home. 

Positive Education at Xavier College

Xavier College has committed to introducing a range of Positive Education strategies to enhance the wellbeing of both students and staff. Through professional learning, activities in oratory and classes such as mindfulness, goal setting with Hope Maps, strength-based tasks and developing a positive growth mindset, all of which are designed to improve wellbeing and as a result, learning.

This is the first of a series of articles discussing aspects of the topic of Positive Psychology that will enhance your lives at home as well as alert you to activities your children are undertaking at school.

Gratitude

Much research has been done about the effects of expressing gratitude and how it can help in all areas of our lives.

Barbara Fredrickson (2013), in her work Broaden and Build, talks about how feelings and expression of gratitude can negate the effects of anger, envy and resentment. Gratitude can enhance personal and social development and health and wellbeing, both personal and community based.

How often do you thank someone for helping you do something? Gratitude is described as a positive emotional response that we perceive on giving or receiving a benefit from someone (Emmons and McCullough, 2004) What happens in the brain when we express gratitude? Expressing gratitude and receiving it prompts your brain to release dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters, responsible for positive emotions. Our mood immediately lightens and we can start to feel happy from the inside out. Practicing gratitude every day, even when things are difficult, can strengthen neural pathways so that we feel grateful and happy about that more often. As well as feeling gratitude, it is important that we share our feelings of gratitude. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” (Ward, 2018).

What does this mean to us on a daily basis? Perhaps it is about savouring the more difficult times so that when times are better, we can understand that it will probably never be that way again. This is similar to Victor Frankl’s ideals in the iconic work, Man’s Search for Meaning, who said that ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances to choose one’s own way”.

So how can being grateful help you get through the tough times? By developing an ‘Attitude of gratitude’, we can become more resilient, and more able to cope with obstacles and hardship. There are a lot of simple daily or weekly activities that you can try that will help you to train your brain to take on board the Attitude of Gratitude to make your life more positive and make you more resilient. Choose one of the ones below and keep a journal of your activities and the effects it is having. It will change your life!

Gratitude Activities

1. Create a Gratitude box and make a new entry every day. At the end of the week, or when times are stressful, take them out and read them.
2. Paint some rocks in  bright colours with self-affirmations and reasons to be grateful.  
3. Recycle a decorative jar and fill it with reflections on why you are grateful every day.
4. A task to make together with the whole family. Construct a flower where each petal is a Gratitude reflection.
5. Construct a Gratitude Garden which is the centre for reflection gratitude meditation/mindfulness.

House Directors - Pastoral Care

Inclusive Education

A group of enthusiastic year 7 and 8s students attended an excursion on Thursday 6^th May with Mrs Blesing, Ms Noto and Mrs Bakker based in the Gawler area.

We walked to the Willaston Cemetery and explored the site, answering various questions. A highlight here was Dannielle losing a tooth! We then walked to three local supermarkets, where we investigated the price of similar items between Coles, Woolworths and Foodland. We found that Coles had the cheapest items, but we sometimes think of different reasons for shopping at supermarkets, such as the location, Aussie owned or range. We next walked to Gawler South and broke into two groups, purchasing lunch at KFC or McDonalds. We ate our lunch at the local playground and had lots of time to play on the equipment since we had such fast walkers! A highlight was Seb looking out for a toddler who was using the equipment and making sure she was safe.

We finally boarded the On Demand Gawler bus, which was really convenient, and the driver was really welcoming. We were appreciative of Lucas’s mum for info about this service.

The excursion provided an excellent opportunity for the students to build up their communication, transport, groupwork, money handling, literacy, traffic safety and numeracy skills. We all had a great time and look forward to the next time we get to go on an excursion together.

Jo Bakker
Inclusive Education Coordinator

Art

There have been lots of wonderful things happening in the arts this term. Alison Shugg, Bleire Lamasan, Charlotte Ljuna, Chloe Pollitt, Christopher Chao, Ella Pix and Bleinch Lamasan all took up the challenge of entering the CESA ‘Gifted Awareness Week Art Competition’. We wish them every success as their works on the theme of “I love my brain because…” are judged along with other entrants from Catholic schools across SA.

Year 7 music student, Terry Berry, has had fun doing a composition using maths and music! He created a song based on Pi, allocating a different note to each number of Pi, and rolling some dice to determine the length of the notes. What a fabulous example of creativity!

Year 11 Art students completed their final artworks on the theme of ‘Perception’. These can be viewed in the bottom level of the MacKillop building and the sculpture cabinets in the Arts room foyer.

Andrea Duregon
Curriculum Leader - Arts

Drama

On Friday the 21^st of May and Saturday 22^nd of May The year 12 Drama class performed their Group production, Beautiful Words, written by Adelaide teacher Sean Riley. The play was a form of political theatre where two children in two different times experience what it means to be displaced due to war, and their journey from becoming a refugee to freedom in Australia.

There were many different roles that students embodied. Most of the actors and actresses had to play more than one role. There were also students who took up the roles of filming, sound and lighting technician. Along with learning lines, designing lighting and finding music to create the perfect mood, students are also in the midst of a folio- where they need to show their understanding of the themes within play, its relevance in society and demonstrating their skills in the rehearsal process.

The students performed extremely well on both nights, with a special staff premiere on the Friday and family and friends in the Saturday.

“Doing a performance for the first time was very fun and exciting and all the practice leading up to the performance paid off in the end.  I thought my job at designing and doing the lighting during the performance was important and I feel like I did well in my role.”
- Isaac Andrews, Lighting technician.

“The students did a wonderful job of conveying quite challenging themes. They were able to balance the more serious scenes with heartfelt moments and humour.”
– Ciara Ames, Audience Member

Year 11 Food and Hospitality – Asian Street Food

As part of the Semester one Food and Hospitality Course students studied the contemporary trend of Street Food. In particular, students focused on the influence Asian flavours and cooking techniques to frame their learning. This culminated in the students planning, preparing and producing “Asian Street Market Stalls” for a staff morning tea. The students showcased their skills in designing, cooking and presenting as well as their deep understanding of the importance of safe and hygienic food service. Below are some reflections from the students in the classes:

We had a fun and enjoyable experience cooking food and serving it to other people. My group and I had performed exceptionally well and the teachers who enjoyed our food, which was Indian samosas, thought it was delightful.  Blake Szabadics

The aim of the function was to complete the dishes and serve them to the staff. the ambience of the function room was very well created using music, fairy lights, and a plethora of other decorations to create an amazing atmosphere that allowed the food stalls to be highlighted. The food stalls all performed very well and professionally, with very little error. It was very fun to serve to the staff and create the food throughout the week, as some of the flavours and techniques of the dishes made were new and fun to learn about. Zoe Williams

As a group we chose to present two contemporary Asian Street Food dishes. One dish was a Chinese Mango Pudding, the other a Pork San Choy Bow. The aim of this task was to research and learn more about Asian Street Food and the culture behind it. Asian street food mainly involves small, either sweet or savory dishes, that can go for any time of the day. The process behind making the dishes was very enjoyable, especially when it came to working with new ingredients and methods that may not be known. Working together as a group was great, particularly when we each needed help either with ingredients or to just watch over a pan while it’s on the stove. This task presented an enjoyable learning opportunity as we had to plan the function and receive valuable feedback. Overall, I would recommend year 11 Hospitality to all students as there are so many skills learnt that can be utilised in other aspects of your life.  

Ashlee Viceban and Janelle Verrall  

Pedal Prix

Xavier College’s Pedal Prix teams competed in our first event at “The Bend Motor Sports Park” on Sunday 23^rd May, 2021 and after a year without racing (due to Covid restrictions), we had some excited students who were eager to hit the track.

Our junior team riding Veyron comprised Isabella Robinson, Aneegha Lobendhan, Levi Alexander, Blake Wandel, Eddie Grummel, Jay Lillecrapp, Harvey Perry, Dean Crew and William Menadue. It was so impressive that nobody was intimidated by taking to a huge new track amongst senior students and adult teams racing at colossal speed. We were also pleased that our Veyron riders pedaled longer stints than initially planned. With more racing experience and dedicated training, these riders can look forward to driving our faster vehicles in coming years.

GreenEdge performed faultlessly on the day and was piloted well to avoid collision by Jayden Carmody, Elijah Kelly, Bailey Hood, Flynn Wandell, Cameron Hayward, Rossco Lee, Kieran Hillard and Nicholas O’Connor. Beautifully painted, GreenEdge looked magnificent and we are reminded that it is still a top class vehicle with its lightweight construction and performance equipment. Well done boys and keep pushing yourselves at training to increase strength and stamina.

Cerberus finished the day battered and scarred after some racing collisions and a spectacular roll. However, apart from a punctured tyre, there were no mechanical issues. Good job Isaak Eland, Cooper Heerebout, Kurtis, Eland, Travis Hillard, Patrick Costello, Thomas Perry, Ethan Martin and Owen Relihan. Some on board vision from the day reveals the speed being achieved and how quick reactions are vital when contending with faster and slower vehicles in the racing melee.

Thankyou parents for your support, particularly with track marshalling, vehicle position monitoring, packing up and taking an interest in the achievements of our students. Thanks to our mechanics and pit crew for magnificent vehicle preparation, maintenance and rider changes. We are also grateful to Xavier Maintenance staff who always support us by providing equipment and taking care of storage after the event.

Jo Bakker
Inclusive Education Coordinator

Reconciliation week

This year’s theme for Reconciliation Week is ‘ More than a word. Reconciliation takes action’.  This theme’s main aim is to urge the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.

The students of Xavier College marked this time in our annual calendar with discussions during oratory and with their class teachers.  Our Aboriginal students from Gawler Belt and Two Wells came together to have breakfast and spent some time getting to know each other.

Additionally, one of our students engaged in a Zoom session with the Smith Family Foundation. As a part of her participation in this session she had the opportunity to enter a competition where she had to share ‘what Reconciliation means to her’.  As a result, we are pleased to announce that her entry was well recognised and as a result she won the competition for her category.  So, a big congratulations goes to Kendra!

Mandy Taylor
Inclusive Education/Learning Coach

St Columba Sporting Exchange

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Soccer:

The Xavier Open Boys soccer team battled in extremely tough conditions to eventually come out victorious against a physical St. Columba side. The pitch was bumpy and the weather was wintery, but our boys dug deep and fought hard to find themselves 1-0 up after 20mins through young gun Joseph Seridis who used his pace to run beyond the defence and calmly slot it past the goalkeeper. Xavier took the 1-0 lead into half time but St. Columba hit back through a penalty to make it 1-1 moments into the second half. Xavier was awarded a penalty of their own minutes later, which captain Joseph Macheda calmly finished to give Xavier a 2-1 lead. St. Columba weren’t going to let Xavier have it all their own way and managed to draw level again to make it 2-2.  A penalty shootout was needed to decide the winner and Xavier eventually won 5-4 with goalkeeper Brayden Guidotto making a miraculous save with his boot after diving the wrong way to clinch the Unity Cup for Xavier College.

Netball:

Xavier continued its winning run over St Columba with a 10 goal win in the Father Dennis Handley Memorial Trophy. Tayla Walls and Maddison Saunders were a strong force in the goal circle. Ava Falkenberg and Jacinta Barnes provided fantastic leadership in guiding in the midcourt. Defenders Chelsea Watson, Shayna Wenke and Zahli Allan combined well to provide pivotal turnovers and pressure. Dakota Williams and Sophie Bevis shared the Wing Defence position and took many intercepts. Xavier team outscored St Columba in 3 of the 4 quarters resulting in a respectful win.

Basketball:

In a high intensity game played with an immense amount of respect for each other, Xavier College won over a strong St Columba team, with the final score Xavier 47 defeating St Columba 44. With a young team made primarily of Year 9’s, we went to St Columba being the underdogs who had never won the Basketball shield. Mitchell McDonald (Year 9) displayed great skill and poise to settle the team with a few much-needed points. Kian Go (Year 12) captained the team extremely well and, along with fellow senior player Errol Whisson (Year 12), led by example throughout the game. Riley McDonald (Year 9) was vitally important in his role as point guard in maintaining our intensity and composure.  Brodie Borg (Year 11) would have made the highlight reel with his half time half-court shot that tied the game and Miller Drewett (Year 9) stood tall all game which was crucial for us on both ends of the court. It was a great team effort and a moment that I was extremely proud to be a small part of a team that represented Xavier College incredibly well.

Footy:

Played in wet and windy conditions the match was a scrappy affair with Xavier dominating from the first bounce. The Xavier team gelled well as a group playing some outstanding team football. The match was played in great spirit and both sides are to be commended on their outstanding sportsmanship.

Final scores Xavier College 13.13 (91) defeated St Columba College 0.4 (4)

Best Players: Charlie Baker, Riley Horsburgh, Declan Slattery, Angus Arthur, Riley Greenless, Hudson Vivian Goal Kickers: Shannon Willis 3, Charlie Baker 3, Declan Slattery 2, Anthony Cirillo 1, Angus Arthur 1, Harrison Polito 1, Harry Hutchins 1, Jason Kittel 1.

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Rotary Youth Program

We congratulate Shannon O’Brien, Christian Citizenship Leader for Mazzarello House on being selected to attend the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment seminar at Woodhouse in the Adelaide Hills. The program included sessions on self-confidence, conflict resolution, communication and group dynamics, goal setting and time management.

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