Xavier College Newsletter - Term 3 Week 2

Principal's Welcome

Welcome back to the start of Term 3.  A special welcome to the new reception students and their families as well as those who have joined us in other year levels.

Over the term students will be involved in the subject selection process for 2022.  This is a very important time, in particular for senior students moving into Year 11 and 12.  Third term is a chance for students to consolidate their learning and to prepare themselves for subjects next year.

In our next newsletter the list of academic awards from semester 1 will be published.  It was disappointing that we have had to cancel our Academic assembly due to the lockdown.  

For students wishing to improve on their results in second semester, the following strategies might be helpful.

• Be positive
• Take responsibility for your own learning
• Study for a set period, have a break an resume study
• Minimise distractions whilst studying
• Revise over all classes that you had at school that day and make a list of clarifying questions for your teachers or peers
• Set achievable goals each night
• Get good quality sleep, eat healthy, exercise regularly and participate in family activities.

Mark Flaherty

Principal

Two Wells - Junior School

Welcome back to a new term. In particular, we welcome our new students to our community, and our brand new Reception intake.

While it was an unavoidable inconsistent start due to Covid for our youngest students, they have handled themselves very well, and have barely skipped a beat starting school. This showcases the great work of Mrs Alison Bhraunxs, and the wonderful transition program that was run. I also wish to thank the Year 4 class, Mr Nathan Clarke, and our OSHC for their flexibility in changing their learning space to help the new Reception class settle in. 

During the recent lockdown, we were very proud of the work achieved by our students, as well as the resilience they demonstrated, and the support they offered each other.  A huge thank you to our families for this; it shows what a wonderful community we have.

Even through holidays, a lot was achieved with the planning for Stage 2 of our building. This will mean that some temporary classrooms will be located on site while we prepare for the next cohort of students. Even in challenging times, there is always a wonderful thing to look forward to!

In addition to new building developments, we welcome our new staff members Ms Marissa Chelchowski (PE/HASS teacher); and our OSHC educators Ms Tijana Mewett, Mr Jasper Riggs, and Ms Jordan Borrisow.

Janet Coomber
Head of Campus Two Wells

Gawler Belt - Senior School

Xavier College was able to pivot and promptly respond to last Tuesday's announcement of the seven day statewide lockdown within two hours. Over the past 18 months the College has successfully established a clear set of procedures and protocols associated with shifting a large school with over 1,300 students and 100 staff across two campuses from face to face learning to a combination of online and remote learning.  Xavier utilises the advanced features of SEQTA (our learning management system) as the cornerstone to our online learning platform with a particular focus on embedding the core components of myEDOnline within the SEQTA ecosystem as the preferred mechanism for the delivery of a personally tailored, fully differentiated curriculum. Xavier is the lead College in South Australia in relation to the implementation and use of myEDOnline across our core curriculum areas along with the delivery of our student centered wellbeing program which encompasses the key elements of Positive Education.

Building and nurturing a thriving, connected community underpins our Salesianity as educators. Over the period of the lockdown all families received a personal phone call from our Oratory teachers to check in on the wellbeing of the students and to gain an understanding of any specific needs they may have in order to be able to successfully engage with their online learning requirements. Our Executive Leadership Team has been delighted with the positive manner in which the students have responded to shifting to online learning. Over the past week our students have clearly demonstrated the character strengths of perseverance, self-regulation and creativity.  We have also been exceptionally pleased with the outstanding level of professionalism which our staff have demonstrated towards being attentive and present to the individual needs of the students in their care.

As a Catholic College in the Salesian tradition we continue to be fully committed to providing opportunities for our students to develop their gifts, achieve personal excellence and prepare for the future with hope and confidence in the context of all facets of curriculum delivery whether it be face to face learning.

Overwhelmingly, we have been delighted to welcome our students back to the College this week.

SPECIAL REPORT: COVID Fatigue & Youth Mental Health

The physical impact of the pandemic has mostly spared our young people, however as the nation remains to be on alert and in various stages of lockdown, restrictions continue to be mandated. The pandemic has had a great affect on our young people with many paying a heavy emotional and developmental price. Psychological disorders are on the rise and emergency interventions have skyrocketed.

As hard as it is being a young person today, it's also draining being the parent of one. It has been reported that many parents are struggling to keep their child's mental health afloat, often proving it is difficult to juggle parenting responsibilities whilst at the same time providing much needed emotional support for their children.

Unlike the coronavirus itself, the emotional blowback of the pandemic cannot be vaccinated away. Psychologists are seeing more depression and anxiety across all age groups, but in adolescents it seems to be on steroids, with some choosing to self-medicate using alcohol or other drugs. When they look into the future now, they're looking at one that wasn't what they envisioned before. This report explains the current state of youth mental health in a post-COVID era and offers guidance on how best to support young people today. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If this Special Report raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help. The link to your special report is below.

John Cameron
Head of Campus Gawler Belt

Mathematics

This year the teachers of year 7 and 8 maths are working with maths expert Tierney Kennedy in a back to front approach to mathematics.  Students are improving their numeracy skills by correcting their misconceptions and using a hands-on approach to investigate key concepts. Students from Mr Dale’s year 7 maths class were engaged in an interesting activity where they found the perimeter and area of their hands.

Chris Dwulat
Curriculum Leader - Mathematics

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Research Project results

Xavier College is proud to announce that 100% of our 2021 Year 12 cohort have successfully completed the compulsory Research Project. Some outstanding individual achievements were evident within the following successes:

- 38% of all students achieved in the A band

- 11 students achieved an A+ subject result

- 80% of students achieved a B- or above

- Xavier College ranks above the state average for results in each grade from A+ to B-

Some of the projects completed, covered these topics:

• The impact of equine asthma on a horse’s health and how to best manage the condition in high performance horses.
• How Autism Spectrum Disorder effects the cognitive function and development of preschool children.
• The physiological and psychological effects on food intolerances and the best methods for prevention.
• How video game designers utilise music to influence the experiences of a player.

Congratulations to all students on their success and well done to their teachers who have supported them along the Research Project journey.

Costas Efthymiou
Mazzarello House Director - Teaching and Learning

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