Xavier College Gawler Belt eNewsletter

Principal's Welcome

As this is the last newsletter before the end of the Term, I would like to thank all members of our College community for the part they have played in ensuring a successful Term.

I would especially like to thank all staff at the College, non-teaching and teaching, both at our Two Wells Campus and Gawler Belt Campus for their outstanding work, especially with respect to the management of Covid-19. They have worked tirelessly to maintain excellent student outcomes throughout the Term.

College Board

We are calling for nominations for our College Board. The College Board is an advisory group with representatives from the Gawler and Two Wells Parishes, staff and parents from our College.

We meet to hear information about how our College is performing and assist with developing policies, strategic plans and directions for our College. The Board does not discuss operational matters or the day-to-day business of the College.

May I take this opportunity to wish all members of our community a safe, happy and holy Easter.

Mark Flaherty
Principal

Xavier College Instrumental Music Program

The Instrumental Music Program provides the opportunity for students to learn to play a musical instrument/voice with an experienced tutor.

Lessons
Instrumental and/or vocal lessons take place once a week during school hours and are half an hour in length. Lessons are on a rotating timetable unless negotiated with the tutor and Head of Music. Priority regarding permanent instrumental time slots, such as lunch times, are given to senior students due to their study commitments. Longer lessons can be negotiated with the tutor.

Hire of Instruments
Xavier College can hire instruments for students’ private use, particularly brass and woodwind.

All year 7 students are given the opportunity to learn a concert band instrument during their classroom music lessons and are encouraged to continue if they enjoy the experience. Year 7 students who decide to continue with private individual lessons can continue to hire their concert band instrument from Xavier College free of charge for the duration of their lessons at the College.

Tuition Available
At Gawler Belt Campus we have instrumental tutors for saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, flute, piano, voice, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin, and drums. Two Wells Campus is currently offering lessons for piano and guitar.

Tuition Fees
The cost of individual instrumental or vocal lessons is at the discretion of the instrumental tutor, however, will be approximately $300-$350 per term, consisting of 10 lessons. This fee is payable directly to the tutor at the beginning of each term.

Further Information
The Instrumental Music Handbook and Agreement forms can be collected from the Music Department or the Front Office of the Gawler Belt and Two Wells Campuses. If you would like more information about instrumental music lessons for your child, or you would like to book lessons for your child, please contact either:
Leanne Savill - Gawler Belt Campus: lsavill@xavier.catholic.edu.au
or
Ben Paparella - Two Wells Campus: bpaparella@xavier.catholic.edu.au

Leanne Savill
Coordinator - Music

Enrolment Application Closure Date May 31 2022

Evanston Campus - Opening 2023
We are excited to announce the opening of our third Campus in Evanston, accommodating Reception to Year 6 students. We are now taking Applications for Enrolment commencing in 2023 and beyond.

Two Wells Campus
Applications for Enrolment for Reception to Year 9 are still open for 2023 and will close soon for 2024. Limited places are still available for mid-year Reception 2022.

Gawler Belt Campus
With an overwhelming number of Applications in 2021 we strongly urge families to submit their child's Application for Enrolment Form for Year 7 in 2024 if your child is currently in Year 5.

All Applications close for 2024 Enrolments on 31 May 2022.

If you have additional children you intend to enrol at the College for Year 7 in the future, we recommend submitting these Applications at the same time.

If you require further Application for Enrolment Forms or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the College Registrar, Victoria via email registrar@xavier.catholic.edu.au

Victoria Hall
College Registrar

2022 School Fee Payment Plans are Now Due

With the early payment deadline now past, families are asked to set up a Payment Plan for outstanding school fees. This can be done by completing a direct debit form available at the Front Office or by contacting the College Accounts Manager at finance@xavier.catholic.edu.au.

Co-Catholic Rebate

Families who have a sibling attending another Catholic Primary School may be eligible for a rebate on their school fees. Please see the form below and send to finance@xavier.catholic.edu.au once completed.

Kristin Jacoby
College Accounts Manager

Co-Catholic Rebate Form 2022

Attention Year 7 - Winter Uniform Starts Term 2

From the start of Term 2, all students must wear full winter uniform. If you need to purchase the winter uniform, please visit the Uniform Shop at the times below during school terms:

Monday: 2:30pm to 4pm
Wednesday: 8am to 8:45am
Thursday: 2:30pm to 4pm

Pupil free days change in trading hours:
Thursday, 14 April: 9am to 1pm
Monday, 2 May: 9am to 1pm

The Uniform Shop will also be open during the school holidays on the following dates:
Thursday, 28 April: 1pm to 5pm
Friday, 29 April: 9am to 1pm

Two Wells - Head of Campus

This week was amazing… this week brought us bricks! There are a lot more steel works and ongoing construction, Stage 2 of our building is really taking shape – but finally seeing bricks was the best! In addition to this, our new carpark is also looking fantastic, and promises to help alleviate congestion during pick-up and drop-off times. The oval access bridges are well underway, and plans for Stage 3 continue to be developed.

We have held very successful Campus tours, and are thrilled by the ongoing support of our community. It is wonderful to see the reactions to our plans and infrastructure, and the excitement of our future students. One of the best sights I witnessed recently was a future 2022 mid-year Reception student come in with his mother to pick up his big brother – already in his Xavier uniform (4 months early) as he was so excited, he had to wear it! Our buildings are wonderful – but our students are what it’s all about.

I take this opportunity to congratulate Hannah Blowes and Alex Matushik on the safe arrival of Noah George. Noah came into this world on March 24^th, weighing a healthy 3.2 kg. We wish them all the best for a wonderful future as a family.

I would also like to thank Ms Emily Woolford for her work with us over the last month as a replacement for Mr Skewes. Emily has done a wonderful job, and made a significant contribution to our Xavier Community. We hope to continue seeing you at Xavier.

With Holy Week nearly upon us, our students have been asked to think of others and assist with donations to Project Compassion if able. As a College, we look to help build empathy, compassion for others, create the culture of gratitude, and become people who see a need and do something about it. We thank you for your support with this.

Last week, SPOT interviews were held. They provided a great opportunity for students, parents and teachers to connect in with teach other to discuss student progress academically and pastorally. We encourage ongoing communication, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to teachers via SEQTA Direqt Messages.

Janet Coomber
Head of Campus - Two Wells

Two Wells - Equestrian Success

Two of our students, Nyah and Pypah recently competed in the Equestrian SA Nationals and have had great success in Sydney. Nyah rode beyond her years to win the Child’s Medium Hunter Pony Class making her a National Champion, and also placed third in the Open Class. Pypah performed beautifully in the Leading Rein, achieving third place. They have also just finished a successful competition at Ego Sunsense Australasian Show, are at currently competing in Sydney at the Southern Cross Show Horse Spectacular, before heading onto Grand Nationals next week. We very proud of their dedication and achievements, and look forward to watching their journey in the future.

Janet Coomber
Head of Campus - Two Wells

Gawler Belt - Head of Campus

As a College we are delighted to be entrusted with the care of your children during their time here at Xavier. As a Catholic College in the Salesian Tradition we are committed to educating the whole person across all the dimensions of what it is to be truly human. Our staff are passionate about creating opportunities for the students to form connections with each other and to be connected to our community. A community in which each and every child is truly known.

The College’s Study Support Program will commence again shortly. This program is available for all students Years 7-12 to access in the Hub. Each year we invite our past Year 12 students to be involved in the program. The past Year 12 students assist students across a variety of different subjects as well as general study support. If you would like your child to engage in the program please contact your child’s Oratory teacher to register.

This week the students have been engaged in pre-sports day events in preparation for our College Athletics Carnival which will held on Wednesday 6 May. Experiences such as Athletics Carnival provide our students with opportunities to connect with their peers, demonstrate their talents and contribute positively to our vibrant learning community. The community is looking forward to celebrating the sporting talents of our student cohort early next term at our Athletics Carnival.

A reminder that our first round of Parent, Student, Teacher interviews for the year is scheduled for Wednesday 6 April via MS Teams. Information associated with booking an appointment has been sent out to all families via email. These interviews will provide parents and caregivers with a personalised overview of students’ academic progress to date along with a number of important learning goals for each student to work towards.

Early next term we have invited Dr Rebecca Marrone in to present to our Year 7 girls in relation to STEM pathways for girls. We are delighted to be able to welcome Rebecca back to the College as a highly accomplished Old Scholar. Rebecca is a Research Fellow for the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning at UniSA. Rebecca has a PhD in STEM from UniSA. Details about Rebecca's visit will be provided closer to the date.

John Cameron
Head of Campus - Gawler Belt

Gawler Belt - Active Citizens at Work

During week 7, our Year 9 Society and Culture class had the opportunity to participate in a ‘Mock Parliament’. A key focus of this course is Australian politics, and with discussion regarding the recent state elections, students were excited to conduct their own parliament. Students formed major and minor parties and were asked to discuss their thoughts on a bill of human rights. With Mrs. Skeklios as the ‘speaker’, students delivered their well-researched stances with passion. Listening to students share their perspectives about how humans should treat one another in fair and kind ways clearly depicts our college’s RUAH values. It is encouraging to see informed young people growing their understanding and knowledge of Australian society and culture. These students are using their education to become global citizens who are independent and maintain respect and care for the world around them.

Hannah Skeklios
Teacher