Xavier College Newsletter - Term 3 Week 10

Principal's Welcome

What a wonderful term it has been for the whole College.

With schools able to get back to some sort of normality, we were able to hold many of our College events that in the last 2 years, we have not been able to do.

From Swimming and Athletic Carnivals, Sports Days, Pedal Prix events, Parent Information Evenings, to Excursions and Camps, it has indeed been a very busy term.

I would like to thank our staff for their continued dedication to our students.  There is a lot of work that goes behind organisation of these events and it goes without saying that your dedication in ensuring our students gain as much enjoyment and participation as possible in school life, is very much appreciated.

Year 12 Students

As our new Xavier Bambinos get ready to start their educational journey at our Two Wells campus, it is that time of year where our Year 12 students prepare for exams and for what will be an exciting last few weeks of their schooling at Xavier College. 

I remind our Year 12 students that our thoughts and prayers go with them at this exciting time and remind them that they will always be a part of the Xavier College community.

We wish them every success with not only the upcoming exams but with every aspect of their life after Xavier.  Enjoy your last few weeks as students of Xavier College!

Significant Dates for Year 12 Students

As we get ready for a very busy Term 4, may I take this opportunity to wish our families, students and staff a very restful and enjoyable break.

Principal

Mark Flaherty
Principal

RUOK? Day

Thursday 8 September was dedicated to inspiring and empowering everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them by asking the simple question, “Are you OK?” Asking isn’t always easy, but it could change a life. Throughout Week 7, students were encouraged to build relationships through various lunchtime activities in order to help celebrate and promote wellbeing. Activities included word searches, colouring in, an art competition for students to design the RUOK Day poster, a music presentation, meditation session, karaoke, tug of war, a BBQ lunch and even an egg and spoon race to help raise awareness of RUOK Day.

Indigenous Youth Leadership Program National Gathering 2022

At Xavier College we have a number of our Aboriginal students that participate in the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) which is coordinated and funded by the Smith Family. As part of this program, one of our students, Kendra Passmore, was involved in the National Gathering held in Sydney from 15 - 18 September. The purpose of this gathering is to bring students together over a four day period in order to expand on their cultural awareness and skills. This is a compulsory event for all Year 9 and 10 students involved in the IYLP Scholarship Program.

It was a busy four days where Kendra was involved in quite a number of activities with other students from around Australia. All students were involved in a variety of team-building activities and were actively engaged in various thought-provoking talks. Students also participated in multiple activities such as a Harbour cruise, which included a visit to Clarke Island, where they learnt about cultural dance and stories around how Aborginial people used to fish in the area. As a part of the program students also filmed their own music videos and participated in an art session.

Kendra made us all proud, demonstrating excellent emerging leadership qualities, in addition to having a very memorable time where she has made some great connections and friendships.

Mandy Taylor
Inclusive Education/Learning Coach

Gawler Belt - Head of Campus

Catholic Schools Music Festival
This week the Catholic Schools community was able to once again celebrate the Catholic Schools Music Festival. While the Festival has been impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years, the community enjoyed having the opportunity to come together to witness the incredible range of talent our students across all 102 schools in the South Australian Catholic system. Xavier College was formally represented by Abigail Sharp. Abigail performed a vocal solo called ‘Breathe’ from the Musical ‘In The Heights’ on the very first night of the Festival. I was exceptionally proud of Abigail’s performance as I personally have had a number of Principal’s from other schools compliment Xavier College on having the most outstanding vocal performance on the night. Congratulations Abigail.

Barolo Appeal
This Term, each Oratory has been responsible for creating their own stall as part of our annual fund-raising events for our Barolo Appeal. The entrepreneurial skills of our students really came to the fore with a wide range of creative pop-up stalls being set up around the College. The stalls ranged from selling pancakes and cupcakes to students being able to play the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ with the chance of winning a range of prizes. The money raised from these events supports our Salesian Agriculture School which is located in Timor Leste. Timor-Leste - Salesian Missions

Xavier Day Celebrations
This week we also celebrate Xavier Day across both Campuses. The day of celebration provides the students and the staff with the opportunity to pause and to reflect on our Salesian heritage. Next year the Salesian education community will be formally acknowledging 130 years of Salesian Education in Australia. Xavier Day commences with a formal Prayer Service in our Sir Doug Nicholls Gymnasium. Following our Prayer Service all students are involved in a wide variety of activities which they nominate to engage in. The activities range from yoga and meditation to a Lego Technics Challenge and a FIFA Tournament, there is plenty to choose from with 35 activities! The day is a highlight of the year for students as it allows them to connect with others that they may not normally associate with, in a fun and relaxing environment. It also provides an oppertunity for our students and staff to be creative in their dress code with the theme of 'Book Week'.

Acting Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care Term 4 2022
I would like to take this opportunity to formally congratulate Mr Costas Efthymiou on his appointment to the role of Acting Assistant Principal – Pastoral Care whilst Mr Robert Polito is on leave for Term 4. With Mr Costas Efthymiou vacating his position during the course of Term 4 I would also like to congratulate Mrs Nadine Smart on her appointment as House Director of Teaching & Learning - Mazzarello for Term 4.

Year 12 Graduation Events – Term 4
The Year 12 Liturgy and Graduation Ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday 26 October commencing at 6:30pm. This event will be held on the College grounds in Sir Doug Nicolls Gymnasium and includes a Thanksgiving Liturgy, as well as the formal presentation, and acknowledgement of the achievements of the 2022 Graduating Class. In addition to this event, we have a Farewell Dinner and Dance scheduled for the Year 12 students and their families which will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Monday 5 December 2022, commencing at 6:30pm. Correspondence has been sent directly to all Year 12 parents/caregivers, which provides digital links to secure bookings and payment for each of these events. 

John Cameron
Head of Campus - Gawler Belt

Gawler Belt Campus - Xavier in Concert

Sit back and be entertained by our talented music students. Doors open 6:30pm for a 7pm start. Please arrive and be seated by 6:45pm.

Please use the seating plan to choose seats and communicate with other families if you would like to sit on the same table.

Food: BYO snacks/picnic dinner. Our Hospitality Department will provide dessert at interval. You may also BYO non alcoholic drinks.

Tickets are available via Trybooking.

Leanne Savill
Coordinator - Music

Gawler Belt - Year 11 Creative Arts

Practitioners of the Month

Trinity Tipler

I normally draw traditionally using lead pencils or paint but I have been getting very inspired by digital painters all over the internet. Artists usually like drawing with a stylus, but I drew this over my phone with just my fingers. Thats why it's never an excuse to say that you don't have the right materials to create an artwork. 

I usually struggle when choosing a colour scheme, so I utilised complimentary colours to create a palette that worked well together. I wanted to try and come up with a design I found uncommon for myself, so I turned the spines into feathers.

Shading was very simple too, I visualised the areas that would be hidden from the sun the most and coloured them the darkest, using the opposite colour on the colour wheel and saturating the colour worked well.

The second drawing was my experiment with colours and shading! I got red and then looked across the colour wheel and found green therefore in the areas I wanted to shade I put green and even added bits of a darker shade of red. It didn't turn out as bad as I was expecting. So don't forget to always try something new and experiment even outside of your comfort zone, you will never know what might turn out!

Caitlin Mudge

I created this first piece after being inspired by other artists who were reacting to a collaboration between characters Hatsune Miku and Cinnamoroll. I used alcohol-based markers and pencils to colour it, which is unusual as I have never tried that technique before, yet I am happy with the final product.

This drawing of Mizuki Akiyama was originally created on another piece of paper to cover a mistake, but after spending time on it and linking it with the original image, I ended up with one of my favourite drawings in my book. I believe that shows how learning and improving mistakes helps people to grow.

Gawler Belt - Royal Adelaide Show

Stage One Agriculture students from Mr Oates and Miss Joyce’s classes competed in the Royal Adelaide Show’s Led Goat Wethers competition and the Schools Olive Oil division.

Our olive oil was submitted for judging, where we achieved a Bronze award. It was noted that the oil had ‘mild intense aromas of banana and butter, clean texture with mild bitterness and slightly warm white pepper finish’. Students harvested olives early in the Semester and had them processed by Prema Bros. 

Over Semester two, students have been training, grooming and cleaning their goats as their practical component of the Livestock Management topic. Students enjoyed building positive relationships with their goats and one another along the way.

We had some of the best presented and well-behaved goats in the Grand Parade, and the competition was fierce against nearly 200 goats. Paul the Boer goat came away with a second place while Tyrone the Saanen goat received an honorable mention. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the practical component of the Livestock Management topic and to see our students hard work pay off.

Congratulations to all of our students and a big thank you to their teachers Mr Daniel Oates and Miss Zoe Joyce.

Gawler Belt - Inclusive Education

Term 3 has been busy for our Inclusive Education students, with an assortment of activities which have provided them with the opportunity to engage in learning within the local community.

Some of our Year 9 and 10 students went on an excursion, taking public transport and on foot from the Campus, to Adelaide CBD, and back again. The trip helped the students to build their confidence in using public transport, navigating busy streets, and independance in handling money.

Every year selected students volunteer at the Gawler Show providing assistance before and after the event. It was an excellant way for the students to gain skills in teamwork outside of the College grounds, as well as giving back to the local community.

Two of our students, Kaine Brouwer and Angel Jude, completed work replacements with Obela Fresh Dips and Spreads, and Barossa Enterprises respectively. Both students completed their placements with glowing reports and it was wonderful to hear of their successes.

Some of our students have also had the opportunity to attend the Positive Furtues Expo and an online seminar about pathways to post school life. Both events provided pathways for support and community services in order to assist students in the transition from school to work.

It is awesome when families and students work collaboratively with the College to enable students to engage in these activities. We are very proud of the amazing manner in which the students hold themselves in the community, and how well they represent the College.

Jo Bakker
Coordinator - Inclusive Education

Gawler Belt - Tony Piccolo MP

To mark the occasion of International Day for Democracy, Tony Piccolo MP met with our Senior Legal Studies Students on 14 September to discuss how we can strengthen our representative model of democracy. 

On 9 September our Legal Studies students joined Trinity College students for a tour of Parliament with Tony. They had the opportunity to hear a talk about the nation's road to Federation by Professor Andrew Parkin from Flinders University where they also talked about where modern Australia draws it's legal and political traditions.

On 5 September Tony Piccolo hosted his Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) at Parliament House for a tour and discussion about how to convert concerns into community or political action. The YAP was also addressed by the Deputy Premier who talked about her involvement in community organisations and politics. The YAP comprises students and staff from Xavier College, Gawler and Districts College B-12, Trinity College, Mark Oliphant College, St Patrick's Technical College, Compass Catholic Community, Playford College, Northern Adelaide Senior College, Gawler Youth and City of Playford. 

Gawler Belt - Bell Shakespeare Incursion

The Year 10 cohort had their annual visit from the wonderful 'players' at Bell Shakespeare. This year the performance was titled: The Human Experience. The narrative was centred around all the human emotions that William Shakespeare is able to brilliantly portray in his work. From revenge in Macbeth, to love in Romeo and Juliet, the players were excellent in using Shakespeare to convey the way in which we as human beings, express emotion. There were some great examples where the Year 10 students were able to make a connection in their own lives and gave a deeper meaning to some of the characters they had just recently studied.

The Year 10 students had themselves just submitted an assessment centred around Shakespeare, where each class studied one of his plays and transformed the language into a blog, speech, or article. The students were an excellent audience, and were ecstatic that they were allowed to play with some of the props after the performance.

Taryn Stevens
Acting Curriculum Leader - English

Two Wells - Head of Campus

What a wonderful Term we have had!

Despite the wet and cold weather, I have been so thrilled with the way our students and staff have looked after each other.

It has been incredible to be witness to our wonderful community. Of note has been:

• The conclusion of the first term at school for our newest Reception students – wonderful work by Mrs Dunning, our families and of course, our students
• Our many attempts, then the success of our first Junior Primary Athletics Carnival
• Book Week
• Class Prayer Services with Father Chris
• SAPSASA events including Cross Country and Basketball
• ATSI events
• Xavier Day
• Middle School Illumination incursion
• BAE Systems excursion

The next stage of our building continues to develop before our eyes and is certainly creating a lot of excitement. We are looking forward to taking possession of the new building towards the end of 2022, but of course we will then be watching the next stage of our buildings develop with the creation of our Gym and OSHC facility.

For those new to our community, Term 4 will see a new group of Xavier Bambinos commence their education journey with us, as they transition to school. In Term 4, the children will participate in an early academic changeover for the year.  This means that the children will have an opportunity to experience their 2023 classes, towards the end of the 2022 school year. More information about how this will look your child/ren will be sent out to parents/caregivers shortly.

I would like to congratulate the following students on recent personal highlights:

• Ronan and Marcus on their recent Confirmation
• Imegen, Nyah and Pypah on their Equestrian success at the Royal Adelaide Show
• Clem on his livestock success at the Royal Adelaide Show
• Jack on his hockey success

Thank you to all our families for a fantastic Term. We look forward to seeing you on day 1 of Term 4, Monday, 17 October 2022.

Janet Coomber
Head of Campus - Two Wells

Two Wells - Royal Adelaide Show

It was wonderful to see so many of our students personally compete in this years Royal Adelaide Show and coming home with ribbons. Congratulations to Year 6 student, Mikayla Mockett, who's puppy won Best Puppy of Breed, along with Imegen Watkins (Year 6), Nyah Clark (Year 5) and Pypah Coombe (Reception), who won ribbons in their respective Equestrain events.

Year 6 student, Clem Fuller, competed in the Poultry Section which has one of the largest showing of birds at any Royal Show in Australia, with over 1,600 classes to choose from.

We are proud to announce that Clem's Modern Game Bantam Hen came home with Champion Exhibit, this equates to the best bird from all the breeds, competing against nearly 2,000 entries.

Congratulations to Clem, Mikayla, Imegen, Nyah, and Pypah on a wonderful achievement!  We look forward to following your successes in the years to come.

Two Wells - Reception to Yr 2 Athletics Carnival

On Monday 12 September our Reception to Year 2 students participated in their Athletics Carnival. We were very lucky with the weather, with the sun shining most of the day, and it was wonderful to welcome our families back to the campus.

The day was a huge success, with the students participating in a variety of different activities. All students showed their support and encouragement for both their House and peers.

Our Ahletics Carnival is a great event, bringing people together from all year levels. It allows students to work together in teams and build leadership skills and helps to encourage and inspire the younger students to participate in sport.

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Two Wells - First Communion

Ronan Slattery (Year 2) and Marcus Farrugia-Gay (Year 5), recently had their Confirmation and First Communion at St Peter and Paul, Gawler, and St Joseph, Two Wells, respectively. Declan Slattery, who is a current Year 12 student, was Ronan's sponsor, with Archbishop Patrick O'Regan officiating both services.

If you would like further information on the Sacramental Program for your child please contact your Parish Priest for further details.

Gawler Parish - Fr Jose Pazheparambil SDB (ph 8522 1089)

Virginia Parish - Fr Pham Anh-Hao PP (ph 8380 9029)

Two Wells - Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is a literacy engagement program that was introduced by the Premier in 2004 to encourage students to read more books. Reading not only improves literacy skills, it keeps your brain active. Knowledge is a powerful tool that will assist our students with their study, and with everyday life. 

During the Premier's Reading Challenge, classes have a weekly Library lesson, and all year levels have the opportunity to participate in the Challenge. Students are required to read 12 books between the beginning of the school year and early September. So many students discover new genres and read more than 12 books. 

This year we had an outstanding result with students from all year levels participating. A total of 325 students completed the challenge, with over 4000 books read during this time. This is an amazing achievement. 

Two Wells - Liturgies

Over the course of Term 3 all students at our Two Wells Campus participated in a Liturgy of the Word.  The Liturgy allows students the opportunity to reflect on the topic of Creation.  Together teachers, students and Father Chris guided the Liturgies, making it a reflective and peaceful experience for all.  Students modelled reverence as they reflected on the beauty of our world and wonders of Creation.

Also in Term 3, students participated in a Prayer Service to celebrate their fathers/special male figures in their lives.  They spent time reflecting, singing and praying in a special space.

Community Noticeboard

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