Xavier College Newsletter - Term 2 Week 2

Principal's Welcome

Welcome back to the start of Term 2. A special welcome to new students and their families. I would like to remind students that Xavier College is their school and almost everything that happens at Xavier, certainly all the decisions that are made, are designed to improve the overall school experience and the enviroment for our students. I ask students to treat each other with the kindness and for them always to give their personal best in all aspects of College life.

Enquiries about enrolments can be made to our College Registrar, Victoria Hall on 8521 4500 or email the registrar@xavier.catholic.edu.au. 

Please also visit our website for information about the College.

Xavier College Gawler Belt, Years 7-12

A reminder that the 2023 Year 7 enrolments close on 31 May 2021.  Please also note this applies to all siblings and students from Catholic partnership schools.

Xavier College Two Wells, currently Reception to Year 6

Given the community demand, Year 7 and 8 will be introduced from the start of 2022. Places are filling fast across Reception – Year 8.

Mark Flaherty
Principal

Project Compassion

Each year, the College supports Caritas Australia’s work both here in Australia and overseas by raising funds for their annual Project Compassion campaign during the Season of Lent.

We would like to thank all members of the Xavier College community for their continued support of the work of Caritas.

This year, as a community we were able to raise $11,706.55 across both campuses to help Caritas’ vital work.

A presentation will be made to Sarah Moffat, Archdiocesan Chancellor on behalf of Caritas Australia at our next assembly.

Thank you once again for supporting this vital work of Caritas Australia.

Gareth Watson
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission

Two Wells - Junior School

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Two Wells - Junior School

Welcome to Term 2! After a very busy first term and well-earned break, it was wonderful to see our students excited to be back at school, and greet each other so joyously.

The first term ended with a presentation held by the Year 2 class; some exciting activities in the break out space with Mrs Haythorpe, Sporting Schools cricket, Holy Week prayer services, a vibrant OSHC service, and some fantastic Oratory activities. I would like to acknowledge the work by our amazing team here at Two Wells – what an exceptional team we have.

Of course teaching, learning and pastoral care at the heart of what we do at Xavier. Literacy blocks are inspirational to watch – it is amazing to see students really make powerful progress, ably supported by class teachers and Mrs Malone. Additionally, I love seeing our student’s progress in Italian, hearing the strum of the ukulele, seeing the Year 6 students take care of younger ones and show real leadership in the yard, and the buzz of excitement during our vertically streamed Oratory sessions. Ms Krieg has been a force behind our Positive Psychology, and Mrs Mandy Taylor is ensuring that our students improve their Numeracy.

Thank you to all our families for their support of Project Compassion. As a Catholic school, we are called to serve others, look after others less fortunate, and lead with a servant heart. I was touched by the generosity of our community.

This term promises to be just as exciting, with excursions, sporting clinics, reports, and the next stage of the building in the pipeline. We will also welcome our new Reception class for transition sessions, along with their teacher Alison Bhraunxs.

We recently held a successful Open Night, which provided us with a wonderful opportunity to meet students and families. As our Middle School starts to take shape and we discuss what this will look like, it is great to get feedback and input. During one of our last sessions, a guest commented that it was clear we are working towards creating a strong community; one that offers support. As a Salesian school, we strive to be a home that welcomes, which is based on our core values of RUAH. We are grateful for you all as we work towards this goal together.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all our wonderful mums and families. Wishing you a wonderful day!

Janet Coomber
Head of Campus Two Wells

Two Wells - OSHC

The start to 2021 has been wonderful in OSHC and our educators have enjoyed meeting and engaging the students in a range of different activities. A term 1 highlight, the sandpit, had the children’s collaboration and creativity on full display with mountains, tunnels, gardens and other mega excavation projects providing a busy but dynamic landscape.

Anzac Day

On Sunday 25 April, Mrs Kylie Lester (Xavier College Teacher), Thomas Lester (Reception), Charlie Mason (Year 1), Sophie Lester (Year 2) and Charles Lester (Year 5) represented Xavier College Junior Campus at the Two Wells Anzac Day Dawn Service. The service was held at 6:20am at the Two Wells War Memorial. Students gathered to lay a wreath to pay their respects and remember all the fallen ANZAC soldiers who served in the Army and gave their lives for our country in the Wars.

SACA Clinic

On Tuesday 6^th April, students at Xavier College Two Wells participated in cricket clinics offered to us by SACA.

Students participated in a variety of games-based activities to develop their striking, fielding and throwing skills, all while enjoying the game of cricket.

We are very thankful to the staff from SACA for delivering engaging and enjoyable cricket sessions.

Nathan Clarke - Primary 3-5 Coordinator

Two Wells - Oratory

Every second Friday our Two Wells campus Oratories combine and participate in activities together. This week saw the teams complete a team building task where children created boats and tested each one to see which boat could hold the most weight.

Miss Blowes - de Sales Oratory

Gawler Belt - Senior School

Xavier College draws upon a variety of valuable, current resources to educate and support our community. Schooltv is one example of these types of interactive resources. The link (which is shown below) to this resource can be found on the SEQTA Engage and SEQTA Learn splash pages. This weeks special report focuses on Mother’s Day.

SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day originated from humble beginnings in 1908 as a simple tradition to honour all mothers, living and deceased. However, it did not take long for florists, confectioners and card companies to jump onboard and commercialise the day, much to the disappointment of its founder, Ann Jarvis.

Mother’s Day is a good annual reminder to say thanks to the mums and other special carers who play an important role in our lives, but it is essential we mark the day with love and sincerity. This year is especially important due to the recent pandemic, where mothers played multiple roles over recent months providing care and support to those they love under difficult circumstances. Mothers will often put the needs of others above their own, so it is paramount to remind them to take care of themselves also, especially when it comes to mental health.

Research has shown that women experience some mental health conditions more so than men and at much higher rates. There are many factors that can impact a woman’s wellbeing physically and emotionally. Seeking effective treatment can enable her to engage more readily in everyday activities and fulfil the needs of her children and family.

This Special Report highlights the role mothers play in the developmental growth of her children and the importance of self-care for good mental health. 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.
Here is the link to your special report:

https://xavier.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/celebrating-mothers-day

John Cameron
Head of Campus Gawler Belt

Peer Support

Our 8-week Peer Support Program concluded with the final session on Wednesday 24^th March. Each week, groups of 8-10 students met with 2 Peer Leaders and worked through a range of activities that focused on building connections and addressing a range of behaviours including the identification and prevention of bullying. Meeting in small groups allowed meaningful connections to form, assisting students with the transition to secondary school. Students acknowledged their strengths and learnt skills to build resilience, identified how to develop, maintain, and repair friendships, developed understanding of a range of behaviours including bullying and learnt strategies to respond appropriately in a variety of situations.

Students also learned more about the support structures we have in place at Xavier College to address conflict and bullying.  The student’s Oratory Teacher and House Directors were emphasised as key adults they could report to for support. 

Year 7 students recently completed a survey on the Program, the results of which clearly indicate that their involvement in Peer Support has helped them make new connections and friends, learn coping strategies when they experience conflict and increased their sense of belonging at Xavier College.

Throughout the program our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders provided guidance and positive role modelling on our college values of RUAH (Respect, Understanding, Affection, Humour).  They reported a high level of enjoyment engaging with their group and that their communication and leadership skills were significantly developed because of the Program.

On behalf of the House Director team, I extend sincere thanks to the year 7 students, the year 10 leaders and the staff involved in supervising the Peer Support Program.  We are grateful for your support in making Xavier College a Home that Welcomes.

Adele Justice
House Director - Pastoral Care

SAPSASA - Softball

On the 29 to 31 of March, we had a number of students involved in SAPSASA Softball after being selected to represent the Gawler and District boys and girl’s teams. The carnival was held at Barrett Reserve, West Beach. Xavier College had two Year 7 students, Ross Oxford and Tiahna Staker, selected to play in the carnival while Year 12 student Natalie Wix and year 8 student Tahlia Sutton were selected as assistant coaches. Over the three days, both teams played a total of 8 games and were in Division 1 of the competition. The boys team finished 4^th overall with a total of 4 wins and 4 losses while the girls team finished 6^th with a total of 3 wins and 5 losses. All students enjoyed their time at the carnival with a few of their highlights are listed below.

The things that I most enjoyed about SAPSASA Softball were representing the district, making new friends, trying new things, and learning new skills. I found it funny that I had to play against some of my basketball friends. Tiahna Staker – Year 7 Player

I enjoyed playing 8 games of softball and meeting new people from other schools. Ross Oxford – Year 7 Player

I am normally a player of a softball team, so it was a great opportunity for me to step up into a coaching position and put my skills to the test. I loved working alongside of Ms Knight, who had a good understanding of the game.  We had a great group of girls who were willing to listen, learn and put into practice what they had been taught over the 3 days. Tahlia Sutton – Year 8 Coach

Ainslee Knight
Teacher - Handley

Xavier College becomes even more positive!

In line with our Salesian spirit we want nothing more than our students to do well for themselves.  Staff discussion during 2020 led to a decision to provide our students with a platform to flourish and so in late 2020 Xavier College decided to develop our engagement further with Positive Education.

When we think of our students flourishing, we want them to feel good, and to do good.  Positive Education focuses on developing key skills to allow students to develop and strengthen their positive relationships, build and understand their positive emotions, and enhance their own resilience whilst also developing their mindfulness and encourage a healthy lifestyle.  We achieve these personal goals through the science of Positive Psychology where instead of using psychological techniques to  treat the negative, we use these skills to develop ourselves in order that we can flourish.  This then allows our students to develop the skills to build a successful life.

Xavier College is working with the Institution of Positive Education by developing our staff through professional learning as well further work with our students in Oratory as well as in their classes.

The work we have done to date with our students, up to and including this year, has allowed many opportunities for our young people to come to fruition.  Focusing on student Character Strengths, Gratitude, and Humour has allowed us to connect with one another and strengthen our relationships – with one another, and with God; therefore supporting our Salesian ethos.

Daniel Hickey
House Director - Pastoral Care

Integrated Learning

As a part of the Religious Education – Integrated Learning Course at Stage 2, students make connections with local Catholic Charities to embark on a journey of service to others. In week 11 and in the Holidays some of our year 12 students actioned their service. Here are some reflections from the students who participated in the activity.

We, along with several other students in year 12 were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to help the local chapter of Fred’s Van. Fred’s Van is a volunteer-led program run by the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which strive to help those who are experiencing hardship and homelessness. We made contact with the organisation in order to discuss what their needs were and how we could best support their work. As a group of students we decided to organize and prepare bulk meals to freeze and distribute later through the organisation.

We were able to prepare over 100 hot meals. Students were able to respond to the local need whilst supporting and demonstrating our call to action – to serve others. Overall, we have better understanding of the value of donating to local charities and the importance of respecting the dignity of each person.

Ebony Matz & Shay Houchin

As part of our service to others, we decided we wanted to help by collecting money from family members and purchasing much needed stationary for school aged children living in poverty. We reached out to St Vincent de Paul who informed us that this was very much a need for the new immigrants in our community. We then researched some basic stationary that we were able to put together at a minimal cost – a pencil case, set of coloured pencils, and sharpener and a little note book. With the money we collected from our generous families we were able to put together 50 stationary packages. We are very happy about what we have been able to donate with such a small amount of money and just goes to show how easy it is to make a difference to others in our world.

James Purdie and Tyson Francis

Senior Music Excursion

I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Wedding Singer. I found it deeply entertaining and touching. I enjoyed travelling to and from the theatre with my music class and the extra time I got to bond with them and my teachers. -  Xanthe Kennedy

I really enjoyed this performance! It was very funny and had lots of great musical numbers that are still stuck in my head weeks on. Plus, it was great to watch all of it in the revamped Her Majesty’s Theatre, which was a fantastic venue that truly helped complete the show. - Layne Bailey

This was the first musical I've ever been to and now I want to go again. Also, the grandma rapped. - Callum Daking

I thought it was very enjoyable, the drama side of it was amazing, the actors were great, the songs were fun. - Tom

I thought the play was really nice, very comedic and I loved every second of it, I really liked the best friend character and the rapping grandma. Would recommend - Zac

I really enjoyed it and I felt like I was thrown into the 80’s. The whole staff at the theatre really embodied the performances persona. - Erin O’Connell

Inclusive Education

On Tuesday 30 March a group of year 9 and 10 students, Mrs Bakker and Mrs Blessing attended a Literacy/ Numeracy excursion.

We first walked to Willaston cemetery, where there was a list of questions to answer about the graves. We were shocked to discover there were many deaths recorded of very young children. We were also able to find the graves of several people we knew. There were some very ornate, beautiful graves.

We next walked to three local supermarkets to find prices of items and compare between the stores, where we found that Woolworths had marginally cheaper prices. We discussed reasons for shopping at different supermarkets and realised that price doesn’t always count- sometimes there are other things to consider, such as option of buying local products and shopping at your closest supermarket.

We then walked to Gawler South and purchased lunch, which we ate at the playground.Finally, we walked back to school, quite exhausted, after travelling at least ten kilometres during the day.

The excursion gave the students an opportunity to build their literacy and numeracy skills in a community setting, while also developing road safety and money handling skills. It was a great chance to build relationships both between the students and staff.

Jo Bakker
Inclusive Education Coordinator

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