Gavin Dykes, Principal

What a great day we had for our Athletics Carnival today! It was a day full of competition, outstanding team spirit and camaraderie. Congratulations to everyone who competed in an event today for their participation and sportsmanship. The final results are currently being tallied and our Age Champions and the winning House will be announced early next week. 

On Monday, Xavier and St Anne's Primary School came together to commemorate Anzac day. A moving service was held on Monday morning that allowed our students to show respect to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and to those who have served and continue to serve our country. At the conclusion of the service, staff and students from both schools marched around the school grounds. I would like to thank Mrs Paula Gleeson for coordinating the Anzac day service and march and also to the staff and students of St Anne's for joining us to commemorate this day.

I'd like to welcome Ms Bonny Newton, Ms Steph Clancy, Mr Ty Fletcher and Ms Rylee Blythe to our Learning Support Team at Xavier this term.  Led by Mrs Michelle Milthorpe our Learning Support Officers work collaboratively with our teachers to provide specialist support to our students. Our students are really fortunate to have this team of experienced, caring and dedicated staff helping them reach their potential in the classroom each day.

As you would be aware I took a few weeks leave at the end of last term. I would like to thank and recognise Mrs Lorraine Willis for her work as Principal during this time. Thanks also to Ms Mary-Jayne Boyd, who was appointed to the role of Assistant Principal and Mrs Anne Files who stepped into the CAPA KLA position.

Catholic Schools Week is a special time of the year when we celebrate and give thanks for Catholic schools, especially our own school here at Xavier High School.  

On Tuesday 4th of May students will gather together for a special morning Mass.

It is a time to give thanks for the wonderful teaching and learning that takes place each day in every classroom. 

The theme for 2021 is EVERYDAY AFFIRMATION, with a commitment to every child’s, teachers and staff member’s individual purpose.

Week One saw our focus around Anzac Day and the service to our country that all members of our armed forces across all conflicts. Students watched a short CLIPwhich was put together in 2020. Students were then asked to consider the importance of Anzac Day each year and what this actually means. Students were also challenged to consider ways that they can be of service to others and their country and why it is important to do so.
In Week Two, our focus was around what matters and what is important. In watching the clip Rich Boy in the Country, students were asked to consider what is important in their lives, why we place such importance on material goods and what we can learn from the boy in the clip. Students were challenged to consider what things in their lives actually make them rich. This is a massive concept, however, it is important to consider the things that really do matter.

Exciting news!

Xavier High School has a brand new Online Enrolment Portal.

It's easy to complete, just create a profile then click through the steps to submit your application.

For more details or to find the link to apply, visit the Xavier High School website www.xhsww.catholic.edu.au

Reminder to Xavier students and families that the Winter Uniform is to now be worn.

Years 7- 9 Winter Uniform

Girls - Option 1 - Tartan skirt, Navy tights, Long sleeve sky blue crest overblouse, Tartan tie & Black leather shoes.

Girls - Option 2 - XHS Navy tailored pants, Long sleeve sky blue crest overblouse, Tartan tie, Navy socks, & Black leather shoes.

Boys - XHS Grey trousers, Long sleeve sky blue crest shirt, Tartan tie, Grey socks & Black leather shoes.

Sport - XHS Polo shirt, XHS Navy sports shorts, White socks & Runners.

Years 10-12 Winter Uniform

Girls - Option 1 Tartan skirt, Navy tights, Long sleeve white crest overblouse, Tartan tie & Black leather shoes.

Girls - Option 2 XHS Navy tailored pants, Long sleeve white crest overblouse, Tartan tie, Navy socks, & Black leather shoes.

Boys - XHS Grey trousers, Long sleeve white crest shirt, Tartan tie, Grey socks & Black leather shoes.

Sport - XHS Polo shirt, XHS Navy sports shorts, White socks & Runners.

This week we have begun a sign and and sign out of class process to better meet our duty of care responsibilities.

Students scan a QR code using their Chromebooks when they leave a classroom with their teacher’s permission.

Upon re-entry they scan the returning QR code before rejoining the learning activities.

This ensures all students are accounted for at all times so we can best ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Student attendance at school is essential for great learning outcomes to occur. Students and parents are expected to inform the school of any difficulties in maintaining school attendance, whether this be through illness or other justified reasons. The expectation is that students maintain 90% attendance at school across the year. There may be some extenuating circumstances which may prevent this which can be discussed with the school.

All absences from school must be accounted for. Please ensure you enter all absences via Compass. If the matter is more sensitive and you need to discuss with a staff member, please contact the School Office. 

Any absences not accounted for seven days from the day of absence will be considered unjustified absences. To avoid this, ensure that all absences are entered as soon as physically possible.

Students who fall below these benchmarks will require follow up when the absences are unexplained and unjustified.

As a point of reflection, it is important to consider how days absent from school can accumulate.

For instance:

When you miss one day a fortnight

• 20 days a year
• 4 weeks a year
• More than two terms of learning missed across high school

When you miss one day a week

• 40 days a year
• 8 weeks a year
• More than a year of learning missed across high school

When you miss 2 days a week

• 80 days a year
• 16 weeks a year
• More than two years of learning missed across high school

When you miss 3 days a week

• 120 days a year
• 24 weeks a year
• More than 3 and a half years of learning missed across high school

We wish our Year 10 group well as they head to Howman’s Gap for their camp. As highlighted in previous newsletters, this camp is in lieu of the missed Year 9 Camp in 2020. We see this camp as vitally important to our students in helping to build resilience, communication, teamwork and problem solving. 

A huge thank you to Mrs Muir and Mr Giannone for their work in organising the camp as well as the team of teachers who will accompany the group for the three days.

Recently there have been a few students who are requiring a hot swap Chromebook due to not having charged it the previous night. One of the major concerns here is the amount of class time students miss arranging to get a replacement. We also only have a limited number of Chromebooks to lend out and unfortunately students with legitimate technical issues are missing out. We do recognise that on the odd occasion students can simply forget to charge or may not have had the opportunity to do so.

We have now started to keep a record of students and their requirement of hot swaps. On the second occasion a student requires a hot swap, a letter will be sent home to inform parents and remind students to ensure it is charged each evening. Should a student be habitual in failing to charge their Chromebook on five separate occasions in a term, they will be issued a lunchtime detention. Should there be further issues, parents will be contacted to discuss the issue.

If there are issues outside of the student’s control preventing them from charging their Chromebook, these will be considered and discussed with the student and their family.

Raising girls in today’s modern world can be a difficult path for parents and carers to navigate. These days, girls are transitioning to puberty a lot earlier than they used to and the physical, psychological and emotional changes they experience are challenging. As a result, by mid-adolescence, girls are twice as likely to develop mood disorders more so than boys.

Some parents and carers may feel uncertain about how best to support their daughter through the ups and downs of adolescence and how to keep the lines of communication open. With the rise of social media and technology, mental health difficulties in girls are increasing as often they are faced with online images that make it difficult to see themselves as acceptable. Ensuring a daughter’s opinions are heard and her views listened to, will go a long way towards making her feel loved and supported as she tries to establish her own identity.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will attain a clearer picture of what girls are wanting from their adult carers and how best to support them through adolescence. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month's edition https://xhsww.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-girls
If you are not already aware, there is a huge range of resources available on the Schools TV site. Click on the all additions tab to see what other topics are raised.

On Monday students from both Xavier High School and St Anne's Primary School joined together to commemorate Anzac Day.

WATCH THE VIDEO CLICK HERE

Lest We Forget

WATCH THE VIDEOCLICK HERE

Recently our Year 11 Sport, Lifestyle & Recreation (SLR) students took part in an Adventurous Journey, hiking the Razorback trail in the Victorian High Country.

The student experience was a 2-day hike along defined alpine trails and included an overnight camp in tents. This was a part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Program.

In the weeks leading up to the Adventurous Journey, students were thoroughly briefed in their SLR classes on the expectations and skills relating to bushwalking and camping in alpine areas and safety issues that may arise.

Students were supplied with tents, sleeping bags, ground mats, hiking backpacks and stoves, however were required to pack their own food and clothing for the two days.

Day 1 of the hike began at Mount Hotham, and travelled along the Razorback trail towards Mount Feathertop. The overnight campsite was set up at Federation Hut on the Bungalow Spur trail.

Day 2 began with a sunrise hike to the summit of Mount Feathertop before returning to the Federation Hut camping area.

Day 2 was the return hiking journey from the Federation Hut campsite back along the Razorback trail and concluding at Mount Hotham.

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019). 

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling

• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional

• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools 

• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools

• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy(https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact Xavier High School.

Are you a keen reader and want to win some great prizes...

The Xavier High School Reading Competition is on now!!

WHO: 
Junior Category: Students in Years 7 - 10 
Senior Category: Students in Years 11 & 12

WHAT:
Xavier High School Reading Competition.

WHEN:
Open now until the Final Judging during Book Week in Term 3 (Wk 7)

WHERE:
Visit the Xavier Library for more information.

WHY:
The House with the most number of book reviews will win
House Points are up for grabs
Great individual prizes on offer for the Best Book Review!

HOW:
Easy 3 step process: 
1. Find a book you like 
2. Borrow it from the Xavier library 
3. Leave a review on the Library Portal (Oliver) 

Student Leader Profile: Lily McQualter

House: MacKillop

Your Position: House Captain

What inspired you to take on a leadership position?
The enjoyment out of helping people and being a role model for younger students. As well as contributing to organising events for the house to take part in, to unite everyone within the house. 

What are the things that make your House great?
Our founder, Mary MacKillop had been known for her "strong belief in her calling to minister to the poor and lost in society, She was faithful, courageous and compassionate." and, I believe this lives in our house at Xavier High School today.  

What do you love about Xavier High School?
I love opportunities they provide me with, and bring surrounded by fun and positive people. 

Which Xavier event did you enjoy most last year and what was so good about it?
I enjoyed the run colour and Xavier day the most, because we got to see everyone within the Xavier community coming together as one and having a fun filled day.

Student Leader Profile: Ryan Heagney

House: MacKillop

Your Position: Stage 6 Leader

What inspired you to take on a leadership position?
I wanted to give back to the school community that has made by high schooling adventure so fun and enjoyable. I wanted to be able to help younger students achieve their academic goals and like me enjoy their time in high school. 

What are the things that make your House great?
MacKillop is a fun house that includes every student. The best part about MacKillop is the activities put into place by Mrs Monte and the House Captains every week, which allow students to have some fun and relieve the stresses that school brings. 

What do you love about Xavier High School?
I love the community and how welcoming and kind everyone is. The staff have been awesome over the years, always willing to help me further my knowledge and thrive in my academics. 

Which Xavier event did you enjoy most last year and what was so good about it?
Xavier Day was really enjoyable last year, especially the colour run. It involved every student and was a fun event. 

This week we held our first White Card training for 2021.  

A White Card is a requirement for those working within the construction industry whether in a trade or interior design.

This course is designed to give a basic overview of legislation, hazards, communication pathways and  incident response activities.

LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE FOR TERM 2.

Our next White Card training session will be held in Term 2.  

There are only a few places remaining.

If you are 14 years or older register your interest, please contact Mrs Scott.

Congratulations to Kijana McCowan who won the National title for the U14 High Jump at the National Athletics Championships held in Sydney.

GOLD MEDAL in the High Jump where Kijana jumped 1.62m, plus a SILVER MEDAL in the Triple Jump at the national championships.

Recently our Xavier Open Girls and Boys Soccer teams competed at the Wagga Wagga Diocesan Gala Day held in Griffith.

The Gala included the selection trails for the up-coming Combined Catholic Colleges competition.

Both Xavier teams played 4 games, each consisting of 2 x 10 minute halves.

The Open Girls won 1 game and lost 3 games.

The Open Boys won 1 game, drew 2 games and lost 1 game.

Congratulations to Lily Godfrey, Ruby Lloyd, Montanna Mathews, Kobe Burgess, Foster Gardiner and Kylan Plitz who have been selected to participate in the Combined Catholic Colleges competition.

Xavier was well represented at the Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Boys AFL Trials in Wagga.

Xavier students Harry Barber, Cody Gardiner, Zach Graham, Jack Harris, Liam Hetherton, Josh Murphy, Toby Hunt & Brodie Nicholson.

Each student played four 20 minute games.

Congratulations to Harry Barber, Cody Gardiner, Liam Hetherton, Josh Murphy who have been selected to continue their trial at the All Schools AFL Tri-Series to be played in Albury in May.

Xavier was well represented at the Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Girls AFL Trials in Wagga.

Xavier students Lydia Ross-Anderson, Georgia Coutts, Ruby Lloyd, Elli Lowry, Molly McLaren and Ava Whitfield.

Congratulations to Elli Lowry and Molly McLaren who have been selected to continue their trial at the All Schools AFL Tri-Series to be played in Albury in May.

Save the date...

School Council AGM

Wednesday 19 May 2021

For more information:

Email xhs-info@ww.catholic.edu.au

Did you know, there is a Xavier Facebook group for second hand uniforms & equipment?

This is a closed group, however you can request permission to join.

LINK: CLICK HERE

About:

Xavier offers students access to on-site private music tuition before, during and after school. Tuition is open to all students from Years 7-12. 

Xavier collaborates with instrumental teachers of music, providing students with the opportunity for private lesson on their chosen instrument.  

Students can study:

• Keyboard Piano
• Guitar - Acoustic, Electric, Bass
• Woodwind - Flute, Clarinet, Oboe
• Brass - Saxophone, Trumpet
• Percussion - Drums
• Voice - Contemporary

Shared lessons can be arranged with individual tutors at a reduced fee per student. 

For more information visit our website:

CLICK HERE and scroll down to Private Instrumental Tuition