Villa View: Issue 09/22

As Semester One concludes it is with a great deal of enjoyment that I look back on the actions and achievements by students and staff across 2022 to this point. Academically it has been rewarding to observe the academic commitment and endeavour of our Year 11 and 12 students. To this point our Senior results would indicate we are on track for our boys to achieve the Term One goals they set for themselves in their Academic Coaching Program (ACP). Those few who are off track are looking to get guidance and support.

Our Social Action and Justice groups have been able to re-emerge post Covid and engage with Emmanuel City Mission, complete Green Team projects, germinate important ideas and actions to re-engage with our partners in the Philippines, assist in flood relief and a myriad of other opportunities.

In the sporting realm we have celebrated Premierships in 1st XVIII AFL, 1st VI Volleyball and 1st XI Football as well as achieving great overall results with a multitude of undefeated teams. A third place in Cross Country and fourth in Swimming highlights the strong leadership and commitment in our multi-event individual sports. There was also a flood and the remnants of Covid illness and restrictions to respond to as well.

From a College strategic and operational development perspective our Academic and Pastoral Leadership Teams have been heavily involved in a review of bullying response strategies and practices, which have since been published, as well as developing a strong and clear Student Behaviour Support Plan that can be applied consistently and fairly across the College. It is designed to give our boys, their parents and teachers, clarity of behavioural expectations as well as an opportunity for them to be explicitly taught and reflected upon. This project has been the central work of our Pastoral Leaders this term and the roll out of the plan and its core practices will occur across Semester Two. However, there is no radical shift in position. Our foundational practices of Augustinian teaching, embedded in relational and restorative practices, remains but it has been placed in a framework that allows clear understanding of expectations, positive affective statements of behaviour and a flow chart of responses for staff and students that will be applied case by case in careful consideration of the individual, their needs and balanced against the needs of other students, staff and the College community. It is not an easy process hence why a clear and reliable process is needed, with predictable and valued consequences designed to remediate behaviour, adjust thoughts and perceptions through reflection and provide a platform for the restoration of relationships and trust. This is all encompassed through our commitment to develop each Villa boy into the Villanova graduate. Specific detail of the G.R.E.A.T.S. framework and the matrix of expectations will be shared with our community through the implementation period next semester.

Additionally, across next term you will hear more about our academic structures and Learning and Teaching Framework. We are at a point in College life where it is prudent to look at our academic and pastoral leadership structures and ask if these structures are likely to best serve your boys and their development and learning over the next ten years. Are they adaptable to change and have they responded to changes in curriculum design, teaching practice and student needs? Our Deputy Principal Mr Steven Bremner has led this process with a consultative committee this term and the revised structures will be shared with the community in due course.

In summary, there has been a lot happening at Villanova in 2022 and it has been both challenging and rewarding. I cannot thank the community enough for your welcome, your participation, your feedback and your challenge. Our goal is to be the school of first choice for boys’ education in Brisbane, and to lead the educational landscape in Australia. With your commitment, your boy’s effort, our teachers drive, creativity and ingenuity it is something I believe we can build together.

I have so much gratitude for the welcome and acceptance by Villanova leadership, staff, parents and students and look forward to further interaction and opportunity to meet you all, and grow with community, in the latter half of the year. We cannot rest on our laurels though. We are challenged by our values; to be agents of ongoing conversion and be restless in our search for truth so as final reflection, there is much to do, and a great deal of energy required to reach our goal and to ensure the Villanova experience is enriching for all and develops the character and actions of the Villanova graduate in the hearts and minds of our boys.

Mr Paul Begg, Principal

In keeping with the spirit of Reconciliation, Villanova College acknowledges the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples, as the Traditional Custodians of this land on which we stand.  We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.  This has always been, and always will be, a place of teaching and learning connected to country, culture and community. 

Last Tuesday saw the return of our annual Grandparents’ Day festivities – after a two year ‘hiatus,’ thanks to Covid.  This time however, we braved the cold and held a music concert in the Agora of the St Thomas of Villanova Learning Centre, there were the visits to the new dynamic classrooms and then the best part of all, the morning tea hosted by Year 5 parents.  A big thank you to Maria Mascadri, Julie Savage and the team of Year 5 parents for coordinating the feeding of over 400 people. This morning tea is the occasion to truly try and evaluate the best of the egg and lettuce sandwiches – followed closely by a chicken and mayo sandwich I have never forgotten (the Delaney family, 2015).  It is a morning centred primarily around a grandparent’s favourite topic – their grandsons.  Followed closely by stories that start with “in my day” and I am starting to wonder how long it is before I do this myself, for I am truly in awe of the facilities and opportunities that our young men have in front of them daily.  Grandparents’ Day is a classic time to reset our priorities – the meaning of life – family, relationships, home-made goodies and a hot cuppa – showing pride and gratitude for our extended family.

My grandparents are no longer with us.  It is a little sad as an adult, yet as a young boy I lived every moment with them like they would always be around, that we had plenty of time together.  My Russian grandparents (Dad’s family) got to meet Harry and rub the tummy to say hello to Jack.  My English grandparents (Mum’s family) got to see both boys grow up to their late primary years.  Both sets of grandparents marvelled at everything and anything our boys did.  Harry could run through the veggie patch (and it would be funny no matter what he stepped on), marvel at Grandpa Nikoliovic’s racing pigeons and then smash the painted boiled Easter Eggs that Grandma Zoia had painstakingly hand painted within seconds of eating ice cream moments before dinner.  Grandma Janet was more reserved, taking every delight in sitting back watching Harry and Jack play, eat and run wild with each other.  She could see my older brother Peter and I so clearly, she could see traits of my uncles as well.  Grandma Janet was happy just being around family and so was Grandpa Ron (always dressed in collared shirt and tie, even to sit in the sun in the garden – I am not joking).  They had eight children for a reason, so there would be over 50 at every family gathering – the more noise, chaos and pot-luck dinners, the better.  It is still a tradition that every Christmas, we get together and the grandkids – and great grandkids now – run wild until midnight.

The Seven Seriously Sensible Reasons We Love Grandparents:

1. Grandparents know what matters and what doesn’t – they won’t fluff about with words, actions or waste time with waffle.  They have learnt that life is about love, time and memories.  It’s that simple.  It’s refreshing and what we all need to remember.
2. Grandparents relish us for all our faults, our shortcomings, our repeated mistakes.  Your best effort is all that matters.  Loving and accepting each other is the one rule to follow.
3. Grandparents rock because you think the grandsons are cute, handsome and adorable no matter what.  The more toilet paper they unroll as a toddler in the bathroom – the better.  The more toothpaste they squeeze over their hands, the sink and the mirror – the funnier it is.  When they spill a drink, you say “that’ll be cleaned in a jiffy” unlike Mum and Dad who go red in the face and tremble, muttering something that sounds like a Hail Mary in sinister tones.  You love the boys all muddy after rugby getting into the family car – as you drive off in your clean one.  Grandparents rock their good looks no matter what their size or shape because you know that these spunky genes came from the best stock there is – you!
4. Grandparents rule because they are into the boys’ favourite foods.  Coming to your house is like having a bakery and lolly shop rolled into one.  You make the pikelets, cakes or sausage rolls from scratch and there is the right amount of love put into each one.  Even though you love liquorice you keep that stash of sour jellies for the boys even though you don’t understand why a ten-year-old boy would deliberately put something sour on his tongue!  When you babysit grandsons, it’s pizza, nachos or hot chips which you know are the only food groups a growing boy needs.  This is followed by ice-cream eaten straight out of the tub and the only deal is the boys don’t tell Mum and Dad – they’ve got you covered – they’ll never find out right?!
5. Grandparents know that staying up late is a necessary part of our child development.  Bedtimes are not on the register at all.  There are movies with the best endings that must be seen, there are games that need to be won (and that’s usually by the boys – you have this amazing skill of winning right up until the very last moment….?) and there are stories to be told.  If grandsons fall asleep in front of the TV, then that’s where they stay – camping out on the couch means they will be in the best possible spot for the morning cartoons.  Showers are optional and often left for “tomorrow” as “kids today get sick more often because you’re not eating enough dirt”.  Today’s clothes are tonight’s pyjamas as it saves the washing.  There’s no short cut for our sleep over that you can’t manage.
6. Grandparents know that test results don’t make the man.  Yes – grandsons need to “give it a good crack of the whip” but the marks will come and go like today’s headlines in the news.  You tell the boys stories of playing hooky down at the creek, finishing school in Year 9 to go and get a “real job”, as well as remind the boys that life is meant to be lived large and not learnt out of a book.  You happily do the boys’ projects, so they can cut to the fun stuff on weekends – not like Mum and Dad who think that the boys should be “accountable” for their own ideas.  If only boys had an assignment on the best “Guinness Book of Records” fact or Minecraft world design, then the A+s would be a dream to score.  Grandparents also know what marks that the grandson’s parents got – and this is always good ammunition for lads to know at the end of every semester!
7. Grandparents thoroughly enjoy winding up our Mums and Dads.  They have a big smile on their face as they give grandsons the second chocolate milk before lunch or swiftly sweep the vegetables into a secretive serviette at dinner.  Grandparents can make bodily noises far louder than the Year 5 boys at the table.  Grandparents say, “Yes honey” even when Mum or Dad have said “No” ten times over.  Age overrules common sense every time and it puts grandsons on the winning podium.  Then Grandparents get to leave at the end of the day, waving and smiling as the parents wonder how on earth they are going to balance out the blood sugar levels or get the grandsons to sleep before midnight.  Grandparents are the closest allies!

Grandparents, you mean everything to us, no matter where you are in heaven or on earth.  Stay in our lives and be strong in body, mind and presence – our parents, students and staff need you.  Grandparents are very much a part of our community, and your grandsons love you dearly.

­­­Mr Stephen Rouhliadeff, Head of Junior School

The Villanova Community Carnival is fast approaching on Saturday 23 July and Year 5 and Year 6 are convening the immensely popular Lob-a-Choc stall and are looking forward to another action-packed night to raise funds for the P & F. This stall is the responsibility of the Junior School which means we rely solely on the generous chocolate donations from our Year 5 and Year 6 families to help make the stall a huge success. Baskets will be placed in your son’s classrooms from Monday 11 July, the first day of Term 3 and we would be extremely appreciative of chocolates of any shape or size – family blocks, individual bars or fun packs – as long as they are individually wrapped.

As an incentive and a long-standing tradition in the Junior School, the class that donates the most chocolate (in weight) wins a Pizza and Soft Drink Party. This is a highly acclaimed and sought-after prize, and it does get extremely competitive!

Over the holidays if you can please start gathering chocolates and send them in next term. We will be collecting Wednesday and Friday morning from the baskets in the classrooms with the first collection taking place on Wednesday 13 July. Keep an eye out for a slip about the Lob-a-Choc stall in your son’s homework folder/diary too.

In a couple of weeks we will also be calling out for volunteers on the night so we will be in touch again shortly.

Thanks so much for helping make the Lob-a-Choc stall a success. We are so grateful for your contributions.

Your Lob-a-Choc convenors

It is always daunting walking into a well-functioning team as a ‘new face,’ but in all honesty it has been a great start to my time in Middle School. During the last two weeks I have been impressed with the overwhelming sense of energy and excitement that comes with students who enjoy their school day, engage with the content presented by their teachers, and have fun with their peers in their breaks. This is exactly the type of learning community that St Augustine envisioned and challenged us to live within during our educational journey. The willingness of students and teachers to greet and engage with each other, to collaborate in classrooms, to listen and learn together, are all examples of how we are enacting the very real value that is community. My welcome, and sense of belonging – even so early in my journey – is one more aspect that demonstrates the nature of true community.

This week sees the culmination of the semester with exams being held across the Middle School. ‘Exam study’ should, of course, be the culmination of a term’s work, not the cramming of information on the night before an exam. The work that has been completed in the classroom and the study that has been completed at home throughout the term should mean that this week runs smoothly with final revision being done each night. Hopefully, the results achieved are an indication of a combination of factors and a true reflection of the effort and ability the students have put into their work. Although our failures may teach us the importance of learning, it is through our successes, however small, that we learn to love learning. Thus it is that we align ourselves with another of our Augustinian values – the restless search for truth.

As the term and semester draw to their conclusion, I wish all families a safe and enjoyable time over the semester break. These breaks are almost as important as the terms themselves, not only are they well deserved, but they are wonderful opportunities to relax and rejuvenate.

Bring on Term 3, and more opportunities to enhance what we have begun.

Sean O’Neill,  Acting Head of Middle School

 You Are Not Alone Fun Run
At the recent Senior School assembly, Student Council President and creator of the You Are Not Alone initiative Tom Price spoke to the student body about his passion project and the upcoming Fun Run event.

Tom said: “We are the only people who can fix this. It is up to us to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness in our country. Next time you notice a mate acting differently, ask him how he is doing and remind him that he is not alone, because tomorrow may be too late. Next time you are struggling, talk to your mate, your parents, or your teacher, because talking is the only way that we can make change. We are all human, we all struggle. We must speak up.

We have been given the chance to make a change. On June 25, we are holding a fun run (or walk) in the City Botanic Gardens, beginning at 10am. This is more than a day out with your mates. We are walking for the Thomas family and for the thousands of other Australian families who have lost a loved-one to suicide. If we can help one person, then all of this was worth it. We have an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy and to make a statement to leaders in powerful positions, that we need their support. Let’s come together as a school and show those who are struggling that they are not alone. You can sign up at yrna.com.au or by scanning one of the QR codes around the College.  All funds raised will be donated to the vital work being done by Geoff and his team at Lifeline.”

Earlier today in the final Year 12 Form Meeting of the term, the Seniors enjoyed a barbecue and the leaders spoke of the power of making this event a significant legacy moment for this year’s Senior class. I hope all who can within the Senior School community register for the Fun Run or donate via the Lifeline fundraising page.

St Augustine’s Tour
Next week, a touring party of over 50 students and 10 staff will fly to Sydney to re-commence our bi-annual trip to our brother school St Augustine’s College, Brookvale- the first since 2018. We traditionally play ‘Augie’s’ in games of Basketball, Football and Rugby and contest a debate. This year, we are also taking down our Student Leadership Executive to discuss shared concerns and issues impacting the student bodies of both our Colleges. There is a rich history of this tour and much to be said about the special connections made when being billeted by our host families. I wish all teams competing the very best and I know all students will be fine representatives of the College.

Happy Holidays
It is incredible how quickly we have arrived at the conclusion of another semester at the College. Whilst there has been some lingering threads of Covid still present in the community, it has been very satisfying to return largely to a modicum of normality with regards to College life this year. Much has occurred in the first half of the 2022 academic year. Highlights have included the Firsts Premierships in AFL, Football and Volleyball, the solidarity across the Senior School students in continuing to support and promote the importance of positive mental health in the You Are Not Alone initiative and powerful examples of servant leadership, particularly the presence of our Year 12 students at Emmanuel City Mission.

The upcoming holiday period should provide an opportunity for rest, renewal and reflection. The last aspect is particularly important for students wanting to improve both academically and personally next semester. Students should ask themselves the following questions:

• What have I enjoyed about my 2022 experience thus far?
• What have been the challenges which have been difficult to overcome?
• Have I worked to my full potential in the classroom and at home to maximise my academic results?
• Have I contributed to the richness of the Villanova community- whether that be through my involvement in culture, music, service or sport?
• Am I maximising the full value of my Villanova education?

At the commencement of the third term, various academic review and tracking processes will be conducted within the Senior School to engage students in further reflection upon their Semester One academic performance. Year 11 and 12 students will meet with their ACP Mentor to recalibrate their academic goals. For Year 10 students, the focus will be directed towards the completion of their SET Plan and the confirmation of subjects for Year 11 and Year 12. Interviews will be conducted by senior members of staff with all Year 10 students and parents.

I wish all Senior School students and their families every blessing for a wonderful holiday.

“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” – Ralph Marston.

Mr Matt Levander, Head of Senior School

Ongoing conversion – Serving in our community
As Term 2 draws to a close our Ministry groups and students have been busy in connecting and serving in our community.  Reconciliation week ended with a group of our students joining in a fantastic day with students from other Catholic schools.  Matt Linnell has shared an article below about the day and how we can continue to work for reconciliation moving forward.  Each week our hospitality students have been making meals for Emmanuel City Mission and a group of Year 12s has headed in to cook breakfast and spend time with all those who have escaped the cold for the night and slept over at ECM.

The patrons each week are filled with gratitude and appreciation for our presence with them.  Our Junior School have been making a huge effort with Containers for Change, helping in our efforts to recycle and raising money for charity at the same time.  We have had two highly successful sessions of mulching in Finger Gully, led by our Green team and our Year 10s who are launching into their service hours that are part of their Social Justice unit in RE.  This Friday, we have our Vinnies Sleepout where 16 students will be getting a real immersion into the realities of homelessness, and another group of Seniors will be serving the homeless on the Rosies Van.

Meanwhile gaining momentum has been our Senior students, leading the campaign ‘You Are Not Alone’ which has engaged other schools and wider interest from the broader community.  The boys have organised a FUNRUN on Saturday 25 June, and we encourage students and families to join this great event raising mental health awareness and supporting suicide prevention.  Along with a great walk around our river city, the band Selfish Sons will be playing.  We would love to see you there.

Please book using https://www.trybooking.com/BZQGG

All proceeds are going to LIFELINE, to support the work they do for people in times of crisis.

A huge thank you to all the students and staff involved in these experiences and acts of service!

Reconciliation Excursion Reflection
On the first of June during Reconciliation Week, six Villa boys, Father Saldie and Mr Aspland were taken to St. Augustine College, Springfield to further our journey to ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’  Throughout the activities common themes of teamwork, leadership and compassion were required to complete the challenges effectively. These values can be directly implemented into our community to better the treatment and inclusion of Indigenous Australians. Through teamwork and leadership, we as a community can make changes to how we embrace, respect, and value people of Indigenous heritage. By being supportive as a whole community of Indigenous culture, values, and connection to country we can assist by collecting rubbish and cleaning nature areas to put forward the ideas of respect for land. This can be done in your suburbs or can be done at places like Norman Creek and nature reserves that serve great importance and value to Yagura and Turrbal people. This demonstration of care for nature is a significant step in our journey to change how we can better understand and collaborate with Indigenous Australians in our community. Although teamwork and leadership are a key beginning to making change, compassion is another key point. Having compassion for the hardships, mistreatment and disrespect endured by Indigenous people, is a key reflection point for our community. By showing compassion our relationships will strengthen with the traditional owners of the land. This compassion, teamwork and leadership shown at the Reconciliation event are values that we as the Villanova community must enforce to benefit and help the lives of Indigenous people.
Matt Linnell

Moments of Action and Contemplation – our boys mulching finger gully and our Junior School students gathering for Mass this week.

Ms Kate Garrone, Dean of Mission and Identity

Last week selected students in Year 7 to 10 competed in the annual FUSE Cup Mario Kart Brisbane High School esports tournament.

On Thursday, our Year 7 and Year 8 teams travelled to Brisbane South Secondary State College to compete in the largest ever gathering of students in the Junior High School Division championship. Villanova entered eight students in a competition of 76 drivers from the greater Brisbane area. Our team competed with integrity, inclusivity, exceptional teamwork and great pride in their College. Villanova was successful with four of eight players proceeding from heats to the quarter finals – Jack Fidge, Alex Fraser, Harrison Taylor and Finn van der Meer. Two players, Alex Fraser and Jack Fidge, were successful in progressing to the sudden death semi-final time trials.  Here, the top ten were reduced to four, based on their fastest lap time on the Mario Kart Stadium circuit. Unfortunately, Alex placed fifth with his best lap time (34.661) falling 0.008 seconds outside the top four! Jack Fidge secured the fastest time with a near perfect lap of 33.787. Jack went on to demonstrate why he is the reigning Brisbane and Queensland Junior High School esports champion in Mario Kart, convincingly posting a perfect score of 60 points across the Star Cup Grand Prix final match. It was pleasing to see Jack reclaim the trophy with humble gratitude, and perhaps relief, at the conclusion of the day. Thanks to the entire team for their support of each other and representation of the College throughout the day – Year 7: Cooper Crowley, Hamish O’Toole, Harrison Taylor, Hugh Weston; Year 8: Jack Fidge, Alex Fraser, Riley Gaffney, Arlo Stuckey and Finn van der Meer.

On Friday, our Year 9/10 team attended the FUSE Cup Mario Kart Brisbane Senior High School championship where another record gathering of over 60 esports students competed. Congratulations to Will Godwin, Hudson Donovan, Cooper Price and Jack Watkins for all progressing from qualifying heats to the quarter-finals. Both Cooper and Jack were successful in beating their QF opponents, progressing to meet each other on the same side of the semi-final draw! Both students competed with integrity, strength and resilience whilst the remaining team members cheered them both on. Pleasingly, Jack went on to represent Villanova in the grand final placing third overall. Special thanks to James Harris who also supported our competing students throughout the day.

Next term, the FUSE Cup will be competing in Rocket League. Therefore, I am calling all students (Years 7-10) who play Rocket League at home to consider representing the College! Rocket League is a common esports game which requires a high level of teamwork, communication, fast reaction times and sustained concentration. Trials will commence at lunchtimes in Week 2 of Term 3, including some Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon sessions for more sustained trials and skill development. If your son is interested in competing, please ask him to contact me (and nominate a Rocket League partner) via email: jlane@vnc.qld.edu.au

Mr Jason Lane, Esports Coordinator

1st XI Football premiership
Congratulations to Tom Carnarvas, Terry Kambouris and Tony Eldridge, who coached the 1st XI team to premiership victory last Saturday with a come from behind 5-2 win over Padua. Trailing 0-2 at halftime and needing to win to secure the premiership, the team combinations came together in the second half to score five unanswered goals to win Villanova their fifth 1st XI premiership and first since 2013.

Villanova finished the Trimester 2 season against Padua College on the weekend, with games played in Chess, Rugby and Football. In terms of our results across the season, Villanova performed well from Year 5-12 having six undefeated/premiership football teams and 10 undefeated/rugby premierships.

A list of all undefeated/premiership teams including their coaches is posted below. A sensational effort by all involved.

AIC Football – Premiership/Undefeated Teams
1st XI – Coached by Tom Carnarvas, Terry Kambouris and managed by Tony Eldridge

10C – Coached by Gabriel Mungarietta

9A – Coached by Ronan Whitlock

9B – Coached by Steve Davidson

7A – Coached by Hudson Rogers

5A – Coached by James Hermiston

AIC Rugby – Premiership/Undefeated Teams
5th XV – Coached by Will Grigson and Brandon Frail

10C – Coached by Ashley Roberts- Thompson, Kane Hosking and Kirk Astill

8B – Coached by Tim McIlwain and Dave Anderson

8C – coached by Joel O’Reilly and Jack Daly

8D – Coached by Harry Grant-Smith and Jesse Dickson

7A – Coached by Nathan Spooner, Vaasa Afa and Damien Lyons

6A – Coached by Josh Stanbury and Damien Colbert

6B – Coached by Angus McLauchlan and Anthony Caruso

5B – Coached by Tim Fraser and Tom Peel

5C – Coached by Rohan McCaul and Case McCaul

There is little doubt that receiving awards and recognition as a premiership/undefeated team is always good. However, schools should not gauge the true success of their sports program on these awards alone. The student’s participation and enjoyment of sport should be at the forefront and be key indicators of success.

Having committed boys with the right attitude as well as quality coaches and managers involved who can extract the very best from the boys individually and as part of a team is ideal. In most cases this has happened.

For the footy season to run smoothly, the College relies on the good will of many within our community to fulfil the various roles needed.  When I look back at the season, I believe Villa had much success because our community ‘pitched in’ to make the season work. To this end, I thank the players, canteen helpers and ground staff. A special mention is given to all the coaches and refs, who gave freely of themselves to provide the opportunity for our boys to play schoolboy footy. Villanova did well this season and I am proud to be a member of a community whose participants are prepared to be involved and to have fun along the way.

I would like to acknowledge the great work given by our AIC Football Coordinator, Mr Anthony Kemp and the Rugby Coordinator, Mr Adam Fry. I would also like to acknowledge our Chess Co-ordinators Mr Nick Verity, Mr Jack Lamb and Mrs Sally England for their leadership of the Chess program.

As one season finishes the next begins. Good luck to the many students who have participated in Rugby League, Basketball and Tennis trials this week. It is great to see many boys are keen to represent their college in these sports. It is extremely vital that those interested continue to attend all trials and clinics, so that they give themselves every chance to be considered for selection. We hope to announce all teams by early next week via the website.

We have Tennis, Rugby League and Basketball clinics this weekend which is a compulsory event for all those who wish to make a team. Note – we ask parents not to attend the Basketball clinics due to them being held indoors with a high number of students, drop and go only please. Parents may attend the tennis and rugby league clinics. Please read below for further details. Good luck to all and enjoy!

AIC Rugby Report – Mr Adam Fry, AIC Rugby Coordinator
Congratulations to everyone involved in the Villanova Rugby program for 2022. It was fantastic to see how committed our boys were and the skill level improve as the season progressed. For all of our boys, trials began early in Term One where 27 teams from Years 5 – 12 were selected and entered into the AIC Competition. A pleasing aspect from a rugby supporter’s point of view, is the increase in numbers in our teams over the last four years. We have gone from 21 teams in 2018 to 27 teams this year. This equates to about 100 boys either coming back or giving rugby a go.

Our 1^st XV squad commenced their strength and conditioning training in Term Four last year. They were buoyed by the presence of both Andrew Slack and Ben Mowen, former Wallaby captains and Villanova Old Boys, at their pre-season sessions and throughout the season. New coaches Eddie Harris, Jon Winsbury and Matt Levander were at the helm planning out the season and giving an enormous amount of time in preparation with the boys. Our thanks go to all the coaches for their commitment to the program and their desire to see Villanova rugby improve from year to year, as well as the solid relationships they form with the players in order to get the best out of them.

The season was bookended with 2 outstanding wins, beating the much-fancied Iona in Round 1 by a single point and finishing the year with a come from behind victory over Padua by three points. Throughout the season the boys had many opportunities to have a couple more victories, but unfortunately some errors in games were the difference. The win against Padua in Round 7, shows how far our boys have come, being down 20 – 5 just before half time to outwork them in the second half to post a famous 33 – 30 victory. Overall, our First XV finished the season with three wins, three losses and a wash out game from their seven weeks.

There were no passengers out there all season and every player gave their all for the team. They gave us many moments to cheer about, and we are very proud of the group and their efforts not only on the field but also in promoting sportsmanship and encouragement to all players throughout the College. The Year 5 boys couldn’t wait until after their final game to race out to Padua, getting into their academic gear on the way, to run on with the 1sts. They want to be just like you.

To our Seniors who have played their last game for Villanova College. Thank you for representing the College so well over the last eight years. We’ve seen you elated, frustrated and perplexed, because you know the rules so well, but most importantly, just happy. Happy to be playing with your mates. You’ll remember that more than the results in years to come.

Overall, Villa had a very successful season with 10 teams going through undefeated, with many others falling one win short. Congratulations to the 7A side for winning the only aggregate premiership and to the 5th XV, 10C, 8B, 8C, 8D, 6A, 6B, 5B and 5C for their undefeated seasons. There were many games across all year levels that also came down to one score games, work on that over the pre-season and I am sure those results will turn the other way in 2023. It was fantastic to see teams win this year and be competitive in narrow losses, who have been unsuccessful in previous seasons. There is no doubt that the Villanova Rugby program is heading in the right direction.

Congratulations to the Year 5, 6 and 7 teams who experienced an enormous amount of success throughout the season. Overall, they won 45 matches and lost only 12. The 7A and 6A sides went through undefeated and the 5A side lost narrowly to Iona in Round 1 and St Laurence’s in round 3. This looks great for the future as we not only have quality ‘A’ teams but also the depth to back it up. It will be great watching the 6, 7s, 8s and 9s next year and by all reports, we may also have a solid group of Year 5s next year.

There is a lot of work that goes into the selections, coaching and management of the 27 teams that represented the College this year and a huge thank you goes out to everyone involved, for what has been a successful season. We continue to rely on the generosity of  parents, past parents, Old Boys and external coaches to give our boys a run on the paddock every Saturday.  Thank you to Mr Eddie Harris, Mr David Grigson, Mr David Hollett, Mr Jason Rasmussen, Mr Andrew Peachy, Mr Tim Kirkup, Mr Andrew Ryan, Mr Dave Harris, Mr Ben Francis, Mr Mick Ramsay, Mr Tim McIlwain, Mr David Anderson, Mr Nathan Spooner, Mr Damien Lyons, Mr Vaasa Afa, Mr Josh Stanbury, Mr Damien Colbert, Mr Anthony Caruso, Mr Troy Watson, Mr Mark McCullum, Mr Ryan Hunter, Mr Tim Fraser, Mr Paul Innes and Mr Rohan McCaul.

A huge thank you to our Old Boy coaches this year:  Mr Dan McHugh, Mr Jamie Mullins, Mr Shaun Hourigan, Mr Jason Harris, Mr Alex Druery, Mr Oscar Horton, Mr Will Grigson, Mr Brandan Frail, Mr Joel O’Reilly, Mr Jack Daly, Mr Harry Grant-Smith, Mr Jesse Dickson, Mr Sam Palmer, Mr Isaac Drew, Mr Sebastian Roache, Mr Tom Lawrance, Mr Will Lawrance and Mr Keiran Addley.

Thank you to staff members Mr Steve Bremner, Mr Mick Garske, Mr Matt Levander, Mr Mannie Navarro, Mr Ashley Roberts-Thomson, Mr Kirk Astill, Mr Jordan Roache, Mr Brendan Kennedy, Mr Angus McLachlan, Mr Tom Peel and Mr Bart Ritchie. It is fantastic to have so many staff members who contribute to establishing a positive rugby culture within the College.

Finally, I would also like to extend a massive thank you to all of our members of the Villanova community who offer to help with refereeing and officiating for each of our home games. Thank you to Mr Dan Sheahan, Mr Rhys Patterson, Mr Paul Woodward, Mr Ben Henry, Mr Paul Jones and Mr Matthew Campbell. We are also very lucky to have students who sign on to referee. This year, Noah Staley and Harry Woodward joined our seasoned referees and grew in confidence over the season and are now officiating QRRA assigned matches on Sunday mornings. Well done boys and good luck with future refereeing.

I must thank Mr Dan Sheahan and Mr Ben Henry for coordinating the early development of our student referees, who were instrumental to making sure they were coached well from the sidelines and encouraged to get some game time under their belt. Arranging referees and which games would best suit referees can be a tricky job each week, but Dan and Ben were eager to assist and always had the solutions. Your efforts certainly made the season run smoother.

Without the ongoing support and assistance from the many members of the Villanova College community, the 2022 season would not have been made possible.  Thank you one and all.

Team of the Week- Round 7

AIC Rugby Results – Season 2022

AIC Football Report – Mr Anthony Kemp, AIC Football Coordinator
The 2022 Football season was shaping up to be a return to normality after the last few Covid interrupted seasons. However, it was another unusual start with the weather creating absolute havoc with trials and early rounds of the AIC competition. Despite the initial weather and continued Covid cloud we saw once again encouraging numbers taking part in football for Villanova with 29 teams entered into the AIC competition. Our coaches and boys must be congratulated for their patience and flexibility throughout 2022 and turning up each week ready to play despite the difficult conditions.

Unfortunately, due to Covid protocols the football aggregate was not up for grabs and only premierships would be awarded to those in the ‘A’ divisions. Whilst it was only the ‘A’ teams competing for official premierships all other teams had the aim of trying to go through the season undefeated – not an easy task but a worthy challenge. Congratulations to the 5A’s who were coached by parent Mr. James Hermiston to an undefeated season, this is a great achievement by all of the boys involved and a great start to their Villa football journey. Further congratulations must go to the 7A side who also went through the entire season undefeated and were coached by staff member and Old Boy Mr. Hudson Rogers. Our Year 9 age group looked to be a strong cohort coming into 2022 and they delivered with both the 9A and 9B sides going through the entire season undefeated with the A’s being coached by Old Boy Ronan Whitlock and the B’s by past parent Steve Davidson. The mighty 10C’s also went through the season undefeated and managed to come back from 2-0 down in their last match against Padua for a 3-3 draw ensuring they remained undefeated for the season, congratulations to their coach as well Old Boy Gabriel Mungarietta. Other notable mentions must go to the 2nds who lost only their first match of the season against Iona – they played some excellent football throughout the season and were a great compliment to the 1sts squad, congratulations to the boys and their coach Mr. Vass Stammes. Adding to the strength of our Opens teams this year was the 4ths who also only lost the one match this season under the guidance of Old Boy Mr. Nathan Whitby. The 7B side under the guidance of staff member and Old Boy Mr. Jack Lamb as well as Old Boy Brad Duffy went close to an undefeated season only going down in the one match to St Laurence’s coming off the back of being unable to train for three weeks – a team to look out for in the future. Finally, we must mention the 6C’s who were shaping up to take out an undefeated season and only falling short in their last match of the season, congratulations to the team and their coach Mr. Callum Hackett. Given the nature of the interrupted season and the lack of time boys had to train we have come away with some excellent results with five sides remaining unbeaten this season which is no easy task and a number of other sides pushing their claims in their respective divisions.

After the disappointment of missing out on the premiership in the last match in 2021, this year was certainly a year of redemption and shaping up as a real chance for our 1^st XI boys to take out the AIC Premiership. As with all of our football sides this year our First XI boys also had to work around the unusual weather causing issues with their trials and selection process beginning in Term 4 of 2021 and continuing all the way through Term 1 of 2022. There was no chance that the boys and coaches Tom Carnavas and Terry Kambouris were going to let anything get in the way of the ultimate prize. The squad were put through their paces in a number of early pre-season trials which would end up being extremely important as the weather continued to hamper training opportunities. Pre-season results against Nudgee, Iona, St Laurence’s and Ashgrove again proved that the boys were on the path for success this year. The First XI boys kicked off their season against local rivals Iona playing their first match of the season away. A dominant performance by the side winning 6-0 sent out a clear message to the rest of the competition that Villa was a force to be reckoned with in 2022. The next match was against St Peters who have been a side that we have been battling with over the last few years. Villa came into this match knowing that it could have the potential to set up the rest of the season as St Peters were also one of the strong contenders for the premiership. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as the boys were unable to capitalise on their opportunities and allowed St Peters to score two simple goals and take the game 2-1. The game against St Peters was the beginning of the weather event that lasted for the next couple of weeks and as a result the round 3 match against Ashgrove was cancelled. Continuing to battle the rain bomb that had smashed Brisbane the next round of fixtures for 1^st Football were all moved to the top of St Laurence’s using their artificial pitch and creating a first for AIC Football and what was quickly dubbed the ‘Magic Round’ as all 1sts games were played at the same venue. Taking to the conditions early the boys showed their class and never looked matched taking the game 4-0 against St Patrick’s in a dominant display to get their season back on track and stay within reach of the leaders. Once again, the weather had continued to prove difficult and the fields at Villa Park were still unplayable and as a result, we needed to give away our home ground advantage in order to get the game played. St Laurence’s had kindly agreed to host us once again on Gair Oval for the second week in a row. Our opponents for Round 5, St Laurence’s were currently sitting atop the ladder and were the team to chase. This was a challenge that the Villa First XI boys were chomping at the bit to topple. In what has since been described as the ultimate ambush the Villa boys played their best game of the season and were amazing in the way they attacked and controlled the game. Villanova dominated from start to finish and won the game 4-1 with Ben Hermiston scoring the goal of the season with a beautiful run to the corner of the box and slotting it perfectly past the keeper. This result not only had a huge impact on the squad’s confidence but also for the AIC competition with 5 teams sitting on top with two rounds left. Round 6 saw the boys take on St Edmund’s in another must win match against a side also on top. Returning to Villa Park after what had seemed a lifetime the intention from St Edmund’s was clear from the start that this was going to be a physical game. St Edmund’s stunned Villa with a goal in the first minute of the match and instantly put pressure on Villa. It took some time for our boys to get settled into the match but once they found their rhythm there was no turning back. In the end St Edmund’s physical style played against them with a few of their boys being sent off and ultimately handing the match to Villa with the extra men winning the game 5-1. Coming into the final round of the season Villanova was on top of the table alongside SLC and Iona. There was a sense of déjà vu leading into the final game with the boys needing to beat Padua to ensure the premiership was theirs. As was the same as last year Padua came into the last round with nothing to lose and they were certainly going for the upset playing a strong game of football. The game ended up being one of two halves as Padua started strongly and took a 2-0 lead into halftime with the feeling being that this could be another upset and missed opportunity for our First XI boys. Thankfully, the second half couldn’t have been any different with the Villa boys returning to their usual great attacking style of play and taking the game completely away from Padua scoring 5 goals to win 5-2. This is certainly an outstanding and well-deserved result for this group of boys who have represented Villanova with pride and passion and no doubt inspired the younger generation of Villanovans to repeat this success in the future. A big thank you must go to the coaches Tom Carnavas, Terry Kambouris and manager Tony Eldridge for their time and effort in developing these boys and the style of football they played during the season!

As with all football seasons the success that Villanova enjoys on and off the football pitch is not just attributed to the players but also to the hard work and enthusiasm from a wide range of community members. There is a lot of time and effort that takes place from coaches and managers to ensure that the players are ready and focused each week to take the field. In particular, this year our coaches and managers were working extra hard behind the scenes to ensure that they could prepare a full team of players amongst the weather and Covid craziness. We are extremely lucky as a College to have parents, old boys, staff members and external coaches who give up their time for the benefit and betterment of our Football program. I would like to acknowledge those parents who have dedicated themselves to Villa Football in 2022. Thank you to Mr. Terry Kambouris, Mr. Peter Frederiksen and Mr. James Hermiston. It is always great to see so many Old Boys return to give back to the College and we truly thank you for your time and efforts and hope to see you return again next year. We have also been fortunate enough to have coaches join the Villa coaching ranks as external coaches and we would like to thank Vassili Stammes and Steve Davidson. A number of staff members also contributed to the football program this year and as always it is appreciated and big thank you goes to Jemima Moore 8B, Hudson Rogers 7A, Jack Lamb 7B, Nick Verity 7D, Callum Hackett 6C, Kelson Lee 6D, Chloe Adams 6E, Kirstina Dawson 5B, Nichole Rouhliadeff 5C and Amy Roberts 5D.

A final thank you must be given to those in our community who without them the games on Saturday would not be able to take place – the referees. Many thanks to all of the coaches, parents and students who have helped out with the whistle this season. In particular, a massive thank you to Tony Papapavlou again for his assistance and enthusiasm with refereeing each Saturday, it is certainly appreciated by everyone.

AIC Football Results – Season 2022

AIC Chess Report – Mr Nick Verity and Mr Jack Lamb, Chess Co-Ordinators
AIC Chess Season Update Round 7
The final round of the AIC Chess competition for our Villanova team finished last Friday.  The players must be congratulated on their performances as many of them played their best chess of the season. Had our junior teams counted towards the overall results, their strong performances would have secured us the victory on the night. While the Senior and Intermediate teams each drew with their counterparts, the Opens were sadly defeated. With Winter illness causing several absences, many players were asked to play in higher positions and faced tougher than usual opponents. The boys took this in their stride and special mentions go to Samuel Carroll (managing a draw against a 1sts player two teams above him), Jasper Layton (defeating a Senior player as a Junior) and Taylor Pert (playing against a Senior as an Intermediate). We would like to thank the team for an enjoyable season, and we hope that the players were able to improve their game and had plenty of fun in the process.

AIC Chess 2022 Season Overview
When asked how to get better at Chess, Grandmaster Benjamin Finegold had this piece of advice to give; “The way to get better at chess is to play a lot of games without worrying about the results. Just worry about what you learn.” This mentality is one that has been particularly valuable this season. Being too results-focused is a trap that is easy to fall into when it comes to any competitive endeavour. After all, striving for the best result possible is the true spirit of competition and is what drives individual and collective growth. But putting too much emphasis on the outcome is a sure-fire way to sabotage this growth.

Chess is unlike many other sports in that mistakes are the greatest deciding factor in the result of any given game, not moments of greatness. In football, missing a tackle and allowing the opposition to score definitely hurts, but as long as there is still time on the clock, there is a chance to make up for your mistake. In Chess, one wrong move could allow the opponent to checkmate you on the next turn or lead to an unstoppable attack ending with checkmate. Checkmate doesn’t care about who played better over the last twenty moves, checkmate doesn’t care about how many minutes each player has left on their clock and it certainly doesn’t care about who is the better player. You can be up on material, have a better position, have more time on your clock and have more skill and experience than your opponent, and still get checkmated in one move. Because mistakes carry so much weight in this game, the strongest players are extremely adept at identifying mistakes and learning how to prevent making them.

It’s this process of analysing, identifying and learning that lies at the heart of chess. It is a game that fosters self-improvement and discipline and can be very humbling. There are more chances for learning when you lose a game as opposed to when you win one so players should look back on this year’s season focusing not on the results, but on what they have learned.

Our 1st IV team was comprised of Captain William Ilka, Daniel Waugh, Joshua McDougall, Thomas Hoctor and Harry Blaser. These five white shirts showed outstanding sportsmanship, courtesy and set a positive example for the other players at training and on game day. They were first to offer help when setting up our home games, and last to leave after all the games were done. They played against junior and intermediate players, sharing their knowledge and love of the game. We are confident that their infectious enthusiasm for the chess has had effects right the way down to our newest players in Year 5. For these things we are most grateful, and we would like to wish these young men all the best for their second semester studies and future journey beyond Villanova.

All our teams must be applauded for their efforts this year. Villanova finished eighth at the end of the AIC season. The Villanova chess team players for 2022 were:

Junior C Team: Fraser Barrie, Jasper Layton, Henry Dolphin, Hunter Hancock and Murphy McCaul

Junior B Team: Cooper Le, Preston Webster, Finlay Burdon, Luka Dickie and Lachlan Stewart

Junior A Team: Thomas McDougall, Hayden Oxenham, Dominic Lewis, Chrissy Landmann and Joseph Yates

Intermediate B Team: Charlie Woodward, Ming Yang, Hamish O’Toole, Ethan Webster, Joseph Wellspring, Taylor Pert and Robert Brine

Intermediate A Team: Jack Neate, Maxwell Kwok, Adam Kielenniva, Eli Dunstan, Ryan Thomas and Joshua Sneyd

Senior B Team: Samuel Carroll, Connor Whitby, Luke Watson, Blake Waugh and Harry Woods

Senior A Team: Daniel Egert, Oliver Wills, Jack Power, Sebastian Wilson and Harry Bryant

The Age Championships were carried out this season by way of a five-minute blitz tournament.  We had some very close games that ended with wins on time notably our Senior Championship final ended with 0.6 seconds left on the winner’s clock.

Our Champions are as follows:

Junior Champion: Henry Dolphin

Intermediate Champion: Jack Neate

Senior Champion: William Ilka

Congratulations to our champions for 2022 and our runners up (Junior: Hayden Oxenham, Intermediate: Max Kwok and Senior: Daniel Egert).

Thanks must go to all those who made this season possible. We were once again able to enlist the help of Alex Stahnke from Topchess and he has been fantastic with the players at training, improving their fundamentals and testing their calculation. Hopefully we can work with Alex more extensively next year and have more analysis of games via notation and observation. Mrs Leah Belson and Mr Matthew Conlan have also been outstanding this season when it came to organising our players and making sure game nights and bus trips ran smoothly, thank you both. We are once again indebted to Dot and the Tuckshop staff whose hospitality ensured that no player went without afternoon tea, guests and Villanovans alike. Chris Everding and the team at the Sports Office are owed much gratitude for their tireless work behind the scenes to ensure that weekly fixture schedules, announcements and scores are distributed to our players and to our online platforms. Lastly, we would like to extend our thanks to the players and their families for putting in the early mornings, late afternoons, breaktimes and online practise that is necessary to have a good season.

AIC Chess Results – Season 2022

 AIC Rugby League
All Rugby League teams will be advertised by next Monday 20 June, except the 1st XIII. This team will be announced after the Padua trial on July 16.
Please Note – If players do not attend all allocated trial sessions, they may miss out on the chance to be selected.
Once the teams have been selected, each team will then have two training sessions per week held during Term 3. The complete training schedule is found within the Season Schedule document posted on the web. Term 3 Training Schedule will commence Day 1, Term 3, that is, on Monday 13 July.

AIC Rugby League Uniform
After the teams have been selected, boys will be asked to purchase/hire some items of the Rugby League uniform.

Any student who represents the College in Rugby League must wear the full College Rugby League Uniform. Jerseys will be issued by the staff from the Uniform Shop.  The College will notify all players regarding the collection of their jerseys from the Uniform Shop during the first week back next term; this will be done via morning notices. Note that all players must wear the rugby shorts and football socks. The jersey from the Uniform Shop will be hired out to students at a cost of $20 for the season.

The Rugby League Uniform Includes

–           Villanova rugby shorts. No PE shorts are to be worn.

–           Villanova rugby socks (same as Rugby Union and Football socks)

–           Villanova Rugby League jersey. This jersey is for hire and will be made available through the College Uniform Shop. Students will be required to collect their own jersey in Week 1 of Term 3 once the coaches have confirmed team selections. A complete list of all teams will be given to the staff at the Uniform Shop. The hire cost is $20 for the season.

Rugby League Hire Jerseys
We will advertise a list of all players via the shared folder next Saturday 25 June. All players need to collect a Rugby League Jersey for hire from the Uniform Shop as per schedule below. A cost of $20 for the jersey hire will be applied to your next school fees account.

Rugby League Jersey Collection Dates

• Wednesday 13 July (Rugby League Hire Jerseys)
  • 1st Break – Year 7, Year 8
  • 2nd Break – Year 9, Year 10
  • Mr Everding to collect the Year 5 and Year 6 jerseys and distribute to all players on behalf of the Uniform Shop

• Friday 15 July
  • 1st Break – any outstanding rugby league collections

AIC Tennis
All AIC Tennis teams will be selected after the clinics held this Saturday 18 June. It is vital that all players attend the clinics held at Morningside Tennis Centre this weekend for them to push for selection. All tennis teams will be announced early next week.

AIC Tennis Clinics
Only those boys who are trialling for teams must attend the AIC Tennis Clinics. These clinics are held on Saturday 18 June at the Morningside Tennis Centre. The times for each of these clinics are found below.

• 7.00-8.30am                Years 5 & 6 (4 courts, 4 coaches)
• 8.45-10.15am             Years 7 & 8 (4 courts, 4 coaches)
• 10.30-12.00pm          Years 9 & 10 (4 courts, 4 coaches)
• 12.15-1.45pm             Years 11 & Opens (4 courts, 4 coaches)

AIC Tennis Uniform
All students who represent the College in tennis must wear the full College tennis uniform. All items are available the College’s Uniform Shop. This includes:

• Villa PE shorts
• Villa squad shirt (Please note – this is not the Villa PE shirt. The ‘Team Shirt’ is the same shirt worn by all AIC Cross Country, Swimming & Track & Field squad members)
• Villa training/PE Socks
• Villa sport cap (no other caps are permissible)

AIC Basketball
All AIC Basketball teams will be selected after the clinics held this Saturday 18 June. It is vital that all players attend the clinics held in Goold Hall this weekend for them to push for selection. All basketball teams will be announced early next week.

AIC Basketball Clinics
All boys who wish to be considered for a basketball team from Year7-10 must attend the AIC Basketball Clinic held this Saturday 18 June in Goold Hall.  We ask parents not to attend the clinics this weekend– please drop off and collect your son promptly at the end please

7.00am – 8.15am – Year 7

8.15am – 9.30am – Year 8

9.30am – 10.45 Midday – Year 9

10.45pm – 12.00pm – Year 10

Basketball Hire Singlets
We will advertise a list of all players by next Thursday. All players need to collect a basketball singlet for hire from the Uniform Shop as per schedule below. A cost of $20 for singlet hire will be applied to your next school fees account.

Basketball Singlet Collection Dates
Week 1, Term 3

• Monday 11 July (Basketball Hire Singlets)
  • 1st Break – 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B
  • 2nd Break – 10A, 10B, 11A, 2nds
  • Mr Everding to distribute all Year 5 and Year 6 singlets

• Tuesday 12 July (Basketball Hire Singlets)
  • 1st Break – 7C, 7D, 8C, 8D, 9C, 9D
  • 2nd Break – 10C, 10D, 11B, 11C, 3rds, 4ths

• Friday 15 July
  • 1st Break – any outstanding basketball collections

Year 5 and Year 6 Basketball
The trials for Year 5 basketball have concluded. All teams will be finalised by the coaches and teams will be advertised on the web early next week. Boys selected, should check when their training sessions are on for Term 3, as some will begin on the first day back. This training schedule is found in the ‘AIC Basketball Season Schedule’ found on the College’s website. Training will commence for all teams the first week back after holidays. Please note that boys can wear PE shorts (with the pocket zippers done up) or purchase the basketball shorts. They will need to be purchased by Friday July 15 which is a trial round against Padua College for the Year 5 and Year 6 teams. All the hire singlets will be handed out to boys next term prior to the trial and the hire cost of the singlets will appear on your Term 3 school fees. If there are any parents of successful students who can manage their son’s basketball team, could you please contact the sports office. Team managers will need to organise a scoring roster and afternoon teas. All students playing at away venues will be bussed to their venue and parents will need to collect their sons from that venue at the conclusion of their match.

Basketball Referees and Bench Officials Needed
With the basketball season right around the corner, we are looking for parents, Old Boys or students to referee basketball games on Friday afternoons for the Year 5 or Year 6 students or on a Saturday for the older boys. Bench officials are also required to allow the smooth running of games on Fridays and Saturdays. Parents of Year 5 and Year 6 students normally run the bench on a Friday while students officiate on the bench on Saturdays. If you are interested, please contact the Sports Office.

AIC Basketball Trials v Marist College Ashgrove – Tuesday 12^th July                                                                                 

TRIAL GAME 1
Tuesday 12 July – Trial v Marist College Ashgrove (Year 7-12 ‘A&B’ teams only)
Venue – Marist College Ashgrove (All times below are to be confirmed)

• 3:45pm- 10A & 10B Champagnat Centre, 7B outdoor court.
• 4:30pm- 2nds & 11A Champagnat Centre, 7A outdoor court.
• 5:15pm- 1sts Champagnat Centre

Venue – Villanova

• 3:45pm – 8A & 8B
• 4:30pm – 9A and 9B
  Bus transportation will be provided for those boys playing at Ashgrove. Parents are asked to collect their son/s afterwards. Bus to depart Villanova at 3.05pm

TRIAL GAME 2
Friday 15 July – Year 5 and 6 Trial v Padua College (Year 5 at home)

Saturday 16 July – Year 10- Open at Padua College

Saturday 16 July – Year 7 – 9 Trial v Padua College at Villanova College

AIC Tennis, Rugby League and Basketball v Padua College Trials – Date Claimer
Please be aware that a full set of school tennis, rugby league and basketball trials will be held the first weekend back next term as per below.

• Year 5 and Year 6 Basketball v Padua – Friday afternoon 15 July
• Year 7-12 Basketball, Year 5-12 Tennis, Year 5-12 Rugby League v Padua – Saturday 16 July

Representative Sport
Congratulations and good luck to Ben Hermiston (Year 11), who leaves us to take up preseason training at Aberdeen Football Club in Scotland. Ben trialled at the club in April and has been asked back to play in the U18’s Competition with the hope to eventually make it into the Scottish Premier League.
Well done to Mitchell Rieck who won a silver medal for Australia in the Oceania Games held in Mackay recently.

Well done to Harry Rizio (Year 6) and Ben Landers (Year 7) who recently represented the Met East 10-12 Years AFL team at the State Championships. Both played extremely well as Met East finished third in the competition and both boys gained selection into the Queensland team from the trials. This is an outstanding achievement. Well done Harry and Ben.

Mr Chris Everding, Acting Director of Sport

Winter Concert Series
Last Tuesday and Thursday evening, our music community braved the Antarctic blast to enjoy two great nights of music.  Tuesday witnessed our outdoor stage where our Jazz, Irish, and Contemporary Ensembles shared the work they had been rehearsing over the semester.  Whilst the weather was considerably cooler than our debut Winter concert in 2021, the experience was well-received by those gathered.  Moving indoors was welcome and the quality of the performances continued to exceed expectations.

The Thursday evening program included our guitar, choral, band, and strings programs with some of our more senior ensembles in this arena performing.  We also witnessed the debut performance of Year 11 student Mason Clarke who captivated the audience with his rendition of Chopin’s Fantasy Impromptu.

Thanks must go to our Music Support Group, Facilities staff and crew who made both events possible both in front of and behind the scenes.  Thank you must also go to the students and staff who worked tirelessly preparing their program for these performances.  Thank you also to the members of our community who came and supported our young musicians – we are looking forward to sharing many more of these occasions across the remainder of the year.

Lessons and Enrolments Term 3
Lesson enrolments have been finalised for Term 3.  We expect that all timetables will be distributed before 24 June 2022.  Please ensure you and your son receive this information – if you do not, please contact the Music Office on 3394 5691 or music@vnc.qld.edu.au.

Rehersals Commence Week 1, term 3
As we return to school on Monday 11 July, rehearsals will commence from that day on.  We will have only four, possibly five rehearsals before QCMF – all students will be required at rehearsal to ensure adequate preparation for this important event.

QCMF 2022
As the community emerges from the pandemic, Villanova will return to host the annual Queensland Catholic Colleges’ and Schools’ Music Festival on 11 –  14 August 2022.  To assist with a return to the physical event (yes – people onsite sharing their music!), we have scheduled only core ensembles for this year’s iteration of the festival – i.e. Concert Band, String Orchestra, Guitar Ensemble and Choir.  Even with the reduction in sections, we have 90 schools participating, bringing 344 ensembles, sharing almost 10,300 student performances.  This festival will be approx. 70% of the size of our 2019 event – the last physical festival hosted by the College.

QCMF is a great celebration of music and youth achievement in Catholic Education.  We encourage you all to come and share in this community building event.  More information regarding how you can engage through QCMF will be distributed very shortly.

Here is a link to a short video, sharing the important role QCMF plays in Catholic Education:  Bringing Joy – Celebrating Music Education. – YouTube

We look forward to seeing you ‘on the hill’ in August!

Key Dates Term 3
As we look ahead across the term, please ensure we pencil the following dates into your diary:

Villanova Camp Chairs and Wildcat Coolers
Our fantastic Music Support Group have organised an innovative fundraiser for Villanova College.  You may have heard the buzz about our Villanova Camp Chairs and Wildcat Coolers…  the MUST HAVE items for the beach/cricket/park/fishing/barbecue/etc.

Villanova Branded Camp Chairs – $35; Wildcat Coolers – $30

All items can be purchased via TryBooking through the following link:  https://www.trybooking.com/BMEML
Purchases can be collected from the Music Office and all profits will go to the Music Support Group.

Entertainment Publication Memberships
Entertainment memberships are one of the Music Support Groups main fund-raisers.  Just click on the link below to purchase a membership and obtain ongoing special deals throughout the year. is www.entbook.com.au/22002q9

Thank you all for your ongoing support of Music at Villanova College.

Mr. Michael Jones, Director of Music

Year 10 Meningococcal ACWY strain vaccination
Next term on Monday 18 July, the nurses from Ozcare will be visiting the College to administer the Meningococcal ACWY strain vaccination to students in Year 10 who returned the consent form.

If your son is receiving the vaccination, please ensure he has an adequate breakfast before arriving at school.  It is important that your son is feeling well on the day of the vaccination.

If you wish to change your consent decision or have further questions, please contact Ozcare directly either by emailing SIP.Brisbane@ozcare.org.au or by phoning 3451 2060.

Year 5 2024 Applications Open Now

A reminder to families with older siblings at Villa, applications for Year 5, 2024 are now open.
Applications close Friday 15 July 2022.
All families who submit an enrolment application will be required to attend an interview at Villanova College. You will be emailed details of how to book your interview. Offers will be emailed on 12 September. Offer acceptances close 7 October.
Please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officer, Clare Bass on (07) 3394 5593 or enrolments@vnc.qld.edu.au if you have any further questions.

Applications can be lodged here: https://vnc.digistormenrol.com.au/applications/application

Villa Community Carnival Save the Date

ALINTA UNIFORM SHOP
For notices and the latest information on Alinta Uniform Shop stock levels visit the Alinta website: Homepage | Alinta Apparel

Read a message from the Alinta Uniform Shop regarding transition challenges here

FINANCE
As FACTS Management has now been introduced, school fee payments through BPay will no longer be an available payment option.  Please log into https://factsmgt.com.au/ or phone FACTS on 1300 322 871 to arrange the payment of school fees.

TUCKSHOP
View the 2022 Tuckshop menu and price list here: Menu-and-Prices2022-1.pdf (vnc.qld.edu.au)

VILLANOVA COLLEGE BUSINESS DIRECTORY 
Calling current parents, Old Boys and past parents — promote your business or service to members of the Villa community for free with the Villanova College Business Directory. List your business today for free via the link: https://www.vnc.qld.edu.au/our-college/villanova-business-directory/

Questions can be directed to foundation@vnc.qld.edu.au