Villa View: Issue 10

Dear Members of the Villanova College Family
As the mid-semester break approaches we are reminded of the importance of the Easter celebrations that will occur at the end of this week. Easter is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The Gospels tell us that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion. His resurrection marks the triumph of good over evil, sin and death.

Christ has Died, Christ has Risen, Christ will come again.

Sports

Interestingly, the recent events engulfing the Australian Cricket Team has brought to the fore the values that underpin sports and competition. There has been much talk about the “culture” of the team and a ‘winning at all cost’ mentality. What are the key values we hold to be central to playing sport? I would be so bold as to suggest the following: fair play, competitive spirit, playing within the rules, displaying humility in winning and graciousness in defeat and participation.

Following the AIC Review held last year, the Management Committee is devising a suitable charter and guiding principles statement for the sporting association to which Villanova College belongs. The draft charter has included the following principles:

Respect for self and others

Social Justice

Inclusivity

Spirituality

Safety

Passion

I am pleased to see the AIC Sports Association Management Committee producing a definitive statement of what our sporting association values to guide all member schools in ensuring our sporting competition is underpinned by the values espoused by the eight Colleges that form the association.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday 17 April in Goold Hall. Parents have been invited to book times with the teaching staff via the online booking system PTO. The Parent/Teacher Conferences are a great opportunity to meet with staff to discuss your son’s academic progress. In recent years we have encouraged the students to also attend the meetings, so they can hear first-hand what areas the teachers feel need attention and the positive habits the students display in the classroom. Students attending the Parent/Teacher Conferences are asked to wear their academic uniform.

Year 5 Jump Start Day

On Tuesday evening I attended the Year 5 Concert along with many parents and family members. The students had spent the day working with our Music staff with their instruments and in the evening provided a wonderful concert for the parents and family members. The enthusiasm of the teachers had obviously rubbed off on the students who appeared to thoroughly enjoy the performances and finished the concert with the Year 5 Choir singing a new song especially written for the occasion. I am looking forward to the next concert and witnessing the progress made by our students.

Staff News

Congratulations to Mrs Kate Alexander and her husband Kurt, on the birth of their son, Jake John Alexander born 23 March.

Please keep in your prayers Mrs Janette Aquiningo and her family following the recent death of Janette’s brother, Robert Hood this week.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace, Amen

EASTER PRAYER

God of power and might, by your holy will you raised Jesus

 from the dead so that we might share his life eternally. As we

rejoice and give thanks for your great goodness and mercy, help us

to reach out to those who do not believe in the Gospel. Fill us

with your compassion so that with loving hearts we may serve the

poor and needy for love of you. Strengthen the faith of our family so that

we may grow together in love.

May your joy grow in us day by day, Amen

God bless

Mr Mark Stower, College Principal

Last weekend the AFL football season commenced, and my beloved Carlton Blues started their campaign with a game against the reigning premiers, Richmond.

For tragic supporters like me, a new season brings new hope. Perhaps not hope of premiership success, but the hope that the team can continue its perennial journey of improvement.

Whilst we didn’t get the result I’d hope for, I’m pleased to say that the Blues have clearly taken steps over the preseason to establish processes that have them showing that they can be competitive.

When speaking at his press conference after the game, coach Brendan Bolton was full of praise for his team’s effort. He acknowledged the demonstrable growth, however he challenged the team’s capacity to be effective when placed under pressure. “Our players need to learn to fight through that… we won’t make excuses,” he commented.

And there are plenty of parallels that can be drawn between the start of the AFL season and Term 1 here at Villa. And who doesn’t love a footy analogy?!

For our young men in the Middle School, the end of Term 1 is a great time to reflect on the  start to the 2018 school ‘season’.

Here are some valuable reflection questions that your son could explore:

Am achieving my academic goals?

Have I been working to my best potential?

Do I have effective processes in place (in both the classroom and at home) for me to succeed?

What factors inhibit my progress?

How did I handle the pressure times?

What do I need to do differently in Term 2?

What feedback do I need to collect from my teacher in order to improve my outcomes in Term 2?

I hope that the upcoming Easter holiday can provide time for the boys to reflect, recharge and reenergise themselves for the new term ahead.

I wish all families a safe and reverent Easter break. May Sunday be a celebration of the empty tomb, and a joyous​ reminder that Jesus is alive and can provide hope for us all.

Warm regards,

Mr Greg O’Neill, Head of Middle School

Another term concludes this week and reflecting upon the first quarter of the 2018 College year, it has been a dynamic and pleasing start in the Senior School.

The Senior class has established a solid foundation on which to build upon in all areas of College life. Inspired by their integrating vision of Where there is Unity, there is Victory, the Year 12s have all worked diligently in their academic studies and following the example of the Student Leadership Team, have led the College well. I would like to congratulate College Captain James King, the SLT and all Year 12 students for the positivity and commitment exhibited thus far.

The Year 11 student body has collectively made some significant contributions to College life this term. The number of students involved in the College Musical Footloose was incredibly pleasing. Furthermore, the House Vice Captains have embraced their expanded role description this year and have made strong contributions within the SLT. I encourage all Year 11 students to continue to embrace the cohort theme pertaining to volunteerism and commit to an act of service to the community throughout this year. I thank those students who have already engaged in this area in assisting in the International Carnival clean-up and by attending Middle School camps.

The Year 10 Form has made a positive start to their senior schooling journey. I have been very impressed by the maturity of the reflections of students who I have had the pleasure to speak to during the start of my Transition to Senior School interviews (which will re-commence Week 2 of next term). One of the consistent takeaways from these interviews thus far has been the energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by the Year 10s in the way they have embraced the opportunity to study four elective classes. Whilst there have been some transitional challenges associated with the increase in workload and expectations, there has been a real preparedness by the students to learn from their new experiences.

The Senior School Formation Program has continued to focus upon providing students with an awareness of the inherent risks (health and legal implications) associated with an engagement with alcohol, drugs and social media. Students have also received regular counsel on effective study practices to improve their academic performance, particularly using Outlook as a key organisational tool. I thank the Pastoral Area Leaders, Pathway and Learning Enrichment Teams and Counselling staff for their work with the Senior School students throughout this term.

I would also like to thank parents and students for their efforts in responding to my high expectations regarding uniforms and grooming and I have been pleased to see both these aspects improve over the course of the term. As we move into next term and the formalities of the winter academic uniform (such as blazer, tie and trousers), I would like to remind all students of the value of pride in their personal appearance and I expect that all students are appropriately attired for the commencement of classes as outlined in my earlier correspondence.

Looking forward and the second term is always punctuated with the importance of either consolidating a strong academic start or bringing about change to address issues which limited success in the first term. I encourage all parents to have a conversation with their son regarding their interim report and expect students to accompany their parents to the conferences with teaching staff at the commencement of the first week in full academic uniform.

I wish all families a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday period and may you have a Holy Easter.

‘Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song’ Pope John Paul II

Mr Matt Levander, Head of Senior School

Jump Start Day Success!

Our Year 5 cohort spent Tuesday in the Augustine Centre with our Instrumental Music staff, participating in our annual Jump Start Day.  It was great witnessing our young musicians working through rehearsals across the day, busily preparing for their debut concert for families that evening.  The focus and enthusiasm with which our students approached the day was fantastic – well done gentlemen!

We had two very important debuts at our Jump Start Day Concert.  First was the introduction of our Villanova College Junior School Symphony Orchestra, where we had over 150 student musicians on stage – it was an awesome sight!  Second, our Choral Director Mr Tim Sherlock had kindly composed an anthem for Year 5 – “Villa Brothers” – which the entire year level rehearsed and sang for their parents as the grand finale of the concert.  It was incredible having our musicians involved in a world premiere of what I am certain will be a staple in the ‘spirit’ life of the College.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve Rouhliadeff and the Year 5 team for allowing us this day with the students, and their continued support of Music in the Junior School.  I would like to also thank the Instrumental Music team for their work behind the scenes and with the students in making this event the success it was.  Finally, thanks must also go to our students and families in Year 5 – thank you for the support you have, and continue to show your sons’ in their musical explorations.  It is going to be a great year!

Rehearsals Term 2

Rehearsals commence on the first day of Term 2 as per usual.  Wednesday 18 April is the first day of term and we will be commencing with Year 6 Band and Guitar Ensemble 1 before school and Symphonic Band after school.

In preparation for the ANZAC Liturgy on April 20, Symphonic Band and Music Liturgy group singers will be rehearsing in Goold Hall during Period 6 through until 3:30pm on Thursday, 19 April.  Please ensure students are available for this important event in the College liturgical life.

Entertainment Books

Our Music Support Group are raising funds to assist all students to participate fully in our music program.  This is also an opportunity for music students to raise funds towards their participation in our tour program and we need your help.  Order your NEW 2018 | 2019 Entertainment Book or Entertainment Digital Membership now. You will receive hundreds of valuable offers for everything you love to do, and help our fundraising at the same time. Please purchase your book here: http://www.entbook.com.au/22002q9

Date Claimers

As per tradition, we cast our eyes over the coming term.  Please note the following in your diaries:

Mr Michael Jones, Director of Music

The three main avenues of communication to parents regarding sport at Villanova College are listed below:

• The College newsletter – Villa View
• Access to the College website. The ‘Locker Room’ contains all the important weekly sports messages and announcements, links from the ‘Locker Room’ will take you to the ‘Weekly Fixture’ section and to the individual sports sections, including the ‘AIC Rugby’, ‘AIC Chess’ and ‘AIC Football’ sections (as well as any other sport)
• The Skoolbag App. Go to the App store and search for – Villanova College Skoolbag App. Download the free app. Important messages will be given via the app from time to time. These messages are mainly used for the confirmation or cancellation of training and games.

The students also receive sports messages via the daily morning notices in Pastoral as well as information given out at assemblies.

It was interesting to note the amount of telephone calls received by the College over the last week regarding training times and venues for rugby and football. This information has been posted on the web and published in the Villa View for many weeks. Please use the avenues listed above as all pertinent information regarding sport is posted and updated regularly.

Trimester 1 – Sports Awards Assembly

A Trimester 1 Sports Awards Assembly will be held on Wednesday 18 April commencing at 10.35am in Goold Hall.  This is the first day back in Term 2.  A list of all award nominees is posted on the website within the ‘Locker Room’. All parents and friends are invited to attend, with seating available on the mezzanine level from 10.15am. All recipients must wear full academic uniform with ties please.

Annual Sport Club Luncheon

The fifth annual Villanova College Sports Club Luncheon will once again be held at the ‘Gabba, overlooking the playing fields of the Brisbane Lions and Queensland Cricket on Friday 25 May 2018.

This year celebrates 70 years of sport at Villanova and I encourage you to be a part of the celebrations. Master of Ceremonies will be none other than the hilarious Vince Sorrenti, together with other special guests including Dan Leeson (’83) who has represented Australia as a Paralympian in multiple sports.

Tickets are $145 per head, early bird price, and are available for purchase now through the following link https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=360918&

All money raised will help improve sporting facilities and contribute to the rebuild of damaged facilities at Villanova Park. This is an excellent event and I strongly encourage as many people as possible to ask their friends and families along and enjoy an afternoon of fun and entertainment.

Rugby and Football Training/Trials

Please be aware that rugby and football training will commence on day 1 next term as per the ‘Term 2 Training Schedule’. This schedule is posted on the College’s website under AIC Rugby, Chess, Cross Country, Football sections.

Date Claimers (as per College Calendar)

• AIC Rugby and Football trial v SPC Saturday 21 April (all teams)
• Term 2 training commences, Wednesday 18 April – sessions as per ‘Term 2 Training Schedule’ posted in the AIC, Chess, Rugby and Football sections on the web (don’t forget your gear)

Senior/First Tennis Training Squad

Many of our top tennis players have been invited to attend a First Pre-Season Tennis Training program which was to commence last week but was unfortunately cancelled due to wet weather. This program will continue throughout the Easter vacation period as per documentation.

Villanova Junior Tennis Aces Program

 All students who represented Villanova either as a reserve or player throughout the 2017 season in Years 5, 6 ,7 or 8 have been invited to participate in the Junior Tennis Aces program this year.

These students will participate in a pre-season training program to develop the necessary skills and techniques for the season ahead. To that end, we will have four qualified tennis coaches on hand who will work with a squad of no more than 18 students for a one-hour training session each week for a total of eight weeks in the lead up to the AIC tennis season. These sessions will focus on the development of skills rather than game play.

Please note that these sessions will commence on Friday 20 April and will continue every Friday evening until Friday 8 June. These sessions run throughout Term 2 and are strategically placed to enable all students to participate in this program as well as any AIC football, rugby and cross-country programs on offer at the College. Only those students who participate in AIC chess will be unable to participate in this program as both will occur on Friday evenings.

Where:  Churchie Tennis Courts

Time:  5:00pm – 6:00pm (Years 6 and 7) 6:00pm – 7:00pm (Years 8 and 9)

When:  Every Friday evening commencing 20 April and concluding 8 June (eight sessions in total)

Who:  By invitation only, all Year 5, 6, 7 and 8 AIC tennis players in 2017 who are now in Year 6, 7, 8 and 9 in 2018 have been invited only

 AIC Cross Country

 Villanova’s AIC Cross Country training program will commence in Term 2 as per below.

Year 5 and Year 6 Squad will commence training in Week 5 of Term 2, 14 May. Monday and Wednesday afternoon 3.15 – 4.30pm at Little Langlands.

Year 7 – 12 Squad will commence training in Week 4 of Term 2, Wednesday 9 May. Training will then continue every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 6.45 – 8.00am at Little Langlands.

All students who wish to join simply turn up to the training sessions as listed above. More information will follow in the weeks leading up to the first session.

AIC Chess – Mrs Sally England, AIC Chess Co-ordinator

Chess has finally commenced for the year. The first trial against St Laurence’s was a good insight into the abilities of the whole group. The Junior teams had many new students and we are still finding who will take up all the available positions. The Senior groups were struck by absences due to exam block but competed well against St Laurence’s.  We are hopeful that with a full team the boys will compete at a high standard this year.

Just a reminder that coaching before school has stopped due to exams and will resume on the first Wednesday back, 18 April at 7.30am in T10 for Middle School and Seniors.   The Junior trials will continue on Wednesday 18 April and Thursday 19 April at 7.30am also in T10. Practice is still ongoing at Morning Tea every day for all those who can attend.  Friday 20 April is the night of our second trial and is a home game. The teams will be determined after this match and will be announced to all students the following week. Good luck to all the boys vying for positions in the teams. Have a good break and come back refreshed to start the season.

Swimming Results Queensland State Championships 2018 – Mrs Juanita Jacobs, AIC Swimming Co-ordinator

Congratulations to all the Villanova swimmers who qualified for the Met East Regional Team and participated in the State Championships last week.  There were 12 boys in all from Villanova.  Each of the boys gave their best on the day and performed admirably.  Of these 12 swimmers, 10 of our boys made finals for at least one of their events in a highly competitive field.

Tyler Clelland finished third at the championships in the 100m breaststroke, and as a result will represent Queensland in Hobart in August.  Similarly, William Vig came third in the 100m backstroke and will join Tyler in the Queensland team.  Charlie Hegarty, Oliver Jacobs and Charlie Kerr reached the final for their events.

In the older age group, Caden Clelland reached the final in all four of his events.  Nic Elsey also reached the finals in two out three of his events.  Andy Vick had a massive work load, swimming in seven events and reaching the final in each of them.  Similarly, Cohen Stewart reached the final in all four of his events finishing first and Queensland champion in the 400m freestyle and second in the 200m freestyle.  Harrison Vig swam in six events, medalling in each of the events, with four first places, a second and a third. Harrison will join his brother in Hobart in August at the Australian titles.

Blue – finalist (Top 10), Yellow – medallist (Top three)

Results from State Championships:  10 – 12 years

Results from State Championships 13years – Opens

Representative Sport

Well done to Mason Honeyman on recently making the Met East 10 – 12 years Basketball Team. Mason will travel to Cairns late in Term 2 to compete in the State Championships. Great Effort Mason!

In February this year, Alex John, competed in the Australian Junior (15 – 17yrs) Selection Event at the Australian Institute of Sport Combat Centre in Canberra and won a silver medal. The Gold and Silver medallists qualified to compete in the Dutch Open in The Netherlands, as part of the Australian Junior Squad Team. Alex flew to Amsterdam and competed in Eindhoven on the 10 March. Alex was defeated by Belarus in a close match 21 – 16. He gained valuable experience, made some new friends and is looking forward to further national and international competition soon. We congratulate Alex on this outstanding achievement, simply fantastic!

Callum Davies (’16) has been selected to compete in the 1500m in the Australian team at the IAAF World Under 20 Championships to be held in Finland in July 2018. To be selected Callum had to run a World Junior’s qualifier time of 3:48 and place first or second at the selection trials – the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in March 2018.

This caps off a two year campaign to achieve these milestones. Callum has been shaving seconds of his personal best all season. Two weeks of altitude training over Christmas/New Year at Falls Creek, Victoria where the cream of Australia’s middle distance runners train over summer, set him up perfectly for a magnificent race in mid-January in Melbourne where he ran a 3:47.89 1500m to achieve the qualifier in an Open field.

Callum’s time also qualified him to race at the Commonwealth Games Selection Trials at Carrara where he maintained his good form (first junior in the big field) in the lead up to Junior Nationals where he placed second, earning a silver medal, in a very tight race. He has now won a place on the podium for the last four National Championships with all colours of medals: Gold, Silver and Bronze. 2018 is Callum’s last year in the junior category as he will move to the Open age group in 2019.

Mr Craig Stariha, Director of Sport

Uniform Shop Opening Hours

Additional opening hours at the beginning of Term 2 2018:

The Villanova College Uniform Shop will be open at the regular hours of 7:45am – 10am on Tuesday 17 April and Wednesday 18 April.

Library Roster

Wednesday 18 April

Denise Smith

Thursday 19 April

Sue Mulligan

Maryanne Bingham

Friday 20 April

Gab Byrne

Tuckshop Roster

Tuesday 17 April

Pupil Free Day – Parent Teacher Interviews

Wednesday 18 April

 Thursday 19 April

Friday 20 April 

‘Augustine – The Way’ – Musical – 1st & 2nd June 2018

In May of 2017 Villanova College’s Hanrahan Theatre came alive as the story of St. Augustine’s colourful life was told through music and dramatic performance.

Following the premiere concert, great feedback was received:

“Fabulous!!” Associate Professor Janeen Lamb, Australian Catholic University
“Professional, yes, professional”, adult music teacher.
“I actually really enjoyed it”, year 12 Villanova student.
“I just didn’t want it to end, I was totally mesmerised!” Villanova parent.
“I wept when Monica died!” Former staff member.

To celebrate Villanova College’s 70th Anniversary, we welcome back – ‘Augustine – The Way’ to the Hanrahan Theatre.

Featuring the music of Tony Macpherson, you will be treated to performances by:

Villanova Old Boy SIMON HYLAND (Miss Saigon, The Boy from Oz, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Hair the Musical, the movie South Pacific), vibrantly portrays the facets of Augustine as he experiences love, loss and liberation.

SAMANTHA SHAW (London West End Singer and Actor Les Miserables, Chess, Oliver, The Beggar’s Opera, Little Shop of Horrors, The Wizard of Oz, Aspects of Love), expresses so powerfully in song the emotion, heartache and never ending love of Augustine’s mother Monica.

CAROLINE MULVENNA Contemporary classical singer whose amazing quality of voice brings to life the early passions of Augustine!

Mark this special Anniversary Event in your diary, and stay tuned for ticket sales commencing in Term 2.

Uniforms

Looking the part as a Villanovan has been important since the foundation of the College.  While some uniform items have changed over the years and others deleted, there has always been a consistent thread of keeping the College colours evident.

New students arriving in 1948 were given the following “Outfit List” and expected to wear the College grey school suit daily. T.C. BEIRNE Ltd, in The Valley were the local suppliers for all uniform items!

A selection of old uniform items are currently on display in the Junior School Administration Office through until the end of the first week of Term 2, 2018.