Villa View: Issue 20

Dear Members of the Villanova College Family
The safety fence erected at the front entrance of the College in Sixth Avenue marks an exclusion zone while we investigate the stability of the retaining wall. The wall erected some sixty years ago has moved over time. The trees planted behind the wall will be removed over the coming days and further investigation of the foundations will determine the best course of action to remediate the problem. Extra staff have been placed on supervision in the area to control students moving to buses in the afternoon. Over the coming weeks the area will remain closed to ensure the safety of all persons accessing the footpath outside the College.

End of Semester Reports and Parent-Teacher Conferences

Many years ago, report cards arrived in the mail usually during the holidays.  As a child, I knew there was going to be that time when I was called into the kitchen to read my report and discuss my results with mum and dad. Today reports are no longer printed and mailed home. End of Semester One Reports will be available through the Parent Portal to all families by Monday 26 June. Parents will be able to access the grades for the subjects studied and the comments from teachers. It is also very important your son is aware of these grades and comments. Over the holiday break students expect that talk to discuss their academic grades and progress over the past six months.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held in Goold Hall on Tuesday 11 July from 9.00 am through until 8.00 pm. Information for booking conference times has been distributed to families. It is important families follow the steps involved in the booking process carefully and confirm their conference times by printing out the schedule. We certainly welcome students to attend the conferences with their parents (in full academic uniform), to be involved in the conference and to have input into this process.

Prayers

We keep in our prayers members of our community who are battling illness at this time especially Fr Joe Walsh OSA and Mr Charlie Fisher.

You have made us for Yourself O Lord

And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.

God bless

Mr Mark Stower, Principal

Winter holidays are one of the most welcomed breaks of the year.  The cooler weather means late mornings in pyjamas, campfires for those adventurous enough and of course, it is catch up time for going to friend’s houses.  In 5 Gold on Monday, the boys excitedly shared their weekend adventures as their assessment had finished.  There were endless smiles and eager tales about movies, sleepovers, netball finals and video gaming sessions.  There is a delightful energy as all our boys anticipate the freedom that lies ahead over the next three weeks.

It is a perfect opportunity to reflect on Semester One.  From first steps through the Villanova gates to sporting team’s accomplishments, music concerts, drama monologues and achievements in all subject areas.  I would like to think there have been celebrations for work well prepared and plans made for tasks that needed more attention.  The overall aim of course is a balanced young man.  This means working to his full potential and challenging himself to take some chances in something new.  It also means figuring out the limits to an individual’s capacity to be happy and to learn effectively.  Everyone, adults included, work best in certain ways, time frames and with different levels of support.  Feedback is sometimes welcomed, appreciated and used to improve; however,   constructive feedback can be tough when someone feels they are doing their best.  At the end of the day, we choose the path we can manage and I am proud of every Villanovan for doing what they could manage over Terms 1 and 2.

Our staff are also working very hard outside of class and co-curricular commitments.  Finalising assessment in fair conditions for those students who have had holidays, sporting commitments or have been unwell is a matter for going to plan B each day in the last few weeks.  They will do as much as possible to ensure every boy in their class receives an honest and positive report based on all the semester’s observations to date.  Work ethic, social courtesies, cooperative skills and Villanovan spirit all come into play when a teacher considers the final draft of a report comment.  Year Level teams have moderated repeatedly to ensure that their teaching and learning matches the grades given in assessment tasks.  They crosscheck with teaching partners and Mrs Leanne Addley so that criteria are identified equally amongst classes.  We are proud of having six streams that monitor planning, teaching, learning and assessment marking with the greatest of collaborative and reflective practice.

The social-emotional wellbeing of our Junior School students is paramount at this stage of the year. We reinforce kindness, respect and the small details such as please and thank you so that tired minds and bodies enjoy the company of familiar faces until the final bell.  I am grateful to our Year 6 Student Leaders for their tireless efforts in running a football lunch break competition so that the boys mix friendship groups if they so desire.  I am thoroughly enjoying the technology groups that head to the Lower Library during second breaks, the sharing and comparing of projects, design and gaming experiences is so very positive and is another way our boys mix with people with similar interests, whether in the same class, year level or not.  We have had fun with State of Origin treats on Monday, raising over $300 for Rosies and Orange Sky Laundry.  We have collected toiletry items to sustain dignity for people who are doing it tough in the local community as well and I thank you for being so generous.

To our parents I say thank you.  Your support and commitment to getting your sons organised with their belongings, submitting work on time, revising content for exams (do some of you feel like you want to sit the test too?) and supplying all the hugs and love is second to none.  You give your sons the platform to engage in learning and to produce work that is satisfactory.  You help fill the lunchboxes with favourite foods, wash the uniforms and (if you are like my house) know when it is time to get a take away midweek because that hour together as a family is precious.  Have a wonderful holiday with your amazing sons.  We will be ready to go with College Parent Teacher Interviews on Tuesday 11 July in Goold Hall and see the boys return to school on Wednesday 12 July.  May God keep you safe in the palm of his hands over the holidays.

Mr Stephen Rouhliadeff, Head of Junior School

Holiday time should provide an opportunity for rest, renewal and reflection. The last aspect is particularly important for students wanting to finish the year well. Reflecting upon the semester just finished, students should ask themselves the following questions:

• What have I enjoyed about my 2017 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?

I encourage all students and their parents to unpack the Semester One report and look closely at the specific feedback provided by classroom teachers suggesting ways to improve academic performance. Often these suggestions are directed towards the following areas:

• Utilising the feedback offered by teachers during the planning and drafting phases of assessment;
• Completing purposeful drafts to maximise the scope of teacher feedback;
• Being proactive in seeking the assistance of the teacher;
• Improving time and organisational management.

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 12 students will meet with senior members of staff to explore their OP estimate and consider whether they are on track for their tertiary course aspirations. Similarly, staff will discuss with vocational education students what pragmatic steps they are taking to secure apprenticeships and/or prepare for the world of work.

Year 11 students will meet with their ISP teachers to examine their performance in their new subjects and to ascertain how purposeful their engagement has been within their current learning pathway. Year 10 students will meet with a senior member of staff to reflect upon their first semester in the Senior School. The focus of this meeting will be both an academic and pastoral check-in and provide an additional level of support to our Year 10 students ahead of SET Plan interviews also conducted in Term 3.

I wish all Senior School students and their families a wonderful mid-year holiday. Ensure that you recharge yourself so that you are ready to commence the second semester with confidence, motivation and purpose.

‘Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.’- Maya Angelou

Mr Matt Levander, Head of Senior School

YAYM Sausage Sizzle
Mobilising to meet the hunger brought on by exams, winter and State of Origin, YAYM laid on the Stower Power Sausage Sizzle on Tuesday, accompanied by Levander Lolly bags, or the two together could be purchased for the O’Neill Meal Deal. Buying an item brought you a counter, which you then placed in either the Rosies or Orange Sky Laundry jar (after the idea of a local tasty burger restaurant). The money grossed for these two organisations is about $750, with some costs still to be deducted. This is, as usual, a wonderful effort by the Middle School Ministry boys, who conceived, advertised and delivered a morale-boosting event even and especially when everyone is flagging.

The Villanova Graduate: What qualities are we looking to accelerate and grow?

A team of staff from Villanova and St Augustine’s Sydney are currently working out what it is that is distinctive about the graduate of an Augustinian school. If you ask recent old boys, what is distinctive about a graduate from Villanova, as opposed to other, broadly similar schools, then they often come back to the warm friendships, which endure long after “the final flag is folded.” For years, boys simply had the experience of walking and learning side by side with Augustinians. You did not have to write down what it is to be educated in an “Augustinian” way because it was personal. However, now there is a humbling moment when lay people are given the role of trying to put into words what it is that helps to accelerate the character and growth of so many of the young men who pass through these gates. Are there any values, or combination thereof, which could be painted on the gateposts and which sneak into the hearts and minds of the boys, perhaps only to surface years later?

One such value is probably easy to point at and that is “community.” A second, the search for truth, is not hard to find in Augustine because he was such a wonderful scholar whose thinking informed his faith, yet humble enough to let faith also open up new horizons for learning (“We understand in order to believe and believe in order to understand”). So in any Augustinian school, truth is pursued to the hilt, together in community, both in mind and heart. A unique thing that Augustine sees and points us to is that the truth is also found inside, away from the crowd, in silence and in scripture: in interiority. (“You are closer to me than I am to myself.”)

Mr John Holroyd, Vice Principal – Ministry, Mission and Evangelisation

AIC Tennis Trials
The final trial session was held today and all internal trials for AIC tennis are now complete.  The official training program will commence next term on the first day back for students, that is, Wednesday 12 July. Please see the complete season schedule posted on the College’s website under – Sport/AIC Tennis for all details including times, venues, uniform expectations etc. All players are required to attend both training sessions each week. The College will provide transportation back to school after the morning sessions. All other transport to and from the Morningside Tennis Centre will be the responsibility of the parents. There will be a full set of tennis trials against Ashgrove on Saturday 15 July, the first weekend of Term 3 and all players must attend. A list of all teams will be posted on the web shortly.

AIC Basketball Trials

All internal trials for AIC basketball are now complete. The official training program will commence next term on the first day back for students, that is, Wednesday 12 July. Please see the complete season schedule posted on the College’s website under – Sport/AIC Basketball for all details including times, venues, uniform expectations etc. All A and B teams will have two training sessions per week; C teams and lower will only have one training session per week. All players are required to attend all allocated training sessions each week. The College will provide transportation back to school after the morning sessions held at the Clem Jones Centre. It is the responsibility of parents to transport their son/s to the Clem Jones Centre. A list of all teams will be posted on the web by this Thursday 22 June.

AIC Basketball Trials against St Laurence’s College – Wednesday 12 July

Please be aware that we have AIC basketball trials for the Year 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11A, 2nd V and 1st V teams on the afternoon of the first day back next term as per below. Bus transportation will be provided for the teams travelling to St Laurence’s one way only. Parents are asked to collect their son/s promptly after the game from St Laurence’s.

Venue: St Laurence’s College

Venue: Villanova College

Basketball Hire Singlets

We will advertise a list of all players on the web by this afternoon.  All teams participating in the SLC trials next term must collect a basketball singlet for hire from the College Uniform Shop on the first day back next term as per schedule below. A cost of $15 for singlet hire will be included on Term 3 school fee accounts.

Collection – Basketball Hire Singlet Wednesday 12 July

• First Break – 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B
• Second Break – 10A, 10B, 11A and 2nd V

Collection – Basketball Hire Singlet Thursday 13 July 

All other teams from Year 7 – 12 must collect their singlet from the Uniform Shop on Thursday 13 July (the second day back next term).

• First Break – 7C, 7D (at this stage the College is considering entering 7E, 7F and 7G teams) 8C, 8D, 9C and 9D
• Second Break – 10C, 10D, 11B and 3rd V
• Year 5 and Year 6 teams: Mr Everding will distribute to all players in the Junior School area

AIC Tennis and Basketball Ashgrove Trials – Date Claimer

Please be aware that a full set of school tennis and basketball trials will be held the first weekend back next term as per below.

• Year 5 and Year 6 basketball v Ashgrove – Friday afternoon 14 July
• Year 7 – 12 basketball and Year 5 – 12 tennis v Ashgrove – Saturday 15 July

AIC Track and Field

The training schedule for the AIC track and field season will commence the week beginning Monday 21 August for all interested students. The track and field season schedule will be posted early next term. Please refer to the College’s website for this season schedule under – Sport/AIC Track and Field for all details including times, venues etc.

Year 7 – 12 Training on the June/July Holidays

All runners are urged to continue their hard work over the June/July holiday period, if Villanova is to be successful at the annual AIC Championships on Wednesday, August 9 at Limestone Park.

Rather than meeting at Villanova College three mornings a week for the usual training, the following sessions will be available to runners over the two-week break:

1. Monday night – wear your Villanova shirt/singlet for free session
   Thompson Estate Athletics Club, 391 Stanley Rd, Carina – 6.00pm – 7.30pm

2. Thursday night – wear your Villanova shirt/singlet for free session
   Thompson Estate Athletics Club, 391 Stanley Rd, Carina – 6.00pm – 7.30pm

3. Parkrun
   Various places around the world offer free park runs every Saturday at 7.00am.
   Distance is 5km.  Nearest venues to Villanova are Minnippi Park (Meadowlands Road), Stones Corner or Southbank.

Several Villanova runners do this religiously every week with their parents and their times are recorded, with some beginning to achieve remarkable improvements due to their consistent approach.  Parkrun enables families who may be going to the Sunshine or Gold Coasts for their holidays to have a run whilst on holidays, as they are literally everywhere!

A two-week program will also be made available on the Villanova College website for students who want to do some quality solo training sessions.

Continue the hard work over the June/July holidays as this make a significant difference to the results for the whole squad.

Villanova Runners Club (VRC) – Year 5 and Year 6 Cross Country

VRC will be extending from Sunday sessions to training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the holidays. This will provide continuity of training for the Juniors, who are half way through their Cross Country season. However, these sessions are open to anyone who would like to keep fit over the holidays.

Holiday Training:

• Week 1 – Monday 26, Wednesday 28 and Friday 30 June
• Week 2 – Monday 3rd, Wednesday 5th and Friday 7 July and Monday 10 July

All sessions will be held from 8.30 – 10 am at Whites Hill Recreation Reserve, Boundary Rd, Camp Hill (meet at cricket ground gate).

Sunday training will continue each Sunday afternoon (4 – 5 pm) at Whites Hill Reserve, Boundary Rd. Camp Hill. Assemble on Cricket Oval number 3 at 3.45 pm. An open invitation is extended to the Villanova community including families of the boys and anyone interested in improving their fitness. There will be no minimum standard of fitness required, as all levels of fitness will be catered for during the session. The program will include a Tabata session, followed by aerobic running in the surrounding bushland.

Trimester 3 AIC Training Schedule

A complete training schedule of all sports offered in AIC throughout Trimester 3 is posted on the one document. This document can be located on the College’s website under Co-curricular/Sport within each sport section.

Villa-Fit 2017

Please be aware that Villa Fit will not be operating in Term 3. The College is currently undergoing changes to the gym program offered and is not in a position to continue this service in the near future.

1st XI Football Head Coach – Position Soon to be Advertised

The position of 1st XI Football Coach at Villanova College will be formally advertised during the first week back next term. We ask all interested parties to wait until the advertisement appears via the Villa View and website before applying.

Representative Sport

Well done Dale D’Souza who was recently in the U15 Metro North East State Cricket Academy Program and has been invited to participate in Queensland Cricket’s Metro Academy Program from July to September. A great achievement Dale!

Mr Craig Stariha, Director of Sport

Irish and Big Band Perform
Sunday 18 June was a very busy day for our Irish Ensemble 1 and Big Band, with both groups performing at two public events.  Our Irish Ensemble provided some musical and dancing entertainment for the St James’ Parish International Fair.  The students acquitted themselves very well indeed to great acclaim.  Big Band then travelled and performed at St Catherine’s Fete in the same afternoon.  Again, our students represented Villanova College very well.

I would like to thank the students and families for their time over this day, particularly as a number of students ‘doubled-up’ on activities and tour rehearsal.  Thank you and well done!

Rockhampton Tour

Our Rockhampton Tour students have been having a fantastic time away from us all, enjoying some of the sights and sounds of Central Queensland.

The camp will conclude with a final concert on Thursday 22 June (TODAY) which will be live-streamed via The Cathedral College website.  For those interested in viewing this event, please follow this link:  http://tccr.com.au/news-events/fx-articles.cfm?loadref=110&id=4352

Rotorua Tour

Our Rotorua tour party have entered the final stages of preparation for this upcoming event.  Thirty-seven students, three staff and two parents will be travelling to Rotorua to attend Rhapsody Rotorua, a gala event akin to our QCMF.  We will be joining several schools from across New Zealand’s North Island and seven schools from Australia in workshops, concerts, and activities across the first week of our winter holidays.

A reminder to all ‘tourists’ that we are rehearsing tour repertoire over the following days/times:

• Friday 23 June, 2 – 5pm Hanrahan Theatre
• Saturday 24 June, 8am – 12noon – Hanrahan Theatre – Concert for parents at noon

Date Claimers

We now look ahead to August with our currently scheduled events.  Please ensure these are marked in your diaries.

Term 3

Mr Michael Jones, Director of Music

Mt Gravatt Coach and Travel School Bus Changes
In an effort to overcome delays to the before school transport run caused by significant peak traffic , Mt Gravatt Coach and Travel have informed the College of recent changes to the 8017 and 8014 school services.

The route and timing has changed beyond Lytton Rd on Hawthorne Rd and beyond.

The current scheduled arrival/departure time at Lourdes Hill College has changed from 7.45 am to 7.35 am.  This will remove any current layover time in Hawthorne Road and try to overcome peak traffic.

After Lourdes Hill College, there is a route change.  Currently from Hawthorne Road, the route turns left into Balmoral Street, right into Wynnum Road and veers left into Bennetts Road, across the bridge on Agnew Street re-joining Bennetts Road after the roundabout.

The new route does not turn into Wynnum Road instead continuing along Wynnum Road after the Riding Road intersection then turning right into Jack Flynn Memorial Drive, across the bridge and turning right into Waminda Street, through the roundabout onto Bennetts Road.  This will mean that there will no longer be a pickup in Bennetts Road near Jean Howie Drive.  Students along Bennetts Rd need to be aware that the bus should arrive earlier than has been the case so far this year.

The 8017 after school route will mirror this change before turning into Riding Road.

There is a minor change to the route taken in the afternoon by the 8014 run; however, this will have no impact on students other than making the route safer and more reliable.

Attached are copies of the route changes for the 8017 bus, both before and after school, with notes on the images identifying old and new routes. Route Channges: 8017 AM, 8017 PM.

Should you require further information, please contact Mt Gravatt Coach and Travel on 3808 7800 or www.mtgcoach.com.au.

Library Roster

Monday 10th July

Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 11th July

Pupil Free Day

Thursday 13th July

Cecillia Pavillion

Friday 14th July

Gina Avolio

Tuckshop Roster

Monday 10th July

Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 11th July

Pupil Free Day

Wednesday 12th July

Andrea Verner, Maree Challinor, Jenny Salpietro, Karen Blue, Fiona Jenkins, Katrina Theil, Connie Collins, Rebecca Shirdon

Thursday 13th July

Debbie Griffiths, Bernadette Perrier, Julie Frail, Taryn Byrne, Monique Winn, Louise Wilson

Friday 14th July

Nicole Coffey, Sara Kays, Cathy Hampson, Veronica Kennedy, Tracy Pereira-Trevethan, Nikki Reid, Caroline Caffery, Gregoria Makras, Sally Grigson, Lia Weston, Natasha Chan, Nakeeta Sturgess, Toni Ware

P&F Trivia Night

Stay up to date with the College events please proceed to the event calendar.