Villa View: Issue 20

Dear Members of the Villanova College Family
Winter has arrived and the cold winds blowing up through the middle of the campus caused many to seek shelter in the warm sunlight at break times over the last few days. The College uniform provides ample clothing items during the winter months. Students can opt to wear long trousers and the school jumper. Senior School students all have a blazer that can be added to the school jumper. This combination looks very smart with the school tie.

What is not permissible during these cooler days is the wearing of sports jackets, senior hoodies or senior jerseys. These items are only permitted to be worn with the sports uniform. I thank all members of our community for making every effort to ensure our students wear the correct uniform at all times.

Assessment and Stress

For many students this time of year brings enormous anxiety and stress as they prepare for end of semester exams and assignments. There are a number of important habits students can be mindful of to reduce the negative effects of exam stress and anxiety.

1. Get Enough Sleep- a minimum of 7.5 – 8 hours per night. Having a sleep deficiency can actually make you less sharp mentally.
2. Study Smarter- be organised with your study materials, list the important material you need to learn, remove all distractions including the mobile phone.
3. Visualise Success- visualise yourself taking the test and achieving a fantastic result. Visualisation can also help you to remember information.
4. Stay Calm- exercising regularly, eating well and meditation are just some methods to ensure you remain calm and focused during the exam period.

Thank You

Following the conclusion of the Second Trimester of sporting fixtures, I wish to thank the many parents, Old Boys and staff who so generously gave of their time to support the students in chess, football and rugby. With their support we are able to offer our students an opportunity to represent the College and participate as a member of a team. Watching many of the games during the season I can see the obvious enjoyment boys gain from participating in sports. On behalf of the College I wish to thank all those involved in our sporting program. A special thank you to Mr Craig Stariha- Director of Sport and the Sports Office for their work during the past season.

St Augustine’s College, Sydney and Villanova College Boards

A new initiative being implemented in the June/July holidays will see the two College Boards from St. Augustine’s College, Sydney and Villanova College, Brisbane attend a combined meeting over two days to discuss matters of governance and learn from an exchange of ideas. The meeting will be hosted by St Augustine’s College in Sydney and the Villanova College Board members are looking forward to visiting our brother school and meeting members of their College Board.

Villanova College visit to St Augustine’s College, Sydney

On Wednesday 27 June our Open basketball, debating, football and rugby teams will travel to Sydney for a visit with St Augustine’s College.  This tour continues to build strong relationships between the two Colleges. Villanova College students are billeted with the families of the St Augustine’s College students and it is through this friendship that we all come together as members of the wider Augustinian family.

Last Day of Term Two

Next Wednesday 27 June is the final day of Term Two. All students will be dismissed from classes at the normal finishing time of 3.00 pm.

You have made us for Yourself O Lord

And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.

God bless

Mr Mark Stower, College Principal

This week has been outstanding for finalising academic results for Semester One reports.  Boys who have been absent require the same preparation and testing situations for equitable achievement standards to be recorded.  Our staff are also giving specific feedback to students.  We are making sure that there is time for answers to be explored and clarified as to their “A, B or C” grade.

Questions such as “what your goal for this assessment was?” and “was this your best effort?” need to be asked.  Only the students can truly know how they performed, but we as educators can keep checking in through each term and communicating with parents, if we feel that support is needed.  All results in the Junior School are shared with parents – assignments, test papers and criteria sheets are sent home.  Have you seen all subject areas and signed them so that your son can complete his assessment folder for Term 3 Parent Teacher Conferences?

However, there are very important qualities that our academic assessment doesn’t necessarily report on, so on Monday, my message to our Year Five and Six boys was clear.  We simply must, at this time of the term, give our full attention to areas such as self-control, honesty, kindness, flexibility and sensitivity.

Self-control is crucial when people are weary after ten weeks of a busy term.  We might be excited that our study load is a little lighter, but our physical and verbal actions matter more than ever.  Intentions and perceptions are everything.  What is acceptable to our rugby mates on a rugby field is not going to have the same reaction with a classmate who we know best in a classroom relationship.  What we say to our close mates, with a thorough background of “in” jokes and experiences, will be taken very differently to someone who we see only on occasion.  Our definitions of “funny” and “just joking” have clear lines and boundaries we must keep in mind.

Some classmates need a little more space this week just to let the busyness of work and co-curricular activities go.  Some boys prefer to be left alone when lining up in class groups for a lesson.  On the playground there are students who want a peaceful game of handball.  All these circumstances are fair and must be given the respect they deserve.  Our needs might be different to others and we can remember this by using our hands, feet and tongues in a way that is appropriate for every relationship we have.

Honesty is our best currency.  We own our words and actions.  We know full well, what we want is not always what we get – but we take the best in life with what sometimes is just our fair share.  I know full well that as soon as I get an honest response from someone in my family, my friends or here at Villanova College, then we are going to work everything out quickly and with all people concerned winning.  We don’t have the ability to be perfect as humans – but we have honesty as the best thing we can all show to allow relationships to blossom in any circumstance.

Kindness can be shown in any shape or form – and it’s free, flexible and timely at this part of Semester One.  A compliment, a smile, a gesture or a small token of “I’m thinking of you”, means the world when people are distracted by lists, expectations and deadlines.  It’s actually a great way of feeling better about yourself to show random acts of kindness!  Whether it’s someone you know very well, or someone who is more of an acquaintance, you can be the one person who really shifts another individuals’ entire mindset, because you were generous with your spirit.

Flexibility can mean the difference between panic and relief.  Being able to change a time, a place or find a solution B, C, D (or sometimes Z!) is an endearing quality in a friend or classmate.  Think about how often teachers use this quality – I would guess it would be at least ten times a day.  It means sometimes getting what you want or need, but at other times being mature enough to let someone else have what makes life bearable or just plain old easier.  I am sure that every parent in our school loves it when a son can be flexible with things such as drop offs, pick-ups, items in lunch boxes and what jobs need to be done around the house.

Sensitivity can be the biggest lesson for boys and adults to learn.  We often get a reminder for this quality during times when we feel a little under the pump.  We might react quickly and somewhat unfairly because we need to focus or perform with time limitations.  The words can come out wrongly, the tone can be sterner than intended, or we can have physical indicators like rolling eyes and big sighs – sound familiar?  Take a breath.  Apologise as soon as you can and reset the conversation or question to be answered.  Laugh at yourself a little and hopefully so will the other person.

Gentlemen, life is a test of our qualities with no assignment or end of year test.  Rather, we get feedback on these elements every day.  Our friendships depend on them.  Our relationships are affected by them.  Our sense of belonging and self-esteem rely on them.  May we aim to show all five of these qualities to the best of our ability with our communities close to home and around Villanova College, for the sake of all that is holy is treasured in this life – each other.

Mr Stephen Rouhliadeff, Head of Junior School

How does your son overcome adversity or manage the times when things don’t go to plan?

How does he react when he faces rejection from his peers?

How does he cope when his efforts are under-valued or go unrecognised?

Over the past few weeks of PD, our Year 8 students have taken a crash course in psychology and human behaviour, and we identified two major needs of humans who live in community.

• We need to feel connected and experience a sense belonging.
• We need to feel respected and have a sense of significance and purpose.

For our Middle School boys, this is especially true. Adolescent motivation is very much driven by peer acceptance and their behaviours regularly demonstrate a yearning to feel socially connected.

However, occasionally things happen that threaten these connections, e.g. a friend says something nasty or someone does something that is disrespectful and embarrasses you. As we well know, in the online world this in increasingly more prevalent and can be even more damaging because it encroached even upon our place of safety.

So how do humans commonly react when their connections are threatened or damaged?

Dr Donald Nathanson, a gifted psychiatrist and researcher into human behaviour, has this to say about the emotion experienced as ‘shame’. Shame is the flowering of the feelings and fears associated with rejection.

Whilst Year 8 PD barely can scratch the surface of human emotion, the students have received at least one key takeaway that is of relevance to them.

When the emotion of ‘shame’ is ignored and left unattended, there are four common patterns of reaction. It is described by Dr Nathanson and depicted below as the ‘Compass of Shame’:

For each of the points of the compass, there is obviously a continuum. ‘Attack Self’ might start with self-doubt, self-pity or negative self-talk and can lead to masochism and self-harm.

To help our Year 8’s unpack and understand the Compass of Shame, we looked at some of the opening scenes of the original Toy Story movie.

Woody, Andy’s long-standing favourite toy, has his connection to the group of existing toys challenged by the arrival of Buzz Lightyear. Combined with comments made by his friends, Woody begins to experience the emotion of shame. Unmanaged, and fuelled by anger and resentment, Woody’s behaviour begins to reflect that shown in the compass of shame.

• Attack Other: Woody becomes rude to others, calling them names or physically hurting them;
• Attack Self: Woody physically lashes out, kicking inanimate objects;
• Avoidance: Woody makes comments of denial, “everything will be alright in a couple of days”;
• Withdrawal: Woody retreats by himself to the toy box to avoid interaction with others.

To address the feeling of shame and avoid the subsequent destructive behaviours, Woody clearly needed to acknowledge the feelings he was having and speak with Buzz about their relationship.

Most often early intervention and restoratively working through any harm caused is the best way to manage shame emotions. Taking this into consideration we asked Year 8 students to reflect on their own behaviour and that of their mates, using the compass model.

• When have they not felt great about themselves and had their sense of belonging affected by their own doing or that of others?
• When have they lashed out at others in response?
• When have they avoided talking to a friend or a parent because of underlying tension?
• When have they experienced self-doubt or had negative self-talk?
• When have they deliberately withdrawn from a social context?

I commend the Year 8 boys for the way they engaged with these life lessons. Their emotional development is certainly undergoing some significant changes and hopefully units such as these help them become more self and socially aware young men.

Greg O’Neill, Head of Middle School

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

This week, I would like to return to Sean Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens and explore the remaining two habits within ‘the private victory’- Begin with the End in Mind and Put First Things First. These habits are associated with individual purpose, ownership and effective self-management- key elements within the senior school experience.

Beginning with the end in mind automatically connects thoughts of an end point or a destination. The years of senior schooling is an incredibly important and challenging time for our young men. Building upon the underpinning message of the first habit of proactivity, we aim to empower and equip our students with the skills and confidence to stand on their own two feet and take ownership of their learning and pathway to purpose and achievement. The academic mentoring and youth purpose interviews in Year 11 and 12 ISP classes and the Transition to Senior School interviews in Year 10 are examples of platforms for students to be supported in shaping their goals, reflecting upon their learning and the intentions they have for their lives upon finishing Year 12 at Villanova College. A good resource to cultivate this second habit of highly effective teens is ‘The Great Discovery’. This is a link to a PDF copy:

http://www.seancovey.com/pdf/teens/The_Great_Discovery.pdf

According to Sean Covey, besides secondary school being a juncture point of important decisions, the other reason for our young men to visualise their future is because if they don’t, others will do it for them. I mentioned this to Year 10 students at Form Meeting last week in relation to their subject confirmation and SET Plan completion. Often students will select subjects as a result of what others think (whether that be fellow students or parents) rather than take ownership of their decisions.

The third habit- Put First Things First, is associated with effective self- management which is always a challenge for Senior School students. One of the recurring discussion points with students, when exploring their study habits and routine, concerns their effective use of time. Covey’s Time Quadrant Model is a pragmatic tool that can be utilised to maximise the value of time. The model is constructed with two primary considerations:

1. The Important- the things and activities that contribute to your mission and goals;
2. The Urgent- the things that have to be done as soon as possible and activities that demand immediate attention.

This is the Time Quadrant with the four time-archetypes:

Whilst teenagers spend time in all four quadrants, ideally, maximising the time in Quadrant 2 will lead to effective life balance and high performance. In order to do this, the following are some tips and questions articulated by Covey that may assist students:

1. Do a search and get a planner app on your tablet or smart phone and use it to get more organised. Try it for 30 days before judging it;
2. Identify your biggest time-wasters. Do you really need to spend two hours checking out other people’s Instagram or playing Fortnite?;
3. Are you a ‘pleaser’, someone who says yes to everyone? If so, have the courage to say no today when it’s the right thing to do;
4. Note the seven most important big rocks for the upcoming week. Now block out time on your calendar to accomplish each one;
5. Identify a fear that’s holding you back from reaching your goals. Decide right now to jump outside your comfort zone and stop letting fear get the best of you;
6. How much impact does peer pressure have on you? Ask yourself, am I doing what I want to do or what others want me to do?

‘Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.’- Stephen Covey

Mr Matt Levander, Head of Senior School

Villanova Students Support Local Children

Villanova College students can now complete a Certificate 111 in Fitness as part of the suite of senior subjects. The students study exercise physiology, anatomy, training program design and other aspects of the fitness industry. This ensures they are ready to work at commercial gyms, in recreational activities or with sporting organisations.

As part of the requirements of their course, Villanova students have been instructing students from Prep to Year 3 at St James as part of their sports afternoon for over a month. Whilst the boys found the afternoons challenging, it was also a great learning experience. They are now certainly a little more empathetic regarding the challenges facing teachers.

St James Principal, Mr John Bates, wrote via email, “We really appreciated the fact that that the boys put so much effort into the sporting sessions. They represented Villanova in an excellent manner”.

It was very pleasing to see the students embrace the challenge of running the sports afternoon with such enthusiasm and maturity. It gave the boys an insight into the demands of working in the fitness industry and the opportunities that might be available to them.

Pat Atkinson, Acting Senior School Physical Education Curriculum Area Leader

Book Buddies

Last Thursday afternoon, 13 Year 7 students from Villanova and Loreto College attended the inaugural ‘Book Buddies’ meeting at Villanova’s Tolle Lege Library.  After sharing a scrumptious afternoon tea, they formed mixed teams and engaged in a tightly contested trivia game called ‘Book Basketball Death Match’ where teams used their extensive knowledge of popular fiction and a paper ball to ruthlessly steal points from other teams.  Next, QR codes and cryptic clues led us on a scavenger hunt around the library to explore the collection.  Finally, with more snacks in hand, teams shared book recommendations and chatted about their favourite reads.

The next Book Buddies will be held in the Collins Library at Loreto College in Term 3.  Keep your eye out early next term for more details.

“Book Buddies was a wonderful experience that allowed us to participate in fun activities and meet new people” – Aysha Tran

Antonietta Neighbour, Director of Research Services

Smart Choices Workshop

Year 7 and 8 Business Students get financially savvy with Smart Choices Workshop. The workshop explores financial decision making and encourages discussion around factors which influence financial choices. 

Vinnie’s Appeal

At the beginning of next term, Villanova’s St Vincent de Paul Society will be conducting an appeal to collect hygiene products to distribute to those less fortunate. Donations of deodorant, shampoo, shaving cream and other hygiene products for both males and females will be greatly appreciated. These products will then be packaged up and given to those less fortunate in our community and these packages will be invaluable for those struggling financially or living on the streets.  We ask that you please make this small effort to bring in one or two hygiene products which will be greatly appreciated by those who receive them.   The appeal will operate for the first four weeks of Term 3.

Thank you for your help.

Ronan Hughes on behalf of the SVDP Ministry Group

Challenge Sausage Sizzle

With the generous assistance of two young old boys (Matt Davies and Zac Edwards), the Kokoda Challenge team provided a high-quality sausage sizzle last Friday, making over $700 before costs. By providing an individual delivery service to the Junior School students, they maximised the benefits of hot sausage and tomato sauce on a cold day (by Queensland standards).

YAYM visit to Duhig Village Nursing Home

The Middle School Ministry boys will next week conclude a busy semester with a visit to the residents of Duhig Village at Holland Park. Over the past five years, a wonderful relationship has built up between the residents and our students. The students have planned a program of entertainment, including songs, bingo, Family Feud and board games. They are also deciding on items to leave in a small gift pack for each resident. To this end, recent old boy Jordan Roles has donated 30 Scratch-its, for which we are grateful.

Catholic Social Teaching

An interesting editorial appeared in The Guardian (British newspaper) in May. The point was made that Catholic Social teaching provides a values-based way forward for a society – namely Britain – currently struggling to contain the selfish individualism that can be unleashed by an unrestrained free market. Think the Global Financial Collapse and chief executives paying themselves 300 times more for each hour than their employees. The editorial named the Common Good as a goal towards which all citizens, all young people be encouraged to strive.  In similar vein, here is an extract from our Mission Statement:

Our staff, parents and students both past and present contribute their gifts and talents towards the development of young men of Gospel values who seek the common good.

The other main Catholic social justice principle is that of the dignity of the human person. Created unique in God’s image, loved every moment by God, each person can never be used as a means to an end, nor simply discarded. From this principle it closely follows that there is a scandalous, preferential option for the poorest and most at risk in our society – the ones most likely to be treated as human “rubbish” (to quote Pope Francis’s challenging critique).

Therefore, the students of Villanova College are encouraged to reach out in encounter, however humbly, to those most at risk in our community: the patrons of the Rosies van, the residents of Duhig Village, people of refugee background such as the children on the St Vincent de Paul Kids Camp – for which seven students and recent students have volunteered.

John Holroyd, Dean of Mission and Identity

St James Parish Seminars

AFAS Elders Update

Thank you to former staff member, Sue Lawson, for her family’s donation towards the community centre on Kinatarcan Island.

Another former staff member, Tony MacPherson is kindly donating $10.00 from every Augustine: The Way CD sold, towards the Elders appeal.  If you would still like to purchase “Augustinian the Way” CD, you can order it through Flexi Schools, http://www.flexischools.com.au/ or telephone Villanova College on  3394 5690.

If you would like to contribute towards the cost of any construction materials (e.g. bags of cement/assorted nails) or transport costs to move all materials to the island, the Elders would be most appreciative.  

Please see the building costings​

Donations may be transferred/deposited into the following account:

AFAS

BSB 064-786

Account Number 019232109

When making deposit/transfer, please put ‘AFAS ELDERS’ in the description as well as your name and what item you are donating:

e.g.     Smith      concrete

If you would like to remain anonymous, please put “anon”.

Unfortunately, AFAS is not a registered charity, so donations are not tax deductible, however if you require a receipt, please email thindmarsh@vnc.qld.edu.au.

 All donations received go a long way towards ensuring a sustainable business for the people on Kinatarcan.

The finished mat:

Australian String Quartet & Villanova College

Very recently, our music department was given the opportunity to work with the Australian String Quartet – a world-class premier ensemble currently based in Adelaide.  The ASQ are commencing their national tour in Brisbane and we have been given the chance to have them come and work with our students, and conversely our students will have the chance to view the ASQ in action.  Information regarding these events have been forwarded home to string families via email – please contact the music office if you have not received the message.

Our Villanova String Quartet and String Sinfonia will be working with ASQ on Monday afternoon in Hanrahan Theatre.  The ASQ musicians will be workshopping music being prepared for festival, developing and refining our musicianship and sense of ensemble.  On Tuesday evening, all string students and families have the opportunity to view the ASQ in rehearsal prior to their premiere concert of the national tour.  Families have access to heavily discounted tickets – please refer to the email for further information.

I trust our musicians will enjoy this fantastic experience!

QCMF 2018

This year’s Queensland Catholic Schools’ and Colleges’ Music Festival will be the largest on record.  In our 28^th year, we are welcoming over 15,000 students from 112 schools across Queensland and Australia.  Villanova will become the musical centre of the Catholic Education world for four days in August – from 16^th to 19^th.

Performance times for Villanova have been finalised and have been distributed via email earlier this week.  Please ensure you have received these and note the arrival times.  For your information, these have also been included below.  All students will need to be on level 1 of the Augustine Centre at the set arrival time so that preparations may best be made for our performances.  I am really looking forward to hearing all of our groups share their music with our community.

QCMF is more than an event that our community hosts, and it is more than a performance opportunity for our students in their ‘home venue.’  This festival is a celebration of music education and Catholic education; it is a celebration of community; and, it is a celebration of learning and growth.  I encourage you to come along and share in this celebration with our friends from around the country and share in the fantastic music produced by our students.  For more information regarding the festival, please visit our website – www.qcmf.com.au

This festival cannot be held without the support of a fantastic group of volunteers.  Every year we have a great team who fill over 1,200 roles across the weekend of QCMF; many of whom enjoy the event so much they return year-on-year.  I encourage you all to come along and experience our event from a volunteer perspective.  The QCMF volunteering portal is now open and ready for operation – head along and view where you may assist:  https://qcmfvolunteering.com/.

Rehearsals and Lessons to end of Term and Term 3

All lessons and rehearsals will continue as per usual through to the end of term.  As we are now in a rehearsal period leading up to QCMF, we expect members to be present at all sessions unless previously arranged with your ensemble director.  As per program policy, we do require all Seniors to attend during exam block – we expect that study arrangements can be made around the time gifted away from school during this period.

There are now only 6 rehearsals left before QCMF.  I ask on behalf of all ensemble directors that all appointments and activities be scheduled away from rehearsals where possible to ensure the best opportunity for all students to prepare effectively for this event.  This is essentially a summative assessment for our ensembles; rehearsals are the learning opportunities leading to that point.  We need to ensure our team is prepared as possible.

Symphonic Band will be rehearsing next Wednesday afternoon.  We will have a small celebration to mark the end of term before heading in to the theatre for some concentrated effort before holidays.  Choir students will be rehearsing from 1-3pm on the Tuesday of Parent-Teacher interviews – Tuesday 17^th July.  Further information regarding this will be forwarded home shortly.

Term 3 rehearsals will commence with our Junior School Wind Band and Year 6 String Ensemble on the first day of school – Wednesday 18^th July, and conclude with Symphonic Band that afternoon.  Looking forward to an exciting term ahead!

Entertainment Books

If you have purchased an Entertainment Book, these are available for collection from the Music Office.  Books and digital memberships are still available for purchase either online or through the Music Office.  Please contact Alison on 3394 5691 or email music@vnc.qld.edu.au for further information.

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

Trimester 3 AIC Sport
AIC Tennis Trials – Please be aware that the AIC Tennis trials will conclude next week. The final trial week schedule is per below.

Week 3 Trial Schedule

 The official training program will commence next term on the first day back for students, that is, Wednesday 18^th 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 sessions each week. The College will provide transportation back to school after the morning sessions. All other transport to and from Morningside Tennis Centre will be the responsibility of the parents. Note that there will be a full set of tennis trials held v Ashgrove the first weekend back on Saturday 21^st July. All players must attend. A list of all teams will be posted on the web after the final trial session held next Wednesday 27^th June.

Villanova Tennis Championship

All players from Yr5-12 who have registered for the Tennis Championship are to arrive at the MTC courts at 8am. All rules and draws will be explained then. All players will play a number of round robin matches before progressing to the finals.

AIC Basketball Trials – Please be aware that the AIC Basketball trials will be completed at the end of this week. The official training program will commence next term on the first day back for students, that is, Wednesday 18^th 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 2 training sessions per week, C teams and lower will only have 1 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 Clem Jones. It is the responsibility of parents to transport their son/s to Clem Jones. A list of all teams will be posted on the web by next Monday 25^th June.

AIC Basketball Clinics

Only those boys who have gained initial selection in the A&B squad in each year level must attend the AIC Basketball Clinic held this Saturday 23^rd June in Goold Hall.

7.00am – 8.30am Year 7

8.45am – 10.15am Year 8

10.30am – 12.00 Midday Year 9

12.15pm – 1.45pm Year 10

AIC Basketball Trials v St Laurence’s College – Thursday 19^th July                                                                          

Please be aware that we have AIC Basketball trials for the Year 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B and 11A teams on the afternoon of the second 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 after the game.

 Venue: St Laurence’s College 

 Venue: Villanova College 

Basketball Hire Singlets

We will advertise a list of all players on the web next Monday. All players need to collect a basketball singlet for hire from the Uniform Shop as per schedule below. A cost of $15 for singlet hire will be applied to your next school fees account.

Basketball Singlet Collection Dates 

Term 2 – Mon 25^th June 

• Year 5&6 teams – Mr Everding will distribute singlets to all players in the Junior School 

Term 2 – Tues 26^th June 

• First Break – 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F
• Second Break – 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, 8F

Term 2 – Wed 27^th June 

• First Break – 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D
• Second Break – 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D

Term 3 – Wed 18^th July 

• First Break – 11A, 11B, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th
• Second break – any student who hasn’t yet collected their singlet

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&6 Basketball v Ashgrove – Friday afternoon 20^th July
• Year 7-12 Basketball & Year 5-12 Tennis v Ashgrove – Saturday 21^st July

AIC Track & Field – The training schedule for the AIC Track & Field (T&F) season will commence the week beginning Monday 20^th August for all interested students. The T&F season schedule will be posted early next term. Please go to the College’s website for this season schedule under – Sport/AIC Track & Field for all details including times, venues etc.

Cross Country – Mr Brett Morrissey, AIC Cross Country Co-ordinator

The Villa cross country squad endured another tough week of training, with runners still continuing to push their limits and the impress coaches.  This week, the squad have run a time-trial (3.2km for Under 12-15 runners, and 6km at Seven Hills Reserve for Under 16 and Open runners), 4 minute fartlek efforts, and eight 600m efforts.  Many runners are backing this up with a Parkrun on Saturday morning, 7.00am at Minnippi Parklands.  Those dedicated runners completing four runs per week are really starting to make big improvements.

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 8^th 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 Villa shirt/singlet for free session

Thompson Estate Athletics Club

Address: 391 Stanley Rd, Carina, Brisbane QLD 4152

6.00pm – 7.30pm

2. Thursday night – wear your Villa shirt/singlet for free session

Thompson Estate Athletics Club

Address: 391 Stanley Rd, Carina, Brisbane QLD 4152

6.00pm – 7.30pm

3. Parkrun

Various places around the world offer free Parkruns every Saturday at 7.00am.

Distance is 5km.

Nearest venues to Villanova are Minnippi Park (Meadowlands Rd), Stones Corner, or Southbank.

Several Villa runners do this religiously every week with their parents and their times are recorded each week, 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 2-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 – the June/July holidays make a significant difference to the results for the whole squad.

AIC Cross Country Meet – Limestone Park, Saturday 21^st July

The first AIC Cross Country meet for the season will be held the first weekend back in Term 3 on Sat 21^st July. We have AIC Basketball and Tennis trials v Ashgrove scheduled for that day too.

If there are clashes between the two sports we would expect our runners to participate in the tennis and basketball trials as the priority. We encourage our runners to do both if the timings work out. Perhaps some can run in other divisions if time permits. A full schedule of timings will be published on the web next week.

Year 5&6 boys will be asked to find their own way to the venue. A bus will be offered to those from Yr7-12 departing Villanova at 1pm. The bus should return after the final event, arriving back at Villanova at approx. 4.30/45pm.

Limestone Park Cross Country Meet

When – Saturday July 21

Where – Limestone Park, Ipswich

Schedule of Events

• Year 5 – 2.00pm
• Year 6 – 2.15pm
• 12yrs & 13yrs – 2.30pm
• 14yrs & 15yrs – 2.50pm
• 16yrs & Open – 3.10pm

Representative Sport

Congratulations go to Jake Miles-Wrency and Jake Fazldeen who were both recently selected in to the Qld 10-12yrs AFL team. Both students will now attend the National AFL trials held in Canberra during August. An excellent achievement, well done!

Tennis Season

WANTED: Experienced Tennis players from Year 5 and Year 10 to try out for next term’s VILLANOVA TENNIS SEASON. All expressions of interest can be forwarded to Mrs Underhill at kunderhill@vnc.qld.edu.au

‘The Villa Kitchen’ Cookbook

The Villa Kitchen is back! In recognition of Villanova’s 70th Year Anniversary, The Villa Kitchen: Victus Veritas – Nourished by Truth is being reprinted for all Villanovan families and friends to share and enjoy.

Many of you may remember the original Villa Kitchen published back in 2013. It is a large 272-page hard cover cookbook (22x26cm), printed in full colour on 157gms gloss paper making it feel wonderfully luxurious.  The books are stitched and sewn so that they can fully open flat. Most important of all, the books are made up of 354 tried and tested recipes from Villanovan families and reflects flavours and tastes that when combined, characterises a typical Villa family kitchen.

The book not only contains these wonderful recipes and food images, but it also encompasses images of the school, its surrounds and a brief history of a number of its buildings. Together it creates what is bound to be a treasured memento of your son’s time at the school.

All funds raised from the sale of The Villa Kitchen go toward the P&F to assist with their many projects benefiting the College.

The Villa Kitchen will be delivered late Term 3 and pre-orders are currently being taken and payment can be made via Flexischools. At this time, we are offering a pre-order special where you can purchase your copy, or copies of The Villa Kitchen for $30, which is a great investment towards what has become a treasured memento of Villanova College. Once the pre-sale period concludes the cookbooks will be sold for $35.

We look forward to you enjoying your copy of the The Villa Kitchen.

If you have any queries regarding the cookbook, its delivery or distribution, please don’t hesitate to contact Megan Stuart: email – bmstuart1@gmail.com

Tuckshop Roster

MONDAY 25 JUNE

TUESDAY 26 JUNE

WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE

 THURSDAY 28 JUNE

School Holidays

 FRIDAY 29 JUNE

School Holidays

Library Roster

Tuesday 26 June

Donna Leahy

Grade 11 Parent Semi Formal Function

RSVP date is almost upon us!

RSVP: Friday, June 29 – all payments must be received by this date

Please pay via this link.

https://shop.storybridgehotel.com.au/product/events/villanova-college-year-11-parents-2018/

Choose the number of guests, Add to cart, View Cart, Fill out personal details & credit cards details.

Villanova Ball Raffle
The Villanova College 70th Anniversary Ball Raffle has begun!

Grab your Villanova College 70th Anniversary Ball Raffle Ticket for your chance to win a Term’s Tuition Free.

The Villanova College 70th Anniversary Ball is supporting an important fundraising initiative of the Parents and Friends Association – the upgrade of the Tolle Lege Library.

By purchasing a ticket in the raffle, you are supporting this important fundraising initiative for the school community.

Tickets are priced at $20 each, 3 tickets for $50, 7 tickets for $100

1st Prize – Villanova College, Coorparoo
Tuition and School Levies for Term 4 2018 for 1 student only, excluding Building Maintenance Levy.
Valued at $2,364

2nd Prize – A Night In The City
Moda Restaurant – Edward Street
Javier’s Table Experience at Moda Restaurant
for four people plus One night’s accommodation for four people at The Stamford Plaza, Brisbane.
Valued at $1,250

Terms and Conditions apply.

For full details and to purchase tickets go to: https://www.rafflelink.com.au/villapf2018

St James Fete – Sunday 29 July

AFAS Elders Building Project Appeal

WHEN    December 1 – 14 2018

WHERE    Kinatarcan Island – north of Cebu

WHO    Villa staff, Old boys and parents (Tony Hindmarsh, Juanita and Peter Jacobs, Liam Edgerton, Campbell Muir, Tom Merrin, Angus Tracey, Matt Davies, Mark Edgerton, Bruce and Mark Stuart)

PROJECT    To assist with the construction and funding of a community centre which will also be used as the main production area for mat weaving (done by hand)

APPEAL    The Elders have committed to fund the costs associated with the slab and construction of the exterior of the building (approx. $8000 Australian). This will make the building operational and the remainder of the interior will be completed in the future.

HOW TO ASSIST?    For anyone wishing to assist the Elders reach their target of AUS $8000, might like to contribute towards the cost of any construction materials (e.g. bags of cement/assorted nails etc), or transport costs to get all materials to the island

Please see costings.

Donations may be transferred/deposited into the following account:

AFAS

BSB 064-786

Account Number 019232109

When making deposit/transfer, please put ‘AFAS ELDERS’ in the description as well as your name and what item you are donating:

e.g.     Smith      concrete

If you would like to remain anonymous, please put “anon”.

Unfortunately, AFAS is not a registered charity, so donations are not tax deductible, however if you require a receipt, please email thindmarsh@vnc.qld.edu.au.

All donations received go a long way towards ensuring a sustainable business for the people on Kinatarcan.

Mr Tony Hindmarsh, AFAS Elders Coordinator

Griffith University – School Holiday STEM Experience

During this half-day hands-on event, students choose to participate in an engineering, technology or a science workshop. Students will have the opportunity to explore our state-of-the-art facilities and the natural laboratories within our Nathan campus. While the students attend the workshop, parents/guardians are invited to attend an information session on studying at Griffith, including how Griffith supports students to succeed, and how they can support their child’s transition to university.

DATE    Thursday 12 July 2018 

TIME     10.00 am – 2.00 pm

VENUE    Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Kessels Rd, Nathan

YEAR LEVELS    Years 9 to 12

COST    $20 per student (includes lunch)

Engineering – Build your own bike light

Learn how to operate simple analogue circuits and have fun building your own flashing bike light. In this activity you will construct an electronic circuit on a printed circuit board, by soldering various components to the board. This type of construction is employed for the majority of electronic equipment manufactured today. The finished circuit will pulse three high intensity lights, called Light Emitting Diodes (LED), and is designed to be utilised as bicycle / jogger warning light. You will be able to take home the finished product.

Science – DYI Desalination

You will use a variety of techniques to assess the quality of a hypersaline water sample and then purify the water using ion exchange.

IT  – Robot Masterclass

In the Robot Masterclass, you will be given a demonstration on how to build a robot, and how it can be operated and controlled simply with an electronic device such as a phone or a tablet.

If you would like more information visit  griffith.edu.au/stem-holiday-experience

The Foundation of the Order of St Augustine 

Augustine wrote at length about the importance of friendship.  He was convinced that it ought to be the basic element on which to lay the foundation of religious life.  For the present day friars, nuns, teachers, students and parishioners, the element of friendship remains a central theme in their ministry and community living.

Augustine did not establish the order of Augustinian Friars as we know it today.  The foundation of the Order did not occur until 1244 when Pope Innocent IV caused the many religious communities following St Augustine’s teachings to amalgamate into the Order of St Augustine.  Following the path established by Augustine his followers were required to live out the spirit of poverty and humility, mutual love and esteem, daily prayer, self-restraint, chastity, common ownership of goods, commitment to work, love of neighbour and readiness to forgive, correction when needed, obedience and service.  He valued friendship and community above all else.

By the end of the 12th century there were five groups of Hermits prayerfully working in Central and Northern Italy in communities that followed St Augustine’s Rule.  These groups were formally unified into one Rule of Augustine in 1256. One group from Tuscany later expanded into France, then England in 1248, and shortly after into Ireland.  From 1838 many Irish friars were sent to expand the Order into Australia, and from there into Asia – Korea and Philippines.

The Augustinians recognise St Augustine as their religious inspirer, teacher and spiritual guide.  From him they take not only the monastic Rule, but also his religious doctrine, love of learning and spirituality.  Since the foundation of the Order the Augustinians have dedicated themselves to a modern apostolate, serving the Church’s mission to give hope and the Christian message to all people.