Villa View – Issue 20, 28 November 2024

The Villa View
11/28/2024

Villa View – Issue 20, 28 November 2024

Principal's Welcome

It is hard to believe that I write to you this week and it is the last week of school for 2024. It has certainly been a year of growth and achievement and it is my hope that each boy in our College community has taken advantage of the wonderful opportunity provided by his parents to attend Villanova College and both set and achieve his goals.

I must say thank you to those parents who completed the parent feedback survey. I will follow up with some parents to garner further detailed information so that we can plan for 2025 with the College leadership team and respond well and strengthen the areas of commendation and look to address the areas for improvement highlighted.

Farewell
This year will see us farewell and number of teachers most notably Mr Pat Atkinson (1987), Mrs Juanita Jacobs (1992) and Mrs Teresa Henry (2003) all of whom are retiring. Each of these people have played a special role in the College community and their impact on generations of Villanovans is most significant. We will certainly miss their intellect, high quality teaching practice, professionalism, and friendship but wish them the best in the years ahead. We will mark their retirement in a very special way come the years end with staff. Watch this space in 2025 for more information about how we are choosing to honour our staff and their commitment to teaching your sons.

Another very significant retirement is that of our Villanova Old Boy, Staff Member, Former Rector, and current College Chaplain Father Peter Wieneke. Fr Pete has been the guiding force behind our Augustinian identity for many years and is always a point of truth as we conduct and run our wonderful College. He is a constant in the prayer life of the staff and student community and acts as a wonderful sounding board for so many as we chart the course of faith development and Catholic insight into how we educate our boys and create an authentic Catholic Augustinian context. Fr Pete will still be here with us on campus and conduct masses and services but will not be an ‘everyday presence’ on the grounds and in classrooms. I do know however that his love for the College and community that began as a Year 7 student in 1958 will remain. His presence on the College Board, as the representative of the Augustinian Order, ensures that his gifts will continue to be offered and utilised by myself as Principal and our Villanova community.

We also have a small number of staff moving to other opportunities. Mrs Kate Garrone goes to Ambrose Treacy College as Dean of Mission & Identity, Mr Shaun McLean to St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace as Head of Sport and Mr Justin Musumeci to Padua College as Head of Mathematics. We wish our colleagues all the best as they accept these opportunities and hope that they thrive in their new schools and Colleges.

Fees 2025
Detailed fee information for 2025 will be sent to parents this week. It has been our intent to ensure fee increases are kept to a minimum but at a level where we can continue to provide high quality educational and co-curricular opportunities while also ensuring our buildings and facilities are of the highest standards. Our government funding levels continue to decrease across this period until 2029 where hopefully they will flatten but this does provide certain challenges that need to be met.

Best Wishes
As always while schools conclude for the year there are always still activities happening as we prepare for the 2025 school year. As such I wish our cricketers and volleyballers all the best as they compete in the Oblate Cup and Australian Schools Volleyball Cup over the Christmas period and thank their coaches for the time spent in developing our young men and their talents.

A Christmas Blessing and thanks
As we approach the joyous celebration of Christmas, we reflect on the blessings of this year and the enduring strength of our school community. Together, we have nurtured the growth of our students in faith, learning, and service, inspired by the teachings of Christ and the wisdom of St. Augustine.

St. Augustine reminds us, “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” This season invites us to let go of the busyness of life and make space for the greatest gift of all—the love of God made manifest in the birth of Jesus Christ.

As a school grounded in the Augustinian tradition, we continue to embrace the call to community and love. In the words of the Gospel, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14). May this message of peace fill your homes and hearts this Christmas.

We thank you for your partnership and support throughout this year. May the joy of Christ’s birth renew your faith, bring comfort to your families, and inspire hope as we look to the year ahead.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a safe, peaceful new year.

In Christ and St. Augustine.

Mr Paul Begg, Principal

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

Senior School News

Student Leadership Camp
In the last two days of this final term, our 2025 Student Leadership Team have embarked upon a formation and team building experience to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities that comes with the leadership of the student body and community next year.

Across the first day, our leaders workshopped the enactment of their Senior Theme- ‘Many Hearts, One Spirit’ and outlined their aspirations regarding projects and programs to support their Villanovan brethren. The night session presented a platform for courageous vulnerability and storytelling which will no doubt fortify and strengthen the bonds of this team.

I would like to extend my gratitude to our facilitator on the second day Mr Manny Lynch, from ‘Hearts In, Minds On’ for guiding our young men towards rich conversations pertaining to legacy, vision, mission and values and leaning into difficult conversations.

I wish the 2025 Student Leadership Team and their executive of Matthew Linnell, Matthew Dooley, Noah Lum and Dylan Fryga every blessing in their leadership of the College next year.

Happy Holidays
I would like to wish all Senior School students and their families much joy for the upcoming summer holiday and festive season. Please take the time to engage in some introspection about the year just experienced but also re-energise to be ready to return in 2025 with renewed optimism to take full advantage of the opportunities that our College offers our young men.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby– Judy Garland

Well that lullaby became a reality this year as our College community was permeated with a kaleidoscope of colour of our new eight Houses and the rebirth of our renewed House System. And as the College journeyed through its 76th year, the impact of our new system of pastoral care and student formation has been incredibly positive and has brought new vibrancy to our community and has fortified student teacher relationships. Through various events and our new House Cup, the Senior School student body shared their gifts and graces to benefit of all in our community.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Senior School teaching faculty for your ongoing dedication to our students. Furthermore, the Student Formation Team comprised of the Heads of House- Mrs Sophie Kenny, Mr Brendan Kennedy, Mr Justin Feuerriegel, Mr Blake McLauchlan, Ms Tegan James, Mr Ben Valentine, Mr Ben Lynam and Mr Alex Sullivan, Mrs Helen Bullen and Mrs Susie Massa (Student Services Officers) and our Counselling Team of Mr Tass Sakellariou, Dr Ashleigh Wright and Mr Adrian Hellwig are to be affirmed for their unwavering commitment to the young men in their care.

As I embark on my own period of rest and renewal across Term 1 as I take long service leave, I wish Mrs Kate Mellor all the very best in supporting our young men as the Acting Head of Senior School. Upon my return, I am humbled to continue to have the opportunity to serve the young men of the Senior School and look forward to the writing of another memorable chapter in our College’s story across 2025.

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” – Alan Cohen

Mr Matthew Levander, Head of Senior School

Junior School News

On Tuesday evening, we celebrated the Year 6 cohort – 174 students who have all contributed many things to our Junior School experience for up to two years. These boys have lived in the Junior School Precinct that is our amazing, St Thomas of Villanova Learning Centre, and much-loved oval, Whinstanes. They have transitioned from more traditional settings to the best that 2024 has to offer a student. It has brought out their strengths and challenges – and brought their subconscious to a conscious level about how they learn best. Now these young men walk towards the corridors of the Middle School, moving to a new part of the College, where there is much for them to be excited about, particularly with some new Villa Brothers to welcome to our community.

We acknowledged the incredible achievements of our Duxes of Year 6, Frederick Hare and Kacper Pajak, the Junior School Musician of the Year, Jack Melrose, the Junior School Sportsmen of the Year, Frederick Hare and Frederick Carter, and the Junior School Robbie Sellars Award Winner, Tristan Lewis. Each of these students had monumental reasons for standing out in their fields of accomplishments. I can’t begin to fathom how they do it with a world around them that is always changing, across a National Curriculum that challenges them far beyond what I ever did as a student in primary school, and to manage their time and commitment amongst the busyness of a place like Villanova College. Wow. Take a breath gentlemen and take a bow. We applaud you just as loudly as your classmates. Congratulations to all involved in helping these students reach their potential in such a short period of time. There is always a village working hard to provide the support, nurturing and opportunities needed to enable such lights to shine.

To our Year 5 students and families – you made it! Looking back over the past ten months, I hope you find moments of which you are incredibly proud. It can be in the smallest of things – packing a sports bag with all the necessary items, remembering to take the ID card and library books back on the right day, remembering to re-stock the stationery in a pencil case or getting the homework done on the right day. Well done! Perhaps it was about confidence, resilience or courage – sometimes those Monday mornings can be tough, or an assessment task for a subject that is your nemesis takes a team to combat – thank you. For every parent who had a speech prepared on a Sunday night, who found inspiration in “doing your best” and touched base with a class teacher to make sure the same brave approach happened inside the classroom – I appreciate you and that time you took to help your son. Maybe your son has fulfilled a goal – his ambition to improve a grade. It would have taken planning, time and effort, perhaps even a lunch break or early morning trip to see a teacher for more learning time. Yes! There is nothing better than seeing that investment reap its reward. Even if it did not happen this time round, you still have seven more years to get the preparation right. If you gave it a shot, then be proud and remember you tried. It really does matter. Don’t ever give up.

These Christmas holidays are the absolute best. It is a season of excitement through December – Advent for believers – and we wait, in anticipation of Christmas Day. Hope, joy, recognising the miracles around us in the world – and a celebration of family, friends and above all, Jesus coming to help us humans be our best selves. I know only too well, that this Sunday, my wife will request all the Christmas decorations come up from storage under the house and Jack and I will muster every bit of patience and faith as she turns up the Christmas Carols, or puts on Love Actually or Family Stone, and decorates the house like the Griswold’s are coming to stay. We will be desperate to escape, preferring to go and work out in the gym or shoot hoops together, but we have learnt over the years that this day is all about family and her love of rituals together that do not involve a stadium. Wish us luck.

To every Junior School family, I wish you a safe, happy and blessed Christmas break. May your road trips be safe and swift with no speeding fines, your holidays full of sunshine and with no border restrictions imposed, and let the laughs be loud and the schedule be free of alarms and routines. You all deserve to exhale, breathe deeply and celebrate. May we all come back together in January 2025 with the energy and commitment that can only come from proper rest and rejuvenation that lays ahead. God bless us all.

Mr Stephen Rouliadeff, Head of Junior School

Mission and Identity News

It is the last Villa View for 2024! Students are completing the school year and holidays begin. I bid you farewell this week. Thank-you so much for the adventures of the last four years. As I wrote in my last newsletter I have absolutely loved my four years in the Villa community. I think I have cried more tears leaving Villa than any other place I have been. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday break and all the best for 2025 and beyond.

Below is a report from our Acting Director of Service Learning, Alisa Cleary on our Christmas Hamper Appeal. Your contributions as families made a tremendous difference – thank-you! I am delighted that in our Mission Team, Ms Alisa Cleary and Ms Nicole Jervis will job share the Director of Service-Learning role in 2025. In this way we have the gifts and skills of both of these extraordinary women who have an incredible capacity to creatively find ways to work with our students, finding meaningful ways to connect our faith with action for building a better world for all. Our Mission team will also have Ms Amanda Waterson and Fr Saldie Resolado who will join our new Dean of Mission and Identity to continue supporting the great Ministry work of our students, our retreat and formation programs for students and staff.

Our College is officially farewelling Father Peter Wieneke this year, and whilst he will still be around in 2025, his official role of College Chaplain ends this year. The contribution of Fr Peter has been absolutely enormous. He has filled so many different roles at Villanova over the years – student, teacher, RE Coordinator, Rector of the College, Chaplain. His knowledge of people within the community is tremendous. So often he knows not only current students, but their uncles, fathers, grandfathers, and extended family. He has been there at many of the significant moments in people’s lives. I know we all learn so much from not only what Fr Pete shares but who and how he is in the community. He will still be on campus, as the Priory is at the heart of our College, but hopefully he will be enjoying the fruits of his labours and the deep and lasting impact he has made on the lives of so many, over decades. We are deeply enriched now by his wisdom and we hope this finds new expression in his well earnt retirement.

Next week our staff will gather for our end of year Mass. I would like to share with you the blessing that we are giving to each of them to share with their families. I hope you can share it with your loved ones as well.

Christmas Blessing
Whenever we gaze into a crib this Christmas season
May new hope and joy flood our spirit.
Whenever we watch babies and young children playing
May a new energy delight our hearts.
Whenever we are tantalised by the aroma of a BBQ
May we unwind, relax and enjoy time off
Whenever the crush of family and friends overwhelms us
May the hospitality of our hearts expand
Whenever we provide a meal or bed over the holidays
May we experience love and appreciation
Whenever we spy our reflection in the mirror or pool
May we ourselves to be images of God
Whenever we put our feet up for leisure
May the humble presence of the Incarnate One companion us.
Whenever we feel our distance from each other around the world.

May the Christ child draw us into unity.

Mrs Kate Garrone, Dean of Mission and Identity

The Spirit of Christmas alive in the 2024 Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal – tidings of great news from Director of Service Learning – Ms Alisa Cleary
The Nobel Peace Laureate and anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu, often spoke about the ripple effect of change, where small acts of kindness and justice can create waves of positive impact throughout a community and beyond. The 2024 Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal is a perfect example of this principle in action. A charitable initiative organised by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Appeal aims to provide festive hampers filled with essential items and treats to families in need during the holiday season. The collective generosity shown by the Villa community to get behind this worthy cause and support 22 local households in need, has been quite frankly astonishing.

Small Contributions, Big Impact
Over 2000 non-perishable items and gifts made their way from your homes via mentor groups and junior school classes to the soon to be demolished Clare Lodge. The vacated building meant that the YAYM Ministry team, under the guidance of Ms Kath Underhill had plenty of much needed space for sorting and packing hampers filled with goodies and infused with the Augustinian spirit of love, service, and community. For YAYM volunteer Rudi, being part of such ‘an eye-opening venture, demonstrated the true capability we hold as a college. Our level of commitment showed what we can achieve when we prioritise the needs of others in the lead up to the Christmas season.’

Seek to See
The final step in the Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal is the highly rewarding task of delivering hampers directly to families in Coorparoo, Greenslopes, and Stones Corner. This was completed by kindly members of staff and dedicated volunteers from the YAYM Ministry Team. Reflections by our Year 8 and 9 members of YAYM reveal the power of truly seeing beyond the leafy green streets of one’s comfortable neighbourhood and for a moment, encountering the lives of people who are often largely invisible to us.

Pat observed, “The Vinnies hamper drop-offs gave me a fresher perspective to the world outside my window, and a much clearer meaning to the phrase, ‘there’s more than meets the eye.’ You really never know what is going on in someone else’s world.”

Similarly for Gus, “I learnt that you may never be able to tell who in your life is struggling.”

Mathias stated, “I found the campaign to be very moving and it expanded my worldview on how different Christmas is to each family. Additionally, it was very fun to do this with others my age and to be a part of a bigger team.”

And Liam, “I found the experience to be a great experience. It was really surprising how much was donated and how many people helped out. It was great to see the reaction of the people when we gave them the hampers. They were so grateful and surprised about how much there was.”=

A ripple becomes a wave
Your individual contribution to the Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal may have seemed small but collectively these contributions created a wave of positive impact beyond our immediate community. Such overwhelming generosity by the Villa community meant that we had more than enough donations to create and deliver hampers for 22 households. What were we to do with the extraordinary surplus of donations? The Maintenance Workshop provided an obvious solution. Why not dress up the College Ute with colourful seasonal trimmings and share the Villa culture of giving, with partner organisations. So, over the course of one typically humid sub-tropical November day, Ms Waterson, Ms Cleary, and Fr Pete from the Mission Office and supported by Shahzad Shahzad our Work and Welcome guest, loaded up Santa’s Ute and completed the work of the wonderful YAYM Ministry team. At each of the following stop overs Santa’s helpers, were greeted by truly grateful and amazed recipients of your infectious generosity.

The Royal Children’s Hospital – brand new toys, games, and books.
The St. Joseph Cares Food Pantry at Kangaroo Point- non-perishables and Christmas treats for the elderly.
Emmanuel City Mission (our partners at South Brisbane) – non-perishables, Christmas treats, and toiletries for homeless and vulnerable people.
Rosies Friends On the Street (our partners at Murarrie Depot)- treats and non-perishables for the Rosies Vans providing comfort and connection to people currently homeless and vulnerable.

Thank you, Villanova Community
Participating in the Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal has been a rewarding experience for our school community. It has not only provided much-needed support to those in need but also demonstrated the power of Bishop Tutu’s ripple effect of change. Your extraordinary generosity coupled with a ‘can-do’ attitude of our young people and staff has inevitably strengthened our sense of community.

We look forward to continuing our support of giving to those on need in the lead up to the 2025 festive season. Thank you for helping us to make a difference, one small act at a time.

Work and Welcome!
Staff at Villanova College together donate money across the year towards the Work and Welcome program which enables the college to provide a paid term of employment at Villanova to a refugee. The program was instigated by Mark Taylor, who was at the time working at Padua College and it has spread to many schools in partnership with Multicultural Australia. This term we have been absolutely delighted to welcome Shahzad Shahzad. Some of his story and experiences at Villa follows:

Shahzad with Mark Taylor, Founder of the Work and Welcome Program

Shahzad’s Journey: From Afghanistan to Australia
Shahzad’s story is one of resilience and hope. Born in Afghanistan, he and his family faced dangerous circumstances due to his father’s work with American troops. His father’s role in setting up camps and managing electrical work put their lives at risk, ultimately prompting their move to India when Shahzad was just 10 years old.

In India, Shahzad embraced his new life, graduating from high school and immersing himself in the country’s rich cultural diversity. He worked in various places and formed friendships with people from different religions and ethnicities. Shahzad also mastered six languages: Dari, Farsi, English, Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu. Despite the challenges, India became a place of growth and opportunity for him.

A life changing moment came when Shahzad received his Permanent Residency Visa for Australia. Moving to Australia was a dream come true. “When I arrived, it felt like coming home,” he recalls. “The smell of wood brought back childhood memories.”

Since arriving in Australia a year and a half ago, Shahzad has been on a journey of discovery and learning. He completed an ATP course, gaining valuable skills such as referencing and conducting credible research. Soon after, he joined Villanova College, where he worked in hospitality.

“Villanova College has been an incredible experience,” Shahzad says. “The staff are so friendly, and I have learned so much. My English conversation skills have improved, and the work experience will help me greatly in the future.”

Now, Shahzad is preparing for his next big step: university. In 2024, he will begin studying nursing, fulfilling his passion for helping others. Shahzad is grateful for the opportunities he has had and looks forward to achieving his dreams in Australia. His journey is a true inspiration.

E-Learning News

It’s time for a Laptop health check!
Over the duration of Term 4, the condition of several laptops in the College have been cause for concern. If your son’s BYOD laptop has missing keys, battery life issues, problems with USB or HDMI ports or speed/performance issues, then please consider servicing or upgrading the device over the December-January period.

BYOD laptops are an integral part of every day, and in fact most lessons. If your son’s device has performance or functionality issues, then this will be impacting his ability to engage with the online and digital elements of subject studies.

In addition, please perform the following maintenance routines and checks over the holidays, prior to the commencement of Term 1, 2025:

Delete or move downloads. Move important school files into OneDrive spaces for ongoing cloud storage.
Check local folders for important files. Some applications save working files to C:/Documents. If these files are worth keeping, move them into the cloud (OneDrive – Villanova College) for safe keeping.
Close 2024 Class Notebooks in OneNote. All Notebooks in OneNote are cloud based. There is no need to “keep them open” in OneNote. If left open, OneNote will constantly sync to online versions. Just right-click and select “Close Notebooks”. Your son can re-open and access them via the cloud (www.onenote.com) at any time in the future.
Uninstall large apps. If your son has Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro or other large apps, these can be uninstalled to save space and improve performance. Again, these can all be re-installed at any time when needed again.
Outlook inbox maintenance. Encourage your son to delete (or archive) the 1000s of emails he received this year. In 90% of cases, these emails are simply notifications! Delete!
Run the PC Health Check app: Windows 11 has a built-in app that can test for hardware and cloud service issues. It is freely available via this link: https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp Please run the test and action any issues.

If there are any issues with your son’s laptop, please contact the BYOD Helpdesk team via byod@vnc.qld.edu.au over the break. They will be able to assist you with BYOD-related queries over the holiday period. Please note Friday December 20 is last day with IT support onsite in 2024. Our helpful IT staff will return on Monday 6 January 2025.

Announcing the HP BYOD Purchasing Portal
Villanova College has recently partnered with HP directly to offer a new BYOD purchasing portal offering devices that meet the Villanova recommended device specifications found here: https://www.vnc.qld.edu.au/byod/

With this new portal, you will find competitive pricing on Education specific HP laptops with Education discounts applied. This portal includes the option for onsite (at school) warranty repairs, and an optional Accidental Damage Protection Care pack extending up to 3 years in total – both are highly recommended. HP warranty and insurance options include zero-dollar excess on ADP damage claims. Please peruse the HP BYOD Portal at www.hp.com.au/byod using the school code: VillanovaC

As a result, HP devices have been removed from the JB Education BYOD portal. We continue to recommend you “shop around” for the best device fit for your son’s needs, and of course for the most competitive price point. However, do not forget to purchase ADP and adequate warranty coverage to get the most out of the lifespan of your son’s BYOD laptop.

2025 BYOD Startup Sessions for New Students – 14, 15, 16 January 2025
If your son is starting at Villanova in 2025, we recommend that you “book in” for one of our guided, small group BYOD Startup Sessions. These sessions are held free of charge on campus from on Tuesday 14 January, Wednesday 15 January, and Thursday 16 January.

When you receive your son’s new login and first-time password in early January, you will see a booking link for the workshops across these three days. If you are going on family holidays, we hope that this early notice helps you make the most of this opportunity to set up your son’s laptop with the expert guidance of our BYOD startup team.

2025 ICT Agreement – Insurance VIP!
As per our standard practices, all students will be required to read and agree to our annual ICT Agreement upon their return to the College in January 2025. This agreement articulates the College’s expectations around responsible and ethical use of computers, online spaces, software and our IT infrastructure.

One important instruction will be added to the 2025 agreement. It will read: “If you choose not to have insurance, then any accidental or intentional harm will not be covered by the College or other parties.”

This highlights the importance of insurance for all BYOD laptops used and stored on campus and transported to and from the College every day. It is true that some accidents cannot be avoided or foreseen, but the impact of laptop damage can be minimised and mitigated with sufficient insurance and warranty coverage.

Mr Jason Lane, Director of E-Learning

Music News

Christmas Extravaganza
Our final event for 2024 was convened last Tuesday evening in Goold Hall. With members of our music and College community gathered, we celebrated another great musical year with our Christmas Extravaganza.

The students, dressed in their festive best, all performed well. We were gifted musical items from all our bands, orchestras, chamber ensembles (including our drumline and percussion ensemble), our choral program, our piano program, and our Big Band and Jazz Band. It was an action-packed agenda full of cheer from beginning to end. The evening ended with our Sinfonia String Orchestra and Symphonic Band accompanying our Supernovans and the entire Music Department in a rendition of ‘Last Christmas.’ Special thanks to Mr Dan Quigley for the arrangement!

Thanks must go to our Music Support Group for their great work in supplying food and refreshments to the gathered throng. Thanks must also go to our tech team – Mr Miller, Mr Daly, and our student tech crew – who made us all look and sound amazing. Thank you to the parents and friends who have continued to support Music at Villa across this year. Finally, thank you to the staff and students who work tirelessly across the year to prepare for these events and share their wonderful music each and every time.

Instrument Returns and Summer Loans
We require all Year 5 instruments and students in Years 6 and above to return their College Owned instruments for cleaning and servicing. Please ensure these are in to the music office before the end of the school term.

For students requiring an instrument loan over summer, we will be able to release these to families with the completion of a loan agreement and music enrolment form.

Music Enrolment Returns
Thank you to all who have communicated with the Music Office regarding their intentions for music in the coming year. To assist us in completing staff loadings and timetabling, we require all these documents to be returned. If you have not yet, please do so to ensure our team is able to best prepare for 2025. If you require an enrolment form, please contact the music office – music@vnc.qld.edu.au.

Staffing for 2025
This year we will experience one change in staffing heading into the New Year. Mr Brodie McAllister (Lower Brass Tutor) will be departing Villanova College for a full-time role at St James College in Spring Hill. Whilst we will dearly miss Mr McAllister’s work with the students, we congratulate him on this opportunity and the security it will bring him and his family. I believe Mr M plans to return for our Debut Concerts as an audience member in 2025 – we look forward to seeing him then and again at QCMF next year.

The search has begun for a replacement – we look forward to sharing some good news in this space soon.

Music Support Group AGM
Our AGM for the Villanova College Music Support Group was convened on Monday 11 November. I would like to thank those who were able to join us for this important occasion

It gives me great pleasure to introduce our new Music Support Group Executive. I thank them all for taking on this important role and wish them all the best as they work with our music community over the coming year (perhaps years) ahead!

Co-President              Rebecca Keighran Liza Baumgartner
Secretary                     Frances Ellis
Treasurer                     Genevieve Lewis

Merry Christmas to you all
On a personal note, I would like to thank all students, staff, and families for their continued support of Music here at Villanova. It has been another great year. We have farewelled some fine young men as they graduate this place today, and we look forward to our new and upcoming musicians as they strive to build on the legacy of community that has been laid before them.

From all here, a happy and Holy Christmas to you all. May you find peace with family at this time and enjoy the gift of their presence over the coming festive period.

As always, we end our concerts with music – a safe break to you all – we begin again Week 2, 2025.

Until then – over to you Mr Bean!

Salvation Army Carols | Mr. Bean Official – YouTube

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

Mr Michael Jones, Director of Music

Sport News

Director of Sport Address
Exciting times ahead for Villanova College, and specifically Villa Sport, with the new Sports Hall development now underway. The new space will be a very welcome addition to meet the needs of our ever-evolving Sport programme. It is our strong intention to expand opportunities through Sport across all year levels and cohorts. With this new build, and the upgrade of Whinstanes to synthetic turf, we will finally be able to cater for all student athletes, through both excellence and participation. We are equally grateful for what we have, and inspired by what is on the horizon for Villa Sport.

2024 was another busy and successful year for Villanova College athletes. Across our 13 AIC Sports and 3 AIC Invitational Carnivals, we had over 1350 students engaged in 181 sporting teams. This included the appointments of over 250 Sports coaches from College staff to external professionals, Old Boys, parents and current students. On behalf of the Sports Department, I would like to personally thank all our exceptional coaches, mangers and coordinators who contributed to Villa Sport in 2024.

Villanova College performed consistently across all Sports in 2024, with outstanding results both at the elite firsts level and across our programmes. We were acknowledged as the Champion School in 12 Years Track & Field. Our First V Basketball team was again crowned Champion in 2024. This is the fourth consecutive undefeated premiership for our Basketball boys, an unbelievable achievement. Our Firsts and Open teams in Cross-Country, Rugby League, Swimming and Tennis all secured top three finishes. A special congratulations to all students, staff and coaches involved in these successful teams and programmes.

Individually, our athletes shone brightly with many district, regional and state representatives across all year levels. At the top of the pyramid was Charlie K (Year 12) and Max J (Year 11). Charlie was awarded Swimming Age Champion and recipient of the Gregory O’Brien Trophy for Open Backstroke Champion. Charlie also attended the National Olympic Swimming Trials earlier this year, in an effort to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Max represented Australia at the Oceania Track & Field Championships in Fiji. Max received a Gold Medal in the U18 Javelin division. Well done to all students who excelled at representative Sport in 2024.

Alongside AIC Sport, Villanova College facilitated opportunities for students to attend local camps, domestic tours and state carnivals including QSchools AFL, CBSQ Basketball and Schools Cup Volleyball. As a once off new initiative, eight students were encouraged to represent the College at an All-Schools Mountain Biking event. On the horizon is the return of international touring with sixty students in Football and Rugby travelling to Japan in 2025.

The Sports Club have continued to support various initiatives in 2024, with a major focus on coach development, sponsorship and tours. With their guidance and funding, the inaugural Colours Cup Basketball competition was launched this year. The programme was offered as an alternative to the mainstream AIC Sports in Term 3. Sports Club have also contributed a significant amount towards the master plan build of the new Sports Hall. Thank you to the Sports Club Executive Committee and all parents involved in volunteering and raising funds to assist the Sport programme.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the hard-working members of the Sports Department. On behalf of the Villanova Community, thank you to Chris Everding (Assistant Director of Sport), Todd Kropp (AIC Sports Leader) and Nathan Dufty (AIC Sports Administrator).

We look forward to 2025 and wish all Villanova families a safe and restful Christmas break.

Mr Shaun McLean, Director of Sport

Draws & Team Lists

AIC Draw 2025

Generally draws/fixtures are available by Wednesday and team lists by Thursday prior to that weekend. This is the earliest we are able to provide accurate draws and lists for the community.

Sports Club
The Villanova College Sports Club will next be meeting on Monday 3 February 2025 (Week 2, Term 1), from 6-7pm in the St Thomas of Villanova Building, Level 3. All welcome.

Communications
Families are reminded to access all Sport information via the Villanova College website and the Villanova College App. The Locker Room Overview page provides updated information regarding training schedules and current AIC/trial draws.

Training Schedules
Click here to access the Term 1, 2025 Training Schedule.

This schedule, plus the January 2025 Camp schedule, will be available on the Locker Room Overview page.

Save the dates – Sporting Tours, Camps and Clinics

Christmas holidays 2024/2025 – Cricket Oblate Tour to Perth & Volleyball AVSC Tournament Gold Coast.
** International Tour ** – Football & Rugby Tour to Japan – Easter 2025. Approved.

Sport Uniforms
Families are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Villanova College Uniform Look Book. This information is found on the College website Uniform Shop page. Opening hours for the Uniform Shop can also be found here. All students selected in AIC teams are expected to wear the correct uniform for AIC fixtures each week.

Please note from 2025, all AIC Basketball players will need to purchase Villa Basketball shorts from the Uniform Shop. Basketball players are no longer able to wear HPE shorts for competitive games, as these shorts have pockets.

Sport Contact List
If you are requiring information about a specific Sport, in the first instance, visit the website Locker Room page. If you need further clarification, please contact the relevant Coordinator below. For any training or game absences, please contact your Sport Coordinator.

Director of Sport – Shaun McLean, smclean@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC AFL Coordinator – Matt Conlan, mconlan@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Cricket Coordinator – Nathan Dufty, ndufty@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Swimming Coordinator – Juanita Jacobs, jjacobs@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Volleyball Coordinator – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Cross-Country Coordinator – Brian Pascoe – bpascoe@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Chess Coordinator – Kath Underhill, kunderhill@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Football Coordinator – Nathan Dufty, ndufty@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Rugby Union Coordinator – Chris Everding, ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Golf Coordinator – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Basketball Coordinator – Contact, sportsoffice@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Rugby League Coordinator – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Tennis Coordinator – Nathan Dufty, ndufty@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Track & Field Coordinator – Anthony Kemp, akemp@vnc.qld.edu.au
AIC Water Polo Coordinator – Contact, sportsoffice@vnc.qld.edu.au
Composite District Sport – Todd Kropp, tkropp@vnc.qld.edu.au
Lytton District Sport – Chris Everding, ceverding@vnc.qld.edu.au

Wet weather cancellations
If there is any reason to cancel training sessions or weekend games, this information will be posted to the Villa App in the Notices section or emailed to the specific students and their parents. Please ensure you have downloaded the Villa App and updated your preferences and settings.

The Villa Sports Department will endeavour to cancel morning training sessions by 6am and afternoon training sessions by 1pm. If a training session is cancelled, boys are not able to be dropped off to the training venue as there will not be supervision present. Please check the Villa App and your emails regularly for these notifications.

If any AIC fixtures are cancelled, we will follow the same procedure above. Timing will be dependent on when that information becomes available.

AFL
Keep an eye on the Locker Room AFL page for any information relating to Firsts training in January 2025. This information will also be distributed by the coaches to the relevant students.

Mr Brian Pascoe, AFL Coordinator for Term 4

Cricket

AIC – Villanova Cricket – save the dates:

Zone Cricket training sessions continue in the first week of holidays (Monday 2 and Tuesday 3December)
Wednesday 4 December. 7A (2025 team), 10A, 2^nd XI and 1^st XI trials Vs Gregory Terrace at Tennyson, all 4 matches will be commencing from 9am.
Sunday 8 – Friday 13 December. Oblate cricket tour to Perth, WA.
1^st XI Cricket trial Vs SLC – Friday 10 January at SLC playing fields.
AIC (1^st XI T20 Tournament) at Banyo (Padua), January 20 and January 21.
AIC (10A T20 Tournament) at Ashgrove, January 22^, and January 23.
January Villanova Cricket Camp – January 20, 21 and 22 at Villa Park (8:00am-12:00) daily. This camp is open for all students in Year 5-10 and it will be a user pay camp. Registration for this Junior cricket camp will be available on the ‘Parent Lounge’ area from Tuesday the 3 December.
Internal cricket trials for all year 6A/B,7A/B,8A/B, and 9A/B teams on Friday 24^th of January at Villanova Park, only students who were selected in A or B teams are required for this trial. All matches run from 9.30am-2pm.
1^st XI vs Villanova Old Boys T20 match on January 24 at Villanova Park from 2.00-5.00pm, all students and families are invited to attend the old boys match and plenty of fun will be had at the match.
AIC Cricket trial round Vs Ashgrove for all teams, Saturday 1 February.
AIC Cricket round 1 Vs SLC for all teams, Saturday 8 February.

All Villanova cricket teams have now been selected and are available for viewing in the parent lounge. Please note – if your son would still like to play cricket in term 1 (2025), please get in touch via email. We are still looking for five students in Years 7 and 9 to complete our cricket teams, if your son is in any of those years and would like to play cricket and represent Villanova in Term 1 and have some fun whilst meeting some new mates, please get your son to see Mr Dufty in the Sports Office.

The Term 1 ‘training schedule’ is now finalised and can be viewed in the cricket section of the college website; all A/B teams are required to train twice a week. All students in C teams or lower are only required to train ‘once a week’. If your son has any clashes with other academic or co-curricular requirements in Term 1, please get him to see Mr Dufty in the sports office to discuss a suitable plan for the upcoming cricket season.

Please email Mr Nathan Dufty, ndufty@vnc.qld.edu.au, if you have any questions regarding the Villanova cricket program.

Mr Nathan Dufty, Cricket Coordinator

Swimming
Thank you to everyone who has been training for the 2025 AIC swim season, either with their clubs or with Villa swimming. It has been very encouraging to see so many boys swimming in the mornings and beginning their preparation for the swim season early. When we return to school next year, we will be moving into race preparation, and relay practices and it will be very important for all our swimmers to be at the Compulsory Monday session.

I remind parents again, that all swimmers should have their own kit bag with flippers, kickboard and pull buoy. With Christmas on the horizon, it may be an opportunity to ensure that everyone is fully prepared for training.

Training sessions will continue through Term 4 and into the holidays. The final session for 2024 will be Thursday 19 December. The programme will then recommence from Monday 6th January and continue through until the AIC Championships in Term 1, 2025. Times will be as usual – no change to days or session times. There will be no teachers on pool deck during the holiday sessions to supervise the students before or after training.

Monday mornings – 6:30-7:45am
Tuesday mornings – 7:00-8:00am
Thursday mornings – 7:00-8:00am

Payment for the pre-season training sessions should have been made by now through the links sent to you from the sports office. Please finalise those payments as soon as possible if not already done.

Best luck to all the boys and their coaches competing at Qld States during holidays. It is always an important milestone for swimmers as they build towards the Age Nationals next April. Villanova has a large number of our swimmers competing again this year and we look forward to celebrating their success on their return to school next year.

Mrs Juanita Jacobs, Swimming Coordinator

Volleyball
There will be Volleyball Clinics held at Villanova College on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 January 2025. This information will be on the January Camp schedule on the Locker Room Overview page.

Mr Todd Kropp, Volleyball Coordinator

Strength & Conditioning
Please note, the following sessions will be available in the Xmas holidays:

December 2024 – from Monday 2 to Friday 20 December
- Mon/Wed/Fri Villa gym -7:45-9am (Andrew Slack Rugby only)
- Tues/Thurs Villa gym – 7:45-9am (any student Years 7-11)
- Tuesday’s Speed Development Session at Little Langlands – 8-9am (any students Years 7-11)

January 2025 – from Monday 6 to Friday 24 January
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday Villa gym -7:45-9am (Andrew Slack Rugby only)
- Tues/Thurs Villa gym – 7:45-9am (any student Years 7-11)
- Tuesday’s Speed Development Session at Little Langlands – 8-9am (any students Years 7-11)

Boys need to bring a towel and water bottle to gym sessions. For the Speed sessions a towel, water bottle, hat and sunscreen.
The Term 1, 2025 schedule will then commence from Tuesday afternoon 28 January (first day of school for some year levels). The Term 1 Training Schedule is available on the Locker Room Overview page

Speed & Agility Training – Years 5-8 students
The Speed & Agility Programme for Years 5-8 students will be back again in 2025. Registration information will be distributed in January.

Villa Sport – humble in victory, gracious in defeat.

Villanova College

Villanova College is a Catholic School for boys where education is the formation of the whole person within a faith community.  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.  Our community promotes life-long learning through continually challenging itself in the restless search for Truth.

Villa View – Issue 20, 28 November 2024

Villa View – Issue 20, 28 November 2024

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