Villa View: Issue 7/23

Saint Joseph the Worker
We are at the end of another shortened week and for many, while acknowledging Labour Day, may not be aware of the importance and strong links to the feast day of St Joseph the worker.

“The origins of this feast day can be traced back to the early 20th century. Pope Pius XII instituted it in 1955 to coincide with International Workers’ Day, a day dedicated to the secular celebration of labour and workers’ rights.

However, the Holy Father recognised the misplaced role of work in society at the time and believed there was a growing threat of communist and socialist ideals against the dignity of workers and family life.

The devotion to Saint Joseph as a worker dates back to the Middle Ages, when Catholic theologians and writers began to emphasize the role of Saint Joseph as a model of humility, hard work, and dedication.

Saint Joseph was not only the foster father of Jesus, but he was also a carpenter by trade.

He worked tirelessly to provide for his family and taught Jesus the skills he needed to become a carpenter as well. He was a faithful and hardworking man, who lived a life of service to God and his family.

In the 19th century, the Catholic Church began to promote the devotion to Saint Joseph the Worker, with Pope Leo XIII issuing an encyclical on the subject in 1889.” From: www.churchpop.com

As a Catholic community we acknowledge Saint Joseph the Worker along with the wonderful work done by all in our community to build a prosperous, fair and just society.

AIC Code of Conduct
With our winter sport season commencing last weekend it is important to remind all members of our College community the standards and expectations regarding support, commentary and general conduct when competing and watching our teams. Unfortunately, among the countless examples of outstanding performance, effort and support from teams, coaches and parents last weekend we also have had to respond to some less than satisfactory behaviour as the enthusiasm of supporting the children and teams spilled over into negativity and disrespect. These incidents were very small in number, in fact two to be precise, but that is enough to warrant a reminder that our role in spectating is to support in a positive way that exemplifies good behaviour, good character and encourages the development of these in our young gentlemen.

I watched many games of Football and Rugby on the weekend, I saw great play but also saw mistakes and errors from players, coaches and referees. We don’t berate and call out our young players publicly for a dropped ball, missed kick or incorrect option in attack or defence. Errors and skill deficiencies are a part of the game, and it is these that give us our greatest learning. As a group it sets our focus and tone for the following week, as a team and as individuals and we work on them at the next training session. Conversely then, while perhaps frustrated or even angry at decisions or the flow of the game, we do not call out the errors or mistakes of referees, or opposition coaches. Remember that through their presence and the fulfilling of their duties they are actually providing the opportunity for our boys to play.

Many of our referees are children themselves learning the intricacies and challenges of both adjudicating their sport and controlling the fervour and emotion of young players. It is a very difficult job and one that many on the sideline would never, or have never, considered. I would implore you to remember the purpose of sport in our College and ask you to share issues with officiating through proper channels such as the Coach or the Sports Office. When on the sideline we blame referees for scorelines or results, even if perhaps the officials have made some errors, we give our boys excuses not to own their own mistakes, their own skill deficiencies, and their own levels of commitment to excellence and the development of skill mastery. When we focus on the deficiencies of others it ensures that we don’t analyse our deficiencies nor take accountability for those errors and mistakes that were our own.

I reiterate that the incidents were few but let us be the College that sets the standard in AIC and for our boys.
I would encourage all parents to read and share with their sons the AIC Code of Conduct linked below:

AIC Code of Conduct (aicsport.com.au)

Vaping, Health effects and the future

Tuesday’s announcement by the Federal Health Minister of reforms to the vape laws have come too late for many young people, including some of our own students and past students. Too many of our young have now developed a pattern of smoking behaviour which history and the health system tells us is difficult to break and undoes the work of a generation of cigarette and tobacco education that had effectively curbed the habit of smoking.

Sadly, like cigarettes before them, the allure of the vape lies in their social capital. What I would term as young people’s ‘identity currency’. As we all grow up we work through and struggle with the challenges of adolescence. In response we all for a currency that delivers us satisfaction, belonging, purpose and happiness. These can be both positive and negative to our immediate, and long term, growth. Today’s young people continue to trade in ‘identity currency’ as each looks to fit into a social group, make friends, establish relationships, protect themselves or brand themselves as a particular type of person, a person worthy of respect and belonging to a particular group or to be of a certain status.

This is normal human behaviour and is certainly supported through research and writing of authors such as Rosalind Wiseman (Queens Bees and Wanna Bees & Ringmasters and Sidekicks) who looked deeply at adolescent social groups and the politics of the teenage years. This identity currency trading is neither bad nor good it is simply what occurs between groups of young people as they work each other, and themselves, out. Athletic and sport involvement and achievement is a currency, Academic excellence is a currency, Music and band involvement is a currency, Chess and gaming are also. Justice and service of others give brand to someone, engagement in fashion and style are further examples. However, these will also interplay and co-exist with other more negative identity currencies that young people utilise to garner influence and shape identity from ; violent behaviour, disrespect toward others, challenge to authority, significant risk taking behaviour (dare-devilling), apathy toward achievement, smoking, drinking, vaping and drug taking.

As disappointing as it may seem each of these are significant identity currencies that some children, for a variety of reasons, feel compelled to ‘trade’ in to establish themselves and find their place. It is one reason why at Villanova we attempt to provide so many opportunities and activities for boys to engage in and shape their identity. The more engaging and positive options we offer it is hoped that the negative then appear less attractive. However, for some students for a variety of social and emotional reasons the negative will always appeal and we do need to work in and respond in this space in a way that deters but equally educates, unless it negatively impacts on the wellbeing of others and the common good.

Clearly, the psychology is far more complex than this small piece of writing but at Villanova we do want to work as hard as we can to assist our boys in understanding that building social capital and personal brand can be done in really positive and affirming ways. We actively encourage them to involvement in the heart of school actions in justice, sport and e-sports, academics and music. Highlighting that shaping your identity through vaping is negative, unhealthy and in our school unacceptable. In the same way as we try to in areas of bullying, physical aggression, lack of respect for self and others, and laziness.

What this means is that students involved in vaping and other such behaviours will face external suspension and possible exclusion from the College. On re-entry they will be required to complete a health and education program, after school hours, under the direction of staff and they will be required to complete community re-engagement activities in their own time to rebuild trust and their positive identity in the community. This is in alignment with our drug, alcohol and other illicit substance policy. While currently vaping is not an illicit substance it is not a legal substance or device for people under 18 and as such will be treated in the same way as other harmful substances such as tobacco, nicotine and alcohol.

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. 

Wellbeing is increasingly being highlighted as a key indicator for student performance. Tracking an individual person’s wellbeing is challenging, made even more complicated when the person you are trying to track is a boy heading towards adolescence who can struggle to even respond to a simple prompt like “How as your day?” with more than a grunt. This year our teachers have been guided by our Director of Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Programs, Mrs Sheridan Carey to implement the weekly wellbeing program ‘Be Your Best Self.’ These lessons help support Junior School staff in their own-going pastoral care of our boys, provide us with an opportunity to target specific areas of student growth and promote an overall positive message about the importance of understanding and maintaining our mental health.

This term our Year 5 boys commence the term exploring and deepening their understanding of relationships with a focus on the Augustinian ideal of a tight-knit community where every member contributes in a positive manner. Later in the term they will unpack motivation and the importance of developing a growth-mindset. We’ll touch on strategies to help the boys take initiative, show resilience, harness their curiosity, and care for and respect their work.

Our leaders of the Junior School in Year 6 have begun the term focusing on positive emotions and maximising the opportunities for positivity in their lives. They’ll also explore the detrimental effects that negativity can have on mental health and wellbeing. As they head closer towards the stresses of assessment, we will shift our focus to resilience and how positive emotions are so closely linked with people’s overall ability to be resilient.

Resilience is certainly a recurring theme in many units of our wellbeing program. I introduced the Year 6 cohort to a concept developed by Hugh van Cuylenburg, who is the founder of ‘The Resilience Program’. The program delivers emotionally engaging programs to schools, sports clubs and businesses and provides practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. His acronym G.E.M simplifies the three key pillars proven to cultivate positive emotions Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. Overall, the message appears to be clear, the more our boys are able to experience positive emotions, the more resilient they will be. Thankfully, all three areas can be (and should be) practiced as a regular part of everyday life.

Gratitude is perhaps the easiest one to practice and the suggestions for how to do so are simple but can generate effective results. If you are driving to and from school, sitting around the dinner table, or even waiting for the ad breaks to finish while sitting on the couch you can ask your kids a simple question to have them express gratitude. “What was something that made you smile today,” “What worked well for you today,” or even “What was the top three moments from the day” are simple prompts that forces us to reflect on the day but look for moments of positivity.

My wife and I have made a conscious decision to make this a regular part of our night-time/dinner routine with our oldest daughter Georgia. The other evening was a particularly stressful night when naps during the day didn’t work out how we had hoped and both our girls (a two-year-old and a nine-month-old) were testing us as only little kids can. We eventually got dinner on the table and were both busily thinking ahead to the next few steps of bath times and reading stories when Georgia said “Daddy, what’s something that made you smile today.” Such a simple question, from such an innocent soul had a strong impact on us. We were able to pause the stresses of getting two kids to bed and instead think back on the positives from the day, which brought us back into the present moment.

Focusing on small steps with our wellbeing and mental health can often yield the best results. Even if our kids aren’t always as refined or articulate as we may hope they will be, sometimes just giving them the prompt to be in-tuned with their own thoughts and feelings can make the difference. It is certainly our hope that regular and on-going conversations about wellbeing can be a proactive step towards our boys growing into resilient young men with developed emotional intelligence.

­Mr Callum Hackett, Head of Year 5 and 6

I hope everyone in the Middle School had an enjoyable long weekend. It was certainly a busy start to the weekend in my household, but that extra day allowed time for rest and some quality family time. I hope all of you were equally lucky.

Since our return from term break, we have placed an increased focus on one word in the Middle School – Respect. This has been split into three categories,  each of which forms a challenge that we have put to the students.

Firstly, we ask the students to have respect for themselves and this is exemplified through the Effort they put into everything they do. We also want them to be reflective about that effort and how much they currently invest in their work both at school and at home. It is important that we push our students to recognise the endless potential they have when they give themselves respect and allow themselves to be the best they can be. By providing opportunity for reflection on Term 1 and a reencounter with their Semester 1 goals we enable them to examine whether or not they are in truth respecting their abilities.

Secondly, we have asked the students to respect our wonderful College and environment and to reflect on how they treat it. We seem to have had an increase in litter at lunch times and our spaces are requiring more cleaning than ever before. Every student knows to place their rubbish in the bin but in practice a neglect of their environment has crept in, and this has created the need for a more deliberate focus on respecting our grounds.

Lastly, we have pushed the students to recognise and respect the classroom. That is both in terms of respecting the teacher and lesson that has been created for them, the students around them who are wanting to learn as well as their own learning.  We will not tolerate students who disrespect the learning environment. We will continue to challenge them to be more focussed learners. Some aspects of this challenge have been the provision of increased support, the reinforcement of boundaries, and the further development of daily routines in the classroom. The research all points towards the fact that young men both like, and need, boundaries that they can clearly identify and that are consistently enforced. To that end we have spoken with all of our classes on what those boundaries are, how they will enforced, and how by through this process we can optimise the learning and thus the achievement of each student.

We wish enjoyment [and learning] to all of our Year 9 students as they leave for camp over the next two weeks. The opportunity to be away from school, to build strong connections with their peers and teachers, and to challenge themselves with the activities provided for them, will offer an excellent chance to develop into the well-rounded young men we want them to become. I would also like to publicly thank those teaching and support staff who have volunteered their time and left their own families in order to ensure these experiences can be enjoyed by our students.

Mr Sean O’Neill, Head of Middle School

After a dynamic first fortnight of this second term, punctuated with a plethora of community events and our twilight Open Day, it is particularly important that our young men are maintaining positive and proactive habits and strategies for keeping themselves organised and focussed so that busy schedules don’t compromise their academic performance. The service of our Senior School students to the community has been profound and I congratulate those who marched on ANZAC Day- especially our Marching Band as well as our Student Leadership Team, Year 11 and 12 Peer Mentors and the Year 10 students who were fine ambassadors of the College on Open Day.

School Spirit
Last Saturday at Villa Park saw the commencement of Trimester Two for AIC Football and Rugby. Earlier in the week, the Student Leadership Team and Cor Unum Spirit Committee branded the Home Opener as the ‘I Believe’ Round, with a powerful message to ignite school spirit and enact the 2023 Senior motto of ‘Stronger Together’. Cor Unum Spirt Committee Chair Ben Addley spoke passionately at Friday’s College Assembly on the interplay of the weekly GREATS theme of Effort and School Spirit. Ben stated:

“Today I talk to you as a fellow Villa brother. Not as a student leader, nor a Firsts rugby player, but quite simply, as one of you. One of your own, asking YOU, as a mate, to just ‘show up’. Effort is a choice. It’s a choice to be present, to give it your all, and to push through when things get tough. And let me tell you boys, things are going to get tough. Life is going to test you, and it’s going to test you hard. But you know what? You’re tougher. You’re stronger. And you’re capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for.

Showing up for yourself and for your brothers is the key to your success. OUR success. It’s easy to give up when things don’t go your way or when you don’t see immediate results, but true success is not about quick wins or shortcuts. It’s about putting in the effort, day in and day out, even when it’s hard.

The Villa spirit is about showing up for each other, no matter what. It’s about being there to cheer on your brothers, to lift them up when they’re down, and to celebrate with them when they win. As members of the Villa Army, we have a responsibility. A responsibility to show up and support our teams. It’s not just about watching the game; it’s about being part of something bigger than yourself. It’s about showing the world what Villa spirit really means. When we show up and support our brothers, we create an energy that is infectious.”

The campaign by the Cor Unum Spirit Committee was embraced by the student body and contributed to the wonderful atmosphere at Villa Park, inspiring our First XI Football and First XV Rugby Teams to famous victories against Marist College Ashgrove. Congratulations to Captains Alex Vasiliou and Cameron Bukowski and to the players and to the Cor Unum Spirit Committee Leaders Ben Addley, Cameron Bukowski and Larry Clark for their energy and commitment and Mitchell Voss for his promotional video, Harley Wheaton, Sam Muldoon and Matt Collyns for leading chants and Will McCann for playing the saxophone.

The Culture Code- Sharing Vulnerability
One of the great challenges inherent in boys education is to constantly challenge the pervading societal masculine stereotypes and expectations associated with young men. In particular, the notion that men are incapable of expressing emotions and being vulnerable is one of the reasons why we focus so explicitly in our formation and wellbeing program on the importance of social and emotional learning and that it is ‘not weak to speak.’ Our Year 12 Retreat program and Days of Reflection are all designed to provide opportunities for our students to engage in their interiority search and express their truth.

In sharing vulnerability, it is important for our young men to realise that they are not alone, and that there is support available- whether that be our amazing teaching faculty as well as our Pastoral and Counselling Teams. This weekend, the Student Leadership Teams of Villanova and St Patrick’s College will collectively promote the importance of seeking support and being courageously vulnerable through branding Round 2 as the You Are Not Alone Round as part of our ongoing solidarity with Old Boys Tom Price and Wilson Griffin’s YRNA organisation. This Friday will be a Green and Gold Day to build advocacy and awareness for the campaign.

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” – Brene Brown

Mr Matt Levander, Head of Senior School

Mission Week 2023
We are on the countdown to Mission Week for 2023!  It is back in an earlier part of the school calendar, and this year it is extra exciting as post COVID we are planning our first return immersion with AFAS to the Philippines at the end of this year.

Mission Week is when we celebrate our Villanova College community, and we reach out through this to support others.  It is a week where we celebrate the ongoing relationship that as a community has spanned 30 years in 2023 with communities in the Philippines.  Over all these years there has been a continual flow of friendships between students and staff at Villanova and those in schools and community projects we have connected with in the Philippines.  This is a key feature of Villanova College and is especially to be celebrated in this our 75th year!

Mission Week 2023 has the following events planned:
Monday 22 May
– Launch of Red Candle Week with extended pastoral and the opportunity for families to gather and share stories and reflect with the resources each family will receive.
– Information Evening for AFAS trip 2023 – parents and students Years 10-12

Wednesday 24 May
– Applications for AFAS 2023 close

Thursday 25 May
– Mission Day
– Mass of St Thomas of Villanova
– Mission Day activities including lunch time stalls and fundraisers

Mission Week is our only AFAS fundraiser, and we ask for support of students and families throughout this week.

Year 12 Cassiciacum: The Villanovan Kairos Retreat
Just after Augustine’s conversion experience he headed away with a small group of his closest friends to a stunning spot in Italy, called Cassiciacum, for a few months.  This time was a very powerful time for discussion, reflection, prayer and writing for Augustine as he reshaped his life and vision for where he was heading.  In this same way, as Term 1 closed for our Year 12s, they had three days on retreat at Mount Tamborine.  This retreat took on a new extended format this year with more time to leave the busyness and pressure of school in order to recharge; to enjoy time together nurturing friendships; a chance to consider some of life’s bigger and deeper questions and an opportunity to connect with the living source of faith, hope and life found in God!

There were nearly 20 staff on retreat, and this enabled our students time to hear the input and sharing of many of our staff and then the rich experience of small groups for discussion and reflection. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of the staff involved who assisted in facilitating the process for our Seniors and who also shared their own story.  We’ve had  great feedback from the students, and they made some of the following comments about what they have taken from the experience.  As a community I hope you can join us in continuing to prayer for the young men in their senior year here at Villanova that they will continue to find support in one another and feel the presence of a God who loves them.

“Finding your place in the world is such an important thing to do. Progressively learning the ways of a human and how to be a good human being.”

“A small message of appreciation and admiration can go a LONG way.”

“That each of us can have a great impact and influence on each other – we just needed the platform to do it.”

Everyone will go through struggles, but that there is always light at the end of the tunnel for everyone

“Stronger Together” A lot goes on in other people’s lives that you may not have a clue about and although some may seem to have no flaws or a perfect life, they really don’t. There are so many things positive and negative that happen to others some more than others but still. Most of the other people have gone through the same if not worse times than you and you need to realise that you are not alone and that moving on with no judgment or criticism towards others is one of the best things you can do to get through a tough time.

Minjerribah On Country Experience for our First Nations Students
On Thursday 31 March our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were invited to bring a friend for an On Country Experience in Minjerribah, often known as Stradbroke Island.  Our day was led by Aunty Delvene Cockatoo-Collins who is a First Nations artist and designer, who lives and works on Quandamooka country.  Students, together with staff, explored the history of the island, visited the housing co-op, local museum and art shop.  Aunty Delvene explained the ongoing connection, trading and history of the island and the surrounding Moreton Bay areas and we learnt more about the mission, stolen generation, people’s actions for equal wages, the struggle against mining and now with native title outcomes such as the Ranger program.  Following lunch students cooled off in the water before learning the process of making twine that was used for fishing nets, baskets and many other products.  We all grew in appreciation of the time, effort and craftmanship involved in this process.  We also had the opportunity to make ochre paints and create our own artwork.   As the day progressed students who started out as strangers got to know one another, there was sharing across the age groups.  All of us learnt so much and left with a greater appreciation for Minjerribah and each other’s stories.  A great step in our journey of Reconciliation.

We look forward to Reconciliation week later in May as an opportunity to further our understanding and knowledge of history and knowledge in our local area.

Mrs Kate Garrone, Dean of Mission and Identity

FUSE CUP Queensland Minecraft Esports Cup – Inaugural Round Success!
On Saturday 22 April, Villanova Middle School students from Years 7 and 8 both competed and hosted the inaugural round for the FUSE Cup Queensland Minecraft Esports Cup in the Hanrahan Theatre. Based on the AIC Minecraft Esports competition in October 2022, this event saw teams of five players compete against other schools from across South East Queensland in a timed Minecraft Capture the Flag tournament.

Due to some late team changes, Villanova was able to enter its own home team – Daniel Cooney, Hugh Laidlaw and Mathias Maldonado, Laurence Townsend, and Diego Rios Yanez – into the tournament. The competition format allowed for all teams to compete against each other in a long, demanding round robin of continuous 10-minute matches. It was very pleasing to see our home team qualifying third at the end of the round robin stage, to progress to the semi-final stage. In the sudden death semi-finals, our home team beat St Peters Lutheran College in a 15-minute game to progress to the grand finals against Faith Lutheran College. In the 20-minute grand final our team lost but demonstrated exceptional home team spirit and good sportsmanship by congratulating the better team on the day. As grand finalists, Villanova will now compete in the state finals to be held at Villanova College in October 2023.

The event would not have been possible without the hard work and support of our Villanovan student hosting team – Cooper Crowley, Damian Ellis, Elijah La Porte, Alex Tento, Oliver Tento and Hugh Weston. These boys ran back-to-back games, checked equipment to ensure an equal competition, resolved connection issues, recorded scores and commentated on the live games. They were exceptional role models for the College and student-run esports competitions.

The next round in the Queensland Cup is scheduled for Saturday 10 June.

Mr Jason Lane, Director of E-Learning

Director of Sport Address
At the College Assembly on Friday 28 April, we acknowledged our Term 1 team and individual sporting performances. It is my pleasure to announce the elite awards in AFL, Cricket and Volleyball. These awards are for the Most Valuable Player in each sport. This player best exemplifies the values of the College and has shown outstanding performance, and consistency of performance, throughout the 2023 AIC season.

AFL – The First XVII Most Valuable Player Trophy – Jake Fazldeen
Cricket – The First XI Mullins Shield – Thomas Rieck
Volleyball – The First VI George Currey Memorial Trophy – Nicholas Craig

We welcomed Marist College Ashgrove in Round 1 of the AIC Competition in Chess, Football and Rugby last Friday 28 and Saturday 29 April. With 60 teams and over 900 students in action, it was an amazing weekend of sport. Well done to those boys who wore the green and gold for the first time, and a special thank you to the Villa Army for their passionate and consistent support across all sports and cohorts.

Although it was great to see so many boys represent their respective year levels in Football and Rugby on the weekend, it was disappointing to see some in incorrect uniform. All students please note that only the Open First team (1st XI and 1st XV) are provided with different playing uniforms for AIC match days. All other teams, including the 2nds, must wear the College uniform as shown below. If a student does not own the full uniform, they are expected to visit the Uniform Shop as soon as possible to purchase the relevant items, or to borrow another student’s uniform for their game. Failure to wear the correct uniform may result in removal from the playing field on Saturdays.

Results
Chess:

Football:

Rugby:

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

The AIC Draw 2023 can also be accessed here. A note that in some cases, draws may not match the AIC draw. Families are encouraged to always check The Locker Room for accurate draws. Weekly Team Lists will be posted regularly to the Parent Lounge and Student Cafe Portals.

Sports Club
Mega Raffle – chance to win $10k cash!
The Mega Raffle is back for 2023, with your chance to win $10,000 make sure to buy one of the 200 tickets. See the lovely volunteers at Villa Park each Saturday morning for your chance to win. The winner will be drawn at this year’s Sports Lunch on Friday 2 June at the Greek Club; so do not miss out.

Sports Lunch – Friday 2 June – Tickets Selling Fast
Abby Coleman to MC the Annual Sports Lunch
The Sports Lunch will help us celebrate the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary – 75 years of Villanova College, whilst raising funds to deliver sports and recreation programs and resources for current and future Villanovans.
Date:                     Friday 2 June
Time:                     12 – 4pm
Location:              The Greek Club
Buy Tickets:          https://sportslunch.vnc.qld.edu.au/
Includes:               Two Course lunch, four-hour beverage package, 75th Anniversary gift and loads of entertainment and special guests

We can’t wait to see you there and celebrate the legacy of Villanova College together!

Finally a massive thank you to our 54 volunteers out at Villa park on the weekend serving at the canteen & BBQ. All proceeds go towards our coaching programs, the new STEM & Sport Science Precinct and various sports projects at Villanova.

Years 5-Open Rugby families and Years 9-Open Football families will be at Villa Park this weekend. To register your help this Saturday 5^th May, please click on the link: Register here.

Term 2 Training Schedule
Please click on the link below for the Term 2 training schedules.

Term 2 Training Schedule

Note the Chess and Strength & Conditioning (S&C) training schedules, plus the sign on link for S&C, can be found on the website and in the College Newsletters/Sports Bulletins.

Villa Park
Our world-class facility at Villa Park is an amazing venue for sport. A huge shout out to our Ground Staff – Clyde, Gary and Jason – for all their hard work in preparing our fields for Football and Rugby.

Chess
The first round of the AIC Competition proved tough for our Villa students, but in true green and gold form, our Chess players fought it out to the end. Following on from an amazing tunnel and cheer from the Spirit Committee, our players sat themselves down to play against Marist College Ashgrove. Once again hard-fought battles during these trial games saw challenges and victories for Team Villa. Worthy of note were our Intermediate B teams, who took a clean sweep win.

From Wednesday this week, we have confirmation that professional coaching will begin for our Open Team from 7:15 till 8:15am in V4. Students, please be on time for these sessions.

Year 5 are also to attend training at this time in V3. Parents of Year 5 students, if your son is unable to attend chess training due to other commitments, we absolutely understand.  Please note however, the results of playing during training sessions are recorded, and will  determine who will be included to play in the interschool tournament on Friday afternoon that week. Please liaise with your teacher if need be.

This week, we play St Patrick’s College at home on Friday 5 May.  With St Pat’s only furnishing A and B teams, the teachers have a battle selecting teams as we have had a great interest in chess this year.  Final team lists and play venue will be published on Thursday afternoon in the Locker Room.

Wishing all players the very best this week!  GO TEAM VILLA!

Chess training schedule below:

Ms Kath Underhill, Chess Coordinator

Cross Country
It is with much anticipation the Running Wildcats will travel to Sherwood next Wednesday 10 May (Sherwood Arboretum 87 Jolimont St, Sherwood)  for the first Cross-Country trial co-hosted by St Peter’s Lutheran College and Ambrose Treacy College.

This year there are three warm-up meets that will give the squad a greater chance to practise racing which has been absent for the previous few years. I suggest you speak to the coaches about your races, especially post-race to identify how you can improve your racing. To allow the squad to concentrate on racing each afternoon, there will be no further training on Wednesday mornings and the coaches are excited to see how good the squad is and how it compares to the other schools that will be there competing.

One of the nuances of Cross-Country running is that very few of the squad just undertake cross country, with most competing in at least one other AIC sport. I would like to commend those boys on making the commitment to the Villa Cross-Country squad. The lessons, from Cross-Country assists in the other sports undertaken. A bus will transport the squad to and from each of the trial runs. Parents are welcome to attend the Cross-Country and the bus is expected to return to the College at approximately 6.00pm.

Mr Brian Pascoe, Cross-Country Coordinator

Football
It was fantastic to see all Football teams in full swing for Round 1. 28 teams in total took the field last Saturday with the support of 33 Villa coaches.

Although many results did not go our way, all teams must be very proud of their progress so far this season. Hearing stories of the 9A team winning versus Iona College two weeks ago, and that win being their first in more than two seasons. Other positive stories from teams who faced very well drilled and organised Marist teams, taking positives from the games where they lost by large margins, but those margins are becoming closer and closer each season.

Congratulations to our victorious teams in Round 1: 1st XI, 7C, 7D, 7E, 6B and 5B. A special mention to our First XI with an amazing win 3 goals to 0. Full report below.

We now shift focus to Round 2 versus St Patrick’s College on Saturday 6 May. All Year 9-Open teams are again at home, with our Year 5-8 teams away at Shorncliffe. Our Year 8D team are the only supplementary game this week playing Iona College 8E’s at Iona.

Mr Nathan Dufty, Football Coordinator

First XI
After a comprehensive loss to Iona last week in our last trial, the First XI boys needed to improve on that result. The boys had an excellent week of preparation and arrived at Villa Park ready to take on Ashgrove in the first AIC fixture of 2023.

The response was excellent! After a nervous first 15 minutes we started to take control of the game and were rewarded with a great team goal. It started with our keeper Jared and after a great sequence of one touch passing Seb Bishop broke free and slotted home our first goal. Halftime 1-0.

The second half started well especially our counter attacking. We were soon awarded a penalty after Tom was felled in the box after one of his marauding runs. Seb despatched the penalty with confidence. Our constant pressure paid off with Tom cutting in from the left to rifle the ball into the top right corner with a deserved goal. Despite the scoreline Ashgrove were still a threat with Jared making some important saves to keep a clean sheet.

The game finished with a solid 3-0 win. This was a great reward for the positive shift in attitude after our loss to Iona. It was a 100% team effort. Well done to captain Alex and the boys.

Finally a massive thanks to the Villa community for your amazing support. Let’s bring on Round 2 v St Patrick’s at our home Villa Park!

Mr Tom Carnavas, First XI Head Coach

Rugby
The boys were well prepared for their Round 1 games on Saturday and all boys dug deep and gave their all against very tough Marist opposition. Matches were hard fought and to come away with a 50-50 win loss record is very pleasing. With a massive home crowd at the match to watch, the 1sts came away with an exciting win beating Ashgrove for the first time in thirteen years by 19-15. Coincidently, the last time Villanova won the 1st XV premiership in 2010, Villa beat Ashgrove by the exact same score.

The 2nd XV played out of their skin but narrowly went down by seven points and the other Open and Year 10 teams were worn down by Ashgrove and fell short by full time.

I was out at Ashgrove early on Saturday morning and had the pleasure of watching the year 5C and D and Year 6C and D rugby teams play. All four teams came away with wins and seeing the excitement and enthusiasm from the boys makes you think, ‘How good is kids’ sport’. The encouragement and camaraderie will be brought back to the playground next week where the dynamics change, and the friendship groups expand. It’s great to see and such a positive coming from playing team sport, regardless of the team the boys play in.

The four Year 9 teams all won giving Villa a winning start to the day at Tingalpa. To win the 6A,7A,9A and 1sts against Ashgrove, should give us momentum as we move into Round 2 v St. Patrick’s College this weekend. Almost all of our Year 5 to Open rugby teams will be playing at Villa Park and we will have four rugby fields going all day. Can we please ask that our rugby community get behind the Sports Office and jump in and help out at the canteen.

Good luck to all teams this Saturday.

Mr Chris Everding, Rugby Coordinator

1st XV
It was a highly anticipated round one match verse an Ashgrove 1st XV that had not lost to Villanova since 2010. The game did not fail to deliver, it was the tale of two halves that ended in a very close score line, reflecting two teams, desperate to win their first game of the season.

In the first half Villanova outclassed Ashgrove across all aspects of the game, with strong carries, accurate phase play and aggressive defence resulting in some bone crunching tackles. This dominance led to tries for Ned Godwin (on debut), Ben Addley and Jackson Connor. This coupled with Dan Taylor’s sideline sharp shooting put Villa in a strong position at halftime leading 19-3.

The second half was a huge momentum swinger to Ashgrove. A lack of possession, movement away from the game plan and a 10 min yellow card for lifting was the perfect recipe for the desperate Ashgrove side to get back into the game. Thankfully with only 30% possession in the second half our desperate defence managed to hold Ashgrove to only two tries and hold out for a famous 19-15 victory in front of a huge and boisterous crowd of Villa faithful numbering in the thousands .

Special mention goes to Cameron Bukowski who won the ‘Peter Daley Medal’ for best player awarded by the opposition. Cameron was heavily supported by Larry Clark, Ben Addley and Jackson Moloney, all of them having impactful games.

Next week we play a disciplined St Pats outfit who will be desperate to find their first win of the season. So get down to Villa Park and support the boys in green at 3.15pm, as we aim to deliver another victory for the College.

Mr Eddie Harris, First XV Head Coach

Villa Park Canteen – AIC Rugby & Football
Most of the Year 9-12 Football and 5-12 Rugby games are being played at Villa Park this Saturday 6^th May. We are asking for parents to help by volunteering their time to help serve and/or cook. The BBQ will fire up at approx. 7am and it is usually in the first hour that we need the most assistance to prepare and cook the food. Please drop your son off and help if you can.

Although at times the canteen/BBQ may look like they have enough helpers, please come and offer your time as some of those volunteers may need to get to their son/s games.  The canteen/BBQ during the Football/Rugby season is the Villa Sports Club’s main source of income and it can only operate with the help of Villa parents (both Football and Rugby).  So please come along and help, meet some new friends and catch-up on what’s going on around the school. We hope to see you Saturday. Even if you don’t register, please come to the door and let them know your keen to help.

Villa Park Volunteers Sat 5th May.

Dogs at AIC Sporting Venues
A reminder to all parents that due to Health and Safety requirements, all AIC Sporting venues are dog free venues including Villa Park. Please do not bring your dog/s.

Strength & Conditioning
The new training schedule for S&C has now commenced. Boys must register here for the Term 2 schedule. Please see below the link to the new Term 2 training schedule.

Register here for Term 2 S&C

S&C Training Schedule – Term 2, 2023 (note two versions)

Basketball
Villanova College is excited to continue the Wildcat’s Basketball Academy in Term 2. The Academy aims to improve the individual skill level of all players in the College to help further the success of Villanova’s basketball program. The Academy is open to all students across Year 5 – Year 8 and offers players an opportunity to acquire and develop new basketball skills from experienced coaches with NBL, WNBL, NBL1 and national and state experience. We welcome players of all skill levels and will provide new players with a great introduction to the game, and for the more experienced player, the chance to take their game to a new level.

WHEN:  Term 2 – Sunday morning (6-week program beginning 7 May 2023)
SESSION TIMES:        

•       Year 5               7:30 – 8:30am
•       Year 6               8:30 – 9:30am
•       Year 7 & 8        9:30 – 10:30am

WHERE:  Goold Hall, Villanova College
COST:  $120 for Term 2, Payment is to be made through Villanova College Parent Lounge
UNIFORM:  Reversible Wildcats Basketball Academy singlet available at the Villanova College

Uniform Shop for $65.

Please note players returning from last term must complete a new form: Wildcats Registration Form.

It is an expectation that all students contribute to the playing of Saturday sport for Villanova College and should not be choosing the Academy as a replacement for representing Villanova during Term 2.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jordan Mullan on jmullan@vnc.qld.edu.au.

Mr Jordan Mullan, First V Head Coach

Rugby League
Please note that the 1^st XIII Rugby League trials will take place at Easts Rugby Union Club on the following dates:

• Wednesday, 3rd May (Week 3), from 3.45pm to 5.00pm
• Monday, 8th May (Week 4), from 3.30pm to 5.00pm

All students must wear appropriate clothing, including mouthguards, boots, and optional headgear for the trials. Any Year 12 students attending the Diploma of Business course on Wednesday afternoons must attend on Wednesday 3rd May, from 3pm to 3.30pm. At the conclusion of the trials on Monday 8th May, 21 students will be selected for the upcoming Confraternity Carnival and training will commence in Week 9. I wish all boys eligible for selection the best of luck over the coming weeks.

Mr Blake McLauchlan, Rugby League Coordinator

External Achievements
Congratulations to Hendrix Seipel (Year 7) who was selected in the U/12 Metropolitan East Rugby League side to compete at the State Championships. Well done Hendrix.

Congratulations to Villanova Track & Field athletes Harris McPherson (Year 6) and College Captain Mitchell Rieck (Year 12) who performed brilliantly at the recent National Championships. Harris finished ninth in the 400m and Mitchell an incredible sixth in the 3000m Steeplechase. Congratulations Harris and Mitchell.

Mr Shaun McLean, Director of Sport

Year 5 Band and String Orchestra
Thank you to our Year 5 musicians for their attendance on Tuesday morning this week.  After our ANZAC Day break, we now return to beginner band and strings every Tuesday morning during term.

We ask our Tuesday morning attendees to ensure they are at the front of the Augustine Centre by 7:15am; students will be met and brought into the rehearsal spaces at this time.  Students are to place their bags neatly at the front of the Augustine Centre, preferably against the brick wall out of the weather, and bring their instrument and satchel to the rehearsal space.

Our ensembles are starting to gel nicely – we are looking forward to sharing some of our music with family and friends a little later this term.

Playground Performances
Our playground performance schedule continued this week with our Junior School String Orchestra and Junior School Band performing during morning tea and lunch on Wednesday.  Next week, we are looking forward to Amadeus Chamber ensemble and the Supernovans to share their music in the Tolle Lege Library.

Lesson and Rehearsal Attendance
We have a number of performances across the term that our students will need to be ready for.  We will require all hands-on deck to ensure preparations for our concerts in Week 7 and QCMF are on track.  We look forward to seeing you there at rehearsal each week.

ANZAC Day March
I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to the students who participated in our inaugural marching band for the Coorparoo ANZAC march this year.  You have all received much praise from our community and the broader community for your contribution to this important event.  Thank you for your efforts in preparation and ensuring your participation went smoothly.  Congratulations and well done!

Music Support Group and QCMF meeting
Our next MSG and QCMF meeting will be convened on Monday 15 May.  We will be commencing at 6:30pm in the Chapter Room at the front of the Augustine Centre.  We look forward to seeing members new and old at this great community gathering.

Key Dates Term 2
As we look ahead across the term, please ensure we pencil the following dates into your diary:

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

Villanova Branded Camp Chairs – $35; Wildcat Coolers – $30
All items can be purchased via Trybooking through the following link:  https://www.trybooking.com/BMEML
Purchases can be collected from the Music Office and all profits will go to the Music Support Group.

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

Mr Michael Jones, Director of Music

PARENT INFO
Year 7 Vaccinations
Thursday 11 May the Ozcare nurses will be on site from 9:00am to administer the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination to Year 7 students whose parents signed and returned the consent form early in Term One.  The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination will be administered later in the year on 23 November.

If you did not return the form but would like your son to be vaccinated, or would like further information, please click the following link: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/immunisation/adolescents

Mother’s Day Stall……… We’d Love Your Help
Mothers and grandmothers, if you are cleaning out those cupboards and have some quality goods you would like to donate to our Mother’s Day Stall, please send them in. We would welcome any unopened, unwanted items which could be included in our bundles. These can be left at College Reception or your Student Services Office (labelled Mother’s Day Stall).  Please leave your name so we can acknowledge your generosity. Many thanks.

Kath Underhill     Mother’s Day Stall Organiser

You Are Not Alone Fun Run & Festival.
See attached poster for registration link.

Mega Raffle Tickets – WIN $10,000 Cash
Tickets available from the Sports Canteen at Villa Park – $100 each.
Look out for any of our lovely Sports Club Volunteers to buy your ticket.

All money raised will help support Villanova boys in their sport and recreational endeavours.

TUCKSHOP NEWS 2023
Volunteering at Tuckshop
The Tuckshop is a modern, commercial area of the College that provides an affordable and nourishing breakfast, morning tea and lunch service for the boys. Breakfast preparations begin from 7.00am and Morning Tea and Lunch preparations beginning at 8.30am with the day concluding at 1.15pm.

We run a self-service system, with a diverse menu consisting of both freshly prepared and pre-packaged items. The Tuckshop is managed by a paid convenor but could not exist without its dedicated volunteer helpers. We welcome help from mums, dads, grandparents, other caregivers, friends, etc.

If you are interested in volunteering at Tuckshop you would be rostered on one day every four weeks generally from 8.30am to 1.15pm but for those of you who can accommodate or prefer an earlier start and/or finish, you can be rostered on the breakfast shift from 7.00am. Even if you can only give just an hour or two, this is still very welcome – we can make use of any time you are able to give us.

Our helpers are provided with a cuppa and cake for morning tea, a delicious lunch, lots of laughs and an opportunity to see their sons in the College environment.
If you are a little nervous about volunteering alone, why not join with a friend!

Current volunteers have mentioned the following reasons as to why they enjoy working at the Tuckshop:

• it helps our boys and the College community
• it is a great opportunity to meet other parents and chat to others with similar interests
• boys enjoy seeing their parents at the College (even though they won’t always admit it)
• it is a chance to get to meet your son’s friends and their teachers
• it is a great way to seek advice from parents who have “been there, done that”
• it is a lot of fun

If you are interested in volunteering you can register you interest at: Volunteering at Villanova » Villanova College (vnc.qld.edu.au) , call the Tuckshop on 3394 5592 or email Dot Blair – tuckshop@vnc.qld.edu.au

Thank you.

Mrs Dot Blair, Villanova Tuckshop Convenor

2025 ENROLMENT
Year 7/2025 enrolment applications will open on Friday 3 February.
For further information please contact our Enrolments Officer at enrolments@vnc.qld.edu.au

P&F
Contact: Peter Roberts (President)
0412 055 884 or pjroberts0968@gmail.com

Sports Club 
Contact: Sally Warren (President)
sallyjwarren@gmail.com

Music Support Group
Contact: Michael Molloy (President)
Villanova College Music Office music@vnc.qld.edu.au

COMMUNITY NEWS
You Are Not Alone Mental Health Initiative
Villanova Hosts a Successful Interschool Leadership  Conference
Last Friday April 21, 120 students and staff from 24 Brisbane schools attended a very enlightening afternoon at Villanova College.  These included most AIC affiliated Colleges, Churchie, Brisbane Boys Grammar, Somerville House, Gregory Terrace, Brisbane State High and St Margaret’s. There was plentiful sharing of ideas and conversation generated as to how we can all band together in the good fight to improve mental health and wellbeing amongst our peers.

Tom Price and Wilson Griffin, 2022 graduates, have since been invited to multiple Colleges to speak at assemblies and well-being forums. The highlight of the You Are Not alone Calendar is the Annual Fun Run and Festival, which is being held on Saturday 24 June 2023 in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. The main objective of the day is to start conversations and raise awareness about youth mental health and suicide prevention. In registering and participating, attendees will come together in solidarity and funds raised on the day will support other YRNA projects. These include the introduction of our School-based programs and the development of the Shining A Light Mini-documentary series.

More information can be found at www.yrna.com.au, where we encourage your family and friends to consider the impact they could have by attending the event or supporting the program through sponsorship. Enquiries would be most welcomed by contacting either Tom or Wilson at hello@yrna.com.au.

Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme
Students With Disability Travel Rebate
Semester 1

• Does your child have a verified disability that requires transport assistance to and from school?
• Has your school’s learning support teacher assessed your child’s travel capability rating as ‘semi-independent’ or more dependent?

Visit our website to see if you qualify for financial assistance to help with the cost of transport and
apply at www.schooltransport.com.au by 31 May.
Late applications cannot be accepted after 31^st May.

Villanova College Master Planning Activities
Planning for the Future
Villanova College has taken the next step towards the development of a new multi-purpose hall and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (‘STEM’) building and the future delivery of a new café/ canteen, Learning Institute and refurbishment of Mendel Hall.

In accordance with Chapter 2, Part 5 of the Planning Act 2016, we have asked that the Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning approve an amendment to the existing education facilities designation of our campus located in Coorparoo.

To assist with future development of the College a Master Plan has been developed with Cox Architects which strives to provide an appropriate balance between the built form and open space areas while considering the impact of the proposal on adjoining residential development. The Master Plan will be delivered over two stages as follows:

Stage 1A + 1B

• New approximately four storey building to accommodate Multi-purpose hall and STEM facilities (located in the southern part of campus, south of Seventh Avenue)
• Closure of Seventh Avenue to public access

Stage 2A + 2B

• New single storey building to accommodate café/canteen and Learning Institute
• Refurbishment of Mendel Hall
  

Ministerial Infrastructure Designation
To deliver on our commitment to the College community we will request that the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning endorse this Master Plan and amend the current designation over the subject. The MID process provides an alternate assessment pathway to lodging a development application with Brisbane City Council and allows for the delivery of essential community infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.

The MID (AID-1222-0657) has been requested in accordance with Chapter 2, Part 5 of the Planning Act 2016. If the Master Plan and MID is approved, this designation would acknowledge and reflect what the College uses this land for today and secure development of the campus in the future.

Having your say
To have your say about the proposed MID amendment, you can make a submission to the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, the Hon. Dr Steven Miles via:

• online: statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/mid-consultations
• email: infrastructuredesignation@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au
• post: PO Box 15009, City East, QLD, 4002
• Phone the Infrastructure Designations team on 1300 967 433

Please note, if you make a submission, it should:

• Be clearly marked as ‘Proposed MID for the development of Villanova College’
• Be in writing, dated and signed by each party or entity who made the submission
• State the name and address of each person or entity who made the submission
• State the grounds (or reasons) for the submission and the facts and circumstances relied on in support of these grounds.

Any submission must be received by the Minister on or before 9 March 2023.
If you wish to discuss the proposal with one of the project team. We would welcome the opportunity to brief you on the Villanova College Master plan.

ENROLMENT COLLECTION NOTICE FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS
2023 Student Residential Address and Other Information
The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to notify you that we have requested for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information.

Under the Australian Education Regulation 2013, the school is required to provide the department with the following information about each student at the school:
• Names and residential addresses of student’s parent(s) and/or guardian(s)
• Student residential address (excluding student names)
• Whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)
• Whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status).

The school collects the above information by generating a unique and unidentifiable – student reference number (SRN) for each student record. The school only uses the SRN for this collection. It is not allowed to be used for any other purpose. The number only indicates to the department that each record provided is for one student.

Purpose of the collection
The Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection (the Collection) informs Australian Government school education policy and helps ensure funding for non-government schools is based on need.

The information collected will be used to inform school funding calculations. It is combined with Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data to calculate a non-government school community’s capacity to contribute to schooling costs.

From 2020, the department introduced a new measure of capacity to contribute: the Direct Measure of Income (DMI). The DMI is based on the median income of non-government school students’ parents or guardians using the Collection data. Find more information about the DMI on the What is the methodology for the Direct Measure of Income (DMI)? Department web page.

Use and disclosure of personal information
Your personal information is protected by law under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). Personal information is information or an opinion about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes an individual’s name and contact details.

Any use or disclosure of your personal information must occur in accordance with Privacy Act and the Australian Education Act 2013 and Australian Education Regulation 2013.

Your personal information provided to the department through the Collection may be:
• disclosed to the ABS for the purposes of capacity to contribute calculations and analysis as a part of the Multi-Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP). Find more information about MADIP on the ABS website MADIP page.
• disclosed to a contracted auditor where the department may from time to time, carry out an audit of a school’s collection submission. The contracted auditor compares the school’s submission with the school’s student enrolment information. The contracted auditor will not use the information for any
other purpose.
GPO Box 9880, Canberra ACT 2601 | Phone 1300 488 064| www.education.gov.au | ABN 12 862 898 150
• disclosed to its service providers for the purposes of providing the department with information and communications technology support services.
• used or disclosed where it is otherwise required or authorised by law.

The department does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.

Find the department’s privacy policy on the Department of Education website which includes information on:
• how individuals can access and seek correction of personal information held by the department;
• how complaints about potential breaches or breaches of the Privacy Act can be made;
• how the department will deal with these complaints.

The department commissioned an independent privacy impact assessment (PIA). The PIA assesses the flows of information under the Collection, compliance with the Privacy Act and measures in place to safeguard the
personal information being collected. The current version is available on the 2018 Student Residential Address Collection: Additional Required information Privacy Impact Assessment web page.

What do you need to do?
You are not required to do anything. Your school is responsible for providing the department with the requested details; however, you can contact the school to update your family’s details.

Contacts for further information
Your school can provide additional information about the Collection process.
Alternatively, please visit the SchoolsHUB Address Collection help and support page.

To contact the department about privacy-related matters, email privacy@education.gov.au or write to:
Privacy Officer
Legal Services
Department of Education
LOC: C50MA1
GPO Box 9880
Canberra ACT 260

Share your thoughts on Catholic Education
The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) is conducting an important survey with parents and carers about the Catholic education system in Queensland. QCEC would appreciate your feedback via a short online survey to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence families in choosing a Catholic school. QCEC are working with Market & Communications Research and the Online Research Unit to compile feedback. You can complete the survey online by clicking on the link below. All responses are anonymous.   https://survey.confirmit.com.au/wix/p559809241117.aspx?cg=18