Beaconsfield Campus – 30 May 2019

There have been many opportunities where our students have shared their talents with our campus and wider school community over the last fortnight.  Two weeks ago, St Francis Xavier College Cantabile were invited to perform and lead prayer at the Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools Deputy Principals Association Women in Leadership event.  This was a sell-out event where our students performed to over 500 educators from Victorian Catholic Schools.  They mesmorised their audience with a captivating performance and all evening people were singing their praises. Thank you to Carlos Escobar, Amy Mazzitelli and Kevin Woodhouse for their leadership and preparation of Cantabile – and a big congratulation to all members of Cantabile who enter into Cantabile with passion and commitment.  

Our campus community gathered last week to showcase their athletic skills and talents at the Athletics Carnival.  There was great spirit from our students as they dressed in their House colours and enthusiastically participated in a range of athletic track and field events. There were some outstanding performances and results for our students, however, it was the sportsmanship and supportive interactions amongst our students that really was a highlight of the day to witness.  Thank you to Ben Gaze, Stuart Anderson and all PE teachers, along with our Sports Captains, for their leadership and coordination of the day. 

We concluded last week with our campus community gathering to celebrate the Eucharist where the Plenary candle and a 100 year old icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was on campus.  The candle and icon are pilgrimaging through the Diocese of Sale.  Mass was celebrated by Fr John Prest who encouraged students to reflect on Mary and all the great women in our lives.  All students are to be commended on the way they entered into this celebration as a community.

Exam Revision

2018 VCE and Year 10 examination papers are now available to download. These exams have been made available to help students revise for their 2019 exams. The examination papers can be found under the title Past Exams in the School Links section of SIMON under Library Resources. If you need any help accessing any of the 2018 exams, please speak to the staff in the LRC

Presentation Ball

200 Year 11 students are making great progress in developing their ballroom dance technique during Monday afternoon rehearsals. The committee members and dance instructors have been impressed by the students’ ability to receive instruction and practise each dance routine. The students are enjoying themselves and growing in confidence. Thank you to all involved and we look forward to celebrating with the students and their families in August.

LRC National Reconciliation Week Display

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The dates for NRW remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Student News – Jameson O’Reilly

Jameson O’Reilly (Year 12) has just returned from competing in the National Gymnastics Competition and came 3^rd in Australia for the Level 7 Open Men’s Artistic Gymnastics! Well done!

Debating

Emma Jelavic (Debating Captain) – Assembly Speech

Have you ever wondered why some people are so convincing? You probably know someone like this. They could convince you that the earth is flat, and they leave you questioning your own beliefs. What do people like this have in common? You might think that they have confidence and intelligence that exceeds most people. You might think that these people are different and that you can never be like them. If you are thinking this, you are wrong. No one is born with the ability to communicate clearly, present a convincing argument, and speak confidently in front of other people. These skills are learned and absolutely anyone can learn them.

I am Emma Jelavic and I am extremely pleased to be this year’s Debating Captain. We have a rich history of Debating and Public Speaking at the College and this year we aim to add to this history. This year we have seven teams from across our three campuses competing in the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) Schools competition. These competitions are held on Thursday evenings at St Margaret’s School in Berwick. We compete against schools such as St Margaret’s, Berwick Grammar, Haileybury, Nossal, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar, and Gippsland Grammar. We love it when we have wins against our extremely talented opposition; however, wins and losses are not what matters in Debating. What matters is that we develop our analytical and communication skills, and it is great to interact with likeminded students from a diverse range of locations. We are the current Senior SIS Debating Champions and we are looking forward to competing again in the SIS competition later in the year.

Our next round of the DAV competition involves secret topic debates. Topics are released one hour before the actual debate and we are not allowed any devices to prepare for the debate. While this is challenging, it is an excellent way for us to focus on core ideas without getting side-tracked with information overload. The key to success in secret topic debates is to listen closely to what our opposition are arguing and to respond accordingly by explaining the big issues that matter most.

I would like to acknowledge Nicole Benza and Jakem Lippis. Last Sunday, they gave a passionate speech at the TEDx Casey Youth Talks event held at Bunjil Place. They talked about the importance of schools promoting the diverse talents and individuality of students. They impressed the audience of politicians, educators, parents and students with their heartfelt message.

Thank you to Mr Gordon and Ms Illman for their ongoing support of our debaters and public speakers. The time they take to run meetings, offer constructive feedback, and attend competition evenings is greatly appreciated.