Officer Campus – 13 June 2019

Uniform Shop – School Holidays Hours

Click here to view the School Holiday Hours for our College Uniform Shop.

Year 9 Inquiry Based Learning Project presentation evening

Officer parents, the Year 9 Inquiry Based Learning Project presentation evening will be held on Tuesday 18 June from 7:00pm until 8:30pm in the Officer LRC. We would love to welcome family and friends of students on this evening as they showcase their work from the Semester.

Officer Preforming Arts

Head of Campus

I trust you enjoyed a great long weekend with family and friends. Our students at Officer Campus have continued to experience success in their learning and broader community activities. We have applied various learning interventions to support and extend learners at Officer Campus.

Recent summary data suggest that we have had a higher level of growth than what would be expected (statistically) in reading and numeracy across Year 7 to 8 and Year 8 to 9 for the 2018 to 2019 year. I applaud the students who have made the most of the learning opportunities afforded them.

Congratulations to our Maths Pathways students and teachers

Congratulations to our Maths Pathways students and teachers. On average, students at our Campus are learning 1.38 years of maths per year. In addition, 93% of students at our Campus are learning at a greater rate than they were prior to Maths Pathway.

Feedback and Commendation 

Thank you to parents and guardians who have written with support of our efforts with student uniform and attendance. I always welcome these communications and pass them on to staff where appropriate. The staff at Officer Campus regularly go above and beyond. Last week, I received an email from a parent who praised the support and care our staff gave her son in his time of need. The parent wrote, staff passed on updates on my son’s progress during their lunch break and later during their preparation time. Her son wanted to see the day through at school, and the kindness our staff showed enabled him to do so. This, to me, is evidence of our Positive Learning Partnerships in action.

The St Francis Xavier College Officer Community Health and Fitness Program – Sons of the East

During Semester Two, the Officer Campus will host a Community Health and Fitness Program designed to help parents/carers within our community learn about, and develop, their individual health and wellbeing. It is based upon a similar program being run annually across Western Victoria by the Western Bulldogs – Sons of the West.

The program will be run by staff from within the College in partnership with local councils and community health services. Activities will be held at Officer Campus and broader facilities within our local community. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about healthy eating, physical activity and mental health. Proposed activities will include fitness-based sessions, sports specific fitness sessions with visiting coaches, cooking/nutrition sessions, mental health sessions run by qualified professionals, child safety information sessions, among a range of other offerings. A positive by-product of this program will be the links its participants will build with the College, specifically between parents, carers and staff.

A secondary benefit for several of the participants will be the introductions to local community facilities, services and providers. Our hope is this program will become a vehicle for local organisations to highlight what they offer, provide introductory sessions and ultimately encourage participants from our program to continue to use the facilities once the program has concluded. We will be in contact with more detail around this opportunity in Semester Two.

Exams and Developing a Study Plan

Exams can be stressful. The key to feeling in control is preparation, having an effective revision plan and a well-planned out strategy for the exam itself. The strategies you use will need to be flexible to adjust the type of exam you are sitting.

Over the exam period, it is important to create a study plan. Using a weekly planner can allow enough time to revise for each exam. This study plan should be based on several factors:

• The actual details of the exam in terms of number, type, and length of questions;
• How much of the course content is being tested;
• How much each question is weighted;
• What percentage of your overall mark the exam is worth; and
• How many marks you already have from other course assessments.
• What strategies you are planning to use for your revision.

Revision Strategies

It’s important to match the studying techniques to the style of exam and question types that you know will be included.

Don’t forget to be realistic – you need to maximise the amount of time you devote to revising but at the same time allow yourself time for rest and relaxation.

(Adapted by the Positive Behaviour Team using materials from the Australian National University).

Berry Street Educational Model

Relationships are vital in our classrooms. It’s just that some of our young people have additional needs to be met before warm and respectful relationships can be fully realised. When we consider that as many as 40 per cent of our young people carry some form of traumatic experience, it becomes clear that all teachers should have an awareness of trauma-informed practices and take steps to turn their classrooms into healing, as well as learning spaces. Our professional practice day in late May focussed on Domain 2: Relationship from the Berry Street Education Model. Students work hardest for teachers they feel are there for them and want to be in a relationship with them. Berry Street gives us strategies to give positive, effort-based feedback.

We grow together.

Lisa Harkin – Deputy Principal – Head of Campus

Controversy around the “Tellonym” App

Tellonym lets you “answer anonymous questions and ask others the things you have never dared before.” People share their Tellonym link with others through social platforms like Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, and wait for friends to reply to questions anonymously. The platform is controversial because it is the perfect platform for cyber bulling., as bullying thrives wherever anonymity lives. Please read this article to learn more about the issues around this app/

Hands on Learning

The Hands on Learning students have been working on a variety of group and individual projects. Our Wednesday and Thursday group successfully completed their Time Out Teepee this week. The teepees are a safe, reflective space for students to go when they need some time to themselves and will be decorated and filled with self-care items. Students are also adding to a graffiti wall; the graffiti wall is a transient artwork that continuously is added to and changed. The Hands on Learning students have also built pallet wood chairs and are working on building a new table for the hands on shed where we will share meals together. Students are progressing well in the program with our focus being on developing team skills and self-regulation techniques.

Melissa Angius – Hands on Learning

Term 2 SIS Sport Report

It’s been a significant term on the sporting front with seven teams and approximately 125 students representing the Officer Campus in SIS weekly sport. Across the term, students have competed in:

• Intermediate and junior girls’ netball
• Intermediate and junior boys’ AFL
• Junior girls AFL
• Intermediate boys’ volleyball
• Intermediate girls’ soccer.

The term has been full of highlights for each of our teams. Most notably:

• The junior girls’ netball teams sit undefeated after three games;
• Despite being down to 16 players on the back of player injuries, the intermediate boys’ secured a deserving win over Nazareth;
• The junior girls football team won their first game of the season and continue to grow in both their skill, execution, and knowledge of the game;
• Our intermediate boys’ volleyball team secured a win to round out their season but were more than competitive in their other four fixtures;
• The intermediate girls’ netball team has shown a high level of development across their season to date with improving results coming from each game. So far they have secured two wins and been more than competitive in their other games;
• The junior boys football team showed great skill and team work to secure wins in their opening two fixtures;
• The intermediate girls’ soccer team continue to improve their structures and, as a by-product, their on-field performance. They have secured one win and two draws so far.

A huge thank you must go to the students who have represented the College in such exemplary fashion across our various sports. I’d also like to make mention of the staff who have volunteered their time to act as coaches. I know the students are very appreciative of the time and effort our staff put into making sure the teams get to compete each week.

Term three will again provide an opportunity for our students to represent the College on the sporting field with junior girls’ softball, junior boys’ netball, intermediate mixed touch rugby, intermediate boys’ soccer and intermediate girls AFL all being on the schedule. Information will be available for these sports in the coming weeks via the student bulletin. Until next time, stay active.

Darren Thomas – Sport and Recreation Coordinator

Drama and Theatresports – Macbeth

On 21 May 2019, a SIS Theatresports workshop was held in the new Music Dance Drama Building at the Officer Campus. Two professional improvisers from the Melbourne Improvisational Company generously came to our campus for the day and taught us valuable techniques to employ when using improvisation in SIS Theatre Sports. This was extremely beneficial, as it allowed us all to be taught primary skills that will help us enhance our performances.

It was an extremely enjoyable day with lots of laughs and teaching being done. Later, performers from the Complete Theatre Works Company came to the Officer Campus to perform the famous Shakespearian play Macbeth. Year 8 and 9 Drama classes are currently looking at Shakespearian Tragedy and are required to perform the last scene of Macbeth and interpret in our own way. The performance that we saw was excellent and has really inspired us on how we can implement Shakespeare and our own ideas into our performance that we’ll be performing later in the term. Everyone performing in Theatresports are ultra-excited and everyone currently studying Drama are also looking forward to the Macbeth Performance we will be performing late in the year.

Mitchell Rook, Year 8 Officer

Introducing the Student Executive Team – Officer Campus

Santoro Kep 

Interests: I have a passion for learning new things and challenging myself. I am specifically interested in all things related to Japan. I love the Japanese culture and language, and I believe we have much to learn from this culture. Regarding hobbies, in my free time I love playing games on my PC with friends. I also enjoy hanging out and having a good time. If I’m not home, I’m fishing with my family (Although, I have a love/hate relationship with fishing).

Ambitions: I’m hoping to learn so much more about Japan. One day I hope to travel to Japan and experience everything in person. This will be a true test for me as I will have the opportunity to put all I have learnt into practice. My future career aspiration is to be a teacher (preferably Japanese) or a police officer. I would like to build a career where I can help people and have an impact on their lives. I also plan to improve on my fishing skills as this requires lots of patience, a characteristic that will assist in many areas of my life. Lastly, in 2019 I will also strive to finally get a Student of the Term Award.

Involvement in St Francis Xavier College: Throughout my time at St Francis Xavier from Year 7 to 9, I have always been actively seeking new opportunities to better my community. This ranges from participating in House events, representing my house and performing in musical performances such as Cabaret night in Concert Band. In 2018, I was also elected by my peers to represent McKenna as SRC. This role has helped me develop several leadership skills that can transfer to many aspects of life. As an SRC member I was required to attend meetings, provide new innovative ideas as well as share these ideas with a wider audience at assembly.

Mary Wijewardene 

Interests: I love English and reading books, doing lots of different types of photography such as taking photos of nature and cooking different styles of food. I also love trying new things and going on new adventures with family and friends.

Ambitions: This year I would like to participate in extra curricula activities and get my gold star. After I finish high school I would love to take a gap year to travel the world. Then I would like to go to university and take a secondary and primary school course to do teaching in the future.

Involvement in St Francis Xavier College: In Year 7, I became Care Group Captain and participated in many extra curricula activities such as the junior play and debating. Then in Year 8 I became part of the SRC team where I help organize events and brought up different issues to change in our school. Now in Year 9, I got the great opportunity to be Campus Captain and I am looking forward to the year ahead.

­­World Refugee Day – 20 June 2019

June 20 is World Refugee Day, a day the world commemorates the strength, courage, and perseverance of millions of refugees. Held every year, World Refugee Day also marks a key moment for the public to show support for families forced to flee. This year’s theme You, Me, Or Those Who Came Before encourages us to consider the long running history of displaced people whom have been forced to seek refuge in Australia and to start a new life.

This week, students and staff members at the Officer Campus are asked to carry out one simple act to commemorate World Refugee Day. A simple act could include:

• Reading about a refugee experience;
• Learning to say welcome in another language;
• Talking to someone new at school and listen to their story;
• Sharing your refugee story (stories can be sent to abadcock@sfx.vic.edu.au and shared anonymously).

You may wish to share their simple act on social media, and by doing so, will help raise awareness for World Refugee Day #worldrefugeeday #simpleacts.

St Francis Xavier College acknowledges that all non-indigenous Australians are guests on this land. We welcome and respect all refugee background, migrant, and local families in our community.

Anna Badcock – Teaching Staff – Wellbeing (Multicultural)

LRC news

Throughout Term 2 the LRC has been lucky enough to host and contribute to the We Grow Together Tree which has been designed to support St Francis Xavier College’s theme for 2019. The tree represents the Officer Campus staff and student achievements. The LRC staff have witnessed the students positively interacting with the tree and recognising the importance each individual plays in contributing to the school community.

The LRC enjoyed recognising National Reconciliation Week by sharing artwork from the picture book, Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy. This picture book welcomes the reader to the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri People through its beautiful artwork. Below we see from left to right, Harry Nooteboom, Kieran Gallie and Jesse Cochran enjoying the display created by Ms Wallace.