Diary Dates:

TERM 2

26Apr6:

Professional Learning Day

No students

27Apr16:

Students return for Term 2 —

winter uniform

ANZAC Day Ceremony

27Apr—29Apr16:

Year 12 Retreat

27Apr—9May16:

Year 12 Retreat

PAT-M Testing, Yrs 7-10

29Apr16:

Year 12 Retreat

SRC BBQ lunch

NSWCCC Swimming, Home-

bush

3May16:

PDSSSC Cross Country

10May16:

Yr 8 Information Night

10May16:

NAPLAN testing (Writing)

Yrs 7 & 9

11May16:

NAPLAN testing (Reading)

Yrs 7 & 9

12May16:

NAPLAN testing (Numeracy)

Yrs 7 & 9

13May16:

NAPLAN testing—Catch up day

3Jun16:

P&F Trivia Night—

Fundraiser for

Matthew Mallows

Penrith Panthers

From the Principal 8th April 2016

Postal Address:

PO Box 98 CRANEBROOK NSW 2749

Address:

Ninth Avenue LLANDILO NSW 2747

Phone: 02 4777 0900

Fax: 02 4777 0930

Web:

www.xavierllandilo@parra.catholic.edu.au

E-mail: xavier@parra.catholic.edu.au

Volume 18, Issue 4

The Companion

Two thousand years ago Jesus told this story: “There was a rich man, Dives,

who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously each

day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores who

longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table. …. The

poor man died and was carried by angels to be with Abraham. The rich man

died and was buried in Hades.” Luke 16:19-21.

This story of Lazarus and Dives distresses us as it has every generation since

Jesus told it. Dives did not do anything to harm Lazarus nor did he order him

to be moved on. Dives did not hurt Lazarus, the community had already done

that; simply, the rich man was completely indifferent to the beggar.

Martin Luther King Junior made the following comment on Jesus’ story:

“Dives did not go to hell because he was rich. Dives went to hell because he

passed by Lazarus every day and never really saw him. He went to hell

because he allowed Lazarus to become invisible.” Jesus’ story tells us that

indifference becomes immoral when we ignore or neglect the sufferings of

others when we are in a position to help or eliminate the cause of the suffering.

Having faith and looking after ourselves is not enough. We are called to be

active in our charity and compassion, to love one another, to take care of one

another, to comfort one another. Jesus’ story of Dives and Lazarus is

encouraging us not to be indifferent to the needs of others and not to turn our

heads and pretend not to see.

At Xavier we reject indifference at all levels. During this term we set a record

for Project Compassion, set a record with our fund raising for Matthew

Mallows (thanks to the initiative of Year 9), raised over $2000 for the World

Youth Day Mission in the Philippines, assisted on the Vinnies Van, taught

religion in state schools and assisted members of the public on so many

occasions.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our blessing of the Llandilo site, it’s

timely to thank all those pioneers, under the guidance of Mrs Maidens, who

have made Xavier the great College it is today.

Finally, our Parent & Friends Committee are organizing

a Trivia Night to be held at Panthers on Friday 3rd

June to raise much needed funds to help Matthew

Mallows. More details will be provided next term.

For the greater good

Mr Michael Pate Principal

From the Director of Mission and Formation

On Thursday, April 7th, the College celebrated the birthday of our College

Patron, Saint Francis Xavier. He was born in 1506. It was also the anniversary of

the official blessing and opening of Xavier College in 2006.

To celebrate, each student in Tutor Group received a Year of Mercy Prayer Card

with a prayer on the back written for them by their Tutor Group Teacher. I would

also like to share with you a prayer that was prayed in Tutor Group on

Wednesday:

Dear God,

In this Year of Mercy may we be mindful of the

great works of our Patron, Saint Francis Xavier.

Page 2 The Companion

From the Assistant Principal

As we conclude our first term it is always important to reflect on the goals

which we have set for our community.

We hope to build a learning community which is Christ-centred, that

practises forgiveness, and is understanding and actively accepting of

others.

We are committed to making our school a centre of learning and

excellence which provides opportunities for its community of learners.

We encourage students to be comfortable with using technology so as to

enhance their learning.

We foster in our students a strong belief in themselves as well as the

ability to think logically, critically, creatively and independently.

We encourage staff, students and parents to work collaboratively and to

shape the vision and hopes which we all share.

Several Very Important Thank You’s…

To parents and students for completing the QCS Surveys.

To the many students who returned lost equipment, money and

belongings simply because it is the right thing to do.

To staff for giving so much of their time at home to planning and prepare

engaging learning activities for our students

To everyone who has supported Matthew and the Mallows family during

this challenging time.

To our parents and caregivers for choosing Xavier College for your

children.

Thank you for your continued support

Patrick Finnerty

From the Director of Learning and Pedagogy

Volume 18, Issue 4 Page 3

The end of Term One! What a massive term of learning and engagement.

This term:

We commenced our Year 9 Mentor Programme. A programme designed

to raise the value of learning with our Year 9 students through small

group mentor meetings. The focus of our first meetings was preparing for

NAPLAN and the connection between Literacy and Numeracy skills, and

success in the HSC, and beyond.

Year 12 completed their second HSC assessments and received their Mid-

course Report, which, for many, reflected their commitment to meeting

their own and their teachers’ high expectations, and their many hours of

study.

We conducted the first of our Parent-Teacher-Student conferences. It was

a delight to see so many of you, the parents of our senior students, taking

“Exceed your expectations”

Xavir College Llandilo

Know Your Saints Competition

To mark Good Shepherd Sunday on 17 April 2016, the Diocese of Parramatta is sponsoring a Know Your Saints Competition featuring the lives of ten inspirational Saints. To enter the competition, read the biographical information and correctly answer a question about the Saint at:

http://parracatholic.org/vocationscompetition2016/ The competition is open to all students in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Parramatta. The competition closes at 5pm on Friday 29 April 2016.

Francis Xavier was known to perform the corporal works of mercy

such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the

naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting those in prison, comforting

the sick and burying the dead.

The following is a variation of the Novena prayer, a prayer which has been

passed down through the ages:

“Most amiable and most loving Saint Francis Xavier, in union

with you, we reverently adore the Divine Majesty. I rejoice

exceedingly on account of the marvellous gifts which God

bestowed upon you. I thank God for the special graces He gave

you during your life on earth, and for the great glory that came to

you after your death. I implore you to obtain for me, through thy

powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings—that of living

and dying in the state of grace.”

The legacy of Saint Francis Xavier is alive and well at Xavier College!

Kellie Robinson

Xavier College

Uniform Shop Ph: 4777 4068

Extended trading hours

winter uniform supplies

Tues 26Apr 8am-4pm

Wed 27Apr 8am-4pm

Thur 28Apr 8am-4pm

Tues 3May 8am-4pm

Thur 5May 8am-4pm

Normal trading hours

Thursdays

8am-4pm

Resume from 12 May 16

St Mary MacKillop

Primary School

Allan G Ezzy Pemulwuy Community Centre Pumulwuy Market Place, Butu Wargun Rd, Pemulwuy

Wednesday 20th April 2016

10:00am – 12:00pm, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

RSVP by 18th April 2016

Information Session Getting ready for the National Disability Insurance

Scheme, commencing on 1 July 2016

the opportunity to discuss your child’s learning with their

teachers. This process is a valuable component of the

responsibility we share in ensuring all students learn.

We introduced extended senior study. It has been rewarding to

see so many of our Year 12, and other, students taking advantage

of the extended library hours to complete learning preparation

and revise the class work.

We introduced Parent Information Forums. So far we have

presented on assessment and learning for Year 11, 10 and 9. The

Year 7 parents and students took advantage of the opportunity of

the Year 7 Meet and Greet evening. Next term will be a Year 8

Information Evening, which will focus on Learning at school and

home.

Year 7 – 10 completed the first of the PAT-Reading assessments.

This assessment is designed to test each student’s literal and

inferential comprehension skills. The data from this test is

currently being analysed by our data analyst and we are

designing an effective way to report the results to parents.

Students will re-sit this test in Term 4 and the second results will

be measured against the first to assess growth and inform areas

for improvement in learning and teaching. At the beginning of

Term 2, Year 7 – 10 students will complete PAT – Mathematics.

We enjoyed our annual Maths Week and the first of our Religion

Week activities. There will be a focus week for each subject. The

activities created and engaged in during this weeks are a

testament to our commitment to the Joy of Learning.

Finally, I acknowledge daily learning that takes place in the

classroom and commitment of the Xavier teaching staff to ensuring

every student exceeds their own expectations.

Many blessings,

Alyssa Roach