Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Term 3 - Week 5

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

Last Friday, 6 of our Grade Six students travelled to Ramlegh Park Primary School, to compete in the the Outer Eastern Regional 'Riley Rover' Competition. This group of students have been working really hard through their lunchtimes, writing code and designing robots that could tackle the various challenges that are presented to them at the competition.

S.F.X entered two teams, S.F.X1 comprising Sebastian K, Liam C and Jacob B and S.F.X2 made up of Kira B, Leo S and Josh D.

32 teams competed at the competition from schools all over Melbourne. S.F.X 1 finished the preliminary rounds in first place, ultimately finishing 3rd in the final. S.F.X2 also did an amazing job, finishing in 25th place.

They now continue to make tweaks and modifications to the code as they prepare for the State titles in early September. A big thank you to Mr Cameron for his leadership and support with the program, to Kevin Kissell for his help at the competition and to Rachel Shaw for driving the students.

School Reports

If you have tried to access your child's report in the last few weeks, you will have noticed that the Parent Portal on nForma is currently not working. This is due to an upgrade that had recently taken place on the platform. We hope to be able to provide families with the new log in steps early next week. Apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Camino

Last term, I mentioned that many of the principals in our Peninsula Network are going to travel to Spain during the last two weeks of Term Three. On this special pilgrimage, we will have the opportunity and the challenge of walking part of the Camino, also known as the St James Walk. During this time, we will be led by our spiritual director, Mr Ange Virgona. I look forward the opportunity to reflect on many things including:

What role does God and faith play in my life?
Who am I as a leader in a Catholic school?
How can I best serve and support my students, staff and families in a way that reflects my faith?

I will be chatting about this pilgrimage with the students prior to leaving for Spain on Sunday 3rd September

As I am taking a week of Long Service Leave before the trip, my last day at S.F.X this term will be Friday 25th August. For the 3 weeks that I am away, Marion O'Brien will assume the role as Acting Principal until I return at the beginning of Term Four. A big thank you in advance to Marion and our Leadership Team for managing the school in my absence.

Feast of the Assumption

Next Tuesday, 15th August is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary and the whole school will attend the 9:15am mass. May I respectfully ask for everyone's support in ensuring the children arrive at school on time, as Miss Kellie will be the only person in the office and unable to supervise late students or walk them down to the church.

Loving God

On this August 15, we gather to honour Mary's Assumption, a testament of faith and grace. May her example inspire us to embrace your love and follow your path. Bless our school community with unity and wisdom, as we strive to reflect Mary's devotion and kindness. Amen.

School Uniform

We have noticed that students are wearing a wide variety of long pants to school, which are not the correct colour or style for our uniform. All school uniform items are encouraged to be purchased through the uniform shop at school where possible. Trousers and Tracksuit Pants can be purchased from other stores, however they must be the same colour and style as the items we stock in our uniform shop. If you would like to purchase directly from school, trousers can be purchased for $40 and should be worn at all times except PE days. Tracksuit Pants can be purchased for $30 and should be worn on PE days.

Could you also remind your child that leggings are not part of the school uniform. Many students also need a reminder that runners can only be worn on days that the students have a Physical education lessons.

Thank you for your assistance with these requests.

Child Safety Standards

I just wanted to take a moment to reinforce to our school community that St Francis Xavier Primary School is committed to prioritising child safety through diligent efforts. Our Child Safety Team comprises Melissa Sotelo, Marion O'Brien and myself, and we meet regularly to monitor and update safety protocols and ensure a safe environment for students. S.F.X always encourages transparent communication channels between students, parents, and staff to report concerns promptly. Teachers continue to facilitate discussions with students about personal safety and respectful relationships. By fostering a culture of vigilance and care, the school strives to exceed child safety standards, fostering a secure and nurturing educational setting for all its young learners.

Upcoming School Events

The last half of Term Three is an extremely busy time! Please mark down the following events in your diaries;

Science Week Afternoon - Friday 18th August @ 2:00pm

Grade 6 Confirmation Family Night - Tuesday 22nd August @ 6:30pm

Grade 6 Basketball Competition - Friday 25th August (all day)

Grade 3-6 Field Athletics - Wednesday 30th August @ Ballam Park (9:30am - 1:00pm)

Father's Day Breakfast - Friday 1st September (7:30am - 8:30am)

Grade 5/6 Camp - Monday 4th September to Wednesday 6th September @ Sovereign Hill

Grandparent's Afternoon - Wednesday 13th September @ 2:00pm

Book Week Parade - Friday 15th September @ 9:00am

Last Day of Term Three - Friday 15th September (3:15pm dismissal)

Have a great weekend everyone.

Steve Peart

School Principal

Friends of SFX

Thank you to those who have volunteered to help at the Father's Day Breakfast.

We are still in need of a few more helpers to ensure this event goes ahead.