Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Final Issue 2024

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

Welcome to our final newsletter of the 2024 school year!

As we begin the beautiful season of Advent, we are invited to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. This sacred time calls us to pause, reflect, and embrace hope, peace, joy, and love. It is a season of waiting and watching, a time to draw closer to God and one another. Let us use these weeks to deepen our faith, serve others, and share the light of Christ in our community. May this Advent bring blessings and renewal to all.

As we approach the end of another wonderful year, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our incredible teaching staff, learning support officers, administration team, leadership team, and the many volunteers who have contributed so much to our school community. Your dedication, care, and unwavering commitment to our students have been truly inspiring. Together, you have created a nurturing and supportive environment that allows every child to thrive. Thank you for the countless ways you have enriched our school and made 2024 a remarkable year for all.

I would like to sincerely thank the members of the School Advisory Committee (SAC) for their energy and dedication in providing thoughtful input and support to the decision-making processes at our school. A special thank you goes to two members who will be leaving S.F.X. at the end of the year. To our Chairperson, Emilia Despotovski, your outstanding service over the past seven years has been deeply appreciated. Thank you for the leadership and wisdom you have brought to the SAC. And to Meghan Thomas, a driving force behind our ‘Friends of S.F.X.’ group for many years, thank you for the tremendous time and effort you’ve invested in organising activities that have created lasting memories for our students.

I also want to acknowledge our remaining SAC members—Shaunie Lee, Mel Kissell, Isabel Arenales, and Rose Pereira—for their valuable contributions this year. We would love to welcome one or two new members to the team in 2025, so if you are interested, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We are also very blessed to have Father Chinua as our Parish Priest. I thank him for the warm, gentle and loving way he leads us all in the development of faith.

Class Structure for 2024

Year Level	Teacher/Teachers
Prep	Ms Melanie Paton
Year 1/2 L	Ms Laura Jackson (3 days) +Ms Terri Burridge (2 days)
Year 1/2 T	Ms Tamara O'Connell
Year 3/4 B	Mr Brendan Adcock (4 days) and Ms Kim Ryan (1 day)
Year 3/4 D	Ms Debbie Terry
Year 5/6 L	Ms Lisa Johnson
Year 5/6 W	Mr William Smith
Specialist Teachers	Teacher
Visual Art	Ms Renee Verkerk
Italian	Ms Kelly Ruffell
P.E	Mr Brendan Adcock
Science/STEM	Ms Kim Ryan
FunFit (Term 1 only)	External Providers with SFX teacher support
Student Intervention/Extension/ESL Support	Teacher
	Ms Kim Ryan
Student Wellbeing Officer	Teacher
	Ms Renee Verkerk
Learning Support	Staff
Prep	Ms Michelle Graham and Ms Vanessa Williams
Year 1/2	Ms Jane Denning Ms Anto Maxell
Year 3/4	Ms Sue Hunter Ms Rebecca Spry
Year 5/6	Ms Karen Fensome Ms Yvette Underwood
School Leadership Team	Staff
Principal	Mr Steve Peart
Deputy Principal/ Religious Education Leader	Ms Marion O'Brien
Literacy Leader/ Wellbeing Leader	Ms Melissa Sotelo
Mathematics Leader/ Learning Diversity Leader	Ms Erin Walton
School Finance/Administration	Staff
	Ms Kellie Burke
	Ms Claire Francis-Pester

In 2025, we have engaged a company called FunFit to come in and take classes such as HulaFit, Zumba, Yoga, Circus Skills and Acrobalance for all students. This program will replace Performing Arts in our Specialist rotation for Term One.

Farewell to Staff

It is my sad task to inform families that some of our staff will be leaving us at the end of the year. Ms Vanessa Tavoletti, Ms Nicole Brodie and Ms Tara Campbell will all be taking up positions at other schools in 2025 . Vanessa, Nicole and Tara will be greatly missed and we send them off with our love and best wishes.

We will also bid a temporary farewell to Ms. Georgia, who will begin her maternity leave at the start of 2025. Georgia and her husband, Dan, are excitedly preparing to welcome their third child early next year. We extend our warmest wishes to them for this joyful and special occasion.

Farewell to Families

To the families who will be leaving us at the end of the year, thank you for everything that you have contributed to our school community over your time at the school.

Brookes Family	Despotovski Family	Ditterich Family
Kopczynski Family	Leahy Family	Lylak Family
Sony Family	Walls Family	Barnes Family
Froomes Family	Hobbs Family	Raissis Family
Ramos-Calderon Family	Ibrahim Family	Norris Family
Saji Family	Karumancheri Family

Welcome to New Staff

We are delighted to welcome Ms Debbie Terry and Ms Laura Jackson to the S.F.X staff in 2025. Debbie will join the Year 3/4 team and Laura will join the Year 1/2 team. We look forward to welcoming them into our wonderful school community.

Meet the Teacher Session

On Tuesday, 10th December, all S.F.X. students will meet their new teachers and classmates for the 2025 school year. At 12:00 pm, students will assemble with their new class groups and teachers for an introductory "get-to-know-you" session. Please note that the class lists for 2025 have now been finalised.

School Reports

School Reports will be available to be accessed by the middle of next week. An Audiri message will be sent to all families as soon as they are ready. Please keep an eye out for an email from nForma, which will walk you through the steps to download the student reports.

Christmas Carols

This year, we are excited to host a small Christmas Carols afternoon at school. The event will take place on Wednesday, 11th December, starting at 2:00 pm. Each class will perform a selection of Christmas carols for the school community. Students are encouraged to wear Christmas colors on this special day. Parents and family members are warmly invited to join us for what promises to be a festive and joyful celebration.

As we close out the year, I want to take a moment to recognise our amazing students, who are the heart and soul of our school. Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and unique personalities bring us so much joy and remind us daily why we do what we do. We are truly privileged to walk alongside them on their learning journey, and we deeply appreciate the trust you place in us to nurture and guide them.

We are also incredibly grateful for the unwavering support of our families. Your encouragement, involvement, and partnership mean the world to us and make a profound difference in our community.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas filled with peace and love, and a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year.

We can’t wait to welcome everyone back on Wednesday, 29th January, for the start of the 2025 school year!

Steve Peart

School Principal

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