Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Term 3 - Week 4

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

100 Days of Prep

Congratulations to our wonderful Prep class on reaching their first 100 days of school! While this year's cohort may be smaller than usual, they continue to achieve great things every day. Over the past 100 days, they have embraced new learning, built friendships, developed confidence, and shown tremendous enthusiasm for school life. Last Friday, they celebrated this exciting milestone by dressing up as superheroes and enjoying a fantastic day of special activities in their classroom. They were also proudly introduced to the whole school community at our assembly, where they were recognised for this significant achievement. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of our Prep students and look forward to seeing them continue to grow and shine throughout the rest of the year.

Prep-2 Swimming Program

Our annual Prep-2 swimming program will commence shortly, and we ask all families to please complete the permission form on nForma as soon as possible to allow your child to participate. There is also a Swimming Survey from PARC that needs to be completed by all families asap.

Swimming and water safety are an important part of the Australian Curriculum and are strongly promoted by governments and water safety organisations across Australia. As a nation surrounded by water, and being so lucky to live in a beachside area like we do, developing confidence and competence in and around aquatic environments is an essential life skill for every child.

Participation in the swimming program is an expectation for all students unless there is a medical reason preventing attendance. Thank you for completing the nForma consent promptly to ensure we can finalise arrangements for this valuable learning opportunity.

2027 Planning

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

School Closure Day tomorrow

A reminder to all families that tomorrow, Friday 7 August, is a scheduled School Closure Day at S.F.X. On this day, our staff will be participating in professional learning with educational consultant Phillip Coloco, further developing our understanding of the Science of Learning and strengthening our knowledge of effective, explicit teaching strategies. This professional learning is an important investment in ensuring we continue to provide high-quality teaching and learning experiences for all students. We thank our families for their support and understanding and look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday.

Loving God, You call us to recognise the treasure of Your presence in our lives. Help us to reveal that treasure in the way we teach, lead and serve each day. May our words and actions reflect patience, compassion and hope. Guide us to see every interaction as an opportunity to make Christ visible. Renew our sense of purpose when routine and busyness take hold. Give us courage to choose kindness over convenience and purpose over complacency. Strengthen us to build a community where every person feels valued and supported. May we bring our best selves to the mission entrusted to us.

Walk with us, as we shape lives through Your love.

Amen.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Steve Peart

School Principal

Community

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