Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Term 3 - Week 4

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

Tomorrow, we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast reminds us of the special belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to Heaven, body and soul, to be with God forever. It is one of the Church’s Holy Days of Obligation, which means Catholics are called to attend Mass to honour Mary and thank God for her life and example. On Friday, our whole school will attend Mass at 9:15am in the St Francis Xavier Church, and families are warmly invited to join us.

Mary, Mother of Jesus, today we thank you for saying “yes” to God.

Help us to love Jesus as you did, and to always try our best to follow Him.

Amen.

Jubilee Year of Unity and Hope Mass + Farewell to Father Chinua

We warmly invite all families to join us on Sunday 24th August at 10:00am at St John’s Church for a very special Jubilee Year Celebration Mass. This will also be our opportunity to farewell Father Chinua before he moves to his new parish. Father Chinua has been such a treasured part of our school and parish family, and this Mass will be a beautiful way to thank him for his kindness, warmth, and the joy he has brought to our community.

Our S.F.X students have been invited to join the choir and sing one of the Communion hymns. If your child would like to be involved, please let Miss Marion know as soon as possible.

After Mass, the celebrations will continue in the St John's Hall with traditional food, singing, and dancing from a wonderful mix of cultures. We would love to see as many families as possible come together for this special day of faith, community, and gratitude.

RoboCup Challenge

Tomorrow, we are proud to have seven of our Grade 4 and 5 students – William M, Otis P, Sam K, Daniel E, Ema N-A, Esha M and Kevin C – travelling to Clyde to represent our school in the South-East Regional RoboCup competition. RoboCup challenges students to design, build, and program robots to complete a range of tasks, requiring creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. These students have given up a great deal of their own time to perfect their robots and ensure they are competition-ready. We sincerely thank Mr Cameron for his guidance and leadership in supporting them on this journey, and we look forward to sharing photos and celebrating their achievements in our next newsletter.

Basketball Clinics

Over the next three weeks, we are fortunate to have Liam Ingram and Kyle Gupton from the Westernport Steelers Men’s team working with all of our classes. The first sessions took place yesterday, with more to follow on the next two Wednesdays. The students certainly seemed to have a ball! Liam and Kyle signed many autographs and spent extra time during recess and lunchtime engaging with the students and helping them develop their skills.

Through these sessions, we hope to inspire more students to get involved in sport outside of school, as participation can boost physical fitness, build teamwork skills, develop confidence, and foster a sense of belonging in the community. Having top-level players like Liam and Kyle join us is a wonderful way to spark enthusiasm and show our students what can be achieved with dedication and passion.

Upcoming School Closure Day - Friday 5th September

Friday 5th September is a school closure day at S.F.X. On this day, our staff will work with staff from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to complete the 'Team Teach' training.

Team Teach is a specific program MACS utilises to help staff manage challenging behaviors and create safer environments. Team Teach training has been shown to reduce behaviour incidents, increase staff confidence, improve students' emotional regulation, and foster a positive behavior culture in schools.

Australian Catholic Education Conference

Next week, I will be travelling to Cairns with many other Catholic school principals to attend the Australian Catholic Education Conference. This event brings together school leaders from across the country to share ideas, explore current research, and discuss innovative approaches that can strengthen learning and wellbeing in our schools. It is a valuable opportunity to be inspired by new thinking and to bring back fresh ideas that can benefit our students, staff, and wider community. While I am away, Miss Erin will be in charge of the school and will be available to assist with any matters that arise.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Steve Peart

School Principal

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