Principal's Report

Dear St Francis Xavier's Parents and Carers,

Kindergarten Transition Graduation

On Friday 30th October, we celebrated the graduation of our Kindergarten Transition students. It was wonderful to welcome in the families of these students for entertainment provided by the students and then conclude with a graduation ceremony. A special thanks must go to teachers Kym Capp, Sonja Leitch, Maree Nott and Megan Purcell and Monique Houguet as well as their support staff for their preparation and smooth-running of this year’s Kindergarten Transition Program.

Excursions

What an adventure our Year 6 students and supervising staff had in Canberra! It’s always a wonderful opportunity to visit our nation’s capital and participate in some unique activities. From all reports (and the look on the tired faces), everyone made the most of their time away. Some highlights were the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian War Memorial, swimming pool and the Trivia Night!

I wish to thank Emily Quirk, Alex Conroy, Mark Rottger and Karlee Hatton for volunteering to travel away and take on this enormous responsibility.  

Socktober

Socktober is the flagship school-based fundraising and education initiative run by Catholic Mission in Australia. This fun and crazy day is held annually during World Mission Month in October, and every dollar raised goes to help support children and families in Malawi.

Special thank you to our families who donated baked goods to sell at our school bake sale. Not only did we eat delicious treats at recess and lunch, but we also got to dress up with our crazy hair and socks…all whilst raising over $700. What an achievement!

Wii Gaay

Our Wii Gaay students and Miss Maddy recently gathered for an inspiring week-long Learning Hub on Darkinjung Country at Tuggerah Lakes. “Wii Gaay" translates to "clever child" in Gamilaraay. This initiative was jointly initiated years ago (originally launched in partnership with the University of New England) and has been running for over two decades across the Armidale Diocese.

Activities included a smoking ceremony, acknowledgement of country, culture circles, visiting rock formations, basket weaving and so much more. Thank you to Miss Maddy for always supporting and ensuring our students have the best cultural experiences possible.

St Francis Xavier’s Parish Christmas Carols and Nativity Pageant

St Francis Xavier Parish will be hosting Christmas Carols and a Nativity Pageant on Sunday 6th December from 5.30pm under the school COLA. There will be a free sausage sizzle beforehand, followed by Christmas Carols, a nativity pageant and a visit from Santa!

The Parish is seeking expressions of interest from families and children who would like to attend this relaxing evening and also be a part of the nativity pageant. They are asking for children to volunteer as Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and the three wise men. The children will not be required to memorise lines or attend lengthy rehearsals. 

A note with further details will be sent out in the upcoming week.

Annual School Band Concert

An exciting event on our school calendar is our annual School Band Concert, taking place on Thursday 3rd December at 6.00pm under the COLA. Our school community are invited to join us for a wonderful evening of music as our talented students showcase their hard work and progress throughout the year!

No Lollies Please

Over the last few weeks we have noticed that students are bringing lollies etc. to school.  Please be reminded that lollies, chewing gum, soft drinks, energy drinks etc. are not permitted at school.  We appreciate your cooperation.

May God bless you,

Mrs Michelle O’Connor

Principal