Principal's Report

Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Term 4 - Week 1

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

Welcome back to Term Four - how amazing has the sunshine been over the past couple of days? I hope everyone enjoyed a restful break and is ready for the exciting final weeks of the school year. As we enter this busy term, filled with learning, celebrations, and milestones, we look forward to sharing in the growth and achievements of our students.

School Hats + Summer Uniform

By the beginning of next week; Monday 14th October, all students should be wearing their full summer uniform. Please also be reminded that as a SunSmart school, all children must wear their school hat when playing or working outside. Children who do not have their school hat at school or who choose not to wear them will be asked to sit in the shade during break times.

We also have a number of students who continue to wear the incorrect shoes to school. All students should be wearing  black shoes (all black) to school every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The only days students should wear their runners to school are on Thursdays for their Physical Education lessons and on any other days that teachers specifically request for them to be worn. Also, navy socks (no logos) should be worn with school shoes. White socks are only permitted on sports days. 

JPC Lightning Premiership

We wish our Grade 5/6 students all the best for their upcoming LightningPremiership day at John Paul College. Our Soccer, Netball and Newcombe teams will travel by bus to JPC , where we will play a full day of matches against other local Catholic Schools. We wish them all the very best for what is always an unbelievably fun day!

Body Education Sessions

This term we welcome Kelly Nash back to S.F.X to facilitate Body Educations with our students. Many of you attended evening workshops with your child/ren and Kelly last year and as they were so well received, we were very keen to work with her again this year. Kelly will be running sessions in all classrooms over the coming weeks. There will also be an online Parent Information Evening on October 15th.  Please read through the Body Education page in this newsletter for more detailed information. An Operoo form will also be shared with families.

Soccer Clinics

We are very lucky to have one of our amazing dads, Brendan Norris from the Baxter Soccer Club, volunteering time this term to run soccer clinics with all of our students. Each class will be involved in 2 x 40 minutes sessions of fun and games over the coming weeks. Students will be notified of the specific days and will be asked to wear their sports uniform on these days. Thanks again Brendan!

Work on Yuille St school boundary

Thank you for your continued patience while the road work on Yuille St continues. While the increased traffic can be frustrating, we are very fortunate that significant work on our Yuille St boundary is being undertaken as part of these works. This includes brand new retaining walls and mulched garden beds for the school, footpath widening from Park St to Davey St, new bus stops on both sides of Davey St and importantly,  new traffic lights at the Davey St/Yuille St intersection.  It is expected that the work should be completed around the end of the year. 

Welcome

A big S.F.X welcome to Ester in Grade 1/2N and her family, who started here with us at the beginning of the week. 

School Closure Day

There is a school closure day scheduled for Monday 4th November, which is the day before the Melbourne Cup public holiday. This will be the only school closure date in Term Four.

Key Dates - Term Four

Please mark the following important dates into your diaries. 

Tuesday 15th October             Grade 5/6 Lightning Premiership @ John Paul College

Wednesday 23rd October       Prep/1/2 Excursion to the Cranbourne Botanical Gardens

Tuesday 29th October             Assembly @ 2:30pm. Grade 5/6WG presenting

Monday 4th November           SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Tuesday 5th November           MELBOURNE CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Wednesday 6th November     Grade 3-6 Students @ PARC for Water Safety training 

Sunday 10th November          Grade 6 - Sacrament of Confirmation 

Tuesday 12th November         Assembly @ 2:30pm. Student groups/clubs presenting

Saturday 16th November        Whole School Mass @ 6:00pm

Monday 18th November          Italian Day  

Friday 22nd November             School Cross Country Races (all students) 9:00am start

Tuesday 3rd December             St Francis Xavier Feast Day

                                                          Final Assembly + Student Awards @ 2:15pm

Tuesday 10th December          Year 7, 2025 Transition Days

                                                          Students meet their 2025 teacher and classmates

Wednesday 11th December   Christmas Carols Afternoon. 2:00pm - 3:15pm

                                                           School Reports available for Parents/Carers to access

Monday 16th December           Grade 6 Big Day out 

                                                           Grade 6 Graduation Evening

Tuesday 17th December           End of Year Mass @ 1:45pm in the S.F.X Church

Tuesday 17th December           Last Day of School for all students. 3:15pm finish. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Steve Peart

School Principal