Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Term 1 - Week 5

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

Whole School Mass and Morning Prayer Time

It was so fantastic to see so many parents, grandparents and family members join us yesterday for both our Beginning of the School Year Mass, as well as our school-wide morning prayer. Gathering together at opportunities such as these are so important for our Catholic community, so a sincere thank you to all the families who found time to join with us throughout the day.

Could I please remind everyone that you are welcome to come into your child's classroom to join them in prayer every Wednesday morning at 8:45am. Prayer will usually last between 5 and 10 minutes.

Kaboom Sports and Welcome Picnic

We are all looking forward to tomorrow night's Kaboom Sports and Welcome Picnic here at school. The evening will run from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.

Kaboom Sports will be the main focus for the first hour, with all students engaging in the activities and parents finding a spare space to sit, watch, eat and chat. We were fortunate to have Luke and the team from Kaboom Sports here at school last year to run a 'mini-olympics' day, which the students absolutely loved. I am sure that tomorrow evening's event will be just as much fun.

As mentioned in the Skoolbag alert which was sent out yesterday, there will be a Market Stall taking place in the Red Centre for the duration of the evening. Please make sure you take a moment to pop in and chat with some of our families who have small businesses which they would like to showcase.

The evening is BYO, so please feel free to bring your own dinner, snacks and drinks. I need to remind all families that due to Child Safety regulations, this is an Alcohol-Free event.

Icy Poles will be on sale for $0.50. Students can wear free dress to school, however they need to have runners on to be able to participate in the sports.

It is also important to mention that students cannot be dropped at the Welcome Picnic and left alone. This is a family event and all students (and siblings) must have parental supervision at all times while on the school grounds.

Finally, can I ask that no soccer balls, footballs or basketballs are brought to the picnic. It is a 'ball sports-free' evening!

Student Progress Meetings

Student Progress Meetings will look slightly different at S.F.X this year compared to previous years. We will now be running these meetings towards the end of Term One, as well as towards the end of Term Three. Written reports will be sent out in the last week of Term Two.

This term, Student Progress Meetings will be held on Tuesday 21st March and Thursday 23rd March, from 3:30pm to 6:00pm.

The days are slightly different for both the Prep class and Grade 5 class.

Prep - Wednesday 22nd March + Thursday 23rd March

Grade 5 - Wednesday 15th March+ Thursday 23rd March

Information on how to book your appointment will be sent home early next week.

Just a reminder that if you attend a PSG meeting for your child beforehand, then you do not make another appointment for a Student Progrees meeting.

New Basketball/Netball Towers

I am pleased to say that finally, our new basketball/netball towers have been installed. The old towers served us very well - working back through photos I believe they would have been close to 20 years old. That being said, they were well-overdue for replacement.

The basketball court has obviously been a very busy place this week. It is wonderful to watch so many students using the new equipment while having fun and keeping fit at the same time!

Social and Fundraising for 2023

We are looking to meet with people who are interested in suggesting, supporting or running social and fundraising events in 2023. If you would like to come along to a meeting to hear what’s planned, suggest an event or volunteer to help with or to run something at school, we would be delighted to welcome you. Please pop into the Red Centre during the picnic tomorrow evening, where the Friends of S.F.X team will have a table set up. They would love to meet with as many new parents as possible. Alternatively, you can email me to express your interest and we will organise a time to gather together with existing members of our Friends of S.F.X group for a chat. I look forward to hearing from any interested parents. My email address is steve.p@sfxfrankston.catholic.edu.au.

Child Safety Standards

St Francis Xavier is committed to providing and promoting a child-safe environment for all students to ensure learning is maintained to an optimal level. To assist us in ensuring the highest possible standards are always met, a set of seven Child Safety Standards has guided and informed our practices since 2017. From 1 July, 2022 a new set of eleven National Child Safety Standards were introduced.

The Child Safety Team at St Francis Xavier comprises of Melissa Sotelo (Child Safety Leader), Marion O'Brien and myself. It is our role to ensure that the school is compliant with all of the requirements linked to each Child Safety Standard and that S.F.X is a child-safe environment for every student in our care.

In short, these new standards build on the current practices and are responsive to the current climate around Child Safety Standards, the four key changes include:

● To involve families and communities in organisations efforts to keep children safe

● For a greater focus on safety for Aboriginal children and young people

● To manage the risk of child abuse in online environments

● In relation to governance, systems, and process to keep children and young people safe.

School Closure Day

One final reminder that Friday 10th March is a school closure day at St Francis Xavier Primary School. The staff will spend the day working through School Improvement Framework tasks, in preparation for our School Review which is taking place in Term Four this year. Please make sure you organise supervision for your child on this day.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

Steve Peart

School Principal

St Francis Xavier Kids Choir

St Francis Xavier

Kids Choir