From the Principal – 17 June 2025

Dear parents and friends,

As we approach the final weeks of Term 2 I wish to extend my very best wishes to all students as they compete their examinations and finalise their assessments and projects. Our classrooms, workshops, studios, laboratories, and sports fields are being very well utilised by enthusiastic engaged learners who are a great source of pride to their teachers, themselves and to you.

We believe that effective learning for all students between Year 7-12 is achieved with a complementary focus on personal wellbeing. Last week the Senior pastoral team developed Senior Wellbeing morning prior to the beginning of senior examinations which included a range of curated wellbeing activities which were very well received by our senior students. The College received media attention again this year and you can read the Catholic Voice article at Taking time to breathe: SFX prioritises student wellbeing during exam season.

As you know our student leaders choose a number of College charities for which they raise money during the school year. These activities include bake sales, lolly jar guessing competitions, sports competitions and the like. I was delighted to hear that Year 7 showed great leadership recently and ran a Jersey Day during which they raised $1900. This was a great achievement for our Year 7s and augers well for their leadership and confidence as a Year group. Well done Year 7!

Our Year 7, 2026 enrolment enquiries continue to be extremely healthy and reflect community confidence in the College, our junior school learning agenda, and an outstanding teaching Faculty. I am also delighted by the number of events and activities that our Year 10 students have been offered this term by our teaching faculty to prepare them for Year 11 in 2026 at the College. On Thursday evening Year 10 students and their parents will join senior staff for course counselling sessions designed to provide them with expert advice about course selection in our senior school. This event too exemplifies the confidence of our Senior School and St Francis Xavier as an outstanding Catholic post-secondary pathway in Belconnen.

You will receive Semester 1 reports at the end of Week 20 and Dylan Fox, Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning (acting) will write to you with explanatory information to accompany these. Last year, I reinstituted our Semester 1, Awards Ceremony as an opportunity to honour the academic and community leadership and endeavour of students and received very positive feedback from staff parents and students and the ceremony will occur again this year early next term.

Thank you most sincerely for the wonderful support you give to our boys and girls in their academic and extracurricular endeavours. It is a joy to me that St Francis Xavier College has such invested and supportive parents, and I wish each of you and your families my very best wishes for the weeks ahead and for a restful mid semester break.

Your sincerely

Sandra Darley

College Principal