Pastoral Care at SFX
The curriculum at St Francis Xavier College is a reflection of the most modern and beneficial research and study into educational trends and positive outcomes for students. Core to the curriculum is the Pastoral Care Program that occurs once a week for students across the 3 levels of school from Year 7 to Year 12.
Pastoral care structure and personnel
Each student belongs to a Pastoral Group, led by a Pastoral Leader, which meets daily for general administration, roll call and prayer. The groups are house based. Year Coordinators oversee the Pastoral Groups for each of the year groups.
The Assistant Principal of Student Well-being works with the Year Coordinators and College counsellors to support student wellbeing. The College Pastoral Associate is an essential link in the Pastoral Care team, with involvement in student leadership, family outreach, and student and parent support.
The College’s Pastoral Care program has been developed:
- To meet the needs of adolescent students.
- To focus on our mission of assisting students to grow towards God in the context of others (family, Church and society).
- To promote the values and attitudes which are essential to the College (truth, honesty, respect, tolerance, forgiveness, compassion and hope).
The weekly program may consist of a College or year group assembly or College activity (Community Day, SFX Day, Sports Carnival). There are also extended sessions conducted in Pastoral Groups under the leadership of the Pastoral Leader, focusing on the pastoral care themes for that year’s group. These sessions may consist of input from a guest speaker, a video with follow-up discussion, a theatre performance or presentation, or a small group discussion within the Pastoral Group on issues of relevance.
The program deals with issues such as:
- Resilience
- Social engagement
- Health and active lifestyles
- Safe behaviours
- Careers and future goals
Pastoral care and house system
Each student belongs to a small Pastoral Care Group which meets daily and enables students to receive and extend the care and support necessary in a large and busy community. Each school day begins with Pastoral, when students, meet their Pastoral Leader for prayer, roll call, information sharing and discussion. Pastoral groups consist of about 20 students from the same year group and House. Pastoral groups also meet regularly for an extended Personal Development and Christian Values program.
Houses of SFX
Our community is split into five Houses, each student and staff member belong to one of the Houses.
House activities include celebrations, competitions, Community Day and athletics carnivals. The House activities create a sense of belonging, community and create strong bonds across Year groups. The House Points system rewards students for positive contributions to the daily life of the College. The House Spirit Cup is awarded annually to the House displaying positive community spirit across a range of areas.
