Principal’s Message

Dear Parents, Students and Staff

Welcome back to school for Term 3.  I hope there was an opportunity for some quality family time, as well as time for rest and relaxation over the break.

One might have thought that the College would be a ghost town over the school holidays.  The truth is there was a serious amount of frenetic activity being undertaken whilst the students were absent.  The painters were in renovating part of the main corridors, the Technology staffroom was expanded and painted, the photography room was relocated, the props and stages were built for the upcoming production of Grease and the cast and crew were undertaking rehearsals in the second week.  So SFX was a hive of activity.

New staff

We returned with new staff members being added to the team. We welcome Jaye Corkeron as our new School Psychologist working with us for three days each week. Her role is to support staff, students and parents in assisting with personal learning plans and to maximise learning for students. We also welcome Monique Brouwer as our Communications and Marketing Officer. We look forward to utilising her knowledge and skills in raising the profile of SFX in the various forums that are necessary today.

Vale

The SFX community was saddened to hear of the death of ex-student, Bernie Armstrong, son of Anne (REC at SFX) and Peter.  Bernie was 24 years old and suffered from epilepsy for most of his life.  Bernie was well remembered by many of the staff as a young man with a curious mind, wonderful literary skills and a keen sense of humour.  “May eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”

Reports

Students received their Semester 1 reports recently, so I trust that the students have reflected on their results and made commitments to focus on making improvements for Semester 2.  It would be appropriate for students to discuss with their teacher what areas they could be focussing on to improve which is a positive demonstration of taking responsibility for their learning.  Setting goals and then holding themselves to account is a key strategy in a growth mindset.

Seeking Feedback

In relation to feedback, the Annual Satisfaction Surveys for parents, staff ad students will be distributed next week by email.  It might seem early in the year that this is being undertaken but it has been timed by Catholic Education at a time that might attract maximum responses.  I ask that you look in your inbox next Monday for the survey.  There will be opportunities to provide comments to the questions provided.  Students will complete the survey during an allocated time at school.

GREASE…is the word!

SFX is a busy school and I draw your attention to the calendar of events that is constantly updated on the website.  We are looking forward to the musical production of Grease in Week 5-6.  Tickets have been selling fast and can be purchased using the following link GreaseTickets

On Friday 9 August St Francis Xavier College is having a trivia night to raise money for our annual Pegasus scholarship. Pegasus is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides therapeutic horse-facilitated programs and activities for people with disabilities. If you would like more details about the night or to register a table, contact the Year 12 Coordinator Cathy Barry

With best wishes for a productive and enjoyable term ahead.

Paul Carroll

Principal