Beaconsfield Campus – 13 February 2020

Head of Campus Report

Be the Hands and Heart of God

Welcome to 2020. As we embark on a new year, we invite our College community to Be the Hands and Heart of God. At the staff commencement mass, before the Gospel, we were invited to do the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips, heart and our hand. When I heard this, I immediately thought this is my prayer for 2020. It is a reminder that every day through our thoughts, words, heart and hands we have impact. I invite all members of our community to call upon Jesus to be in our mind, words, heart and hands as we journey through 2020. 

There was great excitement last week as students returned to school. I wish to commend our students for entering into their studies and school programs over the last two weeks with positivity and great energy. Positive Learning Partnerships has been evident, and I look forward to a year where our students are able to flourish and experience success. 

This year at the Beaconsfield campus our three key priorities we will be looking to deepen relationships to promote learning, working to ensure our College-wide expectations are enacted consistently by all members of the community, and looking to embed a culture of collaboration.

I look forward to leading our Beaconsfield community and enabling our students to thrive in 2020.

Traffic Management at the Beaconsfield Campus

Over the past year, the College has made major enhancements to the traffic management of the Beaconsfield Campus. These include:

• Drop off and Pick Up Zones both within and outside of the Campus
• Separation of the Bus and Car Zones
• With support of the Local Council – Installation of a crossing outside of the Campus
• More parking for visitors to the Campus

Other Drop Off Areas

Beaconsfield Baptist Church:

The College has an informal arrangement with the Church to use their car park as a pick up and drop off zone and for licenced Year 12 students to park their cars during the day. The Church is happy for this arrangement to continue but accessing this car park is at the owner’s own risk. We thank the Beaconsfield Baptist Church for the generosity in allowing College families to use their facility.

We would like to remind parents and guardians of a few safety issues when dropping off or picking up their children at the College:

• The speed limit in the College car park is 5km, walking pace
• Please do not pick up or drop off children in the Non-Standing Zones in the bus bay, at the front of the College, or in front of College entry of exit driveways.
• Students should be crossing Beaconsfield Avenue at the school crossing
• Until lights are installed on Princess Hwy, please do not drop off children on the far side of Princess Hwy requiring them to cross a very busy road. Traffic lights have been approved for the intersection of Princess Hwy and Beaconsfield Ave, but they will not be installed for at least another 12 Months.
• Note that Police and Local Laws Officers regularly patrol the Campus.

Beaconsfield Fast Fuel

Parents are reminded that picking up students from Beaconsfield Fast Fuel that is across the road from the Beaconsfield Campus is not allowed by the management of the service centre. This is unsafe and the management is concerned about the OH&S risks to students and their customers. Parking at Beaconsfield Fast Fuel is restricted to their paying customers. The management of Beaconsfield Fast Fuel has alerted local council officials and the police of this practice. 

Visitor Parking

Parents visiting the Beaconsfield campus for meetings with school staff are now able to park in the area directly opposite the College Hospitality Centre. Please note however that these parks are not to be used for dropping off or picking up of students. Parking on the opposite side of this area is reserved for College Vehicles.

Student Leadership Day

Last week, our Year 9 to 12 student leaders gathered at Bunjil Place to explore what it means to be a leader, and how they will promote and enact Positive Learning Partnerships and the College theme in 2020. Students were led through an appreciative inquiry to devise their 2020 vision for their area of leadership and to create a model that represented their vision. There was deep collaboration that occurred amongst all students across all the year levels, and the presentations at the end of the day showcased the depth of thought and consideration that students had achieved throughout the process.

College and Vice-College Captains – Our Vision for 2020

College Captains: Taylah Worland and Zac McMenamin
College Vice Captains: Josie Bennett and Mitchell Dorling

We chose to represent our vision for 2020 as a bridge. 

The river and creatures that lurk in it represent our fears and challenges that we will find ourselves facing this year. They are different for everyone, but the bridge and people we cross it with will help us to rise above and overcome them.

Four pillars hold the bridge up and keep us held strong and high up from the river. Each pillar represents an outstanding value of our College for 2020, including the three Positive Learning Partnership values and this year’s College theme, ‘Be the Hands and Heart of God’. We want these values to be the foundation and the support for everyone’s journey through this year.

Ladders on each side are the crossing points between where we’ve been, the bridge, and where we want to go. We all come from different experiences, we all have different goals for our future.

But our main focus for this year is on the bridge itself. The main structure of the bridge represents our voyage, and it is one that we as a College community will walk together. The colours used to build it are a symbol of the experiences we will come across, which will be different for everyone, but hopefully filled with joyous moments that will shape who we are in 2020 and beyond.

Student News

Congratulations to Keeley Burgmann, who has been selected to be the Team Assistant Coach for the School Sport Victoria Under 15 Girls Netball Team.

For Year 12 students applying for medicine 2020

The UCAT Seminar: How to Ace UCAT held in the Melbourne City Convention Centre

on Saturday 15 February 2020.

Limited spots available – students can register here to secure a spot. 

Child Protection

At St Francis Xavier College, we have zero tolerance for child abuse and we are committed to acting in children’s best interests and keeping them safe from harm. The College regards its child protection responsibilities with the utmost importance and as such, is committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure compliance with all relevant child protection laws and regulations and maintain a child safe culture. We aim to create a child safe and child friendly environment where students feel safe and are free to enjoy life to the full without any concern for their safety.

St Francis Xavier commits to providing a safe and nurturing culture for all children and young people through:

1. Upholding the primacy of the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
2. Empowering families, children, young people and staff to have a voice and raise concerns.
3. Implementing rigorous risk-management and employment practices.

Our Child Protection Officers can assist you with any questions that you may have about our Child Protection program. If you have any further questions about our Child Protection Program, please do not hesitate to contact one of our Child Protection Officers.

For further information about our Child Safety program and to view our policies please visit our website https://sfx.vic.edu.au/our-school/child-safety/