Beaconsfield Campus – 2 May 2019

We welcome our students back to Term 2 and wish them well in their studies. 

Our focus at St Francis Xavier College is to ensure each student succeeds in their studies and develops the skills to manage their learning. Over the holiday break I attended an international congress that presents insights in education transformation. Prior to the congress I undertook a masterclass with Professor Michael Fullan which focused on leadership of deep learning. Deep learning is quality learning that sticks with you for the rest of your life. Michael Fullan said it is Learning that Engages the World, Changes the World. 

As we prepared for and undertook our Curriculum Review in previous years, we were having this conversation about how do we provide a curriculum that students connect with, that is team related, that students find significant in their world today and in their future, extends high order skills, and embraces our Catholic identity. We planned our new curriculum to embrace this. 

Our teachers are constantly looking at learning opportunities to engage students in their world, and in particular at the Beaconsfield Campus, we see this highlighted in our Year 10 Inquiry unit, the VCAL curriculum, and Year 10 and 11 Religious Education Units. I invite parents to talk to their children about these programs and help their children to identify how these curriculum programs enable them to engage in their world today and for the future.

The congress also highlighted the importance of teaching the skills of wellbeing to support students with their academic stress. As a College we have a very strong wellbeing program with a range of supports. These include all students having access to a Wellbeing Curriculum informed by the Berry Street Model, the inclusion of seminars and presentations that focus on age-appropriate wellbeing issues, and accessibility to counsellors, psychologists, speech pathologists, Pastoral Case workers. 

This term we have employed a Beaconsfield attendance officer, Jarrod Whiston. He will be ringing the parents of students who are not present without explanation. His work will also help us identify which students require greater intervention to support their attendance and general wellbeing.

Benefit Mindset Challenge

For news about Wellbeing and the Benefit Mindset Challenge, please see the Wellbeing News.

Uniform Blitz

St Francis Xavier College expects all students to attend school in full uniform as detailed in the College Uniform Policy.  The College Uniform is a symbol of the College and we believe that it:

• Promotes a collective sense of identity and pride
• Promotes cohesion in the school
• Allows all students to feel equal
• Prevents bullying and competition on the basis of clothing
• Ensures students’ appearance reflects the expectations of our school community
• Strengthens the spirit of the community within the school
• Enhances student safety and group security
• Ensures all students are dressed safely and appropriately for school activities
• Encourages students to develop pride in their appearance
• Prepares students for the expectations of workplaces

Research is also now suggesting that the wearing of school uniform can improve learning by reducing distraction and increasing focus in the class.

ANZAC Day

Our College Captain Kailee McAuley and Vice Captain Susmitha Raju attended the Beaconsfield Progress Association ANZAC Day Service on Easter Sunday. We thank them for proudly representing St Francis Xavier College. Kailee and Susmitha were able to participate in the march from the fire station. Then they laid a wreath on behalf of their school and handed out rosemary springs to participants.

VET Hospitality excursion

On Monday 29 April, a Year 10 class completing their VET Certificate II in Hospitality visited the five star Langham Hotel on Southbank in the CBD. Students took a tour of the back and front of house areas of the hotel to see the daily operations that go on behind the scenes. They explored the departments that work collaboratively in the hotel and the careers available. The tour was followed by a lavish buffet lunch in the hotel’s renowned Melba’s Brasserie.

The following evaluations were made by the participants:

I really enjoyed the trip. I found it interesting to see the chefs preparing some of the food in front of customers at the buffet. – Lucas Fawcett

The experience was interesting and fun. Something that was interesting was how the whole hotel is run and how organised staff were. – Hayden Southgate

When I walked into the lobby I felt welcomed. Throughout the tour I was very interested with how everything operated. – Bradley Van Roy