Beaconsfield Campus – 26 March 2020

This term we have seen our students engage positively with their learning demonstrating a commitment to developing their growth in academic success in each of their studies. I commend our students for this enthusiasm and commitment. I also thank staff, students and parents who entered into positive conversations about how to improve and extend learning at the Student Progress Meetings held last week. Your attendance at Student Progress Meetings supports building positive home school partnerships and opens the lines of communication.

Year 12

Students in Year 12 are reminded to continue to engage in holiday homework. Year 12 teachers will have posted via the Class TEAM, Class OneNote or email the holiday homework for their class.

I wrote to all Year 12 students last week wanting to reassure them that their teachers are committed to delivering the Year 12 program and supporting them best during the coming few months, whether that is via face-to-face classes or remote learning. The College is monitoring all advice that comes from VCAA regarding successful completion of VCE and VCAL certificates. If there are changes to any processes, we will advise our students as soon as possible. However, be reassured that all students in the state will be impacted in the same way, and our students will not be disadvantaged in any way. This is an extraordinary period of time, and we are doing our best to help navigate our Year 12 students through this time to support them completing their senior certificate.

Japanese Exchange Students

St Francis Xavier College was fortunate to have four Japanese students studying at the Senior Campus during Term 1, 2020. The students from Kinjo High School in Tokyo were visiting us to enhance their English skills and learn about the Australian way of life.

The students engaged in scheduled classes, ESL lessons and attended activities at the college such as the swimming carnival. All four students are sad to be leaving and hope to return in the future. A big thank you to all staff, students and Host Families who made the students feel so welcome. 

21 Day Benefit Mindset Challenge

The 21 Day Benefit Mindset Challenge was launched on Friday 13 March at the Beaconsfield campus. A benefit mindset looks to build on the growth mindset by contributing to the wellbeing of others and society as a whole. The 21 day challenge encourages us to perform acts of kindness for those around us.

At this time with our lives changing rapidly, acts of kindness and looking for ways to contribute positivley to the wellbeing of others is more important than ever. Each day of the challenge the students and staff are encouraged to perform a deliberate act, some small, some a bit larger and some designed to push us out of our comfort zones, with a different activity each day.

Example’s of this that we have seen at Beaconsfield have been to write a thank you note to a teacher, check in on neighbours and friends to see if they need anything, do something to make someone else smile, reach out to someone you haven’t spoken with in a while, thank supermarket workers and our health care professionals.

Although we are now on holidays, we still encourage students, staff and our broader community to be part of the Benefit Mindset Challenge and look to postiviley contribute to others. For more information about this challenge visit www.benefitmindset.com.

We encourage all members of our community to spread kindness and gratitude, an important aspect of our wellbeing at this time when the world is full of uncertainty.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall

Lyndal Runge – Wellbeing for Learning Leader

SIS Sport

Term 1 SIS Sport started off incredibly successful with wins across the board in all senior and intermediate matches. The senior boys and senior girls soccer teams showed their dominance wining 5-1 and 11-0 respectively. Throughout the rest of the term these teams went on to play incredibly well and take out the pennant for first place in their competition. A massive congratulations to first time coaches Alex Grosza (boys) and Patti Kurasik (girls) who took on these teams and continued a winning environment with some of our most successful teams in the past and showed great enthusiasm for that winning spirit which kept the students having fun. 

The intermediate girls volleyball team was also successful in winning their competition in a 3-way tie at the top with fellow SFX campuses, Berwick and Officer. Well done to Mathew O’Leary who coached the girls to this title, always great to get a win in a division 1 competition.

A massive thank you to all coaches and players on a great term and hope to see some similar success in the future.