Vice Principal News – 13 February 2020

Welcome to the 2020 school year!

I pray that all students have a positive schooling experience at St Francis Xavier College in 2020! May students feel connected to peers and staff, be engaged in their pathway of studies, feel suitably challenged and supported, come to know our loving God even more, and grow in all ways possible.

Thank you in advance to parents and guardians for your support this year. We all know that when students, parents and staff engage in a collaborative manner we have the best outcomes for student achievement.

A number of new staff have joined the College this year. New staff have been employed due to increased student enrolments, due to our enhancement middle leadership structure focussed on facilitating student achievement, along with some retirements, resignations and changes in staff on fixed term roles. We are confident that the quality of our staff continues to grow, and we work to support staff by providing them with a great professional culture. We have welcomed all new staff and support them with their induction. I am confident that you will enjoy your relationship with new staff members.

Relationships are so central to student learning and so teachers are working hard at the moment, in line with the College’s Positive Learning Partnerships Program, to get to know their students and create a learning environment which sets students up for success.

SIMON and PAM

The College’s intranet has a portal called PAM (Parent Access Module), and it is most important that parents can engage with this to be connected with their child’s learning. For assistance with accessing PAM, please email pamsupport@sfx.vic.edu.au

College Game Plan

As you are aware the College is focused on student achievement through Our College Game Plan which articulates our four plays, or four main vehicles for realising student achievement.

We intend to deepen the practice of each play this year.

Differentiation – enabling growth for all

In the area of learning and teaching our main focus is differentiation. We aim to enable growth for all. This is realised in many ways through our framework for differentiation:

1. Teachers knowing their students
2. Students know themselves as learners
3. Multiple achievement levels are clearly communicated
4. Students are provided with the opportunity to demonstrate their learning at multiple levels
5. Learning activities are differentiated so that students are all suitably challenged and supported

I trust that your child will through this approach experience growth this year.

Areas of focus for 2020

Particular areas of focus in 2020 for development of the learning program within our ambition for a differentiated learning experience for students include:

• Literacy Project
• Numeracy Project
• Deeper implementation of our framework for differentiation
• Developing our Learning Adjustment Program even further
• Reporting developments in terms of enhancing rubrics for feedback
• Student attendance monitoring
• Implementation of some final elements of our curriculum review outcomes including extending Arabic and Spanish to Year 8 and VCE Environmental Science VCE English Language to Year 12
• Redevelopment of our Careers education program from Years 7 to 12
• Continued VCAL program development
• Continued VCE outcomes project
• Implementation of our Learning Resource Centres Review Outcomes
• Implementation of the College Student Achievement Policy
• Continued efficacious use of existing learning spaces and well considered planning for refurbished and new learning spaces in line with our focus on differentiated learning
• Implementation of our Digital Technology Review Outcomes

We are working to ensure that 2020 is another positive year for student achievement at St Francis Xavier College!

Blessings for the fortnight ahead!