Our Mission is ‘to work in an environment of mutual respect for cultures and backgrounds and celebrating the Gospel principles in order to achieve quality education for all.’

‘You are the Light of the world, let Jesus shine through you to others.’

Matthew 5:14-16

Mission through Courage, Kindness and Reconciliation

During 2024 our educational focus will be to improve Literacy and Numeracy skills — staff, students and families working together so all our students achieve at least 12 months growth. Other goals for the year are:

Build a community that continues to learn - Implement system Literacy and Numeracy initiatives which will increase student assessment data.

Enhance and maintain the wellbeing of all - Continued increase of attendance rates and implementation of school-wide Well Being Policy.

Build a community that is connected - Increased promotion of the school Vision and Mission statements throughout the community and to continue to increase family attendance at school events.

Last Thursday, 8th August, we celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia's first saint. Mary and her Sisters were committed to serving the poor – to going to where the need was and living amongst those in need. This took the Sisters of St Joseph all over Australia to many rural areas, including Lake Cargelligo. St Francis Xavier School was started by the Sisters of St Joseph, Mary MacKillop's order, 95 years ago.

As a school we aim to continue the values and traditions of the Sisters of St Joseph and St Mary MacKillop, through our Mission to work in an environment of mutual respect for cultures and backgrounds and celebrating the Gospel principles in order to achieve quality education for all. 

We also aim to'never see a need without doing something about it' which is the way Mary MacKillop lived her life. 

Over the past few weeks we have had many special celebrations –

• 101 Days in School for our Kinder students – Congratulations to our clever Kinder students – we are so proud of their growth in learning and confidence.
• WR Public Speaking Competition – Matilda Morris and Belle Bardawil travelled to Young last Friday to compete in this Public Speaking Competition. Both girls are to be congratulated, and a special congratulations to Belle for winning the Year 6 section.
• Dad’s in School day – a wonderful day for our students and their families – a big THANK YOU to Forbes Catholic Care for the continuation of this wonderful day!
• and the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation - Congratulations to Dave, Belle, Aiden, Stephen, Gemma, Wayne and Macayla for their efforts and willingness to commit to their faith. Through receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation they can become more closely united with Christ and able to accept new responsibilities for witnessing Jesus to the world.

Over the weekend students and staff gathered for a special service during our weekend liturgy as seven of our students committed to their faith by receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was an honour to be a part of this special celebration where we saw our students deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their faith as they received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

Archbishop Christopher officiated our beautiful service alongside Father Dominic. 

Thank you to our families for your help and dedication in guiding your child on their spiritual journey and being a part of our celebrations after Mass. 

A special thank you to the Bardawil family for their time in decorating the church for this special event. Thank you to Miss Karli and Miss Nicole for the cake, Aunty George for her time and support assisting the children in making their sashes as well as setting up behind the scenes with Miss Kate and Miss Rach, and lastly, to all staff who attended Mass. 

A special thank you to the students and siblings who also attended Mass and assisted with important roles in this celebration.  

Congratulations to Dave, Belle, Aiden, Stephen, Gemma, Wayne and Macayla for demonstrating a commitment to your faith by receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Dads in school day was held on Monday 12th, we enjoyed having Dad's, Granddad's, Uncles and other special males that joined the Kinder/Year 1/Year 2 students. The morning started with some rotation activites including hand prints, drawing Dad and a game of soccer, families then enjoyed a BBQ lunch.

A big thank you to Catholic Care for organising this great yearly event.

Bullying – important conversations to have with your child

St Francis Xavier School is participating in the Bullying No Way: National week of action – 12 to 16 August 2024.

By working collaboratively within our community, we can collectively help reduce bullying.

Parents and carers play an important role in helping your child understand bullying, and know how to respond to it.

If your child tells you about things at school, or you observe something in public that involves conflict or bullying, take the opportunity to talk about what bullying is. You can learn more about what defines bullying at bullyingnoway.gov.au.

Questions you could ask:

• What do you think bullying is?
• Have you seen it? How did you feel?
• Have you ever felt scared at school because of bullying?
• As well as me, who are the other adults you would talk to when it comes to things like bullying?
• Have you or your friends left other kids out on purpose? Do you think that was bullying? Why or why not?
• Have you ever tried to help someone who is being bullied? What happened? What would you do if it happens again?

Remind your child that bullying is never okay and discuss how they can respond safely if they experience or witness it.

Encourage them to seek help from a trusted adult and keep seeking support if needed.

By promoting open communication, we empower children to stand up against bullying and create a safer environment where everyone can feel that they belong.

For more information, visit bullyingnoway.gov.au.