General Information

St Francis Xavier Primary School is a co-educational, double stream primary school that caters for approximately 530 students from Kindergarten through to Year 7. It is located within a short walk to the Catholic Cathedral, Nagle Catholic College and the town centre.

The school has strong links with the Parish and wider community and their involvement and support are essential to the continued evolution of the school. Similarly, parents are an integral part of our school and it is our partnership with them that enables us to provide students with an education that is relevant and life-giving.

Participation in the Religious Education Programme and practice of the Catholic faith through class and school celebrations are fundamental elements of our curriculum. The curriculum reflects the values of bath the Catholic Church and those outlined in The Curriculum Framework.

Staff are committed to providing students with a variety of learning experiences appropriate to their needs and development as well as capturing their interest. Students are encouraged to become independent learners who are critical thinkers, responsible for their own learning and behaviour. The school is committed to the development of the whole child spiritually, intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically.

Promoting literacy across the curriculum is a core principle, with staff working to support and enrich students in all areas of language.

Early Childhood

Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students are housed in the Early Childhood Centre located near the Year 1 -3 classrooms. Their play area is fully fenced and the facilities and resources reflect the needs of young children.

For terms one and two Kindergarten students attend two morning and two afternoon sessions and for terms three and four, two full day sessions.

Pre- Primaries attend full time from the beginning of the year. Programmes are designed in accordance with the philosophy of ‘play based learning’ where children are given opportunities to develop and learn through play at a pace that best suits them. The emphasis is on developing social skills and a positive self-image through investigating, exploring, thinking and communicating.

The curriculum becomes more formal in Years 1-3 with an emphasis on developing the fundamental skills required for successful life-long learning. All nine learning areas are present in the programme that promotes language enhancement, cognitive and creativity. At this stage of development students are immersed in experiences that are meaningful, holistic and based on real situations that they can relate to in a concrete way.

Years 4-7

As students develop, the curriculum is more formal again, building on all that has gone before. The focus on literacy and numeracy strengthens while continuing to develop the whole child. The programmes offered cater for individual differences, interests, needs and levels of ability while actively engaging students. This active engagement includes collaborative and individual learning, problem solving, creative and imaginative thinking and social skills.

For Years 1-7, reporting to parents includes parent/teacher conferences, open classrooms and formal written reports. Each student is individually monitored and assessed with formal reporting occurring twice a year against specific outcomes.

The cornerstone of Pastoral Care at St Francis Xavier is the Christian belief that God created us in God’s likeness and image and each of us is a person worth (Gen 1). The life of every human is seen to have a God given value and meaning which is enhanced in a school community whose atmosphere is permeated with the Gospel spirit of freedom and love.

Pastoral Care at St Francis Xavier is concerned with maximising learning and growth to enable all to become inner-directed, contributing members of God’s creation. All members of the school community have a fundamental right to be treated with respect and, for students and school staff, to learn and teach in a safe and supportive environment. Enhancing the dignity of each person within the Catholic faith community is therefore, the responsibility and privilege of all within our faith community.

In this context, Pastoral Care at St Francis Xavier includes the provision of a safe and supportive school environment, and a curriculum and set of policies and practices that are based on the Gospels. We work to ensure that the ethos and environment are thoroughly infused with the Catholic vision of Pastoral Care through the development of an Evangelisation Plan.

Like St Francis Xavier, members of the school community are reminded that we are called to ‘go then, to all people everywhere....’(Mt 28) and so we are committed to establishing a climate that is conducive to providing a caring outreach for the life-needs of others.

To this end, along with our Religious Education Programme, we have a number of initiatives that allow for groups and individuals within the school community, and worldwide. There is also the clear understanding that curriculum needs to reflect principles, among others, of justice and inclusiveness, and that the policies and procedure in relation to bullying and harassment require strategic planning.

The Catholic school is in essence the face of Christ for its whole community and its pastoral role needs to infuse every aspect of its operation and its relationships. ¹ It is through the dynamic and inter-related nature of all that makes up life at St Francis Xavier that the dignity of the human person is enhanced.

¹ Framework for the Development of Pastoral Care in Catholic Schools.