Friday 7, February 2025

From the Principal's Desk

Welcome to the 2025 School Year!  We are excited to be back and have had a wonderful start to the year so far!  A warm greeting to all new students and families, and current students and families. I hope you all had the chance to enjoy some ‘family time’ during the summer holidays and the recent long weekend. 

We welcome new staff to St Francis Xavier’s: Erin Brice (School Officer), Kristen McCoombe (School Officer) and Sage Fisher (School Officer). We ask for our Lord’s blessing on them as they begin their year with our wonderful community and get to know our students.

Prior to our students returning our teaching staff were at school for a week participating in professional learning, team meetings and curriculum preparation for the first term. 

Most of our staff attended a special Diocesan event on January 20^th with Bishop Joe Caddy and Executive Director, Cairns Catholic Education, Diarmuid O’Riordan.

The first two week of school have had a strong focus on building relationship and developing routines and expectations in new class groups. We have some exciting things happening in our Wellbeing space this year.  More information will be shared soon.  Wellbeing of our students and staff is the touchstone to engagement and active learning.  Thank you for being our partners in your child’s education.  We look forward to a positive year at St Francis Xavier’s in 2025.

Keeping in Touch

Our newsletter is sent out every second Friday (even weeks of the term).  We will continue to send important information out to families via email or parent slips.

A reminder that we have a school facebook page that will be used for sharing our achievements, reminders, upcoming events etc. Go to https://www.facebook.com/StFrancisXaviersSchool.

All teachers will be communicating important information with families via email or seesaw. Please read these updates carefully to ensure you know what is happening in classrooms.

Parent Meet and Greet Evening – Feb 12th

Next Week, on Wednesday February 12^th, we will be hosting our Parent Meet and Greet Evening. This will be held between the hours of 5:30pm and 6:30pm. 

Students are invited to bring their parents into their classrooms to meet their teacher/s and to show them some work they have been doing since commencing school. There will be important documentation for each parent to take home from each class. Parents will have ample time to visit all classrooms with their children and can visit at any time during the hour timeframe. There may even be an activity for you to complete in your child’s classroom with them.

If you need to speak with your child’s teacher about any important issues, please make an appointment with them at another time.  We look forward to you visiting next Wednesday and hope many parents can come along with their children.

Prayer for the beginning of our school year:

God of our belonging,

As we gather here for the start of this year, in Your name,

We recognise Your presence on our journey together,

Open our minds to know Your voice.

Open our hands to do Your work.

And open our hearts to hold Your Spirit.

Amen

Best wishes to everyone for a superb year at St Francis Xavier’s School!

Assistant Principal Administration

Welcome to 2025! To all of our returning families hello, and to our new families, welcome to SFX. What a wonderful start to the year we have had. I am thrilled to be here for Term 1 and I look forward to working with you all. I have been so impressed with the level of enthusiasm and excitement from the students. Our preps have started the year amazingly well and the remainder of our students have been incredibly well-behaved. Well done SFX!

The weather has certainly had an impact on the start of the year as well. Tuesday’s sudden downpour certainly proved to be an interesting way to end our day. Thank you to all parents for your swift response in collecting your children early, especially with the closure of the Sydney St ‘Stop, Drop, Go’. I would like to give all parents some gentle reminders regarding our ‘Stop, Drop, Go’ zones. Both Atkinson St and Sydney St are no parking zones during drop off and pick up times. Please do not leave your vehicle unattended for any reason. Should you need to exit your vehicle, please park in one of the allocated carparks. Additionally, for the safety of our students and families, please be mindful that there is a line up. While we appreciate it can be frustrating to wait in line, it is for student safety. We would also appreciate if all parents could display their name signs clearly when collecting children as it helps staff identify who needs to be moving to their car. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Our before school procedures remain the same. Students are to be dropped off no earlier than 8am unless enrolled at OSHC. Available play spaces in the mornings are the oval (pending weather) and handball courts. No students are to be on either the Adventure Playground or the Prep Playground. These areas are not open until the breaks when staff are on duty to supervise.

This year we have created an extra space for students to go to at break time when they need a quiet space to sit. This is room C1.03 and is called the ‘Chill Out Space’. This is manned for the first 15 minutes of first break and is for quiet play only. Students were explained the rules of this space at assembly, and we are looking forward to providing a further space for students to go should they need some quiet time.

Another new addition to the school is the Year 6 Class of 2024 gift to the school. We now have a digital clock for the MPC which has now been installed.

2025 has also seen some changes to the HPE curriculum with swimming, now known as ‘Water Confidence’, happening in years 2, 4 & 6. Our Year 6s are the lucky lot who get to go first with their water safety talk happening next week before they get in the pool on Friday 14^th of February. Lessons will take place over 5 weeks. Our Year 4 and 2 students will attend lessons in Term 4. Information will be sent out parents then. Year 6 parents, please ensure you have filled out the Parent Slip that was sent out last week.

On a parting note, here are some general reminders regarding uniform and technology:

1. Uniform: Students in years 1 – 5 are to wear the formal school uniform 4 days a week. This includes the school shirt and shorts/skort, and dress with green socks and black school shoes. Preps are to wear the sports shirt 3 days a week with shorts/skort, and their Little Learner shirts on Wednesday. Green socks and black school shoes are required. Our Year 6 students wear their Senior Shirts (which look fabulous I might add!) on Mondays and Fridays and formal uniform Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On their allocated days, students wear their sports uniform with white socks and runners. All students are to wear their bucket hats. No hat, no play.
2. Jewellery, Watches, Make-Up and Nail Polish: Aside from religious medals, signet rings and simple watches, the only jewellery permitted is one set of plain earrings. No make-up, nail polish (including acrylic nails) are to be worn. Hair longer than shoulder length is to be tied back.
3. Technology: Students are not to bring devices such as phones, unauthorised iPads and so forth to school. The Queensland government has mandated that phones are off and away for the day in schools. Catholic Education Cairns has stated that primary students are not to bring these devices to school unless they have permission from the school. Should you need to contact your student for any reason, please contact the front office and they will ensure the message is delivered to your child.

Here's to a drier fortnight!

Assistant Principal Religious Education

We had a wonderful start to the school year with the first two weeks going so quickly. Friday 7th February the school community celebrated the Year 1 to Year 6 Beginning of School Mass and Senior Leaders Badge Presentation in the Church. We were fortunate enough to have Father Frank still available to celebrate with us, accompanied by Father Biju.

We look forward to collaborating with Father Biju as the year progresses once he officially takes the role of Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier, West Cairns Parish. 

As we were unsure of when Father Frank was finishing up in the parish, we celebrated with him as part of our St Francis Xavier’s Feast Day Mass in the second last week of the 2024 school year. The rain did not dampen our spirits that day, as we took the opportunity to recognise Father Frank’s unwavering support for our school with a speech from some of our teaching staff accompanied by a slide of photos of Father Frank’s involvement over the years. The school’s gift was a tea set and we look forward to catching up with him for a cuppa and a chat in the future. We also awarded him a “Best Parish Priest” trophy and a certificate for completing his schooling in 2024. All of which put a big smile on all our faces.

Fr Frank Gordon Parish Priest

A new school year has begun.

 So I say welcome back to familiar faces and welcome to new faces among the staff and students of St. Francis Xavier’s school community.

I hope that the Christmas, New Year holiday has refreshed everybody so that we can continue to create a community of faith and love.

I write this welcome during the last week of my annual holiday and look forward to meeting you in the second week of term.

With new energy we can set ourselves practical goals to be achieved by the end of first term.

Monday January 31^st was the feast of St John Bosco, who founded a new religious family in the 19^th century, called the Salesians dedicated to the education of children.

St John knew what it meant to grow up in poverty with little education and encouraged his brothers in religion to ensure the happiness of the children in their care.

May we be a source of happiness for each other at St Francis Xavier.

Fr Frank

Performing Arts

Welcome to the Performing Arts for 2025. All classes have made a wonderful start to their Music lessons, learning about different styles of music and instruments.

Choir 

Choir rehearsals for students in Years 5 and 6 begin on Tuesday 11 February at 7:45am with Music Educator, Elizabeth Vierboom from the Gondwana Choir. This is a wonderful opportunity for our senior vocal students to participate in.

Rehearsals for students in Years 3 and 4 will begin on the following Tuesday 18 February at 7:45am.

School entry is via the Outside School Hours Care gate on Atkinson St from 7:35am onwards and all rehearsals will be held in the Music Room.

Please see Mrs Richardson if interested in joining our Choir ensemble.

Dance Ensemble

Congratulations to our Dance Ensemble members who have made the team for 2025. The girls eagerly started rehearsals this week and have begun learning their routine. We look forward to seeing their progress throughout the year.

Instrumental Lessons

Instrumental Lessons with Mrs Aileen Scales, Mr Matthew Chandler and Ms Christine Marnane have started for the year on Thursdays and Fridays. Please collect a form from the school office if interested in learning an instrument through our school programs.  

We look forward to making music with your children this year.

Musically Yours,

Rianne Richardson

Performing Arts Teacher

Mary Amongst Us Awards - Week 2

PE News

TCC Trials 

Trinity Coast Central School Sport (TCC)

Students born in 2015, 2014, and 2013 have the opportunity to participate in Trinity Coast Central Sport Trials, which provide a pathway to Regional Championships at the Peninsula sporting level in their chosen sport.

Process for Interested Students and Parents/Carers:

1. Refer to the attached list of trial dates.
2. Complete the TCC Trials Parent Slip, which has been sent to Year 4, 5, and 6 students. (Only students born in 2015, 2014, or 2013 are eligible.)
3. Download the Peninsula Student Booklet (attached to the Parent Slip or below).
4. Parents/Carers must complete the booklet in full, print it, and return it to the school for signing. Ensure all sections are completed and relevant areas are circled, or it cannot be signed.
5. Once signed, the Peninsula Student Booklet will be returned to the student, who must bring it to the trial.

Important: No signed Peninsula Student Booklet = No Trial.

For any questions, please contact Secretary.manunda@catholic.edu.au.

2025 Term Dates

Term 1 Upcoming Events

Please note this dates may change so please keep an eye out on the MYCE school Calander, Facebook and Broadcasts sent home to families. If you unsure please contact the office on 07 4037 9900. 

Prep Enrolments for 2026

Children who were born between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021 are eligible to attend Prep in 2026.

Enrolment applications for the 2026 Prep year are currently being accepted! Interviews for placement in the 2026 Prep classes are underway, with offers now being made to families.

A friendly reminder to existing families: please ensure that enrolment applications are completed, and interviews are scheduled for younger children transitioning to Prep. It's important to note that having a sibling at SFX does not automatically guarantee the enrolment process.

For those with family or friends seeking a high-quality education for their children, we kindly urge our school community to share your experiences with St Francis Xavier’s School and the positive impact of a Catholic education. Encourage them to reach out to the school at 4037 9900, explore our website, or visit us in person so that we can engage in a discussion about enrolling their child.

Booklist Orders

Hartleys Education has informed schools that there is currently a backlog of supplies.

All Back to School (BTS) pack orders placed in December and early January should have been fully supplied. However, a large number of additional orders were placed in the two weeks leading up to Term 1.

As a result, some stock items temporarily ran out. Typically, backordered items take 3 to 10 working days to arrive in Cairns, depending on the distributor’s location and processing times. However, recent flooding and road closures along the Bruce Highway have caused further delivery delays.

Hartleys Education kindly asks teachers and parents for patience as they work through these backorders. Items will be allocated in order from the oldest to the newest.

Parents will receive an SMS notification when their child’s backordered items have arrived and are ready for collection from Hartleys.

Instrumental Music

Instrumental Music 

All students are encouraged to join the instrumental music program at our school.  Students can take group lessons on the following instruments: 

Year 3 upwards: strings (violin, viola and cello)  

Year 4 upwards: woodwind (flute, clarinet, sax), brass (trumpet, trombone) and percussion (drums & mallets).   

Our instrumental instructor’s timetables are nearly full, but there is room for a few more students if you get in quickly. Once a student is ready, they can join one of the school ensembles to play and perform with their peers. 

If you are interested in your child playing an instrument, please email Mrs Cherie Spannenburg – Head of Music St Augustine’s College at cspannenbu@cns.catholic.edu.au. 

Tuckshop News

Mr Walsh runs our tuckshop to keep our little tummys happy. Tuckshop is open Wednesdays and Fridays each week. Menu is below

Place all your school orders online quickly and easily with Flexischools. Flexischools is a well-established organisation allowing you to place all your canteen orders online at any time.

Download the Flexischools app from the App Store or Google Play for details on how to set up your account. https://www.flexischools.com.au.

Volunteering

Parents, grandparents, and carers are always welcome to come and assist with the preparations in the tuckshop. Please contact the front office on 07 4037 9900 if you are able to assist.

Download the MYCE Parent App NOW!

Community News