Friday 2, May 2025

From the Principal's Desk

It’s wonderful to have everyone back after the Easter vacation period.  Our Yr 6 students had a fantastic start to the term with their camp in the first week. It’s a great opportunity for children to try new things that might take them out of their comfort zone, then absolutely loving it or excelling in their new experiences.

We had a beautiful Easter Mass this week with our students from Yrs 2-6.  The Easter season, also known as Eastertide or Paschaltide, is a 50-day period in the Christian liturgical year that begins on Easter Sunday and culminates with Pentecost Sunday. It celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We will celebrate with a Pentecost Mass with our students from Yr 5 and 6 later this term.

Project updates

Our demolition project is now complete and the grass has settled well.  We are waiting on the arrival and installation of our new black fence for the footpath area. Once this is installed the temporary fencing will be removed and we will be able to use this space.

We have submitted a Capital Grant Application for further renovations to complete the ground floor of C Block (Yr 1 rooms) and to renovate upstairs of A Block (Yr 6 rooms).  We will not know the outcome of this until the end of the year.

Wellbeing Dog

We are continuing working with DogsConnect to work towards full accreditation for our school. Bailey will commence more regular visits as the year progresses.  Thank you to all families and students who completed the survey last term.  Bailey did her first walk through before school this morning and I was very impressed with our students and how they followed the expectations.  We look forward to Bailey working with our students soon and I know many of them can’t wait until they can finally pat and play with her!

SFX Finance Officer

At the end of last term our finance officer, Elouise Derby, advised she was leaving and her last day at SFX was Thursday April 24^th.  We commenced the advertising process immediately and are currently working through interviews.  The finance team from Catholic Education Diocesan Services are supporting our school until we appoint a new finance officer.

Best wishes for a great week ahead,

Narelle Harney

Assistant Principal Administration

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope everyone had a restful break and a wonderful Easter. School holidays are great time to relax and a chance to do things we wouldn’t normally be able to do. For our students, this can mean experimenting with new hair styles. Whilst this is a great time for students to express their individuality, when school begins, hair should be as per our school dress code. Please see below for your reference:

• Hair is to be of suitable style that benefits the school uniform, kept neat and tidy and in its natural colour.
• Nair must be kept off the face and long hair must be tied back.
• No extreme hairstyles, including but not limited to tracks, mullets, mohawks and rattails.

All students are responsible for wearing the St Francis’s Xavier’s uniform correctly and are to wear their school hat throughout the year at break times and when participating in outdoor activities.

All parents/carers are responsible for supporting the Uniform and Grooming Policy. Parents/carers are also responsible for the upkeep of their child/ren’s uniform and for the repair or replacement of items. Parents are advised to label all items of their child/ren’s school uniform including the school hat, to help with returning lost items to their owners.

Staff members are responsible for maintaining the Uniform and Grooming Policy by monitoring the standard of dress and grooming. Staff members will assist students and families to understand and follow the Uniform policy.

All parents and carers are reminded that the ‘Stop, Drop and Go’ areas are strictly no parking areas between 8 – 9am and 2.30 – 3.30pm. It is a 2-minute maximum waiting space. Please do not leave vehicles unattended. Additionally, if you are first in line and your child has not come out after 2 minutes, please drive around the block so that traffic can keep flowing and we can move students along. 

At the beginning of this term, our Year 6 students attended their Senior Camp up at Camp Paterson in Mareeba. It was three days of intense activity, fun and coming together. Students worked in groups to build teamwork, problem solve and supported each other through activities such as Rogaine, canoeing, survival shelter as well as many others. Here are what some of Year 6 students had to say about their experience.

“My favourite thing about camp was all working together and learning to work with people I don’t normally work with. I also liked that we all got along and had a good time. We almost cleared every activity with our teamwork. That is my number one favourite thing about camp. But I also liked staying in a cabin with my friends and having a good chat about life and our personal lives. I really enjoyed Camp Paterson and its beautiful nature and outdoors as well as all the strategic activities, and how we had to work together.”

 Egon 6B

“Camp Patterson was a great experience! I enjoyed strengthening bonds with my peers and learning more about each other. I also enjoyed the challenges I faced and the activities that involved working together as a team, water wipe out, canoeing, obstacle course and survivor shelter just to name a few.”

Edie 6A

“On the 22nd of May last week, we had camp. It was really fun. We left at 9:00am and drove up to Camp Patterson for 2 nights and 3 days. We did activities like water wipe out, witch personally was my favourite because we got to work as a team and go down this really steep slide! We also did stuff like laser tag, and we made damper. We also did archery, plugger and way more. I think everyone had fun except for when my dad Evan scared us with this creepy doll Betty, but we got over that pretty quickly. Well.. at least some of us did ……… Anyway, I learnt that it is not just about winning, it is also about your team working together as a group and not getting mad If you don’t win. It is about congratulating the other players as well. Overall, I think that the camp was one of the best days of my life and I rate it a 10/10.”

Aivah 6B

As you can see, Year 6 camp was a wonderful experience and a great way to create lasting memories of their time here at SFX. Thank you to all those who helped make this camp possible. These events do not happen without the support of our dedicated teachers and parents.

All the best for the week ahead

Kristina Armstrong

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Welcome back for term 2. I hope you had a lovely Easter holiday. We have started our term hitting the ground running. We had a nice ANZAC liturgy on Thursday afternoon in the Tuckshop area, including Mr Chandler playing the bugle for us. 

Thank you to the families who attended the ANZAC day Dawn Service at the Cairns Cenotaph. It was a clear morning, and wonderful to see so many locals out to acknowledge the 110 years since Gallipoli Landing, honouring all service men and women past and present. It was a privilege to be there with our school and I thank all our families for their support.

With Easter falling at the end of our school holidays this year, we took the opportunity to celebrate an Easter Mass for our Year 2 to Year 6 students, led by Father Biju. This liturgical time after Easter, Eastertide, finishes on Pentecost Sunday, 8th June. Pentecost marks 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus, and is when the Holy Spirit came to the gathered apostles, and seen as the start of Christianity. Our Year 5 and Year 6 students will have a Pentecost Mass on Friday 6th June at 1:50pm in the church with Father Biju, families welcome to attend. 

Next Tuesday, we have Andrew Chinn visiting our school as part of a Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns initiative. Andrew Chinn will work with our choir in the church on a few songs: some we know, some are new to us. Then from 1:50pm he will perform a concert with our school in the church. Families are welcome to attend.

We have our Mother’s Day Stall next Thursday 8th May. Thank you to our P&F for selecting a range of items that will be on sale for $4 an item. Money can be sent in during the week for the classroom teacher to record in preparation for purchase of an item. For the Mother’s Day Stall to be successful, we need parent volunteers for different times throughout the day. Please click on the link to add your name to the roster. We are hoping once again to have some dads volunteer to help out.

To all our mothers and mother figures in our students’ lives, we say this prayer in honour of all you do to help us. I wish you a wonderful Mother’s Day on 11th May.

Gracious God, you are always with us, holding us in your loving embrace. We place our mothers in your tender care as we know motherhood plays a central role in your creation. Help us to support our mothers when they are weary, to show them compassion and kindness when they need it, and to show them constant love and gratitude. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Congratulations to Avery in 6B for creating the 2025 Mary Amongst Us Award design. Avery’s design features a cockatoo, the word congratulations in different languages, our Sports Houses, different subjects that all encourage our Mary MacKillop quote of “Never see a need without doing something about it”. We look forward to this design being used from our next assembly.

Blessings for a wonderful term

Debbie McGuinness.

Fr Biju Kuriakose Parish Priest

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we enter the beautiful month of May, often dedicated to Our Lady, we are also invited to a renewed life in the Risen Christ.  In John 21:1–19, Jesus appears to His disciples after the resurrection, meeting them in the ordinariness of their work and offering them not only breakfast but a renewed mission. He tenderly restores Peter with three simple questions: "Do you love me?"—giving him a chance to begin again. This same invitation is extended to us. No matter our past failures or fatigue, the Risen Lord calls each of us to a fresh start, to a deeper love, and to a more faithful discipleship.

To lead a renewed life in Jesus means to open our hearts daily to His presence, especially in the Eucharist and in our relationships. Attending Sunday and weekday Masses, praying with Scripture, and serving others in love help us grow in Easter joy. We can also find inspiration in models around us—parents who lovingly care for their families, teachers who form young minds with patience, health workers who serve with compassion, and ordinary people who live their faith quietly and faithfully.

In this month of May,  may Mary, our Mother and model of discipleship, help us say "yes" to Christ each day and lead lives that reflect the hope and joy of the Resurrection.

Mackillop Centre

Thank You for Supporting Our Scholastic Book Fair!

We would like to extend a massive thank you for your incredible support during our Scholastic Book Fair last year. Thanks to the commission we received from the sales, we were able to purchase a wide range of new books and resources for our students at the end of last term. This achievement would not have been possible without your generous support.

Exciting News: Scholastic Book Club Returns!

We are thrilled to announce that we will be recommencing the Scholastic Book Club this year. Through Book Club, students and family members can purchase newly released books, and once again, SFX will receive a commission from the sales to spend in the Scholastic Shop. We will be sending home one brochure in Term 2 and Term 4 for Book Club. The brochure for this term will be handed out next week with all purchases to be made by Friday 30th May. For your convenience, purchases can be made online by visiting the scholastic website or through the Scholastic app. Just follow the instructions on the brochure. Please note that we will only do Book Club every second year, with the  Book Fair being held in Term 4 of alternating years.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering a love of reading in our students!

Happy reading,

Mrs Ross, Mrs Havill, Mrs Reilly.

School Photo Day

📸 School Photo Day Was this week on Monday.

If you didnt have a chance to order please see below to get your orders in. Orders can be places up to 2 weeks after the photo date only.

Mary Amongst Us Awards - Week 1 & 2

Deadly Choices Program Graduates!

Congratulations to Our Deadly Choices Graduates!
We’re proud to celebrate a group of amazing Year 4, 5, and 6 students who have successfully completed the 2025 Deadly Choices Junior Healthy Lifestyle Program at St Francis Xavier’s.

Through this program, they’ve learned the importance of making healthy choices and being positive role models in our school and community. Their commitment, respectful behaviour, and enthusiasm throughout every session were outstanding.

Well done to all our graduates, your leadership and dedication are truly inspiring. Keep making deadly choices and setting a great example!

A special thank you to DC team members, Shantal and Sam for your support and energy. 

PE News

At the end of Term 1 we had our Annual Cross Country Event for years 3 - 6 on the Cairns Esplanade.

It was a fabulous Day Filled with competativeness and fun for all our students.Contratulations  to our students who placed in the event. 

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A special congratulations to Leah for setting a new cross country record!
The previous record, set in 2016, stood at 13:46.28.
Leah has smashed it with an incredible time of 13:30.00 in 2025 — beating the record by a remarkable 16 seconds.
Well done, Leah!

TCC and Peninsula Student Acknowledgements

Congratulations to Leith for participating in the TCC Hockey tryouts — a great effort!

And a big congratulations to Miama for being selected to represent the Peninsula in the 10–12 age division for hockey this June.

Well done to both students!

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. Download the Peninsula Student Booklet (attached to the Parent Slip or below).
3. 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.
4. 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

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.

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!

Envisage First Peoples (EFP) program

Loughton 40 Hoops Coming to SFX

"Hi St Francis Xavier School, Loughton 40 Hoops is coming to SFX in term 2 for year 2,3,4,5,6. For the younger ones we introduce the great game of basketball focusing on dribbling, shooting, passing and games while the older ones we focus on extending their skills and putting them into practice with competitive drills and full court games. The before school program runs for 6 sessions with all participants receiving a basketball, drink bottle, drawstring backpack, agility ball, socks, and heaps of vouchers thanks to our sponsors McDonalds, Jackley's Bakehouse and Zarraffas!! Head to www.Loughton40hoops.com for registration details." ( Flyer below)

Alex Laughton 

Community News