St Francis Xavier College, Beaconsfield Explained

St Francis Xavier College
Motto:Via Veritas Et Vita
Motto Translation:I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
County:Casey & Cardinia Shire
State:Victoria
Coordinates:Berwick Campus: -38.0706°N 145.3384°W
Beaconsfield Campus: -38.0529°N 145.3732°W
Officer Campus: -38.0608°N 145.4351°W
Religious Affiliation:Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL)
Established:1978
School Number:03 9707 3111
Principal:Vincent Feeney[1]
Years:7–12
Website:www.sfx.vic.edu.au
Gender:Co-educational
Enrollment:3000 (2024)
Average Class Size:25

St Francis Xavier College is a 7–12 Catholic co-educational school in Victoria, Australia. In 2024, it had over 3,000 students and 333 staff, with over 1,500 students and teachers in the Beaconsfield campus alone.[2]

Campuses

St Francis Xavier College has three campuses:

Closed/converted campuses:

History

The Beaconsfield campus was opened on 7 February 1978, with an initial intake of 72 students, with the first principal being Robert Schneider.[8] [9] Due to the increase demand for the Beaconsfield campus, the Cranbourne campus opened in 1987. However, seven years later the campus was converted into St. Peter's College. The Berwick campus, opened in 2003, is a dedicated junior campus, serving students year 7 to 9, with the intention to serve the community of Berwick, and neighbouring communities like Narre Warren and Cranbourne. The most recent campus to open is the Officer campus, which opened in 2012. Much like the Berwick campus it is for students between years 7–9. The Officer campus is meant to serve as the campus for students residing in Pakenham, Clyde, and outreaching suburbs of the Gippsland region.

Curriculum

St Francis Xavier College offers its senior students the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), and Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs.[10] [11]

St Francis Xavier College VCE Result 2012-2022[12] !Year!Rank!Median study score!Scores of 40+ (%)!Cohort size
2012202304.6354
2013261293.7412
2014206304.7386
2015154315.8415
2016186305.9435
2017253294.3513
2018188305.3541
2019220296.1505
2020229295.9598
2021259294.3615
2022265293.9564

Extra-curricular activities

The school participates in the annual athletics carnival and swimming carnival, where students from different houses compete. St Francis Xavier College is also a member of the Southern Independent Schools (SIS).[13] The college participates in SIS chess, debating, music, public speaking and sport.

SIS premierships

St. Francis Xavier College has won the following SIS senior premierships.[14] [15]

Combined:

Boys:

Girls:

College crest

The college crest can be broken down into three different sections:

"The Eagle": The eagle is used as a symbol of a messenger/spreader of good news.

"The Fish": The fish is a secret symbol that was used by early Christians to avoid arising suspicion and being persecuted.

"The Stars": The southern cross.

NAPLAN

Year sevens in 2020 were unable to complete NAPLAN because of COVID-19. However, the same cohort participated in year nine NAPLAN in 2022.

Percentage of Students who met all Minimum National Standards!Year!Grade Seven!Grade Nine
202194.4% – 97.0%91.8% – 97.7%
202294.9% – 97.8%88.7% – 96.5%
The college takes note of a "notable drop for our Year 9 students", citing the reason being that they spent a "significant proportion of Year 7 and 8 learning remotely", because of COVID-19.
Median NAPLAN results for Grade 9!Year!Year 9 Grammar & Punctuation !Year 9 Numeracy!Year 9 Reading!Year 9 Spelling!Year 9 Writing
2022564.5565.5567.0579.5560.2

Attendance

The college has listed the specific attendance percentage per grade per campus, here.

Semester 1 & 2 Attendance Rate!Year!Semester 1!Semester 2
202287.40%82.93%
Students can check attendance on the college's timetable site for students, SIMON. Absent without reason will lead to a message being sent to the student's parents. Further lack of reasoning, the student's care group teacher will follow up for investigation. And attendance offices are also called upon to follow up the absence. However, anecdotal evidence from students suggests that if a student is absent without reason, the change will be reflected on SIMON with no further follow up by teachers or office staff.

Camps, retreats and experiences

Year 7 camp

Year 7 camp takes part at the start of the year (exception being COVID-19). This camp is in order for students to get to know each other, especially those of their house and of their care group. The three-day experience is filled with activities.[16]

Year 8 city experience

Year 8 students get to experience a five-day program in which they explore Melbourne city, to learn about the "landscape, public transport and culture". Students work together in teams so that they can collect data, which is later used in a group-based inquiry project.

Learning adjustments

Hands On Learning is an educational program, founded in 1999, that adjusts student's education to support social and emotional development. The college is one of one hundred and twenty schools which offer the program. The program is run only at the junior campuses (Berwick and Officer). The program aims to engage in a practical learning style instead of an academic one. The college states that the program is to help students that are not supported with traditional learning programs, because those students could otherwise "disengage from school, demonstrate challenging behaviours and report low levels of belonging". The college states that 95% of students who participate in the program get an apprenticeship or job. Furthermore, the college states that beyond learning the program is based on four principles: a place to belong, people to belong to, real things to do, and a chance to give back.[17] [18] [19]

Principals

Previous and current principals of the school can be seen as according to the image of the plaque on the right. The current principal, since 2015, is Vincent J Feeney.[1] Maree Johnson had an auditorium named after her.[20]

History of principals at SFX!Epoch!Principal
1978–1983Robert Schenider
1984–1989Kevin Styring
1990–1999Aidan Burns
2000–2004Maree Johnson
2005–2014Paul Desmond
2015–presentVincent J Feeney

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Principal's Welcome. St Francis Xavier College. 2024-01-14.
  2. Web site: 2020 . SFXC Annual Report (2022) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902105046/https://sfx.vic.edu.au/cms/content/uploads/2023/07/SFXC-Annual-Report-2022.pdf . September 2, 2023 . September 2, 2023 . SFXC.
  3. Web site: sfx . Beaconsfield Campus . 2022-07-18 . St Francis Xavier College.
  4. Web site: sfx . Berwick Campus . 2022-07-18 . St Francis Xavier College.
  5. Web site: sfx . Officer Campus . 2022-07-18 . St Francis Xavier College.
  6. Web site: Schoolzine . Mary MacKillop Primary School Narre Warren North Website . 2023-09-03 . Mary MacKillop Primary School Narre Warren North Website . en-US.
  7. Web site: Cranbourne Campus . March 19, 2024 . Co-Ed Catholic High School Cranbourne St Peters College.
  8. Web site: College History . St Francis Xavier College . St. Francis Xavier College . 1 September 2023 . 8583-2.
  9. Web site: Catholic Identity St Francis Xavier College . 2023-09-01 . Catholic Identity St Francis Xavier College . en.
  10. Web site: sfxadmin . Curriculum - St Francis Xavier College - Leading Catholic Education . 2022-07-19 . St Francis Xavier College.
  11. Web site: Year 12 St Francis Xavier College . 2023-09-01 . Year 12 St Francis Xavier College . en.
  12. Web site: Trend of St Francis Xavier College 3807 by VCE results . 2022-07-19 . bettereducation.com.au.
  13. Web site: SIS St Francis Xavier College . 2023-09-01 . SIS St Francis Xavier College . en.
  14. Web site: Archives. 2021-07-11. www.sis.org.au.
  15. Web site: Carnival Archives. 2021-07-11. www.sis.org.au.
  16. Web site: Camps, Retreats and Experiences St Francis Xavier College . 2023-09-02 . Camps, Retreats and Experiences St Francis Xavier College . en.
  17. Web site: Hands-On Learning St Francis Xavier College . 2023-09-02 . Hands-On Learning St Francis Xavier College . en.
  18. Web site: Hands on Learning – Learning by doing and student wellbeing . 2023-09-03 . en-AU.
  19. Web site: Hands on Learning . 2023-09-03 . savethechildren.org.au . en-AU.
  20. Web site: Performing Arts St Francis Xavier College . 2023-10-24 . Performing Arts St Francis Xavier College . en.