38°03′08″S 145°22′13″E / 38.0522725°S 145.3703257°E / -38.0522725; 145.3703257

St Francis Xavier College
Location
Casey & Cardinia Shire
,
Victoria
CoordinatesBerwick Campus: -38.0706271, 145.3384674

Beaconsfield Campus: -38.0522725, 145.3703257

Officer Campus: -38.0606611, 145.4325587
Information
TypeIndependent co-educational secondary day school
MottoVia Veritas Et Vita
(I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6))
Religious affiliation(s)Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL)
DenominationRoman Catholic
Established1978
School number03 9707 3111
PrincipalVincent Feeney
Years offered7–12
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment3302 (2022)
Average class size19
Houses
  •   Romero
  •   Ozanam
  •   Nagle
  •   MacKillop
  •   Acutis
  •   Bosco
  •   Bakhita
  •   Glowrey
Colour(s)
  •   Navy Blue
  •   Red
  •   White
  •   Gold
AffiliationSouthern Independent Schools
Websitewww.sfx.vic.edu.au

St Francis Xavier College is a 7–12 Catholic co-educational school in Victoria, Australia. In 2022, it has over 3,000 students and 300 teaching staff, with over 1,500 students and teachers in the Beaconsfield campus alone.[1] It has campuses in Berwick, Beaconsfield and Officer.

Campuses

St Francis Xavier College has three campuses:

  • Beaconsfield: Opened in 1978, the campus houses students years 10–12[2]
  • Berwick: The Berwick campus was opened in 2003. It serves students years 7–9[3]
  • Officer: Having opened in 2012, the newest campus accommodates students years 7–9[4]

Closed/converted campuses:

  • Cranbourne: Opened in 1987, converted to St Peter's College seven years later[5]

History

The Beaconsfield campus was opened on 7 February 1978, with an initial intake of 72 students, with the first principal being Robert Schneider.[2][6][7] 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.[5] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[8][9]

St Francis Xavier College VCE Result 2012-2022[10][1]
Year Rank Median study score Scores of 40+ (%) Cohort size
2012 202 30 4.6 354
2013 261 29 3.7 412
2014 206 30 4.7 386
2015 154 31 5.8 415
2016 186 30 5.9 435
2017 253 29 4.3 513
2018 188 30 5.3 541
2019 220 29 6.1 505
2020 229 29 5.9 598
2021 259 29 4.3 615
2022 265 29 3.9 564

Extra-curricular activities

The school participates in the annual athletics carnival and swimming carnival, where students from different houses compete.[1] St Francis Xavier College is also a member of the Southern Independent Schools (SIS).[11] The college participates in SIS chess, debating, music, public speaking and sport.[1]

SIS premierships

St. Francis Xavier College has won the following SIS senior premierships.[12][13]

Combined:

  • Athletics (7) – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013

Boys:

  • Basketball (3) – 2003, 2009, 2019
  • Cricket (7) – 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2016
  • Football (12) – 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019
  • Soccer (6) – 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020

Girls:

  • Basketball (8) – 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Football (5) – 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018
  • Netball (11) – 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019
  • Soccer (3) – 2015, 2016, 2020

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.[7]

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.[1]

Percentage of Students who met all Minimum National Standards[1]
Year Grade Seven Grade Nine
2021 94.4% – 97.0% 91.8% – 97.7%
2022 94.9% – 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.[1]

Median NAPLAN results for Grade 9[1]
Year Year 9 Grammar & Punctuation Year 9 Numeracy Year 9 Reading Year 9 Spelling Year 9 Writing
2022 564.5 565.5 567.0 579.5 560.2

Attendance

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

Semester 1 & 2 Attendance Rate[1]
Year Semester 1 Semester 2
2022 87.40% 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.[1] 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.[14]

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.[14]

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.[15][16][17]

Principals

Principals Plaque at St Francis Xavier College Beaconsfield (2023)
Principals Plaque at St Francis Xavier College Beaconsfield (2023)

Previous and current principals of the school can be seen as according to the image of the plaque on the right. With the current principal being Vincent J Feeny as of 2015 to present. Maree Johnson had an auditorium named after her.[18]

History of Principals at SFX
Epoch Principal
1978–1983 Robert Schenider
1984–1989 Kevin Styring
1990–1999 Aidan Burns
2000–2004 Maree Johnson
2005–present Vincent J Feeny

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "SFXC Annual Report (2022)" (PDF). SFXC. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 sfx. "Beaconsfield Campus". St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 sfx. "Berwick Campus". St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 sfx. "Officer Campus". St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. 1 2 Schoolzine. "Mary MacKillop Primary School Narre Warren North Website". Mary MacKillop Primary School Narre Warren North Website. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "College History". St Francis Xavier College. St. Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Catholic Identity | St Francis Xavier College". Catholic Identity | St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  8. ↑ sfxadmin. "Curriculum - St Francis Xavier College - Leading Catholic Education". St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Year 12 | St Francis Xavier College". Year 12 | St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Trend of St Francis Xavier College 3807 by VCE results". bettereducation.com.au. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "SIS | St Francis Xavier College". SIS | St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Archives". www.sis.org.au. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "Carnival Archives". www.sis.org.au. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Camps, Retreats and Experiences | St Francis Xavier College". Camps, Retreats and Experiences | St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  15. ↑ "Hands-On Learning | St Francis Xavier College". Hands-On Learning | St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  16. ↑ "Hands on Learning – Learning by doing and student wellbeing". Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  17. ↑ "Hands on Learning". savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Performing Arts | St Francis Xavier College". Performing Arts | St Francis Xavier College. Retrieved 24 October 2023.


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