A caring faith community fostering welcome, inclusion and a love of learning
School Motto: Let Happiness Dwell Here“
School Vision: A caring faith community fostering welcome, inclusion and a love of learning
School Values: trust, respect, forgiveness and care
We have worked as a community to create a vision statement that captures the essence of our beautiful school. At our Catholic school, faith is at the centre of what we do, and the care we show for one another is a tangible expression of this. As an inclusive school community, we welcome families from all cultural and faith traditions, knowing that this brings a richness to St Francis Xavier that is precious and unique. We take pride in welcoming new families, students, and staff to the school and ensuring they feel connected and valued as part of our community. And learning, well, we love it! Our students and staff are on a journey together to discover, build skills, deepen knowledge and understanding, stretch and challenge our thinking, embrace learning challenges, and flourish as lifelong learners.
In the Franciscan spirit, our mission is grounded in the following principles:
1 Catholic Tradition
- Grounded in Catholic tradition and spirituality, the Gospel values of trust, respect, forgiveness, and care underpin everyday teaching and learning.
2 Learning environment
Provides a high-quality learning environment that:
- Cultivates effective learners-for-life through a commitment to informed and current teaching and learning practices.
- Uses the Science of Learning principles and data to ensure instruction is explicit and at the point of need for each learner
- Values the key role teachers play in supporting the personal growth of children, recognising that they are responsible for enhancing the quality and standard of student learning outcomes.
- Consistently offers learning activities involving the continuing acquisition of knowledge and skills so that learners can apply these critically to understand and participate effectively as responsible citizens in their world.
3 Environment
- Encourages respect, responsibility and care for creation; where an awareness of the environment and its species is developed and promoted
4 Wellbeing
- Enhances the well-being of all in an environment of justice, inclusiveness, tolerance, equality and compassion; in which harmony and healthy relationships are promoted through the development of social skills, self-worth, affirmation and the celebration of achievements
5 Collaboration
- Is a learning community in which teamwork and collaboration are central to everyday practice
6 Community
- Is a place in which clergy, parents, teachers, and students build and nurture a healthy, growing community
We work daily at St Francis Xavier to ensure our Vision and Mission are enacted and visible in our community. Some of the ways we do this together are outlined below.
1 Catholic Tradition
Is grounded in Catholic tradition and spirituality, in which the Gospel values of trust, respect, forgiveness and care underpin everyday teaching and learning.
Our key Gospel values of trust, respect, forgiveness and care are the cornerstone of our actions, words and interactions with every member of our community. We seek to live these out daily and keep them alive by referring to them during moments of prayer and gathering, especially when things haven’t gone the way we might have expected. Our Religious Education program draws from the rich Catholic tradition, where students explore key concepts essential to us throughout our lives and are encouraged to question, wonder, and explore their thinking. The school’s prayer and liturgical life bring our tradition to life, celebrating both significant and ordinary moments and allowing us to draw on scripture and music to express our faith.
2 Learning environment
Provides a high-quality learning environment that:
- Cultivates effective learners-for-life through a commitment to informed and current teaching and learning practices.
- Values the key role teachers play in supporting children’s personal growth, recognising that they are responsible for enhancing the quality and standard of student learning outcomes.
- Consistently offers learning activities involving the continuing acquisition of knowledge and skills so that learners can apply these critically to understand and participate effectively as responsible citizens in their world.
The staff at St. Francis Xavier are a team committed to student growth and progress, working collaboratively to plan effective, targeted learning and teaching for each student in our care. Our Professional Learning Meetings give staff opportunities to learn from one another, deepen their understanding of quality practice, and analyse student data to inform planning. Learning coaches support staff in planning Literacy and Numeracy units of work and work actively in classrooms alongside teachers. With the introduction of the MACS Vision for Instruction in 2024, staff have embedded science of learning principles, particularly related to cognitive load and retrieval, into their daily pedagogical practice. As a team, we developed an Explicit Instruction Checklist that focuses our attention on the high-value practices most likely to ensure effective learning in the classroom. A rigorous goal-setting and feedback process, utilising classroom observations, enables staff to refine their practice.
3 Environment
Encourages respect, responsibility and care for creation, developing and promoting awareness of the environment and its species.
We are privileged at St Francis Xavier to work and learn on spacious grounds that provide numerous opportunities for students to explore and engage with the world around them. Our Year 6 student leaders play a key role in raising awareness of the importance of caring for our school environment. Our very enthusiastic Garden Club utilises the waste generated by our students through composting systems and productive vegetable gardens. Each year, our students engage in units of work centred on themes of sustainability and creation, exploring these topics through the lens of our faith tradition, Catholic Social Teaching, geography, science, and health. Our FIRE Carriers, a Year 5 student leadership team supported by two staff members, ensure we are mindful of the indigenous history of our land and acknowledge and celebrate significant Indigenous cultural events.
4 Wellbeing
Enhances the well-being of all in an environment of justice, inclusiveness, tolerance, equality and compassion, in which harmony and healthy relationships are promoted through the development of social skills, self-worth, affirmation and the celebration of achievements
The St. Francis Xavier community draws inspiration for the care and respect extended to each community member from the Gospels and Catholic Social Teaching, which emphasises the dignity of the human person. Staff, students, and families live this out daily in how they interact with one another. We employ a restorative approach to supporting students in making good choices in their interactions with one another. In 2025, we began using the ‘You Can Do It’ program as a strategic way to implement wellbeing education across the school, developing a common language and a consistent approach. A daily well-being check-in in each classroom ensures teachers know how their students arrive each day and can adapt routines accordingly. Fortnightly assemblies continue to be occasions for us to gather as a school community and share student achievements and successes, and celebrate significant events together.
5 Collaboration
Is a learning community in which teamwork and collaboration are central to everyday practice
We actively support a culture of collaboration among staff, students and our families. Staff work in teams that meet regularly to learn from one another and share best practices. For teaching staff, this also includes two Professional Learning Meetings per week. Parents are our partners in their children’s education, and we support this through close personal contact with each family through Parent Support Group Meetings, Learning Conversations, check-in phone calls, follow-up meetings for any significant concerns or incidents, and daily chats at drop-off and pick-up. Our students are supported in developing collaboration, self-efficacy, and teamwork skills every day in their classrooms and through explicit instruction in the You Can Do It program.
6 Community
Is a place in which clergy, parents, teachers, and students build and nurture a healthy, growing community
Our School Advisory Council and Parents & Friends are key points of community connection, enabling parents to contribute to building social capital and informed strategic decision-making. Both these groups meet monthly, supported by school staff and our Parish Priest. Fr Phuong and his team are an excellent support to the school community, highly engaged and invested in what we do. They lead our liturgical and prayer experiences with energy and a deep commitment to ensuring each is meaningful for our students. The St Francis Xavier community is vibrant and welcoming, with many parents contributing to school life and dropping in and out throughout the school day, helping in classrooms, assisting with organising events, or meeting with staff. Students benefit from these close partnerships because they sense how many people invest in their well-being and learning.