AT XAVIER WE ARE PUTTING LEARNING FIRST. The Truth Will Set Us Free

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1 AT XAVIER WE ARE PUTTING LEARNING FIRST The Truth Will Set Us Free

2 OUR we CHallenge our students to strive for their dreams Students are encouraged to be Compassionate and Christ-like with their dealings with others Students are encouraged to be Collaborative in their approach to learning and be committed to giving their best at all times Xavier students are Courageous in affirming that they put their learning first Loving God, You have called us to be your people and to be Courageous, Challenged, Compassionate, Collaborative and Christ-like as we grow in wisdom and love each day in our Xavier High School community. Help us to put learning first as we strive to be our best selves. May we follow the example of our founders and be inspired by Jesus, who is the greatest teacher, always knowing that the truth will set you free. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen

3 principal's message Xavier High School is a co-educational Catholic Secondary School catering for young people from Year 7 to Year 12. At Xavier, we enjoy an excellent reputation for achieving outstanding results in academic, vocational and cocurricular endeavours. The School enjoys exceptional facilities at our Fallon Street site, including a number of open learning spaces encouraging collaborative learning and the development of our students. The Xavier School Community welcomes all families who support the values of the School. Our vision is the five C s to be Challenged, Courageous, Compassionate, Collaborative and Christlike. Xavier is a place where young people grow with confidence and purpose, secure in the knowledge that they will be known, safe and valued members of the community. Our School is focused on personal excellence and we work with our students and their families to identify and work towards each individual s unique and varied pathways assisting them to achieve their full potential. Graduates of Xavier excel in a wide variety of fields including acceptance in tertiary studies, apprenticeships and direct employment. At Xavier our goal is to put learning first. We are committed to a whole community approach to education whereby families are rightfully held as a cornerstone for educational achievement. We encourage and foster opportunities for parental engagement and know that this partnership is integral to our School s ongoing success in all fields. At Xavier we are widely recognised as a leading provider of outstanding Pastoral Care. Our House system provides our students and staff with a smaller community of eight Houses (approx 110 students) within the larger school community, enabling us to provide care for your sons and daughters.

4 SOCIAL JUSTICE Xavier continues to offer students the opportunity to put our catholic faith into action. Our St Vinnies group is committed to reaching out to those in need in our local and wider community through initiatives such as Caritas, Project V and Vinnies gift giving. Students also have the opportunity to participate in Immersion experiences to remote aboriginal communities to grow their awareness of social justice issues in our country. These experiences help our students develop real understanding of culture and spirituality. CHALLENGED COMPASSIONATE COURAGEOUS COLLABORATIVE CHRIST-LIKE

5 Our IDENTITY HOUSE SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION Xavier operates a House based system to provide a school family to support each student from Year 7 to Year 12. There are 8 Houses which students can be allocated to when they enrol with Xavier, each then broken down into four Homerooms. The Homerooms meet each day and form the basis for Pastoral Care, administration, sport and cultural competitions, service, academic and liturgical activities. There is an emphasis on senior students taking a leadership role to support our juniors and ensure that each student is cared for through this structure. An online newsletter and the School s website keeps parents informed about events and achievements. Schoology provides parents with an opportunity to view their child s progress at anytime. Parents will receive a report of each student s results four times per year. A House Co-ordinator is allocated to each house and becomes the school contact person for parents. We encourage all parents to make contact with Subject Teachers, House Co-ordinators or Assistant Principals if there are any concerns.

6 LEARNING AND ACHIEVING TOGETHER At Xavier, we put learning first. We foster a teaching and learning environment which meets the needs of each student and best prepares them for modern life, encouraging independent thinking, learning and decision making. Xavier High School is committed to providing an enriching experience for every student in our care. We cater for all students and their talents, offering Pathway and Correspondence study options and catering for Student Based Apprentices and Trainees and those with special needs. At Xavier, we provide opportunities for our students to achieve their dreams. Our 2014 cohort is no exception. 94% of this cohort attained University placement which is a tremendous result. Two students from this cohort have been accepted into Medicine at UNSW which is outstanding and 3 students received Kwon Lee Dow. Other courses being taken by our students include Engineering with honours, Biomedical Science, Zoology, Graphic Design, Nursing, Teaching, Accounting, Psychology, Journalism, Commerce, Sound Production and more. At Xavier Students can achieve their dreams! Fostering a co-operatives environment of challenge and innovation is a key priority for Xavier. We encourage both our staff and students to view learning as a continuous process, with excellence and improvement always our primary goals. The quest for quality education motivates everything that our staff and students strive to achieve. Every effort is made to assist students to reach their full potential. At Xavier High School we offer a broad curriculum designed to cater for the needs of all students. Click here for detailed information on our current curriculum. Our teachers are all leaders of learning, regularly engaging in professional development to hone their craft. Our teachers engage with the professional standards outlined by BOSTES and use these standards to reflect and refine their teaching practice. Our teachers belong to professional learning communities who strive to improve and achieve excellence as their primary goal. Our expectations of our students are that they come to school to give us their best efforts everyday. Our students are challenged to be courageous taking risks in their learning and pushing themselves to new levels of achievement, to be collaborative working with peers, staff and community members to better themselves and to work together to achieve success; to be compassionate in all dealings with members of the Xavier community, to be challenged to be the best we can be, to give our best and to strive toward academic, social and spiritual awareness that enables us to succeed and finally to be Christ-like in our daily interactions with our community.

7 TEACHING FOR THE 21 st CENTURY Preparing our future leaders At Xavier we are committed to engaging 21st Century opportunities to best place our students to achieve their outcomes Our key focus is to build on and enhance already established innovations including: Learning management systems Leveraging from each student being provisioned an individual learning device, we have engaged a learning management system (Schoology) to: Introduction of learning mentors Facilitating sporting opportunities Preparing our future leaders Providing individual learning devices All students from Years 7 to 12 are provided with an individual Chromebook device to support their learning activities. These devices provide students the opportunity to access learning materials electronically and build their information technology Project project was implemented this year with the aim or targeting Year 7 and 8 students to improve literacy and writing skills to set our students up for success. We are leading the way in our Diocese through this innovative approach to identifying student target areas for growth. 1. Facilitate engaging diverse curriculum opportunities 2. Provide a communication tool for parents to view student progress 3. Provide a centralised repository to store student resources Schoology has proven a successful tool in preparing our students for the digital world. In 2015 we are working towards the development of a learning mentor program for our students. This program will see staff and senior students working with our junior students to set goals and develop strategies to achieve them. Xavier has a highly successful record in all sporting pursuits reflecting a strong school spirit which exists. Sports offered include Athletics, Australian Rules Football, Basketball, Cricket, Cross Country Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Touch Football, Soccer, Squash, Swimming and Tennis. Xavier provides students a range of opportunities to be involved in leadership roles to develop skills in effective leadership. Formal positions are available in each House including House Captains, Vice Captains and Student Representative Council. There are also opportunities for junior leaders.

8 OUR PRIORITIES As partners in Catholic education, we commit ourselves to providing quality education for our students by developing goals and strategies which: Promote our Catholic identity Enhance the quality of religious education Provide high quality teaching and learning programmes Address the diverse needs of students OPEN LEARNING SPACES Xavier hosts a number of dynamic and collaborative learning spaces that have been purpose built to allow diverse modes of teaching and learning. These spaces provide an environment for progressive learning strategies and encourage students to work collaboratively. Enhance the professional, technical and spiritual development of staff Strengthen the partnerships between staff, parents, clergy and the wider community Utilise new technologies to expand learning opportunities Ensure the efficient and equitable distribution of available resources Implement a long-term plan for the future provision of places in Catholic schools

9 OUR UNIFORM Correct wearing of uniform reflects our belonging to the Xavier community one body made up of many parts and of respect for self, for others and for our environment.

10 For further information about the future Xavier High School can offer your child please phone, or visit our website. 294 Fallon Street Albury NSW 2640 PO Box 518 Albury NSW 2640 Phone: