St Francis Xavier College, Beaconsfield

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. 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 Berwick: The Berwick campus was opened in 2003. It serves students years 7–9 Officer: Having opened in 2012, the newest campus accommodates students years 7–9 Closed/converted campuses: Cranbourne: Opened in 1987, converted to St Peter's College seven years later History The Beaconsfield campus was opened on 7 February 1978, with an initial intake of 72 students, with the first principal being Robert Schneider. 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. 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). 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. 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, 2024 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 Ichthys 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. 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. Attendance The college has listed the specific attendance percentage per grade per campus, here. 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. 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. 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 2026, is Julie Banda. Maree Johnson had an auditorium named after her. Notable alumni Steven Salopek, former AFL footballer for Port Adelaide Jake Aarts, AFL footballer for Richmond Tyanna Smith, AFLW footballer for St Kilda Georgia Gee, AFLW footballer for Essendon Moira Deeming, member of the Victorian Legislative Council Destanee Aiava, professional tennis player Tyla Hanks, 2021 AFLW rising star for Melbourne References