St Francis Xavier College
Encyclopedia
St Francis Xavier College (abbreviated SFX) is a coeducational
, systemic
Catholic
high school
and college in Florey
, Australian Capital Territory
, Australia
. http://www.sfx.act.edu.au/about.htm
The college caters for years 7 to 12 from the Belconnen
and Gungahlin
areas and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education System.
The School is named after Saint Francis Xavier of Portugal
, who was a Jesuit
Missionary who spread the Christian message in India
and parts of Japan
.
.jpg)
It is located on the eastern border of the suburb of Florey
. The school was founded in 1976, originally just as a high school (serving years 7-10), and officially opened by Archbishop
Cahill on 24 September 1977. In 2001, the College graduated its first year 12 students. The college is one of the four Catholic Archdiocesan secondary schools in the Australian Capital Territory
. It is located on a large side block, across the road from Saint John The Apostle Primary School, and bounded by Barnard Circuit and Kingsford Smith drive.
In years 9 and 10 students are to continue a similar pattern of liberal arts education with compulsory religious education. Students choose which Social Science subject they will study - History, Geography or Commerce. Other electives include the popular Sport and Recreation Courses.
In the senior years most students are placed through a dynamic university preparatory program tailored to each students future career and study aspirations and academic level. English and Religion (religious philosophy, art history and psychology) units are compulsory and maths and sciences are highly recommended. However, a wide range of university like units are available such as Sociology, Psychology, Business and Media that prepare students for vocational or higher education. The schools program has proven its dynamic and analytical thinking; the schools 2008 and 2009 UAI/ATAR results were among the highest in the territory.
The College is known for its strong pastoral support of students. In Senior Years the Senior Studies Coordinator is part of a team who assist students in their academic goals.
The school also boasts a fully functional theater area, containing up-to-date lighting and prop equipment, as well as a large seating area for performances such as the school musical held every second year. The school's basketball and tennis courts were also repainted with some new design changes making basketball and tennis a realistic choice for school physical education classes. Additionally, the school has created many "breakout" computing areas in the renovated areas of the school. This, combined with the three dedicated computer
areas has increased the number of computers available to students to well over 40 units.
Recently SFX received a ACT NoWaste award, which is an award given by the ACT government to organizations with commendable environmentally sustainable no-waste programs.
St Francis Xavier College also recently became the First High School/College in Canberra to be Officially Wastewise accredited.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
, systemic
Systemic
Systemic refers to something that is spread throughout, system-wide, affecting a group or system such as a body, economy, market or society as a whole. Systemic may also refer to:-In medicine:...
Catholic
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college in Florey
Florey
Florey may refer to several people:* Howard Walter Florey, Nobel Prize-winning Australian pharmacologist** Electoral district of Florey, is a state electoral district in South Australia named after Florey....
, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. http://www.sfx.act.edu.au/about.htm
The college caters for years 7 to 12 from the Belconnen
Belconnen
Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
and Gungahlin
Gungahlin
Gungahlin is a name of a district and the northernmost town centre of Canberra, Australia. Gungahlin is situated 10 km north of Canberra's city centre and is one of five satellites of Canberra including Woden, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen. Currently Gungahlin comprises 11 suburbs,...
areas and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education System.
The School is named after Saint Francis Xavier of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, who was a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
Missionary who spread the Christian message in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and parts of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Location
Florey, Australian Capital Territory
Florey is a residential suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, in the district of Belconnen. It was gazetted on 5 August 1975 and most houses were constructed in the mid 1980s. A minor industrial area was located in the suburb prior to residential development.The streets of...
. The school was founded in 1976, originally just as a high school (serving years 7-10), and officially opened by Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Cahill on 24 September 1977. In 2001, the College graduated its first year 12 students. The college is one of the four Catholic Archdiocesan secondary schools in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. It is located on a large side block, across the road from Saint John The Apostle Primary School, and bounded by Barnard Circuit and Kingsford Smith drive.
Curriculum
Middle school (years 7 and 8) are placed in a vigorous mathematics, science and humanities program with the choice of taking various elective subjects including languages, drama, visual arts, technology and design and hospitality.In years 9 and 10 students are to continue a similar pattern of liberal arts education with compulsory religious education. Students choose which Social Science subject they will study - History, Geography or Commerce. Other electives include the popular Sport and Recreation Courses.
In the senior years most students are placed through a dynamic university preparatory program tailored to each students future career and study aspirations and academic level. English and Religion (religious philosophy, art history and psychology) units are compulsory and maths and sciences are highly recommended. However, a wide range of university like units are available such as Sociology, Psychology, Business and Media that prepare students for vocational or higher education. The schools program has proven its dynamic and analytical thinking; the schools 2008 and 2009 UAI/ATAR results were among the highest in the territory.
The College is known for its strong pastoral support of students. In Senior Years the Senior Studies Coordinator is part of a team who assist students in their academic goals.
Refurbishment and facilities
In recent years the College has undergone some major refurbishments and improvements to its facilities. Many areas of the school were completely redone, some of these areas include the Resource Center, an area which all students have access to. The Resource Center contains books of varying subjects and genres, as well as an abundance of computers for online and computer related research. Other areas of the school which were renovated include the maths building and the art building; a new middle school building was also erected.The school also boasts a fully functional theater area, containing up-to-date lighting and prop equipment, as well as a large seating area for performances such as the school musical held every second year. The school's basketball and tennis courts were also repainted with some new design changes making basketball and tennis a realistic choice for school physical education classes. Additionally, the school has created many "breakout" computing areas in the renovated areas of the school. This, combined with the three dedicated computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
areas has increased the number of computers available to students to well over 40 units.
Environmental awareness
SFX has moved closer to becoming an environmentally sustainable school. Each classroom has recycling bins for paper and cardboard, students receive Waste Wise and Sustainability education, and a worm farm has been established for food scraps.Recently SFX received a ACT NoWaste award, which is an award given by the ACT government to organizations with commendable environmentally sustainable no-waste programs.
St Francis Xavier College also recently became the First High School/College in Canberra to be Officially Wastewise accredited.
Extra curricular activities
Extra curricular activities offered at the college include:- Fashion parade and the school musical (These 2 events are alternated every year)
- Production Crew
- Yearbook
- The school magazine (The SFXC Scavenger)
- Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
- RoboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
- Youth ministryYouth ministryYouth ministry, also commonly referred to as Youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry and is the way in which a faith group, or other religious organization involves and engages with the young people who attend its place of worship, or live in its community...
(Mandatory) - Public speakingPublic speakingPublic speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
- MangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
club - DramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
club - KayakKayakA kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing - Various sports teams
- PaintballPaintballPaintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
Teams - Debating team
- Band and Choir
- FishingFishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
club - Statistic Games Club
- Lunchtime Spanish Classes
- Volunteering for local charities such as The Salvation ArmySalvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
(Salvos) and St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) - World Youth DayWorld Youth DayWorld Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....