Special Events
Sacraments
St. Francis Xavier is proud to be a missionary school. Through
our witness of the faith and religious education program many
children express a desire for baptism. Our baptismal program
runs for two years. One parent must commit to participate
in the RCIA program if they wish to have a child baptized.
Baptisms take place during the Saturday evening Easter Vigil
ceremony.
First Holy Communion and Reconciliation are usually received
in Grade 2. Older Catholic students who have not received
these sacraments will need to participate in additional lessons
to meet the requirements. In the past, the Grade 2 teachers
have offered a Communion Club.
Confirmation is received in Grade 7. In preparation, Grade
6 and 7 students are required to complete a mass journal each
week. Students also need to accumulate a minimum number of
service hours in their community to show their commitment
to the faith. An annual retreat is also held for Gr. 7 students.
Spirit Days
A theme is selected by the SFX Leadership group each month and the school population is invited to show their school spirit through their participation. Themes have included pajama day, crazy hair day and fall colors day. Students must donate $1.00 to participate, with all proceeds being donated to local and international charities.
In the last three years, we have raised over $5000 for our designated international charity, The Amani Children's Centre, in Tanzania Africa. This is a place where orphaned, abandoned and abused children are given refuge. We have enjoyed learning about these children and seeing the difference our donations can make in their lives. If you would like to see these young people, please visit www.amanikids.org .
Book Fair
Each year the school hosts a Scholastic Book Fair. Students, parents and staff have the opportunity to purchase quality books at great prices. The school receives a percentage of the sales to be used toward purchasing books for the library and classrooms.
Each year we usually sell approximately $10,000.00 in books. We also have a Book Dedication, where families have the opportunity to buy and dedicate books to the library or individual classroom teachers. Teachers make a wish list of the books they would like for their program and parents may purchase one.
St. Francis Xavier Feast Day
Each year our parish and school community celebrates the feast day of St. Francis Xavier in December. Usually, a dinner is held in the school gym followed by some entertainment. Our students have performed at this celebration in the past. Parents will be informed of Feast Day details in the November monthly bulletin.
SFX Bazaar
The SFX Bazaar is one of our most important fundraising
events. It is held annually on the last Saturday in May and
runs from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Numerous volunteers from
the parish and school are required to make this fundraiser
a success.
At the bazaar you can purchase dry goods, play games and
eat lunch or dinner in the food court. You may also want to
make a bid on a number of items at the Silent Auction. The
highlight of our annual bazaar is the Singathon. All students
collect pledges and each class performs one song for the audience.
Our students also help sell raffle tickets for some amazing
prizes or cash. It is a fun activity
for the whole family.
Chinese New Year Fun Day
Each year our Chinese teachers prepare the students for
a Chinese New Year Fun Day, which includes songs, dances and
poetry. Students also receive prizes for their neat colouring
and printing of the Chinese language. In order to create a
more festive atmosphere, the students are allowed to wear
Chinese style clothing or other colourful clothing to school
the day of the Festival.
Concerts
St. Francis Xavier School prepares one major concert yearly. For 2007-2008, the staff is working on a sequel to Messengers of Light and will be shown in the Spring. All students will be involved in the concert.
We also invite professional groups such as the Vancouver Opera and the St. Patrick's Chamber Choir to perform at our school. All our students will have the opportunity to listen to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre during the year.
CD & DVD Recordings
We released our first CD project, SFX Forever, on December 15th, 2004 at AMANI NOEL, a primary Christmas presentation. All profits from the CD went to support the Amani Centre. At only $10, this CD is a great keepsake and gift. We still have some copies available at the office if you would like to purchase one.
In December 2006, the entire school performed in a completely original Christmas production. Conceived and written by school staff, Messengers of Light chronicled the angelic visitations surrounding the traditional Nativity story from the unique perspective of the archangels in a boardroom setting. Filled with soaring melodies and classical orchestration, more then 25 actors and soloists were accompanied by two massive angelic choirs with 150 singers in each. By the end of that school year, a DVD was issued of the performance preserving the memorable event for the school community for years to come.
Family Groupings
Students are placed in “families” for a variety of community building experiences. Two students per grade will be in each group for a total of 14 students in approximately 22 groups. Each group has a teacher supervisor. Family groups met in previous years to participate in our Winter Carnaval, Fun Day and religious activities related to our school theme.
Winter Carnaval
Our second annual Winter Carnaval was held in February 2006, and involved students participating in a variety of fun, creative and athletic events with their Family Group. The daylong event consisted of both indoor and outdoor events and the teams were awarded points for the completion of the activities. Prizes were given to the top three teams. The day was lead by the Grade 7 students who acted as Family Group Leaders and also organized and ran the 13 events. Carnaval is a traditional French celebration and the students had an opportunity to use their French skills and enjoy some traditional and not so traditional French activities. We look forward to continuing this tradition in the near future.
Fun Day
Held annually in June, students participate in a variety of fun games. The Fun Day format has changed in 2007-2008. All teachers will host a game in their classrooms and students will rotate with their family group to each activity. Grade 7 students will continue to be group leaders.
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