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 to participate, with all proceeds being donated to local and international charities. In the past, we have raised enough funds to support the building of a well for a village in Africa, as well as a school house in Nigeria. These opportunities help our students appreciate the responsibility we all share in helping the less fortunate.
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. The school community gathers for morning mass. We also schedule a special performance in the gym for all students to enjoy.
SFX Bazaar and Singathon
The annual SFX Bazaar and Singathon 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. 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. Parent volunteers are often needed to help prepare materials for our celebration.
Concerts
St. Francis Xavier School prepares one major concert yearly. All students will be involved in the concert. We alternate between a Spring play/concert (such as Mulan) with a smaller Christmas performance one year, and a larger Christmas production with a smaller Spring event the next year.
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
Fun Day
Held annually in June, students participate in a variety of fun games. The Grade 7 students run the various stations, while the K-6 classes take turns going through each one in turn.