Xavier welcomes Evanston campus
Schools
The start of the 2023 school year has marked an exciting milestone in the history of Xavier College, with the opening of its Evanston campus.
The amalgamation of what was formerly St Brigid’s Catholic School with Xavier College has resulted in the northern suburbs school now comprising of two Reception to Year 12 campuses across three sites. They are Evanston (R-6), Gawler Belt (7-12) and Two Wells (R-9 with expansion to Year 12 in the coming years).
New head of the Evanston Campus, Rozanna Elmassih, said the amalgamation provided a “clear and definite pathway for our students, as part of a R-12 college”.
“The move has been well received and the community sees it as a positive step,” she said.
New signage throughout the school grounds signals Xavier’s presence at Evanston, with the biggest impact for students being the change in uniform. Ms Elmassih said students would have until 2025 to transition to the Xavier attire.
Parent Renee Hutchins said her children Mason (Year 2) and Serena (Year 6) were due for new school clothing and were excited to be wearing the Xavier uniform this year.
“They have been at St Brigid’s since they started school and they love it here,” she said.
“For us, we’re very happy for the move to a Xavier campus as it means there will be a seamless transition when they head to the Gawler Belt campus for secondary school.”
Xavier principal Mark Flaherty said more than 2000 students were enrolled at the three campuses for the commencement of 2023 and demand for Catholic education was increasing.
“Enrolment numbers for the college are continuing to climb as we see significant growth in the north,” he said.
“Underpinning our teaching and learning is the Salesian ethos, with the foundational notion of teachers building authentic relationships with their students and modelling Respect, Understanding, Affection and Humour (RUAH). This is central to who Xavier College is.
“With the expansion of existing campuses and the addition of a new campus. Xavier’s dedicated and talented team of staff are continually aiming to improve their already successful curriculum through research, exploring best practices for curriculum, learning, wellbeing, equipment and facilities.”
Meanwhile, the Stage 2 building development at the Two Wells campus was completed in November 2022. This provides 12 additional classrooms, two new maker spaces, a virtual reality space, hub, language and music rooms, breakout space, staff area, meeting rooms, amenities and storage areas. The next stage of the building will include a double court gymnasium, two outdoor hard surface courts and purpose-built Out of School Hours Care facilities, due to be completed toward the second half of 2023.
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