St. Francis Xavier School

Is tuition assistance available?

Families with more than three children enrolled in the same school year will pay no more than the applicable three children tuition rate for that year.  The tuition rate is somewhat lower for families who are registered members of any Catholic parish to reflect the fact that so many Catholic individuals and organizations underwrite our expenses so families can choose a Catholic education for their children.

 

Our per-student cost is approximately $8,500 per year, more than even our highest tuition tier, which means that the tuition for every child is subsidized. Fundraising makes up the difference. Additional tuition assistance is available for families who qualify.  The school uses the FACTS program to help determine eligibility.

 

Can we afford to send our student(s) to St. Francis Xavier School?

The St. Francis Xavier School Board works hard to keep the cost of tuition as reasonable as possible. We recognize and appreciate the sacrifice our families make to enable their children to attend our school. We also know that St. Francis Xavier School provides an excellent education to our students in a safe, caring, and faith-filled environment. This is an invaluable gift to children and we appreciate the fact that families are willing to pay what they can to give their children this gift. Here are some key points to consider: Affording a Quality Education.

 

What is your enrollment process?

The first step in the enrollment process is to come to visit our school.  Our principal, Craig Hill, will sit down with you and find out what brings you to St. Francis.  He'll walk you down the halls and show you around.  He'll happily tell you about St. Francis and answer any questions you have. We highly encourage you to schedule a shadow day for your student(s).  Shadow days are a great way to see if St. Francis is a good fit for your student and your family.  Once you have decided that St. Francis is the perfect place for your family, you will be sent a link to our online application forms ($25 fee applies).  Once completed, your application will be reviewed by our admissions office and if approved, you will be directed to finish the online enrollment process ($175 fee applies). 

 

Do you have to be Catholic to attend St. Francis Xavier School?

St. Francis welcomes students of any religion, race, or ethnic origin.  Please note, however, that religious instruction is part of our curriculum and we provide an educational program that promotes Christian values, academic excellence, and personal responsibility.

 

Is St. Francis Xavier School the right choice for my non-Catholic child(ren)?

As mentioned above, St. Francis Xavier School welcomes students of all faiths.  Many families send their non-Catholic children to St. Francis because of the strong academics and values we teach our students.  To hear about the experiences of some of our non-Catholic families, check out our page "Welcoming All Faiths".

 

How do you ensure the safety of your students?

Students and visitors to St. Francis Xavier must be buzzed into the school through one of two locked doors. Both doors have cameras by the buzzers to allow the person controlling the locks to view the visitor before unlocking the door. All other doors to the school are locked at all times and only staff members with special key fobs or codes may enter through those doors. The access codes to the doors can be changed regularly and the fobs can be rendered inactive if a person in possession of the fob no longer is permitted access to the school. Visitors to the school must be accompanied at all times by a faculty or staff member unless that visitor is at the school for a work-related matter. In that situation, the visitor will be issued an identification tag, which must be worn while the visitor is in the building.

 

All employees and volunteers must have a background check performed and complete a child safety course required by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.

 

Students are supervised at all times when they are on the playground during school hours or participating in outdoor physical education classes. Teachers perform headcounts after students transition from outdoor to indoor activities.

 

Safety drills are practiced monthly so students and staff have an opportunity to practice what they need to do in different kinds of emergency situations. The exercises range from lockdown drills to fire drills.

 

ALICE training is being introduced at St. Francis Xavier School in 2018.  ALICE is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. This is in response to studies that indicate that the traditional “lockdown only” approach is not always the most effective way to deal with certain emergency situations.

Our first priority in an emergency situation is always the safety and security of students and staff, but parents will be alerted as soon as possible. Our emergency alert system uses texts, automated phone calls, and emails.

One of the most important things parents can do is to make sure we have the most current contact information including cell phone, emergency contacts, home phone, and home address. You can review and update contact information by logging into Renweb.

 

What are the school hours?

Our doors open at 7:45 and the school day starts promptly at 8:00AM.  Parents of  Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten students must walk their student(s) to their lockers between 7:45 AM and 8:00 AM.  Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten students end their day at 2:30 PM and grades K-8 dismissal is at 2:40 PM.

 

What is the dress code?

The most important reason for a dress code is equity among students. The social status of the “right” clothing is put aside, and allows the students to focus on community and academics. Secondly, it looks good. The students will look neat, professional and ready to learn.

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Uniform shirts, blue polo and physical education Squire shirts, must be purchased through JoAnn’s Uniforms in Colchester.  Their website is www.joannsuniforms.com and the phone number is 862-0290. The uniform is a dark blue polo shirt with SFX logo, khaki pants, shorts (weather dependent) and girls may wear khaki skorts.  Girls may also wear navy blue leggings or tights under their skorts.  The physical education uniform consists of a navy Squire logo shirt with navy sweatpants and shorts (weather dependent).

 

Is St. Francis Xavier School accredited?

St. Francis Xavier School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools

and Colleges and the Vermont Department of Education.

 

Is transportation available?

Parents are responsible for transporting their students to and from school.  We are conveniently located by both exits 15 and 16 in Winooski.  Many families carpool.  We are happy to help put families in touch with one another to facilitate this.

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Is after school and vacation childcare available?

After school care is available until 5:30 PM.  This is a program for which students must register and parents will incur an extra cost.  Please refer to the family handbook for more details. The family handbook can be found under Resources on the School Information page of our website: https://www.sfxvt.org/school-information.  Vacation care is available from 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM during most vacations.  Again, pre-registration is required.

 

How can parents get involved?

We love parent volunteers!  The Home & School Association is an integral part of our success.  Through community building, fundraising, and promoting volunteerism, the Home & School Association is constantly improving our already wonderful school. Check out the Home and School page for details: www.sfxhomeandschool.org

 

Why do you require 15 hours of volunteer time from each family in addition to the tuition obligation?

There are two primary reasons for requiring 15 hours of volunteer time from each SFX family. Tapping into the talents of our families is one more way to keep our tuition rates at a reasonable level. Whether it's working on fundraising activities such as our Craft Fair and Calcutta, or helping to serve lunch, or freshening up the plants around the school, all of this helps the school earn or save money. In addition,  having families involved in activities such as the Opening Day Barbecue, a School Breakfast, Fun Day, or a class field trip creates a vibrant, committed school community that is part of what makes Saint Francis Xavier so special.