Xavier Catholic College Mission Statement

What does the Lord require of us

but to act justly, 

and to love kindness,

   and to walk humbly with our God? Micah 6:8

Xavier Catholic College Ballina is a Jesuit Companion School and a ministry of the St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish.  Our mission is to provide a holistic Catholic education that is world-affirming, encourages study of all reality and seeks wisdom.   We strive to develop conscientious leaders and agents of change who are intellectually competent, open to growth, committed to justice, and compassionate in service to others for the greater glory of God. 

FROM THE PRINCIPAL 

STAGE 5 (Years 9 & 10) STUDY

Dear Students, Parents and Carers, 

Over the next four years at the College, you will be faced with more and more choices in relation to many aspects of your life and your academic pattern of study. How you go about deciding between the many options available to you is part of the whole learning and growth process. 

In this Handbook you will read about mandatory and the elective courses available to you in Year 9 – 2025 and Year 10 – 2026.

Parents and students, I urge you to read this Handbook in a careful and considered manner. 

When making decisions about elective subjects to study you need to: 

• Look for options which you believe will challenge and stimulate you. 

• Identify courses that are of interest to you. It is to your advantage in terms of your own motivation to be guided by your interests and not those of others, particularly your immediate friendship group. 

• Be prepared to work hard at these courses. Your teachers and parents know you have made these choices, so be prepared to back up your choices with hard work. 

I would like to wish you well for Stage 5 (Years 9 & 10). Use this time well as you spend the next two years completing this stage of secondary education. Over this period, you might take time to reflect on your own interests and passion for particular subjects as you will be required to make new choices again for Years 11 & 12. 

Generally, the choice of an elective in Years 9 and 10 does not exist as a set pre-requisite for taking that elective in an older year.  However, it does need to be remembered that for some electives later study will build on earlier knowledge and skills (especially in subjects such as Music and Languages).  For this reason, it is important to base the choice of elective upon a combination of a student’s abilities and interests as well as the possibility of use towards future studies.

Finally, the listing of a subject in this booklet is no guarantee that the subject will be available next year.  All subjects listed here are being offered to the students, but only those attracting sufficient numbers will be able to go ahead and be timetabled.  This decision will always remain at the discretion of the Principal.  Should a subject be selected that is subsequently eliminated because of insufficient student numbers, students having chosen that subject will be consulted and their next listed subject choice will be used.

I take this opportunity to wish you and your child the very best as you commence your journey with us here at Xavier Catholic College. We are happy to assist you in any way and welcome your contact with the College.

Lee MacMaster

College Principal

This site aims to provide parents and students with information that will assist in the selection of elective courses for Years 9 and 10. 

The pattern of courses to be studied in Years 9 and 10 falls into two categories:

1. Compulsory courses: Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, PDHPE, and Geography (Year 9) and History (Year 10).

2. Elective courses in a variety of Key Learning Areas (see the 'Subjects' Tab for a full list and overviews).

The school will determine the pattern of study for compulsory courses.  

Students have the opportunity to select two electives for study. These electives will be studied over Years 9 and 10.   Students are encouraged to remember this when making their choices as there is only limited scope for subject changes after courses have begun. We encourage students to select a subject in which they are interested. Subject choice is NOT linked to Career or University choices at this level. 

In some subjects, however, success in a course in Years 9 and 10 is of great assistance in studying the subject in the Senior School. 

In presenting the range of courses provided on this site, we have attempted to meet the needs of all students. It must be pointed out that courses have class size limits; however, every effort will be made to satisfy student choices.

Students are advised to think carefully about the various elective subjects in each of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) before making a final choice.