Junior School

Our Xavier Kindergarten sits proudly within our Jesuit educational setting. Consisting of one Three-Year-Old Room and one Four-Year-Old room, our Kindergarten is connected to St. Louis House and our Junior Primary Program. This two-year journey is part of our 'Play' curriculum program where a play-based program has been established to suit the context of our broader College. In a co-educational setting, our boys and girls are exposed to learning experiences based on their personal strengths and interests along with other learning provocations intended to broaden each student’s knowledge of the world. We invite our students to ‘play’ with the world around them, developing their collaborative skills engaging with their peers and teaching staff along the way.

With the connection to the primary school, our students have the opportunity to participate in specialist programs that include art, drama, physical education, outdoor education and library. These programs are run by specialist teachers who expose the students to the skills and structure that support their transition into their formal primary education.

Being a Jesuit school, our Kindergarten students engage in prayer and share stories of Jesus as they deepen their relationship with God.

The general safety and wellbeing of each student in our care is of paramount importance. We have strict regulations in place to ensure all students remain safe at all times. We focus on developing students who care for their environment, for each other and for themselves. It is during these informative years that we support their ability to socialise and connect with their peers in a kind and gentle manner.

You can access the 2025 Junior School Curriculum Guide here.

Our Prep to Year 2 classes are situated in the beautiful St. Louis House where students are exposed to learning opportunities allowing their inquisitive nature to flourish. These three years of learning are embedded in our ‘DISCOVER’ program where students explore the extraordinary world they live in. A major element of a Jesuit education is the ‘experience’ shared that allows personal growth and development.

During these three years, our key focus centres around the fundamental skills of literacy and numeracy. Establishing a strong foundation in these areas allows students to access the broader curriculum as our students advance into Year 3 and beyond. We embed the learning experiences in a strategically crafted expeditions program that connects learning inside the classroom to the world students live in beyond the classroom. You will find our students discovering elements of our stunning campus and beyond in the Yarra Bend National Park. These unique experiences support the development of vocabulary, a depth of understanding of how our world works and help to give an appreciation of the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Students in Year Prep to Year 2 are exposed to specialist classes in Physical Education, Music, Language (Italian), Library, Digital Technologies and Visual Art. These specialist programs are taught by passionate, experienced teachers who are experts in their field.

The personal development of our students includes so much more than their academic pursuits. As a Jesuit School, the faith journey of each student is a special experience with their God. Our Religious Education Program provides opportunities for every student to learn about God, the stories of Christ and how we are called to be servants of God in the ways we share our lives with others.

To support student wellbeing in these formative years, we focus on students developing a clear understanding of themselves, the people around them and the environment. Through our Personal Formation curriculum, boys identify their strengths, build their emotional literacy, express emotions, and explore positive coping strategies and cooperative behaviours.

You can access the 2025 Junior School Curriculum Guide here.

The Story of a River 

This unique two-year journey sees our students track the journey of the Yarra River from its origins, near Warburton, all the way to where it flows into Port Phillip Bay.

This journey is part of our ‘SPARK’ program where we are deliberate in our efforts to ensure the natural spark for learning burns brightly for every student throughout the middle primary years.

The learning experiences help our students understand how people can influence country, whilst country can influence people. The two-year journey involves exploration of environmental and sustainability issues, physical development through time, indigenous matters relevant to today and literature within our local context.

Experience is a central element to a Jesuit education, and we believe the shared experiences our students engage in promote significant growth and learning.

The core subjects of Maths and English allow for deeper learning of essential literacy and numeracy skills and over the course of these two years we challenge our students to understand their strengths and areas for growth. It is our goal for students to be intrinsically motivated to achieve their best as they prepare for the upper primary years.

Like our Junior Primary students, our Year 3 and 4 students are exposed to specialist programs in Physical Education, Music, Language (Italian), Library, Digital Technologies and Visual Art. Where possible these specialist programs align with broader units of inquiry through our ASPIRE curriculum to allow for rich and purposeful learning experiences. There should always be a purpose in all that we do.

Please note, our Year 3 students also engage in a formal strings music program.

You can access the 2025 Junior School Curriculum Guide here.

Literature sits at the heart of the literacy program at Junior School. The Early Years literacy curriculum has a strong focus on developing the skills required for successful reading and writing, including an evidence-based understanding of the way that letters work to make sounds and words as well as the ways that we can make meaning from what we read and create meaning when we write. These skills are taught explicitly and in the context of rich literature.

In the middle primary years, as students become more confident users of text and language they are supported to develop curiosity about words and how they are built to create meaning. They read and create more complex written, visual and spoken texts and begin to analyse and evaluate a range of texts. In upper primary the focus shifts to the development of topic-specific, technical vocabulary and critical thinking about what is read and they extend their knowledge and skills for communicating in all areas of the curriculum.

At Xavier College we strive to inspire a love of reading in all students, as it is a crucial skill for all areas of life. Students develop oratory skills through participation in a rich and varied public speaking and debating program. Our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills to communicate with confidence, impact, empathy and humility.