2024 | ISSUE 5 | SJC Newsletter

Principal's Video News

Welcome back to Term 2, I hope that the break has been restorative and re-energising for all of our students. At the start of term we welcome back from leave, Gemma Gray. We also welcome new staff, Ellie Purser, Jason Moloney, Taylor Gray, and Melissa Lavender.

I have had the privilege of visiting many schools across Australia and across the world. I firmly believe that St Joseph’s College Geelong has one of the best school uniforms I have seen. The caveat on this of course, is that it must be worn fully and correctly for this to be the case. This week is a week of ‘grace’ during which either full and correct winter or summer uniform may be worn (not a combination). From next Monday, each student must be in full and correct winter uniform as they travel to and from school and when required at school. May I respectfully request that all families support the College in this expectation.

During the holiday break, I had the privilege of spending 10 days with a group of leaders from Edmund Rice schools across the world at an EREBB (Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders) Symposium in South Africa. EREBB is a global network of over 280 schools educating over 200,000 students. Our involvement in the network is an important element in our strategic goal of providing our students with a global perspective. In coming months and years, there will be opportunities for many of our students to engage online with young people who live in a very different context to ours.

In addition to online interaction, Year 12 students will have the opportunity to visit Kenya and Uganda later this year (after VCE exams). The value of interaction with other communities can be demonstrated by the following true story.

In a hotel foyer there is a fish tank with many brightly coloured goldfish. In a large pond in the hotel garden there are many of the same variety of fish. Those in the tank are tiny, those in the pond are huge. The fish only grow as large as their environment allows. In developing engagement with other young people across the world, we provide our students with the chance to grow and expand.

While in South Africa our group visited a number of schools, some serving wealthy communities and others serving very poor communities. The disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ reminded me of just how important it is that St Joseph’s continues to educate and advocate for a just world.

With Edmund Rice Day early next month, we have the opportunity to support education for our friends at Kensekka. As Pope Francis reminds us “to educate is an act of hope”. On Edmund Rice Day we stand in solidarity with the poor, we advocate for justice for them and we put our money where our mouth is.

During the break, I read a lot about Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and visited Soweto, the centre of so much protest, violence and death during the final years of the apartheid era. Two quotes from Archbishop Tutu really resonated with me:

“The world is getting better. Think about the rights of women or how slavery was considered morally justified a few hundred years ago. We are growing and learning how to be compassionate, how to be caring, how to be human.”

and

“Without forgiveness we remain tethered to the person who harmed us. We are bound to the chains of bitterness, tied together, trapped. Until we can forgive the person who harmed us that person will hold the keys to our happiness, that person will be our jailer. When we forgive we take back control of our fate and our feelings. We become our own liberator.”

During the break we refurbished and refitted the Adam Bryant Centre (our weights and fitness centre). It is now equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to support our PE programs and particularly our elite sportsmen who now have the facilities to undertake strength and conditioning programs either set by their own external coaches or by our staff, including our recently appointed Doctoral Researcher from Federation University.

The last College tours for families considering enrolment at St Joseph’s take place over the next two weeks. These tours have been well supported with all but the final day completely booked out. I am very grateful to our College Registrar, Adel Mawson, for her work in arranging these tours and to our student leaders and senior staff who have been involved in leading them in answering any parent queries.

God Bless

Tony Paatsch
Principal

Acting Deputy Principal -Wellbeing

This week we were delighted to welcome back all staff and students as we continue with our Semester 1 subjects and learning goals. Although Term 1 was very busy, the College is pleased to report that both students and staff are navigating the new timetable changes well, with any minor concerns being currently discussed for future improvements.

Key Dates:

Please note that there are a number of key events approaching in early Term 2. These include:

1 – 3 May: Year 12 Renewals & alternative learning timetables for Years 10 & 11

2 May: Year 8 AAS Testing

8 May: Edmund Rice Day (Cross Country)

13 May: Mother’s Day breakfast

17 May: IDAHOBIT Day

23-24 May: Year 10 Careers program

18 June: GAT Testing (VCE students)

For parents with students in Mt Sion, you will receive more detailed information via email regarding the Renewals week and alternative arrangements for Year 10 and 11 students.

Mt Sion Presentation- CTRL Your Scroll

This week Mt Sion students heard a presentation from ‘CTRL your scroll’. This presentation is an integrated, research-based program that utilises peer-reviewed data, scientific study and personal experience to provide real-life strategies to combating phone addiction. Ctrl Your Scroll provides students with the skills and tools to be able to take back control of their phone usage.

The key takeaways from the presentation were:

• The impact of excessive media consumption leads to reduced mood
• Social media apps have been designed to create an unconscious use of our phone and scrolling
• Over use of a phone can cause an increase in memory failure and reduce our ability to concentrate.

The student body were provided with some valuable strategies moving forward:

• Download the “One Sec” app, which provide an external stopping cue that is missing from al social media apps
• Modify the digital settings of each App (eg: The digital wellbeing schedule for Tik Tok)
• Replace the scrolling habit with something new and create a list of options to replace this with healthier habits
• Mange the notifications of personal devices
• Download the “Opal App”, which allows the phone user to block apps for a chosen period of time at a specific time of the day

I would encourage you to discuss this presentation with your child, as I am sure we can all appreciate the impact phones and social media has on our own personal health and growth.

In addition to the above presentation, the wellbeing team have recognised that student mobile phone use during class and in the yard increased throughout Term 1. This started to impact the teaching and learning within some classes. As an interim response, students have been informed that in addition to normal processes, if a student has their phone confiscated twice in a term a further consequence will given. This consequence will be to hand in their phone to the Deputy Principal office area for a minimum of two weeks. In some cases, further support will be provided to students who are having difficulties with excessive phone use. The College appreciates parent support with these processes.

I look forward to a productive and positive term ahead.

Cassandra Gleeson
Acting Deputy Principal -Wellbeing

Dear Parents / Carers

On 8 May this year, the College will celebrate Edmund Rice Day. This day has a dual focus on celebrating our identity as an Edmund Rice school and supporting those less fortunate in the developing world and in our own community.

Following feedback received last year, a financial contribution to this day has been incorporated into school fees, therefore we will no longer be asking families for a donation on Edmund Rice Day. On behalf of all those who will benefit from this generosity, I would like to thank each and every family for your contribution.

A significant portion of your donations will be directed to St Joseph’s Vocational Secondary School in Kensekka Uganda. This school is a beacon of hope in an incredibly poor region. Your generosity in past years has enabled the purchase of land to grow food for student lunches and to generate income, the construction of classroom blocks and toilet facilities, the employment of teachers, provision of fresh water and electricity along with classroom needs. This year we aim to contribute to the construction of science rooms to enable teaching of agricultural science. A science room(s) also meets requirements of the Ugandan government for providing some funding to the school.

We are also very excited to announce that a small group of staff will be visiting Kensekka in the July holidays to help develop local teachers, many of whom have minimal training. We are also planning for a group of Year 12 students to visit in December as an alternative schoolies experience.

Funds will also be directed to Timor Leste to assist the training of teachers in Viqueque, to Lifeboat (supporting survivors of sexual abuse locally) and to Edmund Rice Camps (providing holiday experiences for children from disadvantaged families).

The celebration element of the day will involve us gathering for liturgy followed by a walk / run which we do in solidarity with our friends in Uganda, many of whom walk or run long distances to get to and from school each day. This also incorporates the Interhouse Cross Country competition. For the latter part of the day, students will be able to participate in a variety of fun activities (some of which will require a small donation) and there will be the opportunity to purchase food.

Edmund Rice Day reminds us who we are and celebrates our identity. In some senses, it is the most important day of the year for staff and students. Sometimes students will try to convince parents that the day is optional and not important. For a student to choose to miss this day is incredibly disappointing and makes a strong statement about that young man’s commitment to his schooling and this community.

I look forward to celebrating the day with all students and staff and I thank all families for your generosity and support of the day.

Happy Edmund Rice Day.

Tony Paatsch
Principal

Identity News

Alleluia, Christ the light of world is Risen!

As we begin a new term, renewed and reinvigorated, we also renew our commitment to the risen Lord. Easter is not just a day that we have already celebrated, but a season of 50 days from Easter to Pentecost Sunday when we continue to celebrate the essence of our faith – the resurrection of Jesus. During the season of Lent, we were invited to spend time reflecting on Jesus' life and our Lenten commitments made on Ash Wednesday.

We concluded Term 1 as a whole College community gathered for our annual Easter Liturgy, focusing on the key events of Palm Sunday. We reflected on his passage to the cross, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The liturgy was prepared by Belinda Milverton - Faith Development Coordinator, and the re-enactment was produced by Drama Teacher - Janine McLean, along with our College Captain Michael Ahearn, Deputy Captains Kaine Shaw and Jude Payne and our Gospel and Spirituality Touchstone Leaders. It was an engaging, powerful and moving performance. We were also grateful for the support of some staff in key roles, the Year 8 Drama class and our Vocal Ensemble.

The resurrection means that Jesus not only defeated death for himself, but that he defeated it for us. He died and rose as a new representative for humanity. The resurrection is the most significant day on the Church’s calendar as it proves his divinity, that Jesus is God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ.

So, what began on Palm Sunday, ended on the following Sunday. A transformative week in the lives of those that lived it and for us, those that remain. It’s a moment in time that is considered the most central event for Christians everywhere.

At present, in our country recently, we have much to reflect on in solidarity with all people who wish to practice their faith of all kinds, to learn and connect with our weekly Gospel readings to nurture and nourish our mind, spirit and souls.

In Luke’s Gospel on Sunday, we heard the following words as Jesus appeared to his disciples:

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them,

‘Shalom! Peace be with you.’

The word ‘shalom’ means ‘with God, all is right in the world’.

How can we bring a sense of ‘shalom’ to others in our lives? (Luke 24: 35)

In our Daily Prayer in our Homerooms this week we used the letters of the word to help us reflect. For example:

S – Show forgiveness to others

H – Help others whenever you can

A – Adopt a hope-filled attitude to life

L – Love others as you want to be loved

O – Open your mind and heart to others

M – Make the Gospel message your own.

Let us go ahead this term in faith and trust, to live out our theme to, ‘Shine a light through Service’ and share peace with others.

This term we look forward to our Year 12 students participating in their Renewal Touchstone Program on 1 to 3 May, Edmund Rice Day on 8 May our Year 8 Renewals on 27 and 28 May.

Community Connections Day

During the holidays, Rachel Ivey, our Refugee Coordinator, with support from Leah Irving, our Service Learning Coordinator, organised a very successful Community Connections Day which was hosted at St Joseph’s College. It took place last Thursday which enabled us to welcome 55 students from a diverse range of multicultural communities with staff from Cultura to enjoy an engaging program of activities and generous Joey's hospitality. Cultura Geelong, connect, inspire and embrace culturally diverse individuals throughout their life journey. They provide a support network and a unified voice for multicultural communities in Greater Geelong. They offer services in settlement services, youth and community programs, arts programs and cultural events, community services and aged care. https://www.cultura.org.au/

It was a very positive experience for all of the students and the many students participating in service learning and there was much gratitude from staff attending from across Cultura, Sacred Heart College, Iona College and St Ignatius College. Our St Joseph’s College staff and students were very welcoming and generous in their time and in sharing the Eddy Rice spirit on the day. 

The refugee Community Connections Day was one of the most fun days we have had this year. It was fun meeting and learning about new people and their stories. The activities were so much fun and everyone was working well with each other. It is such a good day to do your community service hours.
Fedel Haddad 8E

The Community Connections Day was a wonderful experience which helped me connect the lives of younger kids, the positive environment the kids brought was lots of laughter and a lot of bright smiles which made the whole program worth being in. The diverse community the program brought showed that SJC and other Catholic schools are very respectful and we all treat each other like we would treat our family / friends. Myself and the other volunteers made new friendships with the little kids, I will treasure the fond memories of the kids as well as our newly formed friendships.
Jhayferson Jimenez Brophy H

On the Community Connections Day, I was a student helper. I helped with meeting and playing the games with kids within my team. It was an enjoyable experience. I got to meet kids that had different passions than me, broadening my knowledge and opinions. For example, many kids in my team were fans of Cristiano Ronaldo and we had a few others who liked Lionel Messi, this created good banter between the group and the kids loved it, as it entertained them a lot, as well as doing the activities. Soccer was a big hit as they got to show their passion.
Ari Turner Brophy D

On Thursday 11 April, I participated in the 'Community Connections Day', I had spent the day with kids from different ages from 6-14, spending the day doing different activities. My group started off making chocolate and coconut truffles, then after morning tea went over to the P.A.C. to have fun using the green screen, after my group moved over to the library to do a friendship bead making activity. I had made such a good connection with this kid from Grade 3, Seah, so when we were at the bead making station, Seah had made me a bracelet. After having a BBQ lunch, we headed to the new Year 7 basketball courts to play mixed games like egg on a spoon race and tunnel ball, then to finish off our day, we had a couple of good games of soccer before saying good bye.
Lucas De Stefano Butler D

Mary Malone
Director of Identity

Year 7 2025 Enrolments

Any families who would like to submit a Year 7 Enrolment Application for 2025 are reminded that enrolments close on 3 May 2024.

This enrolment cut off also includes families who currently have a sibling attending St Joseph's College. Applications for any new Year 7 student who wishes to attend St Joseph's need to be submitted by the cut-off date to avoid disappointment.

Places are awarded using the College Enrolment Guidelines. Parents will be notified of enrolment acceptance by mid-June for Year 7 2025.

Information regarding the online application process can be found on the College website.

Welcome back to Term 2, I hope everyone enjoyed a restful and happy Easter period with their families.

Last term saw our first Parent Network social event with the College Comedy Night. This proved to be a huge success with approximately 150 people in attendance joining in hysterical laughs amongst the great company of comedians, Des Dowling and Peter Helliar. The audience was treated to Joey’s parent, Adam Cooney’s, debut on the comedy circuit – a Brownlow level performance! Thanks to the generous support of people in attendance we raised over $2,000 which will go towards supporting the students and College.

Our next Parent Network gathering is taking place on Tuesday 23 April at 7pm in the staffroom. We are lucky to have Deakin University attending with their research project into how school based digital technologies are experienced by students, teachers and families. Everyone is welcome to be part of the Deakin University focus group and our Parent Network gathering.

Also coming up in Term 2 is the next social function, the Trivia Night, taking place on Friday 24 May. Please keep an eye out on the College social media and emails for more details. This is a fun, casual night out to enjoy with your friends and trivia teammates, all money raised goes towards the College’s Wellbeing program.

St Joseph’s Swim Team Makes Waves at the ACC

As Term 1 drew to a close, the St Joseph’s Swim Team embarked on their journey to Melbourne, diving into the challenge of the annual ACC swimming carnival. The competition, renowned for its intensity, brought together some of Victoria’s finest swimmers. It was a wonderful experience for our swimmers to compete in this high-calibre event.

The evening's excitement kicked off with our captain, Matthew Suhandi, clinching silver in the Open 200m freestyle, setting an example of determination for the team. This was only the beginning of a series of outstanding performances, as many of our swimmers either won gold or earned places on the podium. Eventual winners, St. Bede’s, leapt out to an early lead for the Walsh Shield and never looked back. However, it was a tight contest between SJC, Whitefriars, and Parade, all vying for the coveted second and third places.

The SJC swimming team included seasoned athletes who had previously competed in the event and some new faces who brought fresh energy to the competition. Despite facing setbacks, including some last-minute withdrawals due to injury and illness, our swimmers displayed exceptional teamwork and resilience across all events. The event was a cascade of highlights, with our athletes bringing home a bag full of gold, silver, and bronze.

Finishing 5th overall was a monumental achievement, especially considering the added challenge for several of our swimmers who stepped up to compete in higher age categories during the relay events. We concluded the carnival just 17 points shy of second place in the Walsh Shield standings - a testament to the dedication and spirit of our team.

The SJC Swim Team’s valiant efforts at the carnival are worthy of high praise. Below is the roll of honour of the students who were part of the team:

Under 13

Quin Blizzard, Jarvis Munn, Billy O’Bree, Luca Torsi, Percy Liston, Charlie Costelloe

Under 14

Grayson Hyde, Ben Hynam, Harry Price, Kai Dyer

Under 15

Dinura Perera, Liam Walker, Chrysander Suhandi, Ryan Tolley, Lachlan Sears

Under 16

Jaxon Cooney, Jordan Lehmann, Jerry Kelly, Sam Cations

Under 17

Jaylen Sach, Harris Henderson, Hugo Walsh

Senior

Luca Zanoni, James Grcic, Matthew Suhandi (Swimming Captain)

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

UPCOMING EVENTS TERM 2

Every day CUT THE WRAP

Wednesdays Service Learning: Making Bag Tags/Locker Tags/Buttons (Weeks 2-8)

Monday 22April Earth Day: Planting activity

Friday 26 April Making Pencil Cases for Kensekka

Friday 10 May Bird Species Count and Making Pencil Cases for Kensekka

Monday 13 May Planting workshop for Mother’s Day

Tuesday 21 May Enviroservice (3:30pm – 5:30pm): Tree Planting (TBC)

Thursday 23 May Habitat Assessment

Friday 24 May Making Pencil Cases for Kensekka

Wednesday 5 June World Environment Day - Enviroservice (3:30pm – 5:30pm): Tree Planting

Friday 14 June Making Pencil Cases for Kensekka

CUT THE WRAP

All families are encouraged to support our “CUT THE WRAP” initiative by adopting a "plastic wrap free" approach to making lunches every day, in a bid to help reduce waste in our school grounds. We would like to thank all families that have already adopted the “CUT THE WRAP” approach to making lunches to date and we strongly encourage new families to send their sons to school with a “plastic wrap free” lunch and a re-useable water bottle.

ENVIROSERVICE

On Thursday 7 March, Enviroservice was conducted at the Carey Oval embankments, Edmund Rice Campus. Volunteers worked tirelessly to spread mulch around the pavilion located in the south east corner, providing protection, water retention and nutrients for the indigenous shrubs trees and grasses planted in the vicinity over recent years. Species growing in this area include Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), Sticky Hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa), Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) and Tussock grass (Poa Labillardierei).

SWITCH OFF HOUR

On Friday 22 March, St Joseph’s College engaged in a “Switch Off” hour, ahead of Earth Hour scheduled on Saturday 23 March. During this time, all members of our community were encouraged to switch off power not deemed necessary to conduct their lesson safely. Utilising our Mondopower “Ubi” energy production and consumption capture software, collectively across both campuses the average energy consumption (compared to averaged generation for each Friday prior for Term 1) was reduced by 262.20kWh; a saving of $109.60 for the hour. This equivalates to the following savings; $575.4 per day, $2877 per week, or $115,080 per year (Based on 6hr and 15 minute of class time Fridays, 5 days a week and 40 school weeks per year). The data captured on the day will provide valuable baseline data for the implementation of future energy reduction strategies.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

SEEKING DONATIONS OF MATERIAL TO MAKE PENCIL CASES FOR STUDENTS IN KENSEKKA, UGANDA
In preparation for staff visiting St Joseph’s School in Kensekka, Uganda in June, we are currently seeking donations of material to commence making A4 sized pencil cases for students. The first meeting is scheduled for Friday 26 April. We would greatly appreciate donations of suitable materials, in particular, durable and/or waterproof fabrics and buttons. Please send donations to the Reception at either campus by Wednesday 24 April. If you would be interested in assisting with sewing, please indicate your interest by emailing; [email protected]

NORTH SHORE BEACH CLEAN UP – SATURDAY 27 APRIL - SERVICE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
The 3220 Beach Patrol Geelong group have scheduled a 2 hour beach “Clean-up”, commencing at 9am on Saturday 27 April at Moorpanyal, Beach, North Shore.

The event will include one a 1 hour clean up followed by 30 minutes sorting time for participants to learn how the items are sorted. All participants will be provided with gloves, bags and grabbers and are asked to bring a water bottle and wear suitable clothing and a sun hat.

For more information visit the 3220 Beach Patrol Group on Facebook.

To sign up to this event, use the following link; https://events.humanitix.com/b...

Kelly Jenkins
Sustainability Coordinator

Australian Athletics Championships

The Australian Athletics Championships were held in Adelaide last week and we had two SJC representatives make the journey to South Australia to compete in their selected sport.

Bailey Wilson
Bailey Wilson, Year 12, competed in the Under 20s in the 5000m last Thursday in Adelaide at the Australian Athletics Championships. The event was broadcast live on 7+ and watched by many excited family and friends in Geelong.

Bailey finished just outside his personal best, coming 21^st running 15minutes 40seconds. It was wonderful for Bailey to achieve his season goal of qualifying, making it to the start line of the Nationals and to compete against the best in the country. Sharing the warm up track alongside some of Australia's Olympic stars was a source of great satisfaction and pride.

Noah Burns
Noah jumped a personal best of 4.60 in Pole Vaulting, landing himself a bronze.

We hope the positive championship experience will continue to motivate Bailey and Noah moving forward and everyone at St Joseph’s College are incredibly proud of them both.

SJC Music Department, Individual Instrumental Lessons – Limited availability!

We have openings for individual lessons in the following instruments:

Acoustic or Electric Guitar
Bass Guitar
Clarinet
Drum Kit and Percussion
Euphonium
Flute
French Horn
Piano
Saxophone
Trumpet
Trombone

Lessons are scheduled on a rotating basis during school hours. Students taking lessons on a Band instrument are required to join our Band Program.

Cost:

30 Minutes - $38.00

45 Minutes - $57.00

60 Minutes - $76.00

Please contact Laura Martin, Music Administrator [email protected] for more information.

China Educational Tour is back on!

Information Night – Presenter Eric Wang – China Best Tour

When: 30 April 2024, 7pm

Where: College Staff Room

Who: Open to all students, parents, staff, families and SJC Community

Further information please contact Katie at [email protected]

Year 11 English Studies special visitors!

Year 11 English Language students received a reciprocal visit from our four-year old friends from Federation Children today. We had a wonderful time consolidating and concluding our studies in child language acquisition playing ‘Duck Duck Goose’, Tunnel ball and What’s the time Mr Wolf? We also enjoyed colouring Easter Eggs and reading Easter stories.

Parenting Young Minds

Book Fair

St Bernard’s Church Annual BOOK FAIR - Sun 5^th May
Clairvaux School Hall, Reynolds Rd. Belmont : 8am to 2pm

Come along & browse through a huge selection of quality pre-loved books - fiction, non-fiction & children’s - all at bargain prices.

Jigsaw puzzles, board games, DVDs & CDs & Scrumptious Scone Stall. Something for everyone.

Sympathy

Robert Crook (78 years) passed away on 7 March 2024. Father of current staff member, Ashley.

In God’s care.

Giovanni Stranieri (89 years) passed away on 11 March 2024. Father of current staff member, Anna Fazio. Grandfather to Damian Fazio (2010), Jonny Fazio (2011) and Josephine Fazio (2013 SHC).

May he rest in peace.

Emma Canaway passed away on 12 March 2024 after a courageous battle with cancer. Daughter of current staff member, Peter.

Deepest sympathies.

Bernadette Richards (77 years) passed away on 16 March 2024. Eldest sister to current staff member and Old Collegian, Damian Moynihan.

Reunited with loved ones, may she rest in peace.

Mary Mathieson (98 years) passed away peacefully on 21 March 2024. Mother of current staff member Cassandra Coogan.

May she rest in peace.

Judy McMahon (82 years) passed away peacefully on 4 April 2024. Mother-in-law of current staff member, Raelene.

Deepest sympathies.

Clare Welsh (82 years) passed away on 11 April 2024. Mother of Darren (1987) and mother-in-law of current staff member, Natalie.

May she rest in peace.

Our hearts go out to you all as we pray “That God will welcome these faithfully departed into His loving arms. And that precious memories will be of comfort to those left behind, knowing that their love will live on in their hearts forever.”