Issue 1 SJC News 2021

We have much to be grateful for and celebrate as we begin this fresh new year of 2021!

As staff returned to prepare for the year, we gathered in a COVID safe way to celebrate in solidarity with the other four Geelong Catholic Colleges, each at their own campus. Traditionally we gather, as a Catholic community and fill St Mary of the Angel’s Basilica.This year at St Joseph’s we launched our Identity theme for the year, ‘Living the Golden Rule’ in the ‘Year of St Joseph’. ‘Living the Golden Rule’ is the principle of treating others, as you want to be treated. This theme, in collaboration with the ‘Building Bridges Program’, Peter Griffin our Religious Education Learning Leader is coordinating, is a key focus of ours in 2021. We believe that by treating others, as you want to be treated, will not only make for a better college community, but if we spread this idea in our community, it will help our recovery and create a kinder and more compassionate world.

We will explore this theme in further newsletters. It will also be launched at our Commencement Masses, at our Edmund Rice and Westcourt campuses this week thanks to the preparations of our Faith Development Coordinator, Belinda Milverton.

This year, our college is committed to being faithful to our touchstones of Liberating Education, Gospel Spirituality, Justice and Solidarity and Inclusive Community. In St Joseph’s College, the student community is diverse as we are an inclusive community. Whilst a range of faiths are represented, we have a large Christian community. We want to give a voice to all of our students and join with others in the local and global community to improve our inter faith and intercultural understandings. Through dialogue and advocacy with support from our Intercultural Understanding Partnership (ICUP) team members including Ginette Everett and Ian Grant from the Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia (JCMA) and ‘Together for Humanity,’ to foster greater inclusion and connection among students.

We also welcomed our newest members of staff to the college and our Identity Team welcomed three new members. We welcomed Lisa Pope to our St Joseph’s family as our new Deputy Principal of Learning and Identity. We are excited to learn from her experience and wisdom she brings from her vast educational experiences. Lauren Hall is taking on the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Coordinator with support from Sue Collins our Koorie Education Officer. Lauren has been an active member of working with Curriculum Leaders to implement curriculum aspects of our Reconciliation Action Plan. Rachel Ivey is our new Refugee Coordinator who is looking forward to sharing a welcome afternoon tea with the families and their teachers and implementing a homework club at Westcourt.

You can look forward to hearing about your student’s involvement with many aspects of the Identity Team as they participate in Sustainability endeavours including enviro service led by our expert Kelly Jenkins. Our enthusiastic Student Leader Coordinators, Sam Querella and Ash Crook guide the formation of our College Student Leaders to provide student voice and advocacy for issues they are passionate about in our community whilst leading us to live out the Touchstones.

Leah Irving our Service learning Coordinator has been very busy preparing the launch of two Service Learning opportunities for our students, which reflects our theme, ‘Living the Golden Rule’. For Waterford, a ‘Treat People with Kindness Challenge.’ Mt Sion and Westcourt can take part in an ‘International Women’s Day 2021 Service Learning Task’.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Yarns

We congratulate Tyson Neal 2020 St Joseph’s Graduate is the winner of the Rikki Marks Rising Star Award for 2020. The Ricci Marks Award encourages and supports young Aboriginal leaders to pursue their aspirations.

‘Tyson is a young Gunditjmara Arrernte man with a passion for impacting community. He is an active member of community who learns and performs cultural dance. Tyson, although young, is a strong advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. Tyson thrives off sport and considers it an effective tool for managing mental health. Whilst quiet, Tyson is a leader having captained his football team for three years in a row, played for AFL Victoria’s Laguntus team for the last two years, and participated in several AIME programs.

Tyson feels his biggest achievement, and the one he holds closest to his heart, is delivering a speech to all his peers at St Joseph’s Geelong. The speech was about young men speaking up and asking each other, 'Are you ok?' In a time of grief, Tyson identified that the practice of asking the question 'are you okay' was not occurring. Tyson positioned himself to deliver a powerful speech about mental health and suicide prevention to his school community. This had a strong impact on his school community from the Principal right through to the students and even the Alumni.

Tyson went on to lead the establishment of a Mental Health Action Group with the assistance of Headspace Melbourne, a not-for-profit for youth mental health. Tyson aspires to continue his pursuits and passions by studying Sport Physiology or something similar.’

https://www.aboriginalvictoria.vic.gov.au/ricci-marks-award

Congratulations to Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr 2021 Senior Australian of the Year

St Joseph’s College congratulates our faithful friend of the college, the 2021 Senior Australian of the Year Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM, from Nauiyu in Daly River, Northern Territory. The College maintains a strong connection to Miriam and her community with staff and students visiting Nauiyu as part of our immersion program. On their visits, students learn the importance of Dadirri and deep listening along with the strong community connection to country. We look forward to being able to offer the ‘The Daly River Immersion’ once again when possible. We proudly display her painting, "Welcome", in our Staffroom for all to see. Staff members Jules and Jonathan Holt and their children made the trip in December to Darwin and were able to get access through the wet season roads to spend time in Dadirri in community with Miriam Rose. We all can access Dadirri and need to more often. Take a moment for some Dadirri and support her Foundation.