Issue 2 SJC News 2021

The positive start to the school year that I reported in the last newsletter has continued with the vast majority of students approaching all aspects of their schooling in a positive manner. This includes their attention to uniform, grooming and punctuality and I thank boys and families for your cooperation in these small but important matters.

With the sudden announcement of lockdown last Friday I am proud of staff and students for the way that we were able to rapidly transition to remote learning mode with no loss of continuity. While we look forward to being back on site later this week it is reassuring to know that learning continues when we can’t be physically at school and that we are able to switch learning modes rapidly.

In the last two weeks we have held multiple events whereby families have been invited either in person or remotely to join with College staff. These have included Year 7 and Year 9 information nights, the Mt Sion well-being Expo and the Parents’ and Friends’ Comedy Night. I would like to record my gratitude to the families and members of the community who made time to attend and the staff involved in the events. Events scheduled during the period of lockdown, including the Mt Sion Awards ceremony will be rescheduled with families notified as soon as possible.

Communication between families and staff is critical, as is the support at home for the expectations of the school including those relating home work and study and value of ensuring that each student engages fully in the life of the school. The most successful educational outcomes are achieved by students who treat school as something to fully immerse oneself in rather than an educational supermarket where one wanders the aisles picking out the bits that suit them. Amongst our high achievers of 2020 (and every year for that matter), it is noteworthy that most were heavily involved in the life of the school, including in leadership, sport and extracurricular activities during their time at St Joseph’s.

Last week we received our VTAC report which showed that that 85% of our 2020 Year 12’s who applied for tertiary study received an offer. 15% whose marks did not reach the cut-off for course entrance or whose English mark was below the required benchmark did not. Of course these students still have alternative pathways on offer and may still receive a supplementary offer in coming weeks. This provides a salient message to our current Year 12’s around the importance of hard work and commitment to their VCE studies. It was pleasing to see almost 50 senior boys present at the ‘Aspire’ group meeting last week. This initiative is to support and encourage the aspirations of senior boys. The group meet twice a term and all are welcome.

The VTAC report shows that Deakin remains the most popular destination for our students with 77 students receiving an offer for 2021. This continues our status as the largest provider of undergraduate students to Deakin University from Victorian schools. The area of study most popular with boys was ‘management and commerce’ with those courses in ‘society and culture’ and ‘health’ and ‘engineering and technology’ also featuring prominently.

This week on Ash Wednesday we commenced the Church season of Lent. In his Lenten message to us Pope Francis emphasises Lent as a time for welcoming God into our lives through the love of others.

He writes that “Love is a leap of the heart. It brings us out of ourselves and creates bonds of sharing and communion.” Pope Francis emphasises the need for “social love” in building up “a civilization of love.”

"Love is a gift that gives meaning to our lives, he says. It helps us to see all men and women as our brothers and sisters. Charity is multiplied when given with love and to experience Lent with love, means caring for those who suffer or feel abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Pope Francis concludes by saying:

"The call to experience Lent as a journey of conversion, prayer and sharing of our goods, helps us – as communities and as individuals – to revive the faith that comes from the living Christ, the hope inspired by the breath of the Holy Spirit and the love flowing from the merciful heart of the Father."

Stay well and God bless