INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY - RESPECT CUP

It is International Women’s Day this Monday 8 March, and the theme is #ChooseToChallenge. St Joseph’s College and Sacred Heart Geelong with the support of Leisure Networks teamed together to initiate the community International Women’s Day event ‘Respect Cup’ that supports our commitment to promoting Respectful Relationships in our school and the wider community. The ‘Respect Cup’ saw the 1st XVIII of St Joseph’s play the 1st XVIII of St Patrick’s Ballarat in a male football game acting as a curtain-raiser to the female senior match of Sacred Heart Geelong playing Loreto College Ballarat at the GMHBA Stadium on Tuesday earlier this week.

The purpose of the event was to emphasise sport as integral to our local community and social connections; To celebrate diversity and inclusivity; To strengthen and enrich our community and the bonds between the schools; To celebrate the common interest of AFL football between the genders; To promote health and well-being, and to celebrate women’s achievements in sport, raise awareness against bias and take action for gender equality. #ChooseTo Challenge. A huge amount of work went into making this inaugural event take place and we are thrilled with the interest we gained from the school and local communities. The games were played in great spirit and congratulations to Ballarat for winning. We look forward to this taking place each year with Ballarat hosting us next year.

Our players made a special presentation after the match to SJC teacher Leah Irving, who was the heart and soul behind this initiative and always strives to challenge our SJC students to be inclusive and respectful.

SCHOOL STUDENT FAMILY PARTNERSHIP

We often speak about the importance of partnership and we have been pleased to see so many families in attendance at our New Parents Evening and at our Westcourt and Mt Sion Welcome, Wellbeing and Study Evenings. Gone are the days of SJC staff simply off-loading information, rather we are adopting active participation from our families, meeting and greeting and learning what and how our boys learn at their particular phase of schooling. Learning and wellbeing are intimately linked and we know that our students learn best when their wellbeing is enhanced. Having supportive parents who are actively engaged also strengthens this great bond. At our Mt Sion Awards, we welcomed back our 2020 special award winners of cultural, sporting and academic excellence along with all those who received an ATAR of over 90. Each of these students was able to offer a piece of advice to the Year 11s and 12s in attendance on how to get the best out of themselves during school. I have included a few of these below.

- ‘Getting constant feedback from your teachers is the most important aspect of doing well in Year 12. You have only one shot at your VCE so make it count.' Luke Dowd

- ‘Maintain healthy habits, especially during exams.’ Ethan Owens

- ‘The only person who can really motivate you is you.’ Declan Jones

- ‘Don’t be afraid to ask questions.’ Matthew Issell

- ‘Break your workload down into chunks and work through it piece by piece.’ Brannon Goli

- ‘It’s never too late to start putting in the hard work.’ Jack Bentley

- ‘In order to be most effective, recognise when you need a break from studying and give yourself some time to regain motivation.’ Clancy Hehir