In the 1990’s St Joseph’s entered into a formal relationship with Sacred Heart whereby timetables were aligned to allow students to study a subject at the other school. There have been many benefits over time including enabling subjects to run when there are very small classes and opportunities for our senior students to experience a more diverse learning environment. This year we have about 180 Sacred Heart students studying a subject at St Joseph’s and about 120 St Joseph’s students studying at Sacred Heart.
For the last 18 months senior staff from the two Colleges have been working together on the ‘TIME’ project. The goal of the project is to explore contemporary models of learning design that foster student autonomy and better prepare our students for life beyond the school gates.
As part of this project both schools have consulted staff and external experts, and undertaken surveys of their student body to explore:
- modes of delivery for learning,
- how the school day might be rearranged to best suit learner engagement
- greater flexibility in times of learning
- effective times for wellbeing programs
The data gathered from both schools was consistent, with students indicating:
- late morning to early afternoon as their optimal learning time, indicating they prefer sustained periods of learning during this time
- they absorb theoretical concepts in lessons of around 45 – 60 minutes, whereas they have a preference of around 90 mins for the opportunity to apply practical concepts
- overwhelming support of both Colleges for building flexibility into typical school structures
- an openness to opportunities for wellbeing to be incorporated into the school day.
- the importance of school leaders being responsive to the needs of both genders
We expect to implement changes to our daily and weekly schedules from the start of 2024. I look forward to providing more specific detail later this semester.
St Joseph’s proudly maintains an open entry policy whereby we do not selectively enrol students on the basis of their academic or sporting achievement. As a result, it is important that we continue to offer a variety of pathways at the senior end of the school. Most students will continue at the College until year 12 and complete their VCE with either a Vocational Major, an ATAR (scored VCE) or an unscored VCE. Some will leave school before the end of year 12 and these students are more than twice as likely to move straight into an apprenticeship or employment than other students in the region.
Recently there has been much public discussion about the merits of ATAR as the primary mechanism for determining places in tertiary courses. Many institutions are increasingly using information other than just the ATAR score to determine course admission. This is not a new phenomenon, as schools, teachers and principals have been writing ‘references’, and students have been preparing resumés to support applications to some courses for decades.
The College has entered into a partnership with The University of Melbourne called ‘New Metrics for Success’ which is advocating for a more formal mechanism for schools to report the competencies and achievements of students through broader learning profiles. In time such a report may replace the ATAR but there is no doubt that any replacement will still include some measure of academic achievement.
While the ATAR remains the primary delineating factor for admission to most tertiary courses it is important that our VCE students in the scored pathway focus on maximising their academic achievement. It is the easiest, (but not the only) way to achieve your short-term study and career goals.
The College continues to plan for the redevelopment of our Arts precinct which we plan to commence in second semester this year and I look forward to providing families with further detail of this exciting development in coming months. A number of smaller projects have recently been completed maintaining and enhancing our excellent facilities. These include:
- the rejuvenation of A Block with new carpet, paint and operable walls
- additional shade sails in the yard and the replacement of some pre-existing sails
- rebuilding the kitchen garden area and a new Outdoor Education storage facility at Westcourt
Other works scheduled for this year include:
- a reworking of the toilet facilities at Westcourt
- development of a Westcourt weights gym adjacent the gymnasium.
- upgrade and expansion of the cricket practice nets on Carey Oval.
During the last two weeks there have been many welcome and information evenings held at the College to provide the opportunity for parents to meet their sons’ teachers. I would like to thank everybody who joined us at these evenings. We know that successful education requires the collaboration and cooperation of school and home and having parents and teachers know each other is a good start.
The College inter-house athletics was postponed from last Friday due to forecast extreme heat and was conducted on Monday. It was terrific to see students, led proudly by year 12 students, entering enthusiastically into the events. Congratulations to Foley house on their victory.
God Bless
Tony Paatsch
Principal
CHILD SAFEGUARDING AND ONLINE SAFETY
At St Joseph’s we have a Child Safeguarding committee that includes teaching, non-teaching students and staff representatives who meet regularly to ensure we grow our child safeguarding culture. (child safeguarding poster attached) Last week the world-wide initiative ‘Safer Internet Day’ celebrated 20 years. For Safer Internet Day 2023, we were all encouraged to “connect, reflect and protect” for the sake of making the internet a safer space for everyone. The eSafety Commissioner has provided many resources for schools and families surround online safety Safer Internet Day.
We are proud of our Child Safeguarding Year 9 student reps (Hamish, Bradley and Mitchell) who volunteered to be part of an educative Safer Internet webinar offered by Moores Legal. (PPT attached). Some of the student’s reflections are captured below.
Thanks for the opportunity to be part of this webinar. We learnt the following.
- “Phishing” is the act of using fake e-mail messages to get personal information out of internet users (bank details, phone number, etc.)
- The Government has regulations put in place to try and counter these online crimes.
- This is a big issue, on a national scale, due to the fact there was over 100 people in attendance (the biggest Teams meeting I’ve been a part of!)
- Ways we can support vulnerable young people online.
- Ideas on how to prevent access to dangerous websites and inappropriate websites for kids.
- Interesting information on the dangers of social media apps.
UNIFORM
It’s important we are aware of our college uniform policy UNIFORM POLICY
Students are mostly adhering to this however we feel too many students are wearing the incorrect black shoes. They must be black, leather, lace up polishable shoes with a heel. We have conducted uniform audits ensuring all students have the appropriate uniform items. Please get in touch with the homeroom teacher or Year Level/House coordinators if you have any queries with this.
STUDENT AND PARENT/CARER ENGAGMENT
It has been pleasing to see so many families attending the welcome and information evenings for Year 7, Year 9 and Mt Sion respectively. Clear communication and healthy partnerships are key ingredients to our young people experiencing success at school. We have been pleased with the levels of respect and behaviour at the college so far this year, and our Athletics Carnival was well attended with very high participation levels.
Moores Your Map to Apps Guide
Download"Have courage, the good seed will grow up in the children's hearts later on." Edmund Rice
It is with great reassurance for us as teachers that the words of Edmund Rice, "Have courage, the good seed will grow up in the children's hearts later on," is revealed to us at times such as when we see our students humbly receive acknowledgement for their hard work, persistence and achievements at our Waterford, Westcourt and Mt Sion Awards Ceremonies. Further to this, is when we hear of the achievements of Old Collegians such as our guest speaker, the CEO of Very Special Kids, Michael Wasley and Lyndon Watts, actor in the stage production ‘Hamilton’, who is currently on the cover of the recent Vogue Magazine in which he which he encourages people to, ‘Find people and art forms that urge you to expand…”. It was inspiring for all of our students to see and hear the Awards that they can strive for as they explore out theme in 2023, ‘To open hearts and minds to build a better world for all’ (Rom 12:2).
On Ash Wednesday, our St Joseph’s College Community in an extended homeroom, joined Christians all over the world to stop to celebrate this very first day of the Church Season called Lent. On Ash Wednesday, many Catholics receive the ashes, which are traced on their foreheads to remind them that they are disciples of Jesus and that this six-week season of Lent is a time to give special attention to prayer, fasting and good deeds. As I explained to my RE class, it’s a bit like pre-season training before we journey together through the events of Holy Week concluding with the hope filled celebration of Easter.
We aim to find ways to grow and change for the better, for example by reflecting on how we can find a bit more time in our day to be mindful in prayer and visiting our Chapel to pray for our neighbours in New Zealand, Turkey, Syria and Ukraine. Through prayer we come closer to God so that we are better able to realise the promises made for us at our baptism, to live justly as Jesus teaches us. Making healthier eating and exercise choices, being more mindful of not being wasteful but more sustainable we are in solidarity with people experiencing poverty who often have no choice but to go without the basic human needs. Taking social justice practice of using our heads, hearts and hands to contribute to others in our wider community through volunteering for a service program such as Mac & Joe's Cooking or Enviro Service gardening.
Our Religious Education classes took part in an Ash Wednesday preparation lesson where students learnt about the work that the Catholic organisation CARITAS is doing to support communities in Australia and around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. They were challenged to reflected on where they have come from, where they are now and how they will challenge themselves to respond with love and hope, now and for all future generations.
Students wrote three Lenten commitments that show growth and how they will contribute positively in the St Joseph’s, Geelong, National and International community for all future generations. These commitments were burnt to create the ashes that will be used to make the cross. This cross is a sign that we will journey with Jesus and are committed to living out the gospel values.
As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition we are called to open our hearts and minds and reflect on the social justice teachings for a hope filled future for future generations. We show solidarity with our neighbours in need, near and far, at St Joseph’s College through our generous support of our upcoming Edmund Rice Day on Friday 12 May to share in the spirit of Blessed Edmund Rice to provide meals, clothes and teacher training to enable the families of Kensekka Uganda in Africa to allow their children to get an education at our partner school St Joseph’s Kensekka. Sharing what we have, or ‘almsgiving’, is a sign of our commitment to justice and our thanks for all that God has given us.
Mary Malone Director of Identity
Civics and Citizenship – Year 10
Q&A Session with Bev McArthur MP
Throughout Term 1, the Year 10 Civics and Citizenship students focus their learning on Australian Politics; its structures, as well as key groups and individuals within it. On Thursday, 16th February the class was joined by Liberal Member of Parliament, Bev McArthur. Bev has been a Liberal Party Member for the Legislative Council since 2018, representing Victoria’s Western Region. In the lead up to Bev’s visit, each of the boys conducted research into Liberal Party policy, as well as Bev herself, and how she had voted on particular Bills in the past. The discussions between Bev and the boys were animated. She was eager to hear what the boys’ thoughts were on contemporary issues, and was happy to accept their opinions or advice on how to address particular issues.
Following the Q&A session, Bev described the class as “a fine cohort of young men”. Congratulations to all students involved, and thank you very much to Bev McArthur MP for her ongoing support of this subject, and St Joseph’s College.
In Week 5, the Class will welcome Labor Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens to St Joseph’s College for their next Q&A session.
Jackson Langhorne
Civics and Citizenship Teacher
UPCOMING EVENTS TERM 1
Every day CUT THE WRAP
Friday 3 March “30 for 30” Challenge, Schools Clean Up Day
Sunday 5March National Clean Up Australia Day
Tuesday 7 March Enviroservice (3:30pm – 5:30pm)
Friday 24 March National Ride to School Day
Saturday 25 March Earth Hour 8:30pm-9:30pm (Global event)
Tuesday 28 March SJC “Switch Off” hour – Time TBC
"TAKE 3 FOR THE SEA" LAUNCH
With ideal weather conditions, our Athletics Carnival was the perfect setting to launch our “Take 3
for the Sea” initiative for 2023. Students on mass, were happy to lend a hand to clean up the trail of streamer litter, left behind in the Carnival promotion aftermath in a bid to clean up the school grounds and receive a food reward for their efforts. Co-founded by environmentalist Tim Silverwood in 2010, the “Take 3”, the initiative was incepted to showcase how “a simple action could produce profound consequences”. We encourage all members of our school community to adopt the habit of “Taking 3”, when out walking, socialising and visiting new areas.
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP
We are now inviting new students with a passion for the environment and motivation to drive change, to join the Sustainability Team.
We are seeking representatives from each Year 7 Homeroom and new members from other year levels are also welcome! Interested students are encouraged to complete the online application via the link below. The Term 1 Sustainability Meeting schedule is outlined in the student bulletin on a weekly basis and new members are welcome to participate. Attendance at each meeting will count for 30 minutes of Service Learning.
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP APPLICATION LINK:
https://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/future-families/learning-at-sjc/sustainability
Scheduled meetings will alternate between campuses. Further details pertaining to each Sustainability events will be published in the school bulletin.
ENVIROSERVICE
With the 2023 St Joseph’s College Theme “Open our hearts and minds to build a better world for all’ (Romans 12:2), Enviroservice (Service to the Environment) poses a wonderful opportunity for students to live out this commitment by conduct their Service Learning hours, whilst enjoying the outdoors, learning more about the Natural World and creating a better environment for all to enjoy. Sustainability Leaders have wasted no time, commencing with the task of maintaining the ferns in the Arts precinct. This term, efforts will be centred around maintenance of various garden beds located throughout the Edmund Rice College Grounds. Term 1 Enviroservice is scheduled for Tuesday 7 March from 3:30pm-5:30pm.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY – SUNDAY 5 MARCH -SERVICE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
We encourage all SJC families to join the “Friends of Waurn Ponds Creek” community group to help clean up the surrounds of the Waurn Ponds Creek on Sunday 5 March from 9am-12pm, in a bid to save the threatened fish species, the Yarra Pigmy Perch, discovered in the creek by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority in 2002.
Volunteers will meet from 9.00am at the Baseball Park car park near the junction of Pioneer Rd and Meadowvale Drive. The “clean up” will be conducted on both sides of the Creek and in both directions from the car park.
To participate, simply turn up and register on the day. Protective footwear, gloves, hat and a water bottle are advised. Volunteers will also be required to complete a Coronavirus questionnaire prior to the day. (See link below).
For more information, visit the Friends of Waurn Ponds Creek website: https://www.friendsofwaurnpondscreek.org.au/aa%202023/03%20March%2005.html
Year 7 2024 Enrolments
Any families who would like to submit a Year 7 Enrolment application for 2024 are reminded that enrolments close on 5 May 2023.
This enrolment cut off also includes families who already 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.
Information regarding the Online Application process can be found on the College website
A reminder that our SJC Associated Cold Tread Tyres Golf day is coming up on Friday 17 March at Lonsdale Links. Don't miss your opportunity to secure a spot! Book via the link below
http://www.trybooking.com/CEIY...
Our first Parents and Friends meeting for the year was on Tuesday, which included our AGM. We gave a HUGE Thank you to Michelle Watkins and Sam Norris for all of their support, dedication and time as Co-Presidents of the P&F over the years.
There were many regular and new faces in the group as we welcomed our new Co-Presidents Sascha Dickson and Gail Zalevski and Ann O’Neill, for her continued support as Secretary.
Tony Paatsch informed us of the building developments beginning at the end of the year, future class structure innovations and how settled the students have been across all year levels to the start of their year.
Keep an eye out on the socials and in the next newsletter for our first College social event, Wine & Cheese night in the staffroom on March 24. Great night to catch up with friends, meet new families and a perfect way to end the week.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 14 March, our Bring A Friend Night. This is not just for current members and their friends, but for our whole Joeys community to come along for refreshments, meet our committee members and hear from our College Principal. It is a great social night to come along to and see firsthand what the P&F is all about.
We invite you to be part of the St Joseph’s Community. Whether it is with our Parents & Friends, canteen, Men’s Associations or one of the many other groups, your involvement is an important part of our College and supporting our community. Please reach out to any of the staff on the Parent Participation information page and they will be more than happy to answer any questions.
We look forward to seeing you around the College.
On Monday night we welcomed Mt Sion families to the Peter Cannon Performing Art Centre to hear from key Mt Sion Staff including Principal Tony Paatsch, Head of Mt Sion Learning Laura Gordon, Head of Mt Sion Wellbeing Meleah Zanos, Lead Clinician Mel Dobson, Careers Coordinator Karen Shum and our four House Coordinators Patrick Prendergast (Butler), Matthew Walsh (Brophy), Elley Heard (Foley) and Jackson Langhorne (Jordan).
Topics covered included wellbeing structures and support options for students, homework expectations, parent communication and engagement, supporting your son to be his best, VCE expectations, Morrisby career profiling and managing stress and your young person.
Presentation Slides
DownloadNotice of Annual General Meeting
St Joseph’s College Old Collegians Association
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Members of the St Joseph’s College Geelong Old Collegians Association will be held at St Joseph's College, 135 Aphrasia Street, Newtown on Monday 27 February 2023 at 5:30pm in the Maureen Bryant Board Room.
Ordinary Business :
® To receive and accept the Minutes of the 2022 Annual General Meeting.
® To receive and consider the Annual Financial Statements and reports of the Chairman and Treasurer.
® To consider the retirement of the current Committee and the election of a new Committee.
Other Business :
® To transact any other business which may legally be brought before the meeting.
At the conclusion of the meeting refreshments will be provided.
Please RSVP your attendance to [email protected] or on 5226 8120
By order of the Committee,
Kristen Gleeson
Director of Community & Development
From the 18th-21st of January, College Captain Jaeger Fawcett was in Sydney for the annual Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) Leadership conference. The conference brings together the college captain or school leaders from EREA colleges and flexi-schools for a four day conference, centred around building leadership skills and working collaboratively on initiatives, to be implemented in their respective schools.
I had the opportunity to meet a diverse and talented group of young leaders that brought their optimism, talents and ideas to the conference, while also learning and experiencing the sessions that EREA presented. Some sessions focused on the Uluṟu Statement From The Heart and how the awareness surrounding the statement can be communicated through school, as well as goal setting, including guest speakers that imparted their knowledge to the group. There was also a chance to work closely with other college captains, each from a different state. These sessions culminated with a presentation from each of the groups about one of these important sessions.
The conference was a great opportunity to be a part of, at its core, I met some fantastic people and learnt and experienced an incredible amount, that will assist me in my journey this year. I am eagerly looking forward to this year and what we as an SJC community can achieve. I’d like to thank St Joseph’s College for supporting me with this trip and once again I am incredibly excited and optimistic to be a part of what is in store for St Joseph’s in 2023.
Jaeger Fawcett
College Captain
Year 7 students begin the semester with a series of drawing workshops to practice their observational skills and gain experience using a variety of mediums. These skills help inform other artworks they may make in the future and built on fine motor development. For this task, students were given an artwork of a charcoal landscape and work as a class, step-by-step to recreate the composition. As charcoal is a soft, crumbly material, creating accurate line work can be a challenge but is ideal in creating tonal changes and shadowing.
Artwork by 7H:
Archer Adams, Joseph Corcoran, Lucas Ross, Ryder Johnson, Tom Kemp, Willem Grayson and Zac Ilievski
MYKI Student Cards
Please forward all receipts for the 12 or 6 month MYKI cards to Lisa McDine ([email protected]).
MYKI student passes can be purchased from the train stations or at the PTV stand in Westfield. You will need a student concession card, which your son’s student card with the PTV logo in it is acceptable.
Please note you need to live 4.8 kilometres from the school, and remember Year 9 students may or may not be eligible depending on how far they live from the Westcourt Campus.
Any queries please contact Lisa McDine.