St Joseph’s started in 1935 and at some point, in its early years, a school song was written. Over time this song fell out of favour and in the early 2000’s then College Principal Paul Tobias wrote our current school song ‘Ad Alta Virtute’. If you visit reception at the Edmund Rice campus you will see the words frosted across one of the large windows.

‘Ad Alta Virtute’ is the College’s Latin motto and has long been understood to translate as “to strive for the highest” with the additional nuance “in a manly way” with the additional understanding that ‘manly’ does not mean ‘macho’ but rather noble and virtuous. While we have been able to regularly explain this to students, many people hearing the song, particularly for the first time are struck by the incongruity of the translated term ‘manly’.

Last year I wrote to James H. K. O Chong-Gossard, (Associate Professor of Classics at Melbourne University) to confirm the accuracy of our translation. His reply included the following:

"Ad alta" literally means "towards the heights" and "Virtute" means "through courage" or "by means of courage". "Virtus" does have the root "vir" in it, which is Latin for "man"; and there are some dictionaries that will translate it as "manliness". But I would argue that its basic meaning is "courage", originally courage in warfare; but even in antiquity itself, it came to mean an ethical kind of courage, a kind of 'doing the right thing', from which English gets its word "virtue."

So, in the end (my translation is): "Towards the heights through courage."

With the approval of Paul as writer of the song we have chosen to make a minor change with the line “We strive for the highest in a manly way” changed to “We strive for the highest with courage every day”. The new version of the College song will be ‘launched’ and performed for the first time on Edmund Rice day this year.

Last month marked 10 years since appointment of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis. While in the Western world there are no shortage of people, Catholics and otherwise, prepared to ignore and or denigrate the Catholic Church, there appears to be overwhelming positivity about Pope Francis and his 10 year ministry. Some of those who are critical, argue that he has not done enough reforming or has not brought about reform quickly enough but even his detractors generally agree that there have been many steps in the right direction.

A recent article by Christopher Lamb in “The Tablet” reminded me of what Pope Francis has achieved in a decade as Pope. It is believed that the first words uttered to Francis by a colleague after his appointment were “don’t forget the poor” and his commitment to leading a Church focused on those most in need has been faithful to this. The poor are most at risk from the effects of climate change and our obligation to care for the earth has been another (related) theme of this papacy. Francis leadership has also been pastoral shifting teaching to a more gospel based (and less doctrinal) vision of seeing every person as a child of God. One example has been to refuse to condemn gay people simply saying “who am I to judge”.

In reading this article I was reflecting on whether St Joseph’s has been faithful to 10 years of Pope Francis’ leadership. I concluded that while we can always do more, we have been faithful. We have sought to be inclusive and welcoming of diversity in all its forms, we have a strong focus on sustainability and environmental initiatives and that we have been faithful to our obligation to support those in need. This has been particularly true of our support in providing food and education to families in Kensekka Uganda. In the third week of next term we will celebrate Edmund Rice day which will once again provide this generous community with the opportunity to remember “don’t forget the poor!!”

In the last few weeks the College has conducted nine weekday tours of the college for prospective families. These have been exceptionally well attended with over 500 families shown around by a small group of our current students. It was particularly pleasing to see many families from outside the Catholic primary school system considering St Joseph’s for their son’s secondary education. I would like to thank and acknowledge the work of College Registrar Adel Mawson for her work in making these tours successful. We have one more tour early next term with enrolment applications closing on 5 May.

I will be overseas for most of May and will return to work on June 13. My travel includes a visit to St Joseph’s vocational secondary school in Kensekka to see firsthand the difference our community is making and to discuss the resumption of senior student immersions to Uganda. I will also be attending an international gathering of leaders of Edmund Rice schools in Ireland and meeting with a group of old collegians in New York. From the start of week 2 next term Lisa Pope will be acting Principal and John Mitchell will be acting Deputy Principal Learning.

This weekend we celebrate Easter and the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and life over death. As believers in the risen Christ we are people of profound faith, hope and love. I wish you and your family every blessing for the Easter season.

God Bless

Tony Paatsch
Principal

TERM 1 MID-SEMESTER REPORTS

As we draw first term to a close, now is an excellent time for students to reflect on their progress and participation so far in school life for 2023. In order to aid this reflection on your son’s learning, we encourage you to view the mid-semester report and assessment results as they become available. This should give an insight into not only his performance, but more importantly the learning dispositions needed to success. The interim reports highlight key characteristics and behaviours of a successful learner and offer you an insight into your child’s demonstration of these across his subjects. These can be used to identify strengths and to help set goals in your child’s approach to learning.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DAY – 24 APRIL

On Monday, 24 April – the staff of Saint Joseph’s will come together to engage in professional learning in relation to educating boys. This reflects our commitment as a school to being expert educators for your sons and dealing with the unique learning and wellbeing needs of teenage boys. Staff will participate in sessions facilitated by Dr. Ian Lillico and will cover sessions on understanding and building relationships with boys, accommodating how boys learn and their diverse learning needs as well as exploring the impact of COVID and technology on boy’s education. As such, Monday April 24 will be a student free day and regular classes will resume on Wednesday April 26 following the ANZAC day public holiday.

TERM 2 WEEK 2 – MT SION ARRANGEMENTS

Term 2 week 2 will see alternate activities running in line with the Year 12 renewals. This is a cornerstone moment for the year 12 students dedicated to the holistic education of our boys. Staffing these necessitate some adjustments for other Mt Sion students as follows.

• Wednesday May 3 – Year 11s will attend classes onsite with Year 10s engaging in remote learning.
• Thursday May 4 –Year 10s and 11s will attend school. Richie Hardcore will deliver a session on Respect, Consent and Media to each year level on this day.
• Friday May 5 –Year 10s will attend classes onsite for AAS testing with Year 11s engage in remote learning.

Please note that Westcourt and Waterford students will have classes on-site as normal on these three days.

FREE COMMUNITY LIVE EVENT 3 MAY 6:30pm – CONSENT, RESPECT and MEDIA

We have confirmed Richie Hardcore, Muay Thai fighter and international speaker on gender, wellbeing & pornography, will speak to our Year 10 & 11 students about CONSENT, RESPECT and the harmful effects of social media & pornography on healthy relationships. We have teamed up with Iona College and Thomas Carr College Tarneit and we will be hosting a community event at 6:30pm on 3 May in the St Joseph’s Performing Arts Centre. Please log into https://www.trybooking.com/CHHAB and make a booking. We thank our Parents and Friends Committee for supporting this event which has been promoted to all the respectful relationships schools in the Geelong region.

The following evening SBS will be screening episode 3 of the documentary ‘Asking For It’ SBS documentary link which will incorporate Richie Hardcore speaking with the SJC cohort along with individual students from his sessions in 2023. The documentary will be aired at 8:30am and I hope many SJC families can watch with your sons.

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

ENVIROSERVICE

On Wednesday 15 March, our first Enviroservice for the year, was conducted afterschool at the Edmund Rice Campus. With a great turn out of volunteers (and representation from most year levels), the crew worked tirelessly to plant out and mulch a new garden bed near Gate 4 Queens Road, followed by an upgrade of the garden beds at the Gate 5 entrance. The workshop culminated with mulching and pruning at the Reconciliation Garden. Continuing the theme from Gate 5, the flora species planted included; Common Everlasting (Chrysocephalum apiculatum) and Lomandra Little Con (Lomandra confertifolia). In a combined ecological effort, Phil Hunter and Ellie Brundt from Wild Places were also present on the day, to plant over 90 new indigenous flora species on the Aphrasia St embankments. Species planted included; Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis); Common boobialla(Myoporum insulare), Gold dust wattle (Acacia acinacea), Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) and Sticky Hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa).

NATIONAL RIDE TO SCHOOL DAY

I was wonderful to see the bicycle racks full and overflowing on Friday 24 March, as we celebrated National Ride to School Day. For many riders, it was their first time riding their bicycles to school, negotiating traffic and timing. Whilst most riders lived within a 5-7km radius of the collective school grounds, I would like to mention the Fisher brothers, Jordan and Kodi, who rode over 10km to school. Congratulations to all riders for their engagement and efforts in reducing carbon footprint. We encourage all students that live within close proximity to the school, to consider riding on a regular basis. Over the Christmas break, several bicycle racks have been upgraded. To gauge further level of interest, a survey will be sent to all students at the commencement of Term 2, to inform our future direction in relation to the implementation of further bicycle storage.

EASTERN BEACH CLEAN UP

With the impending Earth Hour on the evening of Saturday 25 March, several St Joseph’s students seized the opportunity to embark on an “Earth Hour” of a different kind, by participating in the Eastern Beach Clean Up early that morning, facilitated by volunteers from the 3220 Beach Patrol Geelong group. Working from the East end adjacent to the promenade, the Clean Up extended toward Limeburner’s point. With the weather on our side, we were able to work productively to clean the rubbish, largely left from social events and picnics. With sensational views and only one hour duration, the clean up seemed to be over in a heart-beat. I thoroughly recommend this activity for students seeking an opportunity to gain one Service Learning hour.

SWITCH OFF HOUR

On Tuesday 28 March, St Joseph’s College engaged in a “Switch Off” hour, following Earth Hour on 25 March. Utilising our new “Ubi” energy production and consumption capture software (installed by Mondo Power), all members of our community were able to view out energy consumption reduce, as we commenced our switch off hour. A special mention to Westcourt staff and students for almost reaching a “carbon neutral” status for the hour. The data captured on the day will provide valuable baseline date for the implementation of future energy reduction strategies.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

RIPPLESIED BEACH CLEAN UP – SATURDAY 22 APRIL - SERVICE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

The 3220 Beach Patrol Geelong group have scheduled a one-hour beach “Clean-up”, commencing at 9.00am on Saturday 22 April.

Volunteers are to meet at the Anchor at 9.00am. The clean up will extend east to Limeburner’s Point, west to the Ferris Wheel and south to the Hearne St Car Park. Reusable bags and claws will be supplied. Participants are to bring their own gloves.

For more information and to register your interest, visit the 3220 Beach Patrol Group on Facebook.

Kelly Jenkins
Sustainability Coordinator

Identity News

Student House Leaders Initiative - Footy Colours Day

Our student House Leaders for Brophy, Butler, Foley and Jordan created an initiative to build House spirit by wearing your footy colours to school day, to launch the 2023 preloved footy boot drive on Wednesday 29 March. House points will be allocated for the donations to see which House collects the most. The footy boots will be donated to Lachie’s Legacy. The college came alive with colour as students and staff shared their team's colours wearing a jumper, scarf, or beanie and making a gold coin donation to support Opening the Doors Foundation which as a FIRE Carrier school we support. They provide educational opportunities for local First Nations youth. It’s is a House Challenge so be sure to put your old out grown boots in your House colour bin at Reception at both campuses.

Koling Wada-Ngal
Koorie Cultural Walk – Tuesday March 28

St Joseph’s College First Nations Student group, Koling Wada-Ngal, was lucky enough to head out onto Country with Uncle Norm Stanley for a day of Cultural learning. The group walked a portion of the Koorie Cultural Walk along the Point Addis coastline. At regular intervals, the students stopped to listen and learn from Uncle Norm, who shared a deeply engaging and connected knowledge of the history and environment of the area. Students learned about the traditional seasons of Wadawurrung Country, while also gaining various insights about flora, fauna, cultural burning and the changing landscape that they walked through.

We’d like to express our gratitude to Uncle Norm for his generosity on the day. The students took a lot away from the experience and loved spending time out on Wadawurrung Land.

Ben McDowall
First Nations Student Coordinator

Holy Week Liturgy

As a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition we gather each year in the last week of Term 1 as a community to live out an aspect of our Gospel and Spirituality Touchstone through the lens of one of the days of Holy Week. During this season of Lent, we have been invited to spend time reflecting on Jesus' life. The focus this year will was on the Passion of Christ. The story of his arrest, trial and journey to the cross. We reflected on his passage to eternal life, through the stations of the cross. We conclude the term this year leading directly into the major days of Holy Week when we journey with Christ to his triumphant resurrection, signifying the victory of good over evil. The Stations of the Cross are a beautiful expression of the core of our faith, which is that Jesus embraced the dramas of every human life, our triumphs and failures, our joys and sorrows. In the Stations, we remember how the Lord is with us, especially when we seem to be stuck and have lost the way forward. He walks with us, trips with us when we stumble, and helps us to our feet again.

We thank Janine McLean and Belinda Milverton who supported our College leaders and Year 10 Drama students who reverently re-created the stations of the cross for our community along with the vocal ensemble who will closed our liturgy today.

As people of faith we live in hope, not fear and with God’s mercy, love and compassion we can overcome anything at all that life has install for us. Know that all of our families will be welcomed to attend the Holy Week and Easter Sunday Mass celebrations at our local Parish Churches across the Geelong region or where your family may be holidaying. Look up your local Catholic Church’s website or Facebook page for Holy Week and Easter Mass times. May our St Joseph’s community be blessed as we celebrate Easter with loved ones, united in hope, love and renewed faith.

Archdiocese of Melbourne’s Pilgrimage to World Youth Day Lisbon 2023

We congratulate Year 12 students Ethan Withers and George Cotter along with staff member Natasha Scanlan who have been sponsored to attend the Archdiocese of Melbourne’s pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Lisbon 2023. On these 14 fun-filled days from 28 July – 9 August 2023, they will join young people from Melbourne to journey to Fatima to visit the sacred shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. They will then travel to Lisbon to participate in the major events of World Youth Day including the Papal Welcome, catechesis, youth festivals, and the final pilgrim walk and vigil with Pope Francis and millions of other young Catholics. Congratulations also to our Religious Education Coordinator Charlie Purdy, who has been selected to attend an Emerging Leaders Program where Participants will explore how to share their knowledge, understanding and life-changing experiences with and for the benefit of their respective communities upon their return. Starting in Rome, emerging leaders in Catholic education, health and social services will be engaged in a rich learning environment to develop their leadership identity through self-reflection and spiritual discernment, immersed in the rich historical context and surrounds of the Vatican City. Following a retreat experience in Assisi, participants will travel to Lisbon to join the WYD events. We pray in thanks for them as they take part in preparing for this formative experience.

Mary Malone
Director of Identity

The Hot Potato Band

The SJC senior and stage bands were privileged to work with The Hot Potato Band last week, learning one of their songs “Positive Vibrations”.

Hailing from Sydney, the members of HPB have toured around Australia and the world, bringing their New Orleans Brass band style energy to audiences to great acclaim. Our students spent time discovering their groove, working on all aspects of musical performance and incorporating a variety of musical elements to enhance their musical skills. The result was a high energy performance which was included as the finale of the concert staged for our year 7 cohort.

Special thanks to our SJC band members and Colby Mc Callum and Ethan Withers, our singers, for embracing the opportunity and giving an outstanding performance to the year 7 students.

Amy Young
Director of Music

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 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 2024.

Information regarding the Online Application process can be found on the College website

College Tours 

College Tours are well and truly under way but there are still spots available in our last morning session 27 April. Follow the link below to book now

Follow the link to book tickets now : https://www.trybooking.com/CHFHB

Parents and Friends

Thank you for your support in Term 1, we would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter and we hope you all have a safe school holiday break.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is in Term 2, on Tuesday 2 May, 7.00pm in the staffroom. Everyone is welcome to attend and if you are unable to get there but would like to still be involved please email Jodie Warrick [email protected] and you can be added to the P&F email list.

Trivia night

P&F Annual Trivia Night is back in Term 2, Friday 26 May. This a great night where parents and staff “trivia” against each other take home the trivia crown. Save the Date, start organising your team and look out for when ticket sales will open early next term. $25 per person, BYO food & Drinks. 

Sasha Dickson & Gail Zalevski
SJC Parents & Friends Co-Presidents

GET A TASTE OF LEARNING 'THE LIVERPOOL WAY' ON THURSDAY 20TH APRIL AT ST JOSEPH'S COLLEGE, GEELONG

On Thursday 20 April at our Edmund Rice Campus there will be a FREE taster clinic where participants can train under LFC Academy Coaches. All genders and abilities are welcome. Multiple sessions are available. 

KEY INFORMATION:

• Thursday 20th April
• Duration: 30 Minutes
• St Joseph's College, Geelong
• Youth Development Phase (U12-U16) Round 1: 11:30-12:00 Round 2: 2:30-3:00. 
• All Genders, All Abilities
• FREE

For more information and FAQ, click here

Goodwood Band

GoodWood is a 3 piece rock band consisting of Jesse Conroy on guitar/bass and vocals, Ben Starinskas on bass/guitar and vocals and Jack Pile on drums. GoodWood is located in Geelong and hope to get you moving!

Chess Tournament Report

St Joseph’s College Chess squad travelled to St Michael’s Grammar School for a regional tournament on the final day of March. Students from nearly all year levels, including some Year 7 students making their inter school chess debut. Nearly every student was able to improve their rating, and every student finished the day with at least one win against challenging opposition.

In particular, the Year 9 representatives were the standouts, with Jack Kemp achieving the best performance for the school with 5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, including a notable upset win against number 1 seed Theo Ritter from Richmond High. Luada-Kadahl Mooney also finished with 5 wins, with narrow losses to Daniel Brand and Christopher Burton, both of St Michael’s, who finished in 1^st and 3^rd place respectively.

Other notable performances were from Muhammet Jawish, 5-2 while only being a Year 8 student; Ruairi Brennan O’Shea, Gabriel Egan, Jake Wojcik and Julian Castillo, all of whom are Year 11 students, and all finished with an identical 4.5; and Alex McLaughlin, who recorded a winning record as a Year 7 student.

In the end St Joseph’s was one of 3three schools finishing with 20 points, placing third on tiebreak. For full individual and team results go to https://tornelo.com/chess/orgs/interschool/events/interschool-zonal-competition-face-to-face---2/standings/section/secondary

The next interschool tournament will be taking place at St Joseph’s College, on Friday 19 May and we’re looking forward to seeing how well our students can perform with home ground advantage.

Andrew Branchflower
Chess Coach

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.

Friendly Football matches vs St Ignatius College

A team of 28 Year 11 students travelled to Drysdale to take on St Ignatius College on Wednesday in their second friendly of the term, coming out 20 point victors.

From the outset, it was clear that SJC Geelong had come to play, as they dominated the early exchanges of the game. The team's forwards, led by Kye Smith, were particularly impressive, with Smith kicking three goals in the match. The Joeys defense was equally effective, keeping St Ignatius College goalless in the first quarter.

St Ignatius College tried to fight back in the second quarter, but they still trailed behind SJC Geelong by 24 points at half-time. The second half saw St Joseph's start to link up and share the football particularly well, with Harry Segrave and Max Breisch getting their hands on the football throughout.

By the end of the match, SJC Geelong had secured a convincing victory, winning 9.6 (60) to St Ignatius College's 6.4 (40). The team's star players included Max Waight, Kye Smith, Jai Adams and Harry Segrave, who were instrumental in securing the win. Other players who put in impressive performances include Xavier Tatterson, Charlie Nicholls, Xavier Shaw, Tristan Carson and Luca Copic.

Overall, it was an exciting and hard-fought match, with both teams showing their determination and skill on the field. Next week our Year 12s get the chance to represent the College before the highly anticipated 'Battle of Newtown Hill' versus Geelong College in the last week of term.

The Year 10 Football team travelled to Drysdale to take on St Ignatius College in the second of four friendly matches on Tuesday 21 March. Despite a valiant effort by SJC Geelong, it was St Ignatius College who emerged as the victors with a final score of 8.10 (58) to SJC Geelong's 4.1 (25).

The game started with both teams showing excellent skills, and the first quarter was evenly matched with SJC Geelong and St Ignatius College each scoring a goal. However, St Ignatius College took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring four goals to SJC Geelong's one, giving them a comfortable lead at half-time.

SJC Geelong tried to come back in the third quarter, but St Ignatius College's defense held firm, and they extended their lead with another three goals. Despite a spirited effort by SJC Geelong in the fourth quarter, St Ignatius College maintained their dominance, and the match ended with a final score of 8.10 (58) to 4.1 (25) in their favor.

Max McNamee and Nicholas Worsley were the standout players for SJC Geelong, each scoring two goals. Other best players were Giorgio Maikantis, Kaleb Berg, Coby Williams, Kye Perrett, Calan Palamara, Harley Smigowski, Archie Hunter, and Max McNamee. These players showed excellent teamwork and individual skill, even in a losing effort.

Overall, it was an exciting match of football, with both teams showing great sportsmanship and skill. St Ignatius College deservedly won the match, but SJC Geelong can be proud of their efforts and will look to improve in their next game.

The 2022 Virtus magazines have been distributed in homeroom classes over the past week. Please check in with your son to ensure he has received his copy.