2024 | ISSUE 2 | SJC Newsletter

Principal's Video News

Hello everyone and welcome to this second newsletter of 2024. Over the last two weeks, there have been multiple parent information evenings and awards ceremonies. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to attend because good communication between families and school is an important element of a successful educational journey for students.

I had the opportunity to speak to many of the parent gatherings and I emphasised the importance of school and family working together. One way to assist this is effective use of ‘PAM’ (Parent Access Module) in Simon. It allows you to monitor your son’s progress, see what work he has due and access outlines of the classes he is taking. Later in the Newsletter, Deputy Principal – Learning, Lisa Pope, provides some more information to assist you in gaining the full benefit from PAM and other online school resources.

Earlier this week, I attended a staff meeting where teaching colleagues led professional development activities. Peter Ryan took us through how to access and process really detailed data on each of our classes and our students to ensure that we are in a position to meet the needs of each boy. Brad Smith showed us how to monitor and use individual student attendance data and how it relates to student achievement. Rebecca Barker outlined our instructional coaching model which is in place to support new and current staff and Scott Harris challenged us to use artificial intelligence software to help improve our questioning technique and teach boys to ask the right questions to get the outcome they desire. I left the meeting enormously impressed by the commitment of our teachers and somewhat overawed by their capacity to utilise technology to augment the craft of teaching.

In the last newsletter, I detailed some new programs operating in the school that are designed to provide students with additional opportunities to pursue excellence in their chosen field. I am delighted to be able to outline three new developments which will further assist our students in their pursuit and achievement of excellence.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are being used extensively across the world to provide engaging and effective training and educational experiences. I am proud to announce St Joseph’s will be installing the largest VR and AR school laboratory in Australia. We have commissioned this to be installed in April and expect to have students learning in this space (the mezzanine area above the O.S. Adams Gymnasium foyer) by May. There will be a formal launch at around this time.

I am delighted to announce that we have appointed a Coach / Technical Director of Football (Soccer). Josip Zilic will be working with our elite players and teams at training during this semester and for their ACC games in Term 2. Josip has a wealth of experience including a 20 year involvement coaching at a variety of levels with the North Geelong Warriors. He will be supported by Tom Trupkovic as our Liverpool Site Lead. Josip’s appointment is an important step in our comprehensive 7-12 elite program to support the identification and development of football / soccer at St Joseph’s.

For about 15 years, the Edmund Rice campus has been well served by the Adam Bryant Wellness Centre and its weights and fitness training equipment.  As part of our commitment to providing facilities and programs to assist students who are elite or aspire to be elite in their chosen sport, we will be upgrading this facility over the Easter break. It will include the installation of state-of-the-art training facilities and will support the work of our Federation University PhD student researcher and elite sports coaches and programs. It will also ensure that students have the same or better training facilities that they have access to at the Westcourt campus.

Last week it was wonderful to celebrate our 2023 high achievers and award winners at the College Awards Ceremonies. We welcomed back our high achievers from the graduating class of 2023 along with their families, from College Dux Henry Beggs, 2023 College Captain Jaeger Fawcett and guest of honour Dr Zac Fitzgerald (Class of 2012). The award winners included 23 graduates who achieved study scores of over 90. I hope that seeing these high achieving graduates and award winners from the other year levels, inspires each of our students to strive for personal excellence in their studies this year.

Each year the College is provided with summary data of the tertiary institutions that last year’s graduates applied to for the current year and the areas in which they have chosen to study.

Students Course Offers for 2024

Students Course Preference Type

This data only reflects those students who are seeking to continue their education in the tertiary sector. It does not include those who have chosen to enter the workforce, continue their studies at a TAFE or those who have commenced apprenticeships. It is important to note that all pathways are equally valid and valued and are a question of individual goals and ambitions. Within the VCE, our Vocational Major stream and our scored and unscored stream of students are all still expected to achieve academically and vocationally.

The destination data reflects the goals of our VCE graduates and in some senses gives us a measure of success, as do the VCE results and number of students placed in apprenticeships. A good job is not the only or even the most important outcome of a good education. Pragmatically, Education helps you get a job, which in turn helps the country because you contribute to its overall productivity, but education is deeper than that.

A good education, like that provided at St Joseph’s, gives us so much more than a job and an income. It helps make us happy and it helps us make others happy, it helps us learn to be problem solvers, to develop our spiritual selves, to learn skills that help us in our relationship with others, to learn about ourselves and really importantly to learn how to learn which sets us up as lifetime learners.

This week the first of our Year 7 camps will take place. I wish our younger students well as they embark on this experience. I also wish to thank and acknowledge those staff who have organised the camps and those who will be away from their own home and families to help create this memorable experience for our Year 7 boys.

God Bless

Tony Paatsch
Principal

Deputy News

We are thrilled to share the highlights of our recent celebrations for the Waterford, Mt Sion, and Westcourt Awards which were held last week. These awards celebrate student achievement from the 2023 school year.

Waterford Awards

The Waterford Awards, held for our Year 7 and 8 students acknowledges the academic efforts of students in each subject at their year level. In addition, we celebrated our age group champions for athletics, swimming, and cross country. Recognising our students’ achievements plays pivotal role in boosting students’ confidence and self-esteem, it encourages continued effort, and motivates students to strive to their highest. We congratulate our Waterford students who received individual awards for their efforts in 2023.

Mt Sion & Westcourt Awards

The Mt Sion & Westcourt Awards celebrate the achievements of students in Years 9 to 12 in 2023. Over 20 Year 12 students received ATARS above 90, a testament to their hard work and dedication. We extend our warm congratulations to all our VCE high achievers.

We were particularly proud to acknowledge Henry Beggs as the dux of our college, who was presented with a new acer laptop to support his further studies. In his address, Henry reminded students that the fun and joy experienced along the journey often outshine the memory of hard work.

The prestigious McNeil Cup was awarded to Jaeger Fawcett, who was also a VCE High Achiever, who delivered an outstanding speech on the importance of putting your best foot forward and looking out for one another. His message of camaraderie and mutual support resonated with our community.

Our guest speaker, Dr Zach Fitzgerald, is a second year Doctor working in Paediatrics at the Box Hill Hospital, after finishing his internship at the Geelong Hospital last year. Zach graduated from St Joseph’s College Geelong in 2012, and has since completed a Chinese language course at Nanjing University, a Bachelor of Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne, and the Doctor of Medicine through Deakin University. Zach shared many stories of his journey to this date, but reinforced the message of putting in effort and coping with change as key to finding one’s path in life.

Once again, the College is very proud of our 2023 award recipients and we hope that the hard work and dedication of our award winners inspires others to put their best foot forward this year.

2024 Timetable

The students and staff have transitioned well to the new College timetable. We continue to meet with Sacred Heart on a fortnightly basis to discuss the timetable and ways to strengthen our communication with our students who are sharing subjects at Mt Sion. The aim of the timetable restructure was to provide flexible lesson lengths for enhanced learning and engagement. In our research regarding secondary timetables, there was no specific lesson length identified as optimal for learning, but a range of times were put forward as optimal for particular types of instruction and skill development. The College’s learning framework recognises reduced cognitive overload occurs in shorter lessons, while longer sessions allow deep dives into complex subjects. Lesson variation also prepares students for real-world scenarios where tasks vary in length. Additionally, adapting to different lesson durations builds resilience and time management skills.

We aim to seek feedback from our staff, students and community over various stages of the semester, and will monitor our student performance and wellbeing data closely to ensure we are balancing the importance of a conducive environment for learning, whilst providing flexibility that accommodates individual learning needs.

PAM and Email digests

As we are almost halfway through the first term, it is an appropriate time for both students and parents to check in on their learning. For students, it is around this time that their first assessments have or are soon to be completed, and given most students have between five to ten subjects, depending on their year level, they need to be organised to stay on top of their study routine.

Students can review their learning progress through the class planners in SIMON, as well as check the data analytics in their student profiles. Similarly, parents can log into PAM and explore their child’s Learning Tasks to identify when assessments are occurring and the results of any previous assessment. Parents can also email their child’s teacher through the PAM portal or book a Parent Student Teacher Interview for the end of the term.

Every three weeks, any registered PAM accounts will also get an email summary of their student’s attendance, submitted tasks and upcoming assessments. For parents wanting more information on any of these areas, more detail can be found in the parent portal. The College has reminded teachers that all assessment needs to be placed in SIMON/PAM for students to prepare adequately in a timely manner, and also there is an expectation for all summative assessment tasks (Years 7 - 12) that grades and written feedback should be submitted within a fortnight of the task’s submission. If you are finding teachers are not adhering to these guidelines, please contact them via email, and if for some reason you do not get an adequate response, contact the Head of Learning at each subschool who will follow this up for you.

Key Learning Dates for Term 1

The following are key assessment and reporting dates for this term, further email communication will be sent closer to the dates:

NAPLAN for students in Years 7 and 9 Wednesday 13, Thursday 14 and Friday 15 March

Mid Semester Reports will be available through PAM on Tuesday, 19 March

Parent Teacher Interview Bookings open online through PAM Wednesday, 20 March

Parent Teacher Interview Bookings close on Tuesday, 26 March

Parent Teacher Interviews onsite in the Edmund Rice Gym Wednesday, 27 March (4pm-7pm)

Parent Teacher Interviews online via TEAMS Thursday, 28 March (9am-12pm)

Lisa Pope
Deputy Principal

Identity News

Shining a light on Ash Wednesday

We began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday in prayer gathered in our homerooms reflecting on the Lenten commitment statements made in our Religious Education classes. Students reflected on ways they could commit to the following statements reflecting our 2024 theme, ‘To let your light shine through service to others’ (Matthew 5:16).

This Lent, I will let my light shine by promising to…

I will help others by…

They were burnt and the ashes were blessed and used to mark a cross on our foreheads. The anointing with ashes, which is the key element of this day’s ritual, is a reminder of our responsibility as individuals and as communities to keep alive the discipleship that our baptism committed us to. The ritual of baptism also involves tracing a cross on our foreheads, with the fragrant oil of chrism rather than burnt ashes.

Our preparation lesson helped us to focus on the understanding that as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, we are called to reflect on the social justice teachings of the Church for a hope filled future for generations to come. We all belong to one human family, regardless of our nationality, religious, ethnic, economic, political and ideological differences. Through shining a light on and reflecting on the families featured on the 2024 CARITAS Project Compassion site, we show solidarity with our neighbours in need, near and far in prayer and alms giving, which are practical ways of giving support such as:

Through our generous support of Edmund Rice Day, part of our funds go to Caritas Australia and Manya in East Africa to empower young people to build a just future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Pope Francis on Ash Wednesday 2017, suggested the following wise actions to fast from to create positive change during our Lenten journey:

Fast from hurtful words and speak kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words; be silent so you can listen.

May we be a community this Lent who finds the time to pause and shine a light in service to others and our God by following this LENTEN acrostic poem:

Live each day fully by being present to each moment.

Encourage and affirm the efforts and talents of others.

Notice the presence of God in the natural world and in others around you.

Talk to God every day in order to build a closer relationship.

Year of Prayer

Pope Francis proposed that 2024 be marked as a year dedicated to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee 2025. The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Daily Prayer resources will support both individual and community prayer in the Year of Prayer 2024. In addition, the Dicastery for Evangelization will publish a series of prayer notebooks, with material taken from the many forms of prayer to be found in the rich Catholic tradition. On 15 March, a group of students will attend the annual Catholic Education Week events including:

Mass of St Patrick for Schools, Concert in the Park, Young Speakers Colloquium and the Creative Arts Exhibition.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council Acknowledgment Plaque

On the 16^th Anniversary of the apology to Australia’s First Nations peoples, St Joseph’s College displayed a plaque designed by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council to embody healing and mutual respect between First Nations peoples and non-Indigenous peoples within the Catholic Church in Australia. I met with Shirley Quaresimin, the Deputy Chairperson of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, in Broome at the NAIDOC Mass last year. She is a strong woman of faith. The plaque is a symbol of welcome for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and an acknowledgement that there is an understanding of Australia’s past. We prayed on that day to our Creator God, may you comfort all those whose history on this land is a story of hurt and pain. May we learn from our mistakes and act with justice and compassion as we remember the story of those who have gone before us and to ensure the future is one of peace, reconciliation and harmony for all who walk this land.

The main logo on the plaque was designed by the Murri Ministry (Brisbane, Queensland) to depict black and white coming together and growing in faith and respect for one another. Aboriginal artwork has, for thousands of years, used symbolism to display deep and complex concepts that are interpreted through the lens of culture and spirituality learned from Elders. The plaque artwork uses colour as a simplified point of difference to symbolise all of the diversity and gifts of humankind. All Parishes, schools and organisations that display this plaque, or any other form of Acknowledgment will be become a Partner in Faith with NATSICC and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics. This is another positive step in our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Mary Malone
Director of Identity

The SJC Parent Network have our first gathering for 2024 on Tuesday 27 February from 7:00pm just after our AGM which is at 6:45pm. Tony Paatsch will be there speaking to the group about all things happening around the College. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and connect with other College parents.

Our first social event of the year is booked in.

The SJC Comedy Night and it is going to be HUGE!

We have locked in a couple of Australia’s funniest comedians and convinced them to travel down the highway to entertain us at the SJC Comedy Night. This year we welcome the hilarious Pete Helliar to provide us with the laughs along with Des Dowling on Thursday 21 March.

Pete is no stranger to Australian comedy circles, he is a regular on “Have You Been Paying Attention?”, was a contestant on the 2023 season of “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” and guest judge on the return season of “Thank God You’re Here”. He’s your favourite Collingwood supporter, he is the 2024 King of Moomba and he is currently on tour with his new show, PETE HELLIAR GIVES ZERO FLIPS.

Des has carved out a career as a top line comedian and corporate entertainer, he has headlined at some of Australia’s premier comedy clubs, he has appeared on Channel 10’s “Kinne” show, he is currently the comedy writer for top rating “Deal Or No Deal” on Channel 10 and is one of Australia’s most versatile stand-up comedy performers.

Get in early to guarantee your spot to watch Pete in his element alongside Des and a special appearance from one of Pete’s jungle family.

Tickets: $30pp book here
Bar opens at 6.45pm
Show commences at 7.30pm
Show concludes at approximately 8.30pm
Bar closes at 9.00pm

We look forward to welcoming you all at our first SJC Social Night of the year.

If you have any questions or would like to be part of our SJC Parent Network , please reach out to the College’s Events & Community Engagement Coordinator, Jodie Warrick on 5226 8122 or via email [email protected]

We look forward to seeing as many of you there at our gathering on Tuesday 27 February.

Year 7 2025 Enrolments

Any families who would like to submit a Year 7 Enrolment Application for 2025 are reminded that enrolments close on 3 May 2024.

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 2025.

Information regarding the online application process can be found on the College website.

New Mt Sion Uniform Passes (Students in Years 10-12 only)

With the recent changes to our College Timetable, the Wellbeing Leadership Team have sought to develop an efficient system of managing the administrative tasks that otherwise would have been carried out during morning Homeroom sessions. One of these tasks is the enforcement of the SJC Uniform Policy. As Homeroom now runs during the school day (except Wednesday morning), it is now the responsibility of the student to seek the new ‘Uniform Pass’ should they be out of uniform, or wearing the uniform incorrectly. In order to obtain a Uniform Pass, students must visit their House Coordinator before school, or by recess, and are required to provide a written note from a parent/carer to explain why they are out of uniform, inclusive of the date by which this issue will be rectified. Parents are also welcome to email their son’s House Coordinator (listed below). The Uniform Pass will then be issued, but is only valid until a specified date, by which the uniform issue must be rectified. We will not accept text messages on students’ phones

Please see below the respective Uniform Passes for each House, as well as contact details for each House Coordinator.

Brophy: Matthew Walsh
[email protected]

Butler: Patrick Prendergast
[email protected]

Foley: Elley Heard
[email protected]

Jordan: Jackson Langhorne
[email protected]

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

UPCOMING EVENTS TERM 1

Thursday 29 February Enviroservice (3:30pm-5:30pm) Making Eddie Coin

Friday 1 March “30 for 30” Challenge, Schools Clean Up Day

Sunday 3 March Clean Up Australia Day

Thursday 7 March Enviroservice (3:30pm – 5:30pm): Mulching Carey Oval embankment

Friday 22 March National Ride to School Day

Friday 22 March Earth Hour Schools Day SJC “Switch Off” hour – Time TBC

Saturday 26 March Earth Hour 8:30pm-9:30pm (Global event)

PLANTER BOX RELOCATION

During the past fortnight, Sustainability leaders have been productive moving soil and scoria in order to relocate one of our portable planters, to create an inviting space on the landing adjacent to D201. This project involved re-establishing the wicking bed system inside the planter, then replanting with new species that tolerate a low level of light. In addition, a new poster frame was installed above the planter, enabling an opportunity to display various artwork.

NEW INJECTION MOULDING MACHINE

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of a new Injection Moulding Machine, handcrafted by Taylor Hay, The Old Alaska, the first of two new machines to arrive this Term. As our original machine has a capacity of 21g, whilst it is perfect for making our current products including; Eddie coins, pens and rulers, it is limited with respect to size of items that can be reformed in the machine and to recycling with number 4 plastic only. The two new T1 and T3 Injection Moulding Machines, with a capacity of 120g and 220g respectively, will broaden the design opportunities and enable a greater variety of polymers types to be reformed. The T1 machine will be located in the Systems Technology room and the T3 is scheduled to be located in the Applied Learning Shed.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

PLASTIC BOTTLE TOPS WANTED - NUMBERS 2,4 AND 5

To help support our students in their endeavours to create new reformed polymer products, we encourage all families to collect plastic bottle tops and other polymer containers with numbers 2, 4 and 5. Donations of washed plastic items with requested numbers only may be delivered to the Reception of either campus.

OTHER RECYCLABLES ACCEPTED AT ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE

In addition to recycled plastic items with numbers 2,4 and 5, we also accept plastic bread clips, postage stamps and corks. Unfortunately, due to changed conditions regarding transport and costs for battery recycling, we are no longer accepting battery donations.

NATIONAL SUSTAINABILTY FESTIVAL 2024

The National Sustainability Festival is now currently running for the month of February, with a host of events and activities scheduled at various locations in Melbourne. For more information regarding the festival visit; https://sustainabilityfestival..

Kelly Jenkins
Sustainability Coordinator

The Resilience Project Webinar

Lael and our TRP Team are so looking forward to your Connected Parenting Webinar on Monday 4th March from 6:30pm to 7:45pm AEDT (75 minutes)

What you can expect.
This Connected Parenting Webinar offers a valuable set of tools for parents and carers aiming to raise children through positive connections and communication. Tips will include;

• Guiding our children to become resilient adults.
• Practical strategies to build stronger connections with your children.
• Ideas to support your children when they are frustrated or going through challenging situations.
• Simple ways to create co-operation.
• Dealing with our own triggers as a parent.
• Understanding big emotions and feelings and assisting your kids in becoming emotionally resilient.

About Lael Stone
Lael Stone is an author, TEDx speaker, counsellor and parenting educator who specialises in navigating trauma and disconnection in families. She has spent the last 17 years working with families, as well as running programs in Secondary schools for teens on relationships and Well-being. She is a mother of three grown up children and the co-founder of Woodline Primary School - a new innovative school focused on supporting emotional intelligence in children.

Accessing the webinar.
Parents and Carers register via this link!
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqdeqqrjIuHtDPxFCErJIoD6ZUY_3SV6Vr
Registrations are essential!!

Things to note:

• This presentation will be recorded and made available for 2 weeks after the live session for those who cannot make it or would like a recap.

Come and Join the Junior Band Academy!

Have you been wondering what it would be like to learn an instrument and create music with friends? We have a wonderful opportunity for you here at St Joseph's!

All year 7 students are encouraged to join the fabulous Junior Band Academy for 2024!

When: Wednesdays 3.30pm-5pm, beginning 28 February

Where: In the band room K213

Please use this link to send through your expression of interest:

Come and see Laura Martin in the Music Office , or speak with one of the Music teachers for further information.

Updated Concussion Management Policy & Guidelines

Following on from the concussion update in the middle of last year, on 1 February 2024 the Australian Sports Commission with the AIS released the Concussion Guidelines for Youth and Community Sport 2024.

The SJC Concussion Management Policy has been updated accordingly.

In summary the main changes are:

• Protocols for those with multiple suspected concussions
• Multiple concussions can be a minimum of two concussions within a 3-month period, or a minimum of three concussions in a 12-month period.
  • A recommended starting point for return to sport after second concussion within three months, would be 28 days symptom-free before return to contact training and a minimum of six weeks from the time of the most recent concussion until return to competitive contact.
  • In situations where more than two concussions have occurred within a 12-month period, consideration needs to be given to missing a season of contact / collision sport.

• A graded return to sport framework (GRTSF) for community and youth (youth = under 19 years of age)
• Introduction of light exercise after an initial 24-48 hours of relative rest.
• Several checkpoints to be cleared prior to progression.
• Gradual reintroduction of learning and work activities. As with physical activity, cognitive stimulation such as using screens, reading, undertaking learning activities should be gradually introduced after 48 hours.
• At least 14 days symptom free (at rest) before return to contact/collision training. The temporary exacerbation of mild symptoms with exercise is acceptable, as long as the symptoms quickly resolve at the completion of exercise, and as long as the exercise-related symptoms have completely resolved before resumption of contact training.
• A minimum period of 21 days (from the date of injury incident) until the resumption of competitive contact/collision sport, as compared to contact/collision training.
• Consideration of all symptom domains (physical, cognitive, emotional, fatigue, sleep) throughout the recovery process.
• Return to learn and work activities should take priority over return to sport. That is, while graduated return to learn/work activities and sport activities can occur simultaneously, the athlete should not return to full contact sport activities until they have successfully completed a fully return to learn/work activities.
• A recommendation that schools (and clubs) introduce a ‘concussion officer’ to oversee the management of concussion. A single point of contact who manages the coordination of matters related to concussion. Their job is to be the recipient of information in relation to concussion and to ensure that the concussion protocol is enacted and followed. Risk & Compliance Manager Sherryn Ross is the SJC Concussion Officer.

Please remember to notify the College should your son sustain a concussion outside of school so that we can ensure that we support him in his recovery.

Student Leadership

We would like to welcome Miss Beck McInerney to the role of Student Leadership Coordinator this year. The senior student leaders have voted on this year’s theme “Be the Change You Want to See” and they are already actively involved around the school in developing their leadership skills, through their participation on committees and in school events for 2024.

Did you know our Canteen at the Edmund Rice Campus offers breakfast?Whether you're after a ham & cheese toastie, cheese & bacon roll, milk, juice or up & go, you can head to the canteen at 8.15am to get everything you need.

SYMPATHY

Marie Therese Carlon (95 years) passed away on 13 February 2024. Mother to nine children, including long serving staff member Maureen Bryant, nana to 40 grandchildren and 74 great grandchildren, many of whom attended and are great supporters of the College.

Reunited with her loved ones, may she rest in peace.

Our hearts go out to you all as we pray “That God will welcome these faithfully departed into His loving arms. And that precious memories will be of comfort to those left behind, knowing that their love will live on in their hearts forever.”