2022 | Issue 4 | SJC Newsletter

I was recently doing some reading on the history of the College and was reminded that in the early days the College grounds were far more extensive, at one time bounded by Shannon Avenue, West Fyans and Aphrasia Street and the Barwon River. The few photos available from this era show, that far from beautifully manicured grounds, most of the site was a farm which was worked by the orphans of St Augustine’s. Also part of our history, albeit much more recent, was Sunday Mass in the College Chapel to which everyone was welcome and many local families attended.

Reading this information made me reflect on the role that the College plays in the local community. Our grounds are maintained by the College and are formally occupied and used by the St Joseph’s Cricket Club and St Joseph’s Football Netball club seasonally. Informally, locals make regular use of the grounds for recreation. This is a win-win as having neighbours around assists keep the site secure. Friday night will see the formal opening of the Carey Oval Pavilion. A welcome addition to this part of our grounds, it provides change and toilet facilities and a small social area that can also be used as a classroom.

This pavilion will be particularly important for female football and cricket which are held on Carey Oval most weekends. That the sporting clubs of a boys school are significant providers of opportunities for females participating in sports in the region is noteworthy and consistent with our emphasis on inclusivity. This commitment by the College in supporting community sport was recognised by the City of Greater Geelong who provided the St Joseph’s Cricket Club with a community and infrastructure grant to contribute to the development of this facility. I would like to formally acknowledge the foresight and support of the City of Greater Geelong with this.

This week families have been welcomed into a range of wellbeing workshops which have been well publicised on our website and on social media. One of the best attended was on the topic of phone ‘addiction’. When I was growing up “Get off the phone” was a common refrain at our house. It usually meant that someone had monopolised the (only) landline, usually with the cord run under a door into the next room to ensure a degree of privacy. It was difficult to get ‘addicted’. Today in our houses, classrooms, school yards, bus stops, in fact just about everywhere we are all on our phones and it seems young people more so. At school, we expect that phones will not be used during the day and students are asked to leave them in lockers. If we confiscate a phone from a student we find that the screen seems to buzz constantly with messages and notifications particularly from snapchat and tic-toc.

Our current students were born between 2004 and 2009 and belong to the generation called ‘Gen Z’. A recent article called “What Gen Z actually do online” reports that:

• Almost 60% spend between 3 and 6 hours per day on a device (most often a phone)

• 37% spend over three hours a day on social media

• 75% of males ‘game’ weekly

• 41% of those in regional areas ‘game’ daily

• 88% chat or message online daily ( 50% also report that they study online daily)

• 48% say they ‘feel addicted’ to social media

Addiction of any type is damaging and I hope that many families felt supported by the ‘phone addiction’ online session. In this newsletter, you will also find an article about vaping which is becoming more prevalent amongst young people and poses serious risks of addiction. I encourage you to access it and have a conversation with your son about it.

Work on the College strategic plan continues. There has never been a more important time for us to ensure that we are providing the education that successfully equips our graduates for the world beyond school and we need to hear from everyone with ‘skin in the game’. Parents are among the most significant stakeholders and we need your input. You are invited to gather at 7.00pm on the evening of Tuesday 5 April in the College staff room. Please confirm your attendance by emailing Adele Watt at [email protected] A light supper will be provided.