2023 | ISSUE 1 | SJC Newsletter

Welcome back

Last Tuesday we welcomed students back for the 2023 school year and there was a palpable sense of excitement as students re-engaged with school friends. The excitement was mixed with trepidation for our new students, particularly those commencing in year 7. In addressing the year 7’s I emphasised student’s obligation to do their best in every aspect of school life and to help everybody else do the same using the analogy og climbing to the top of the mountain and reaching down to help others.

At our opening school Mass last Friday, I was reflecting that one of the most basic human needs we have is for connection and belonging. Celebrating the Eucharist together confirms our connection to one another and to the worldwide church. On a more local level we were also celebrating our membership of the community of St Joseph’s and to individual home rooms, year levels and sub-schools. In chatting range of students during last week I had a strong sense of positivity and am confident that our student cohort feel this connection, feel that they belong, and have started the year extremely well.

Welcome the following new teachers and support staff to the College:

New parent information night

Families of all students new to the school, including those in year 7, are asked to attend an information night next Monday, 13 February. The evening will commence with hospitality from 5.30pm with presentations commencing at 6.15 in the College gymnasium. Invitations have been sent and are also posted on our website.

Fees and funding

St Joseph’s is committed to keeping our fees at the lowest level possible. We receive government funding based on the average taxable income of families within the school community. This is calculated as a number referred to as the ‘CTC’, (capacity to contribute). The higher this figure the lower the level of government funding and vice versa. This year our CTC has increased from 101 to 102 which means a slight reduction in the level of government funding we will receive but there will be no increase in school fees beyond the modest increase advised last year.

Families have been provided with fee statements recently. The fee statements include a voluntary contribution of $80 to the Edmund Rice Foundation Australia (ERFA). Families are advised of this each year in the ‘operoo’ message detailing the fee schedule. Last year our community contributed a total of approximately $100,000 through this contribution which supported a variety of charitable works including health and education in East Africa, women and children’s initiatives and Edmund Rice camps Australia. Further information on the work of the Foundation can be accessed on their website https://erf.org.au/

It is important to note that the voluntary contribution to ERFA is separate to our fundraising conducted as part of our celebration of Edmund Rice day in May which is primarily directed to St Joseph’s Kensekka (Uganda).

News from Kensekka

For many years the College has supported the development and operation of a school at Kensekka in rural Uganda. We purchased land, funded most building costs and contribute most of the ongoing costs of running the school. Real progress is starting to be made. I recently received an email from Parish Priest Fr Emma summarising the achievements 2022. They include:

• the new three classroom block completed
• successful project applications to Edmund Rice Foundation Australia supporting tailoring and brickmaking
• development of a strategic plan
• seeking bids for the installation of three-phase solar power
• applications to the government for funding support toward payment teacher salaries
• an increase in the number of students from 150 to 200

Fr Emma’s report also notes the ongoing challenges of drought in the region. These include reduced ability for parents to make any financial contribution to the school and poor crops leading to reduced food production for student lunches. There are also issues with the lack of electricity.

Our community is providing hope and creating a future for the families of Kensekka. Our fundraising on Edmund Rice day in May and the Parents and Friends fashion dinner later in the year will be more important this year than ever.

A thought for the start of the year.

Pope Francis recently wrote the following

"You can have flaws, be anxious and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from failing. You are appreciated, admired and loved by so many. Remember that being happy is not about having a sky without storm, a road without accidents, a job without effort, a relationship without disappointments.

“To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own fate.” It's walking through deserts, but being able to find an oasis deep in the soul. Is thanking God every morning for the miracle of life. It’s kissing your children, cuddling your parents, having poetic moments with your friends, even when they hurt us.

“Being happy is letting the creature that lives in each of us live, free, joyful and simple. You have the maturity to be able to say: "I've made mistakes". It's having the courage to say I'm sorry. It's having the sense to say "I need you". Is having the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness... that in spring he may be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom.

"And when you make a mistake, start over. Because only then will you be in love with life. You'll discover that being happy isn't having a perfect life. But use tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your defeats to train your patience.

"Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to tune into pleasure. Use obstacles to open the windows of intelligence. Never give up ... Above all never give up on the people that love you. Never give up on being happy, because life is an incredible spectacle. ".

God Bless

Tony Paatsch