2023 | ISSUE 15 | SJC Newsletter

Dear Parents / Carers,

Welcome back to the final term. I hope that the break was restful and restorative for you and your families. Welcome back to Rachel Ivey and Mark Kennedy who return from leave.

For many of our Year 12 students and staff, the holidays were the opportunity for revision lectures, trial exams (completing and correcting!). I would like to thank those staff involved (particularly Head of Learning Mt Sion, Brad Smith) for their hard work and commitment to helping VCE students prepare for their exams.

The holidays also provided us the opportunity for the completion of our new weights gym and training centre at Westcourt. This facility will support our high-performance excellence program at Year 9. Also, at Westcourt the long-awaited upgrade of student toilet facilities was completed.

During the holidays I found some additional opportunity for recreational reading. One of the novels I read was called ‘Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens’. The novel deals with racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and the emergence of authoritarian populism in modern day Australia. It made me think about the modern Australian multicultural society that our students graduate into and whether we are preparing them adequately.

I can’t think of a time in recent history when it has been more important to have young people of courage and commitment entering our increasingly insular and fractured society. With open conflict and rising tensions in many areas the world, there is a natural temptation for us to become more insular and fearful of ‘the other’. Our Christian tradition however, reminds us that ‘the other’ should be treated as one of ‘us’ rather than one of ‘them’. I am confident that St Joseph’s deeply immerses each student in this Christian worldview.

Our graduates are prepared to challenge increasingly prevalent extremist views which seek to marginalise minority groups. They are prepared to use their voices to advocate for the voiceless, the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised, including refugees and those on the margins of our society. After the reflections and comments made as part of the graduation formalities for our Year 12 class of 2023 this week, I remain profoundly optimistic regarding their capacity and commitment to do this.

This week we held a final full school assembly on Monday during the day, families then joined us for the Graduation Mass and ceremony on Monday evening. Listening to students reflect on the highlights of the last six years, their understanding of what they take away from their time at St Joseph’s confirms my optimism.

The graduating class of 2023 has been an outstanding group. They have come through some difficult times together, particularly during the pandemic and remote learning in Years 9 and 10 and the death of one of their friends. Despite, or maybe because of this, they are a close-knit group and share strong bonds. On behalf of the staff and community, I would like to record my congratulations to the class of 2023, thank them for their contribution to St Joseph’s and wish them well for the future.

The referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament will be held on Saturday, 14 October. As readers will be aware, our senior students have had the opportunity to listen to formal presentations from political leaders promoting arguments for both the ‘no’ and ‘yes’ campaigns. St Joseph’s College supports a ‘yes’ vote in line with the publicly adopted position of Edmund Rice Education Australia and most religious and educational leaders and organisations in Australia. We believe that the potential benefits of a Voice to Parliament on the lives and future of First Nations people far outweigh any concerns. We believe a ‘yes’ vote aligns with our values, touchstones and commitment to justice.

Last week, St Joseph’s hosted senior students from 16 other schools as part of a United Nations summit. Those involved were challenged to work through a global problem using the same methodology as the United Nations with all groups in the perspective of a particular country and seeking to negotiate a resolution. This is another small example of our commitment to preparing young men with a capacity and commitment to make their world better place. Thank you to Laura Gordon and Jackson Langhorne for the coordination of this event.

And finally, this week our Year 9 students have been on their annual camp with the group split between the Grampians and the Otways. As reports have filtered back, it is clear that this has been a magnificent experience for the students as they got to challenge themselves in a variety of ways and bond as a group. I am very grateful to all the staff who made this camp possible including organisers, Cassie Gleeson, Luke Parsons and Nathanael Smith.

God Bless

Tony Paatsch