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Principal’s Report ___________________________Pages
“One of the most exciting new projects has been the provision of money to build a community centre in a poor village in Uganda. This has been possible through work undertaken by former student Br Russell Peters who resides in Nairobi but is a frequent visitor to Uganda.” - Paul Tobias - Paul Tobias
The College enrolment for 2013 was 1540 students. The demand for places has continued to strengthen to such an extent that the decision has been taken to increase our Year 7 enrolment in 2014 in order to accommodate the large number of Catholic boys in our feeder primary schools. Our VCE results for the year were as follows: in 2013 10.4% of VCE students achieved an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank in excess of 90 and the Dux of the College was Ignatius Rudd, with an ATAR of 99.45. In addition to VCE, the College has continued to promote alternative pathways so that all senior students have appropriate courses of study. To our Year 12 students your secondary education has come to an end and you are about to commence a journey beyond St Joseph’s. I suggested on the occasion of the Year 12 Graduation Eucharist that two things are going to help determine the success of the journey ahead. The fi rst was optimism. The capacity to see the goodness and potential in yourself and others. The second critical quality was resilience. The capacity to recover from a serious setback when things don’t go according to plan. If we are looking for an outstanding example of resilience we don’t need to look very far. Brennan Houghton was diagnosed with a tumour in Year 7 and as we have all witnessed, he has consistently and courageously faced many setbacks and against all adversity, managed to attend our College Graduation Mass. Brennan and his family are an inspiration to all of us. The Joseph Innovation Trade Training Centre was completed during the year on time and on budget. This federally funded facility will host Furnishings, Building & Construction, Carbon Management, Allied Health and Electro Technology courses during the 2014 academic year. The centre was formally opened on 22 November by Senator the Hon Michael Ronaldson and blessed by Reverend Father Kevin Dillon. I acknowledge the cooperation evident amongst our cluster partners Clonard College, Sacred Heart College and MacKillop School. The cluster students are fortunate to have the use of such and excellent facility. As mentioned in last year’s report, the purchase of the former Minerva Road campus of Western Heights College will provide us with the opportunity to relieve some of the pressure on the Newtown campus. The site was purchased in 2012 and much work has been undertaken this year in preparation for the commencement of next year. The campus was formally named ‘Westcourt’ in honour of the birth place of Edmund Rice. After extensive refurbishment, the campus will offer extensive and shaded external synthetic playing areas, fi ve double classrooms as well as specialist spaces catering for physical education, food technology, art, media, woodwork and science. We hope to formally open the campus on St Joseph’s Day 2014. Throughout the year staff have been planning an engaging and innovative curriculum and both parents and students have been enthusiastic about the possibilities at Westcourt. Community service and outreach programs have continued to be important elements of life at St Joseph’s for parents, staff and students. The College has strived to provide strong support for the Edmund Rice Foundation which in turn assists education and health programs in nine countries (Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, East Timor, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and South Sudan). Special projects have been undertaken in East Timor with the assistance of former College Principal, Mr Peter Cannon. Some 100 laptops were re-imaged and distributed throughout various ministries in Timor. One of the most exciting new projects has been the provision of money to build a community centre in a poor village in Uganda. This has been possible through work undertaken by former student Br Russell Peters who resides in Nairobi but is a frequent visitor to Uganda. Our initial involvement in Uganda was directed at the town of Mannya but after supporting several projects, we set about to fi nd another village we could help. Br Russell nominated the village of Kiziba, which is about 25k east of Mannya, as in need of signifi cant assistance. $10,000 of the $45,000 raised during Edmund Rice Day was devoted to this cause. Our Year 12 students will further assess progress when they travel to Uganda during December. Our students, staff and parents have been involved in many community projects throughout the year. This has included partnerships with a variety of other organisations. One signifi cant new venture has been an ongoing involvement with the Geelong Deanery in assisting at Samaritan House for homeless
men. The Parents & Friends once again conducted a number of fundraising events throughout the year. The largest and most successful of these was the Annual Fashion Parade, this year held at The Hill Winery. $17,000 was raised on this evening for projects in Africa. We were fortunate to have Fr Nestus, Parish Priest of Mannya in Uganda, as our special guest speaker. The 2013 Student Leaders were again critical in establishing an appropriate student culture throughout the College. Their support of International Day against Homophobia made it clear they were committed to making St Joseph’s an even more inclusive and safe environment for all students. The Winter Ball organized by the Year 12 leaders along with the Girls and Boys Night In run by the VCAL class, raised $15,000 for cancer research which are excellent examples of what is possible when motivated St Joseph’s students work together. This year EREA (Edmund Rice Education Australia) undertook a formal school renewal at St Joseph’s, which is an ongoing refl ection on the authenticity of our College as a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice Tradition.
Signifi cant commendations arising from the Renewal Report are:
• The way in which the mission of St Joseph’s as a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition is understood by leadership, Board and staff; • The commitment to inclusivity in the College, particularly through the determination to maintain an affordable fee structure; • The range of pathways available to students; • The support to students with special learning needs, and the Ad Alta program for disenfranchised Year 10 students; • The provision of on site professional development to RE teachers; • The pastoral care structures and processes which ensure a high level of individual care within this very large school; • The environment of ongoing renewal as evident through annual planning and report processes which focus on innovation and improvement; • The increased enrolment of Indigenous students; • The use of Restorative Justice practices in resolving conflict and building relationships; • The iconography and graphics around the school emphasizing identity, culture and community.
Some of the recommendations arising are to:
• Reflect on ways in which St Joseph’s College can further enrich the broader Edmund Rice Education community; • Review processes of induction and formation for support staff; • Take opportunities to raise the level of familiarity with the Touchstones of the Charter for staff, students and parents; • Continue to look for ways to support teachers in embracing contemporary pedagogy, particularly in the areas of differentiated curriculum and e-learning; • Look for further ways to proactively develop relationships with parishes and Catholic primary schools; • Review the structures necessary to effectively support an increasingly broad service learning program. It was very clear once the review had been completed that the four touchstones of Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice tradition are the lived experience of our College Community. The College Board has navigated a variety of challenges for the year, especially around the Trade Training Centre and the purchase and refurbishment of the Westcourt Campus. This year Mr Chris Caldow, will be leaving the board to take up an appointment as Principal of Penola Catholic College in Glenroy. Chris has been a conscientious board member for the past 4 years and we wish him well in his new position and thank him sincerely for all he has given our Board, his time and expertise. The other signifi cant resignation is that of Wayne Tattersall. Wayne has been a member of the board for seven years, one of those years as Deputy Chair and three years as Chairperson. Wayne has also been a member of our Board Sub Committee – the Finance and Planning Committee for fi ve years, three of those as Chair and he will continue on that committee. I am grateful to Wayne for his outstanding contribution to the development of our College and wish him well for the future. I take this opportunity to thank all of our board members for their hard work and dedication in attending meetings, sharing their
“To all of our hardworking staff members at St Joseph’s, both teaching and administration/ grounds staff, I extend my deep gratitude for your loyalty and diligence in making our College the best Catholic College it can be. Your care of our students, families and each other is so vital to our authenticity and makes us who we are in the wider community.” - Paul Tobias
expertise and for their loyalty and support throughout this year. Similarly I’d like to thank all of our College Committees/ Associations comprising Finance & Planning Committee, Foundation Committee, Old Collegians, Parents & Friends, Josephines, Men’s Association, Care Group and all parents and families involved in any way at St Joseph’s in 2013. We are envied by many schools for our overwhelming parental involvement and support. To this end I acknowledge the wonderful contribution of our Development Offi ce Manager, David Formosa and his team who work closely with a number of these groups, coordinating meetings and gatherings, nurturing and supporting them in sharing their talents and friendships to produce amazing outcomes for our College community. Thank you all. Our College Management Team which includes, Deputy Principals - Claire Brown and Paul Clohesy, Director of Mission – Jo Hart, Director of Curriculum – Michelle Brodrick and Business Manager – Terry Fowler have worked diligently throughout the year, robustly challenging and supporting all that is St Joseph’s College. I appreciate all that they bring and share on our Management Team. To all of our hardworking staff members at St Joseph’s, both teaching and administration/grounds staff, I extend my deep gratitude for your loyalty and diligence in making our College the best Catholic College it can be. Your care of our students, families and each other is so vital to our authenticity and makes us who we are in the wider community. The many hours of work, meetings, out of school hours functions and generosity of spirit is sincerely appreciated. To my two Personal Assistants, Maureen Bryant and Adel Mawson, I thank you for helping me through yet another year. My sincere thanks go to all our College staff members. This year we say farewell to a number of staff members who are leaving us taking a new direction in their lives. On behalf of the St Joseph’s Community I sincerely thank Linda Bentley, Year 7 Level Coordinator and dedicated teacher for 15 years. Linda came to us from Chanel College and we appreciate all that she has shared with our community. To Janet Sgambaro, College Registrar, I thank her for her tireless work in welcoming all of our new families and students over 13 years with us. During that time our enrolment numbers have increased dramatically. Janet’s warmth, meticulous attention to detail and genuine care for all that is St Joseph’s will be truly missed. Brendan Nicholls has been our Senior Student Leadership Coordinator and teacher over 6 years and has worked closely with students to encourage them in all areas of leadership and involvement throughout the College, remodeling our Adam Bryant House Shield competition and genuinely caring for and guiding our students in all areas. Brendan was also instrumental in establishing our gardening Patch with our Applied Science Students. To Maureen Zampatti, who leaves us after 18 years as a greatly valued staff member. Maureen is our Music Assistant who has shared her talents and drive in many ways, not only playing music, but helping and encouraging hundreds of our students to achieve the best they possibly could in all areas of Music and life in general. Maureen’s deceased husband Russell is legendary at our College and so much so that we named our main oval in honour of Russell for his tremendous loyalty and dedication to all that is St Joseph’s. Whilst we say farewell to Maureen she will continue as a member of our Foundation Committee and be involved where ever she can. Realistically the Zampatti family will never leave St Joseph’s as their deep connection and love of the College over many years, will live on here in this place forever. To all staff fi nishing this year I extend my deep appreciation for all you have brought to our College and wish you happiness and success in all that you do. As you can see, 2013 has been a huge year for our College and I thank all our families, students, staff and the wider community for being such an important part of our College. Our Mission Statement shared vision is alive and well at St Joseph’s as witnessed in the above –“We are a community committed to continue education in the Catholic tradition through the example of Jesus Christ, our beginning and end. Moved by the story of Edmund Rice and inspired by the gospel values of love and justice, we encourage one another to “strive for the highest”, to develop and use our talents and abilities and to respect and show compassion towards others. Through the development of partnerships we show that we value the contribution of students, staff and families, past and present. In our service to the wider community we see our school as being a place of hope and encouragement in our world today.” I wish God’s blessings for you and all you love,
Paul Tobias
