DEPUTY PRINCIPAL STUDENTS

UNIFORM

Most of our students follow the uniform policy and wear their uniforms with pride. Each day students need to ensure they have correct, clean and tidy uniform items ready for the school day. This fosters a sense of community, college pride and unity. We continue receiving positive feedback from local employers and community members about our students and their presentation. They have commented that St Joseph’s College students demonstrate they can follow the requirements of working in any professional environment.

If the incorrect uniform is worn, parents/guardians will receive an SMS and may also receive a follow up phone call. 

Please also be aware that the uniform shop is more than happy to deliver the correct uniform items to the college. Contact can be made via phone on 5018 8095, email at uniformshop@sjcmda.vic.edu.a or in person at 97-99 Lime Avenue.

SAFETY OF BELONGINGS

It is a requirement that students use padlocks on their lockers. This is to ensure the safety of their personal belongings at all times. While we are fortunate that cases of theft are very rare, the college cannot guarantee the security of personal belongings when lockers are not locked. Students at the Mercy campus are currently exempt from this as the locker system is being upgraded.

YEAR 12 RETREAT 

The Year 12 Retreat to Anglesea occurred in the last week of Term 2 while the Year 9, 10 and 11 students completed their respective exams. Students participated in fun activities on the retreat, such as horse riding, surfing, mountain bike riding, canoeing, high ropes, and beach art. The highlights of the retreat were the bonds and trust formed in the small group sessions, the letters from the parents and family members, and the liturgy where students had the opportunity to apologise and move on from past conflicts. 

YEAR 11 LEADERSHIP DAY

The Year 11 Leadership Day was held on Tuesday July 26. Students had the opportunity to hear from Mrs Marg Blythman and guest speaker Mr Paul Matheson (Victoria Police, President of SFNL and Liberal Party Candidate for Mildura). Students also had the opportunity to work with their respective House Leaders and our 2022 House Captains and Vice Captains. To end the day, Mr Mel Ficarra led a Q&A with Mrs Blythman, Father Matthew Thomas, Ms Rebecca Dea and the current College Captains and Vice Captains. We have some fantastic prospective leaders in this cohort, and we hope for a high number of applicants for the leadership positions available in 2023. 

COLLEGE ASSEMBLY 

We came together for the College Assembly on Thursday July 28, to celebrate student achievements and college life. Students received acknowledgement for their efforts via the Principal's Awards, Virtue Conquers Badges, Unsung Hero (selected by the College Captains and Vice Captains), Student Representative Council badges and sports awards.

The Australian National Anthem was sung at the assembly, and our college choir performed ‘Put a Little Love in Your Heart’. The choir performed this song at the Mildura Eisteddfod, placing second in the Senior School Choral Section. Year 7 student Tracy Francis-Coslovich also read an outstanding poem she wrote in Humanities about the 1974 discovery of an enormous collection of Terracotta Soldiers built and buried in the late 3rd century BCE to protect the first Emperor of the Qin (Chin) Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang (Chin-She-Wung) in the afterlife. 

These performances and presentations showcase the college's core value of excellence. Students also heard reflections from the Year 12 Retreat, the Year 8 Grampians camp and received information about the upcoming College Ball on Friday September 9. 

ROAD SMART 

Year 10 students participated in the Road Smart program on Friday July 29. Road Smart is a free education program that helps prepare beginner drivers for a lifetime of safe driving. The program is designed to build the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of Year 10 students and features: 

• An interactive classroom session with a Road Smart facilitator 
• eLearning for students and supervising drivers 
• A free in-car session with a qualified instructor 
• A resource toolkit for teachers that is linked to the Victorian Curriculum. 

LANGUAGES WEEK

The highlight of Languages Week is the annual Staff v Student soccer game. This event has been one event that the college was able to celebrate in the past two COVID impacted years – and is enjoyed by all in the college community. 

DEBUTANTE BALLS 

The Year 11 and 12 students have celebrated their long-awaited Debutante Balls – Year 12 on Saturday July 23, and Year 11 on Saturday July 30. This being my first St Joseph’s College Debutante Ball experience, I now understand how important it is to both the students, the college, and the community. The girls and boys looked amazing, danced well, and represented the college, their families and themselves with great distinction. We could not be more proud of their efforts.

BRIGHT SPARKS 

The Bright Sparks program has been running on Wednesday afternoons for Grade 5 and 6 primary school students to allow them to take part in some fun, active, and engaging physical activities. Students have participated in Basketball, Volleyball, Netball, Badminton, Martial Arts, Zorb ball, and Human Powered Vehicle sessions. This program has allowed students to get to know some of the college staff and participate in activities they might not have had the opportunity to try before. I thank all the Physical Education staff that have given up their time to lead the program. 

SPORTS REPORT 

Eight of the 28 Cross-County students that qualified for LMR in St Arnaud then went on to represent the college at the State level in the Yarra Valley. In cold and wet conditions, our students performed to the best of their ability and did themselves and the college proud. 

Our Year 7 and 8 Girls Netball teams advanced to LMR and were runners up, while our Intermediate Boys Netball also went to LMR and placed third in Bendigo. Our Junior Boys Soccer team also advanced to LMR and were runners up, unfortunately conceding a late goal which was the difference. 

The Year 7 and Intermediate Boys Football teams and our Junior Girls Football teams progressed onto LMR in Swan Hill. All students gave their all. The Year 7 Boys won and are moving on to State. The Intermediate Boys played some great football and were unlucky not to progress to State, missing out on percentage.

The Football, Netball and Soccer MVPs and Coaches Awards recipients and the Age Group Cross-Country winners were all acknowledged at the College Assembly. 

Mr Heath McClaer

Deputy Principal Students