Principal's Report

Welcome back. Again.

Welcome back to Term 4.

How great it was on Monday to be at the front of the school again welcoming back students and staff from the latest period of remote and flexible learning. Our College feels like it has its soul back. 

No doubt there will be challenges this term; Year 7 students still settling into their new school; finding an appropriate way to celebrate the graduation of our Year 12 students; coping with meeting health expectations of battling COVID-19; successfully completing and celebrating the 2020 academic year; and re-socialising students and staff who have worked from home more than they have been at school this year, to name a few.

However, I look ahead to what Term 4 brings with confidence. Confidence that we as a Catholic learning community have proven ourselves many times in 2020 to be adaptable, flexible, resilient, competent, diligent, caring and much, much more.

I am going to blatantly repeat from two earlier newsletters (with a couple of minor modifications) because they indicate the behaviours that have been demonstrated throughout this year that give me confidence that we will finish 2020 well.

I wrote the following in the first newsletter of Term 2.

As we begin this term of remote and flexible learning, I am proud to look back over the last four weeks and acknowledge the significant amount of hard work and planning that has been done by College staff members to prepare for this significantly different way of learning and teaching.

I wrote the following to staff last week: “We are on this journey together, we will make mistakes together, will have wonderful victories together, we will celebrate many successes together, we will carry each other through difficult times together and at the end of this journey we will celebrate all that is good with joy and gratitude together.”

I extend the same comments to families and students as we start this Term together.

Whatever it looks like, and whatever our successes and failures over the coming weeks, I can assure you that each and every staff member at St. Joseph’s College is committed to doing the very best that he or she can, to ensure that quality teaching and learning continues to take place. We are determined that when we look back and review 2020 that we will look back with as much satisfaction as possible that we got it as right as possible with the gifts, talents, knowledge and resources we had at the time.

We are determined that we will be able to review 2020 positively and that one of the highlights was how staff, students and families worked TOGETHER to make it successful.

And from another newsletter, because I also believe we did this well last time. I have already sensed this week that we are more positive about bouncing back in this week.

Bouncing Back with Respect, Commitment and Gratitude. 

These are the values underpinning our School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports. Just as the transition from school-based Learning and Teaching to flexible and remote learning was challenging for all of us, so too will the transition back from flexible and remote learning to school based learning. For all of us: staff, students and families. 

I know from reading feedback given in the recent surveys that there is a wide range of mixed feelings about this second transition amongst all sections of our community. 

Some staff are delighted to be returning to on-site teaching. Some are fearful for a whole raft of reasons. Some students cannot wait to be back on-site. Some are expressing reluctance, again for a whole raft of reasons. Some families cannot wait for school to return to some semblance of the way it was. Others will miss aspects of the increased time together.

Respect calls us to try to understand that all these various feelings are legitimate for each individual and it is not for anyone to be judgmental of another’s views. We are entering another uncertain period of transition. We need to be gentle with each other as we transition to a different ‘normal’ school day.

By far the underlying theme amongst all groups was a commitment to the safety of every member of our community whilst maintaining a high-quality learning and teaching program. We need to maintain that commitment as we now face the challenge of returning to face-to-face learning and teaching whilst acknowledging there is still a long way to go before we feel fully relaxed about our ongoing safety.

At a school level, there is a wonderful amount of gratitude from students and families for the work done by staff. As staff members, we are grateful for the support we have received from students and families to date. We will be working hard to maintain that positive relationship.

I believe we have worked very well together thus far in 2020 and see no reason why that will not carry through this Term.

Please keep our Year 12 students in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to put the finishing touches to their secondary education and get ready for final exams.

Welcome Fr. Pompeyo

St. Mary’s Parish, Echuca, received an email from Bishop Shane last week announcing that “Following the meeting of the College of Consultors last Friday and subsequent conversations with those involved”, Father Pompeyo Tan has been appointed Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Parish, Echuca, with effect from Saturday 9 January 2021. Father Pompeyo is currently the Parish Priest of Bright and Myrtleford. 

We look forward to welcoming both Father Pompeyo and Father George the recently announced new Parish Priest at St. Aloysius, Moama to our College community when we resume in 2021.

Best wishes everyone.

God bless.

Michael Delaney

Principal