Clontarf Academy

It has been a great start to Term 3 for the Clontarf boys with the positive attitudes outshining the winter weather we are blessed with. It has been great catching up with the boys and seeing them reacquaint with each other.

We were lucky enough to have Declan Waddington, the Victorian Region Clontarf Employment Officer spend three days with us this week. Declan has been working mostly with our senior boys in getting them ready for life after school. 

We have a strong focus on our boys being work ready when they complete Year 12 and a large part of this is having their driver’s licence. This year Clontarf has teamed up with TAC who are supporting our ‘Road to 120’ program. 

There are often barriers that make it difficult for our boys to get their P plates and this program has been established to break down some of these barriers with a big one being the boy’s ability to access free driving lessons. 

At our Road to 120 dinner on Wednesday night we were lucky enough to be joined by trauma nurse Jess Payne who spoke to the boys about the importance of learning to drive safely and taking advantage of the Road to 120 program. Jess has seen firsthand the devastating effect road accidents can have on the community and is a huge advocate for programs like this to teach our boys safe driving practices.

Morning training has ramped up again for the term. The importance of these sessions can’t be understated as not only does it teach the boys healthy routines, but the opportunity for the boys to take ownership of their space after the trainings. 

After each training the boys shower and meet in the Clontarf room for a cooked breakfast, our Top Trainers make a speech, the boys volunteer to serve up breakfast, each boy cleans his own dishes and tidies up. These little lessons are just as important as what the boys learn on the footy field, they are vital in enabling our boys to become the best version of themselves.