PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Greetings and welcome to the latest issue of Community, the St Joseph’s College newsletter.
Students have excelled in Term 1, both in and out of the classroom. We have fantastic news to share with you on the following pages, including a successful college swimming campaign, an award our aspiring engineers won at the Australian Grand Prix, and impressive student achievements in local sport, too.
OPEN EVENING
I thank the 130 families who visited the Enright Campus on Tuesday 18 March for our annual Open Evening. It was an honour to welcome you into our home.
Families also toured the Mercy Campus for a special Discovery Morning today, Thursday 27 March. I hope all our visitors enjoyed their time with us. I look forward to working together and supporting new students to achieve their best.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION'S LASTING BENEFITS
There are many kinds of success, and our student successes speak to the well-rounded nature of a Catholic education. By nurturing each student’s talents and supporting their academic, spiritual, and social growth, learning in a Catholic school environment delivers the best learning outcomes for young people.
A recent study agrees. In my Week 6 blog post, I briefly wrote about several considerable lifelong benefits experienced by those who attended Catholic schools as revealed by Victoria University’s Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES).
CIRES analysed data from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. This is the only study in the country that monitors a large sample of Australians over an extended time and collects a wide range of data on areas such as economic factors, wellbeing, personal health, employment, and community participation.
The results of the analysis indicated that people who attended Catholic schools were more likely to hold certain advantages in employment, income, health, and overall life satisfaction.
On average, Catholic school attendees were found to:
When compared with those who graduated from government schools, Catholic school graduates had better prospects in terms of employment, and, when taking wages into consideration, they earned 4 to 11 per cent more.
Significantly, the findings also reported that those who attended Catholic schools felt more satisfied with their lives and enjoyed better health.
Catholic learning communities across Australia celebrated these findings for confirming a long-held belief: educating the whole person leads to a more successful and fulfilling future.
You can read more detailed findings and the full report at the links below:
Lifelong Benefits of Catholic Schooling Findings (PDF)
MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST
Bookings are now open for our Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday 9 May. Our special guest will be Dr Jodi Richardson, an educator and author who specialises in cultivating positive wellbeing and empowering those of us who live with anxiety.
All seating at this popular event is allocated, so please make sure you include your child/ren as part of your booking. I look forward to seeing you there and celebrating all the amazing mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and other motherly figures in our community.
EASTER BLESSINGS
While we give thanks for Christ’s sacrifice, we also celebrate His resurrection and love for us during this most holy time on the Christian calendar.
Over the school holidays, I hope that you will be able to relax with your family and enjoy the beautiful autumn weather we have here in Sunraysia. Happy Easter.
In the spirit of hope and faith,
Mr Greg Kluske
College Principal
