Teaching & Learning

Celebrating Academic Excellence: Semester 1 Awards Ceremony

Our recent Academic Awards Ceremony was a wonderful celebration of achievement, with 118 students recognised for their outstanding results in Semester 1, including 81 students who received an Academic Excellence award and nine who received an Academic Distinction.

To achieve an Academic Excellence award, students needed an A, or greater than 82%, when the results of all their subjects are averaged and an A+ average across all of their subjects in Semester 1 for an Academic Distinction.

The assembly opened with pride in our students' NAPLAN results, with 167 students achieving the "Exceeding" proficiency level in this year's assessments - placing them above the expected standard. Writing remains our strongest area, with Year 9 students once again demonstrating exceptional skill, a real credit to both their dedication and our teachers' commitment to literacy. Monday's ceremony recognised those who reached the Exceeding level in Reading or Numeracy, a fantastic achievement worth celebrating.

Attention then turned to our students' efforts beyond the classroom. Fifty students took part in the International Maths Challenge, with eight placing in the Elitist range (80th–95th percentile) - a wonderful leap forward from last year's single honour roll placement. We also celebrated our Big Science Competition participants, who earned High Distinction, Distinction, Credit and Participation awards for taking on real-world scientific challenges against thousands of students from across the country.

Our debating teams were also front and centre, having represented the school brilliantly at a recent inter-school competition. Both junior and senior teams tackled challenging topics with confidence, resilience and excellent teamwork. Congratulations in particular to Annabelle Turner, who was awarded the President's Award as top speaker overall - a superb individual achievement. Thank you also to Mrs Rogers and Mr Warren for their dedicated coaching.

Rounding out the assembly, we were delighted to welcome alumnus Anthony Lawrie as guest speaker and presenter. Anthony has spent two decades working across Victorian and NSW government, contributing to major policy and legislative reform. He shared valuable insights from his career in public service, inspiring our students to think about the paths ahead of them.

Congratulations to all our award recipients - we're incredibly proud of you!

Year 7–9 Parent Teacher Student Conferences

Bookings are now open for our Term 3 Parent Teacher Student Conferences for students in Years 7–9.

These conferences are an important opportunity for parents/carers, students and teachers to come together to celebrate learning, discuss progress and identify goals for the remainder of the year. We strongly encourage students to attend alongside their parents or carers, as these conversations support student reflection, ownership of learning and a strong partnership between home and school.

Conference Details

Date: Thursday 20 August 2026

Time: 3:45 pm – 6:45 pm

Location: Kildare Campus

Bookings

Conference bookings are made through Compass and are now open.

Bookings will close at 3pm on Wednesday 19 August, so we encourage families to secure their preferred interview times as soon as possible.

These meetings provide a valuable opportunity to:

• Celebrate your child's achievements and progress.
• Discuss strengths and areas for continued growth.
• Set learning goals for the remainder of the year.

• Strengthen the partnership between students, families and teachers.

   

We look forward to welcoming our Year 7–9 families to Kildare Campus and working together to support each student's learning journey.

Planning for Bright Futures

It has been a busy and exciting few weeks for our Pathways and Work Related Skills team, who have been supporting our Year 9 and Year 10 students through the 2027 subject selection process.

Through information evenings and individual course counselling interviews, our dedicated staff have shared valuable advice on the wide range of subjects, pathways and opportunities available at St Joseph's College. These conversations are helping students make informed decisions that reflect their interests, strengths and aspirations for the future.

There has been a real sense of excitement, particularly among our Year 9 students as they prepare to transition to our Brigidine Campus next year. This important milestone marks the beginning of their senior years, where they will enjoy greater choice, increased independence and the opportunity to shape a pathway that is uniquely their own.

We sincerely thank our Pathways and Work Related Skills team for the care, knowledge and guidance they provide throughout this process. We also extend our thanks to our families for partnering with us as we support our young people to make confident decisions about the next stage of their educational journey.

Together, we are helping every student discover the pathway that will allow them to thrive, both at St Joseph's College and beyond.

Lisa Saillard

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Rhys Leslie

Director - Data and Improvement