TERM 3 COLLEGE ASSEMBLY

On Thursday 30 July, our College community came together at Sacred Heart Church for the Term 3 College Assembly.

It was wonderful to see our students recognised and celebrated for their achievements, contributions and commitment across a range of areas. The Assembly provided an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and positive efforts of so many of our students.

Their achievements are a wonderful reflection of the values and spirit of our College community, and we encourage the students to continue striving for excellence in all that they do.

VIRTUE CONQUERS AWARDS

BRONZE BADGE (Awarded after receiving five Virtue Conquers Achievement Awards in any category.)
Belle Albanese
Talia Brigante
Kalesita Burton
Jed Cameron
Jessica Cavallo
Tanveer Cheema
Xena Daga-Ang
Ethan Dalla Santa
Thomas Dang
Olivia Dimasi
Jack Floyd
Ella Grant
Benjamin Healy
Kaiden Hillier
Joseph Iudica
Luca Iudica
Treeza Jessil
Saige Jordan
Faith Lawrence
Niamh McClaer
Sienna McGlynn
Chloe Morello
Ruby Nemtsas
Aidan Nulty
Tiarna O'Brien
Lyla Ovenden
Peter Panagiotopoulos
Alice Parker
Ben Pedler
Aidan Silcox
Cleo Smith
Mackenzie Sobkowiak
Tom Taylor
Ariah Tickle
Chi Vong
Mali Walsh
Montanna Zappia

SILVER BADGE (Awarded after receiving nine awards across at least three different categories.)
Mia Aranas
Indi Avery
Alex Bate
Ben Boby
Maya De Rosa
Ellen Heeps
Logan King
Evelyn Larsen
Lara Natale
Aidan Njegovan
William Siale
Darcy Silcox
Mackenzie Smith
Isla Surgey

GOLD (Awarded after receiving 12 awards, with recognition in all four categories.)
Scarlet Bland
Sofia Echanes
Maggie Parker
Olivia Zappia

SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS

SPORT	MVP	COACHES
Year 7 Netball – Female	Stella Ficarra	Ruby Slimmon
Year 7 Netball – Male	Jimmy Dunstan	Jackson Morello
Year 8 Netball – Female	Mackenzie Sobkowiak	Annie Kelly
Year 8 Netball – Male	Ethan Dalla Santa	Will Shiner
Junior Soccer	Rya Ransome	Nicholas Stewart
Junior Girls Football	Lucianna Lazo	Sienna McGlynn

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On 13 August we held our annual Athletics Carnival on a cold but thankfully dry day, which was enjoyed by all. Student participation was outstanding, creating a fantastic atmosphere throughout the day.

Congratulations to the winning House: Xavier, led by Mr Mark Avery and Xavier House Captains Indi Avery, Hugh Jones, Sophie Lloyd and Riley Freeth. – A wonderful achievement!

Congratulations to the Age Group Champions on the day.

Year 7 Girl – Niamh McClaer

Year 8 Girl – Samuella Allieu

Year 9 Girls – Mia Aranas & Remi McClelland

Year 10 Girl – Mackenzie Smith

Year 11 Girl – Heidi Gibson

Year 12 Girl – Tayvia Wilkie-Eggmolesse

Year 7 Boys – Noah Bates

Year 8 Boys – Aidan Silcox

Year 9 Boys – Mali Holmes

Year 10 Boys – Paddy O’Bryan

Year 11 Boys – Jett Johnson

Year 12 Boys – Lochie McLaughlan

Congratulations also to our individual event winners, who will now go on to represent the College at the SSV level. We wish them every success as they proudly represent St Joseph’s College.

Also a big thank you to the Moore Family, owners of Butcher on Deakin for their generous donation of sausages for the Athletics Carnival BBQ, with proceeds supporting the Grobler family to pay for medical expenses incurred when one of their daughters spent time in hospital for a serious illness.

2027 COLLEGE CAPTAIN SPEECHES

In Week 6 we held our Year 11 Leadership Session, providing students with a wonderful opportunity to hear about and learn more about the leadership opportunities available to them at the College in 2027.

We were also privileged to welcome two special guest speakers, Dr Grace Phillips and Mr Ben Ridley, who shared their experiences and insights into leadership. Their stories provided our students with valuable perspectives on what it means to be a leader and the positive impact they can have within their community.

Applications are coming in fast, and we are excited to see the enthusiasm and commitment our Year 11 students are showing towards leadership. It is wonderful to see so many students putting themselves forward and considering how they can contribute to the College community in 2027.

Speeches and voting will take place in early September, and we look forward to supporting our students throughout the process. We have no doubt that St Joseph's College student leadership will once again be in very good hands in 2027.

UNIFORM

A reminder to all students and families that students are required to wear their College blazer to and from school throughout Term 3, and for special occasions during Term 4.

There is a changeover period which applies to both the winter and summer uniforms at the end of Term 3 and the start of Term 4. In the last two weeks of Term 3 and the first two weeks of Term 4, students will be permitted to wear either the winter or summer uniform. Given this upcoming changeover period, we encourage families to check the length of girls’ summer dresses over the coming weeks and during the school holidays. Summer dresses must be at or below the knee, so it is important to ensure they continue to meet College uniform requirements.

We understand that getting to the uniform shop can sometimes be difficult for families. To support our families, the College can arrange for uniform items to be delivered directly to the College.

If you have any questions regarding the College uniform requirements, please refer to the Uniform Policy available on the College website.

CAMPS

Our Year 11 students headed off in Week 7 for their much-anticipated Snow Camp at Perisher Ski Resort in New South Wales. They look to be enjoying plenty of snow and fantastic conditions. Most importantly, we hope they continue to have a safe and memorable experience on the slopes, and we look forward to hearing about their adventures when they return.

Later this term, our Year 7 students will travel to Victor Harbor, South Australia, for their first high school camp. This four-day adventure will provide students with the opportunity to try new experiences, challenge themselves, strengthen friendships and create lasting memories.

There is already plenty of excitement among our Year 7 students as they look forward to spending time together and enjoying everything the camp experience has to offer. We wish them a fantastic camp and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return.

I would like to remind Year 8 students and parents that during the week of the Year 7 Camp, Monday 7 to Thursday 10 September, the Year 8 cohort will be based at the Enright Campus.Normal learning will continue throughout the week at the Enright campus, and the Year 8 students will return to the Mercy campus on Friday 11 September.

Following this, our Year 9 students will embark on an incredible Central Australia adventure, travelling through Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon and Uluru.

The journey by bus will give students a wonderful appreciation of the vastness and beauty of our country, while the return journey will include a flight from Uluru to Melbourne before travelling back to Mildura by bus. For some students, the camp will begin in Alice Springs following their participation in local sporting events, while others will head directly to Murray Bridge after the camp to compete in the HPV event. It promises to be a busy, exciting and memorable time for our Year 9 students.

I wish all our students safe, enjoyable and memorable experiences on their respective camps. These opportunities are often among the highlights of secondary school life, providing students with opportunities to grow, build friendships and create memories that will stay with them for many years to come.

I also extend my sincere thanks to the dedicated staff who generously give their time, energy and care to make these experiences possible. Their commitment allows our students to enjoy valuable learning and personal growth beyond the classroom.

120 YEARS + MERCY MASS

The College celebrated 120 years of faith, learning, service and community at the the College Mass on Thursday August 20. We were honoured to welcome Bishop Mark Freeman to our celebration, and it was a great joy to have Father Matt return to celebrate Mass with us.

In honouring the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, who became known as the ‘walking nuns’, our students and staff walked together to the Mercy Campus for this special Mass. Unlike the traditional enclosed religious orders of the 19th century, the Sisters of Mercy left their convent each day to actively care for the poor, sick and uneducated, reaching out directly to people in the streets, homes and neighbourhoods of Dublin.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND REMINDERS

FOOTY COLOURS DAY

Footy Colours Day will be celebrated on Tuesday 1 September. Students are encouraged to dress in their favourite teams supporters gear. On this day we will also have the annual Staff v Student (Year 12 cohort) Soccer match which had been postponed during languages week due to poor weather.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) asks that students bring a gold coin donation, which will go towards support the Grobler family.

R U OK DAY

R U OK day will be celebrated on Thursday 10 September. The Wellbeing Team and Wellbeing Captains will organise activities and a BBQ. Our Years 7 and 9 students will have their own celebrations while they are on their respective camps. The College places wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.

For further information and resources in relation to R U OK day, please have a look at their website https://www.ruok.org.au/.

Mr Heath McClaer

Deputy Principal Students

MERCY JUNIOR CAMPUS