St Joseph's College, Echuca

Principal's Message

Welcome back.

It was fantastic to be here last week as our school came back to life with the return of staff and most importantly students. We were fortunate to celebrate our Opening Mass on Friday and below is an excerpt from my welcome speech.

 

A special welcome in this first week of school to the 162 new year 7 students, 32 new students across years 8 – 12 and 14 new staff members. All up nearly 200 new people to St. Joseph’s.

Today we formally welcome them and their families to our College community.

I have no doubt that the St Joseph’s College community will help you to settle in well.

I trust that all other students are returning relaxed, refreshed and renewed in their commitment to their studies and their own growth.

 

Our Opening Mass is a very important event to start the school year. Most importantly we celebrate God’s love for the learning community that is St Joseph’s College and ask for blessings on the year aead.

Today we also acknowledge a subtle change in our language. In 2011 the Vatican approved the establishment of a body called Kildare Ministries. In doing this the Brigidine Sisters and the Presentation Sisters, both congregations with strong connections to Kildare in Ireland and Bishop Daniel Delany have shown the same courage as those 4 sisters who travelled half way around the world in 1886 to establish St. Joseph’s College Echuca.

 

Kildare Ministries' Core values reflect the core values of both congregations and has been structured in such a way in order to be able to better utilise the gifts and talents of lay people who are committed to their core values and also to ensure that the Brigidine and Presentation traditions can continue for at least another 130 years and hopefully much longer. Such courage and bravery challenges us as we begin the 133rd year of this fine school. A school in which we are now referring to ourselves as a Kildare Education Ministries Catholic Secondary School in the Brigidine tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 will be an interesting year :

  • Pope Francis has declared it the Year of Youth
  • Kildare Ministries has chosen to focus on its core value of Hope – bringing a sense of purpose
  • And our College theme for the 2018 academic year is Purposeful todays transform tomorrow.

What does this mean for us as we celebrate the beginning of the 2018 academic year?

 

What does it mean to you as an individual? A new student to the school? A new staff member? A new parent/guardian?

 

We will unpack this as the year progresses but at this early stage of the year let me give an overview.

During 2017 we renewed our Strategic Plan for 2018 – 2022.  Its title “From Acorns to Oak Trees” links our Brigidine tradition with the development of the young people entrusted to our care.

 

The Mission expressed in From Acorns to Oak Trees is that we aim to “Challenge & empower students to be creative and critical thinkers who act with Strength and kindliness in the Gospel tradition”.

 

The Vision for St. Joseph’s College is an inclusive Catholic Learning community   where all people are valued, where all creation is sacred, where the pursuit of personal excellence is paramount, and where our core values of wonder, courage, justice, hope, compassion and hospitality are our hallmarks.

 

So what that means is that in everything we do, observers should be able to see Courage, Wonder, Hospitality, Compassion, Justice and Hope.

 

During 2018 then, how do we combine the Kildare Ministries focus theme of Hope, with our College theme of Purposeful todays transform tomorrow and Pope Francis’ nomination of 2018 as a Year of Youth?

 

Here’s my challenge to each and every student in this room today. How about we aim to create a ‘youthquake’ of purposeful todays that transform tomorrow?

 

Youthquake? I guess you are thinking. What kind of word is that for a Principal to make up? In fact I’m not making it up. It was pointed out recently that the Oxford Dictionaries word of 2017 was youthquake - ‘a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people’.

 

How would a youthquake of purposeful days during 2018 transform the tomorrow of St. Joseph’s College?

 

What about it students? I know the staff are committed to providing you with all the support you need to be fully alive in this learning community.

 

St. Joseph’s is known for being the first Brigidine Catholic school in Australia. With the support of the staff and those who love and support you, you can make it the first school in the world to give real meaning to the word youthquake.

 

How purposefully will you use your todays to transform tomorrow?

 

Thank you

 

 

I am looking forward to the 2018 school year and working with students, staff and parents/guardians to make the most of the opportunities it offers for the growth of the students entrusted to our care, not only intellectually, but also spiritually, morally, social, emotionally & physically.

 

God bless

 

Michael Delaney

Principal.

 

List of new staff 2018

Teaching Staff:-

Mikhaela Bourke - PE/Math

Adam Brady - PE/ Science

Cameron Byrne - PE/Math

Bianca Fleming - Allied Health

Jacqui Freeman - Arts/Hums

Bree Gilmour - PE/Math

Martina Mandelli - Italian

Jarrod O’Brien - POL Delany House Leader/Math

Sarah Richardson - Math

 

Allied Staff:-

 

Ben Chatfield - Education Support Trainee

Eesha Clarke - Education Support Trainee

Tania Dixon - Catholic Identity Support

Tahlia Doidge Lia - Front Office Relief

Jessie Hancock - Education Support Trainee

Sonya Slocombe - Executive Officer

Brady Trotman - Education Support Trainee