School Education Board 

St Raphael's Alumni

On Wednesday 28 March, St Raphael's hosted a school tour for former students of decades past, to see how the school looks and operates today. In total, an impressive line-up of 65 former students attended the event, travelling from places as far away as Echuca, Warrnambool and the Mornington Peninsula. The majority of students attended St Raphael's in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and this was the first time many of them had the opportunity to visit the school since. They had been looking forward to the event since late last year, and I think it's fair to say they were all incredibly excited to be back.

The tour commenced in the resource / library area, where Damian gave an overview of the school and played the school video. Brian Flynn (who you'll recall attended one of our SEB meetings late last year) also addressed the group, thanking the school for hosting the inaugural visit and sharing some key school memories held by the group. The group was then divided into smaller groups to tour different areas of the school. Each group was led by a teacher and two year 6 students, which provided a great opportunity for students to demonstrate their leadership skills.

After regrouping in the school hall, all of the current students joined for a mini school assembly. The students, both young and old, participated in a 'Welcome to Country', sung the national anthem and shared school memories from times past. Also at the assembly, the preps shared the results of a survey they had conducted earlier in the day to measure student satisfaction, so they could compare their prep result with that of the older generation. And, as it turns out, the preps LOVE their school just as much as the older generation!

The tour concluded with afternoon tea in the staff room, providing an opportunity for the former students to mingle with each other and share stories.

As a result of the tour, we've started an 'Alumni' contact database - this captures basic details, which we hope to grow over time. We now have several mediums to reach former students - via the database, Facebook page and the existing newsletter (managed by Brian Flynn, Tony Eley & Tony Hayes) 

Feedback from some of the participants:

Annmarie Tut: Many thanks to Principal Damian Howard, Teachers, Pupils, and all involved in organising the Open Day for ex pupils. It was a wonderful and successful day and brought back some wonderful memories. Each ex-student had their own story to tell. I left St Raphael's in 1968 and would love to see students of that year as well.

Tony Eley: It was an excellent day, and terrifically handled by principal Damian Howard, Pauline O'Connor, and wonderful teachers. The children handled the "Oldies invasion" in their stride, and were very helpful and polite.

Julie Shepherd: A wonderful experience, and it brought back lots of early memories. The school has a great vibe and the staff and children were so polite and happy. Thanks again to the organisers, from Julie Stafford (Shepherd family from Cooper St....1950's, 60's and 70's)