PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

POSITIVE ACTIONS, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, POSITIVE RESULTS

All our actions, however small, have consequences and could affect those around us. How we behave as members of our community says a great deal about us now and in the future. In terms of schooling, there are compelling arguments that relate student behaviour and classroom discipline to academic outcomes. Research conducted in the US concluded that student behaviour at school predicted future success more accurately than IQ, personality or socio-economic background.

A recent article in The Australian revealed that Australia ranked 63 out of 68 countries in a survey on student behaviour conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In light of this, Evidence for Learning (backed by Social Ventures Australia) created a toolkit to help teachers better manage classroom behaviour. According to the toolkit, improved classroom behaviour can enhance academic progress by at least three months. At St Joseph’s College, we have something to boost the advice from the toolkit. Our core values guide our behaviours both on and off campus.

We seek to honour God with our actions and attitudes and as part of Catholic Education Week all four Sunraysia Catholic primary schools joined our Year 8 students for a special mass on Friday May 25. St Joseph’s College hosted students, staff, families and friends of St Paul’s, Sacred Heart, St Joseph’s Red Cliffs and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Merbein at the Mercy Campus to celebrate the common vision and mission of Catholic educational communities.

In the words of our Ballarat Diocesan Director, Audrey Brown, “Catholic Education Week provides a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the contribution that our schools make to their local communities across our diocese.” May our actions and behaviours serve as a shining example of all the benefits a Catholic education brings to our lives as individuals and as members of the Sunraysia community.

God Bless,

Mrs Marg Blythman