St Joseph's College, Echuca

Principal's Report

Selfless sacrifice and overwhelming joy

For me, these are the two outstanding themes that run through the ceremonies of Easter and Anzac Day. Whether we focus on the death and Resurrection of Jesus or the remembrance of the sacrifices made by servicemen and servicewomen to earn for us the joyous freedoms that we enjoy, the message is similar. Without either sacrifice we would be in a much different world than that in which we find ourselves.

The Easter celebrations give us much cause for reflection and joy. Each year we are overjoyed by the reminder that Christ died out of love for us so that we too could look forward to eternal life. Obviously, such joy brings with it responsibility. What are we doing to “Share the Good News”? In what ways do others see Christ’s love in the way that we go about our daily work? Here’s a thought …

 

Volunteers …

There has been much written in recent months about the important role that volunteers play in Australian society. Whilst most of that focus has been on how well volunteers have responded in times of emergency such as bushfire, storm or COVID-19 pandemic, there has also been acknowledgement of the importance of ‘grass roots’ volunteerism.

 

Most of the clubs and organisations that make our local communities work so well rely on volunteers: the swimming coaches, club secretaries, presidents, and treasurers; hard working committee members and working bee contributors. One does not have to look far to see evidence of the fantastic contribution that volunteers make.

 

Our own College community is no exception. There have already been numerous occasions this year where volunteers have made a significant contribution to the success of College activities; Opening Mass and the House Swimming are but some of the contributions for which we are very grateful. Our College community is all the richer for the generosity of these volunteers.

 

The Stewardship Council is an important body in the operation of the school. I would ask you to consider whether or not you can nominate someone for membership of the Stewardship Council at St. Joseph’s College in order to help the College continue to flourish and provide wonderful opportunities for the students entrusted to its care.

 

The concept that informs ‘Stewardship’ Councils is derived from a parable at the end of Matthew’s Gospel (Mt. 25: 14 – 30) which tells the story of  ‘a man who was going on a journey’ and who left his wealth in silver pieces to be tended by his three servants. Two of the servants responded wisely, invested the money and made a good profit. The third behaved foolishly, being so anxious about security that he merely kept the original amount safe. On the master’s return he commended the first two and rebuked and punished the third one.

 

The pieces of silver in the story can be interpreted as symbols of the things held dear in an educational community: commitment, care, talents, ministry, and achievements resulting from insight or skill. These gifts are ours in trust, to nurture and develop.

 

Emerging from this Christian view, responsible stewardship:

  • makes decisions within the context of an agreed sense of Christian mission and Gospel values,
  • promotes a good education for all students and responds to issues of justice and social needs,
  • assesses the cost of services offered, the distribution of resources and the inclusiveness of the more vulnerable in our society,
  • processes and monitors short- and long-range financial plans,
  • reports regularly on the way the College is using the resources available to educate in a way that is truly Catholic.

 

The major function of the Stewardship Council is to support the Principal and Leadership Team as a wisdom group that assists in key decision making for the College.

 

As such it will be an advisory group that helps the Principal and Leadership Team: 

 

  • To monitor the structures and processes that exist for the College to be a strong place of learning and wellbeing for students.
  • To monitor and contribute to the development of policies for the College, to be part of the KEM consultative process of policy making, and to offer constructive advice so that all policies strengthen the College as a good place for young people.
  • To plan for the future by studying trends in education, local demography and emerging needs.
  • To monitor the recurrent and capital finances of the school and to accept the College's annual budget in accordance with KEM Delegations of Authority.
  • To participate, together with staff, in the development of strategic planning documentation and annual action and master plans for the College.
  • To contribute to the public relations of the College within the wider community.

 

In the selection of members, it is recommended that the people from the following groups be considered

  • past parents, teachers and students for a knowledge and understanding of the College,
  • people from the wider community who have an interest in education and can bring understandings of the issues in the general community to bear on the discussions,
  • parents of present students (it is recommended that no more than three members be from this group in order to ensure objectivity in discussions).

 

It is a very rewarding experience.

 

To find out more information, or to nominate a community member, interested parents should contact my PA Ms Maree McNamara (principal@sje.vic.edu.au ) at the College or the Chair of the Stewardship Council, Mr Shane Stacey (shanestacey@hotmail.com ).

 

I would like to thank all those who have volunteered in one way or another to date. Your efforts are very much appreciated and of great benefit to our College community and the young adults entrusted to our care.

 

Flexible and Remote Learning

The talents parable is a good one for the current situation in which school communities find themselves due to the upheaval caused by the COVID–19 pandemic. The entire school community - staff, students, parents, and care givers - has been called upon to dig deep into its combined collection of gifts and talents to develop and implement a massive shift in the way that learning and teaching occurs. I stand in awe of what has been achieved in the short space of under five weeks since it was announced that school holidays would begin early to give teachers a chance to begin preparations for what has since become reality.

 

As we come to the end of our second full week of Flexible and Remote Learning, schools and families across the nation can be proud of the way they have responded. Here at St. Joseph’s there have been many wonderful stories emphasising successful stewardship of gifts, talents and resources.

Adaptability is widely acknowledged as a necessary skill in this 21st century.

Thank you everyone for your stewardship, adaptability and support at this time.

Best wishes. God bless.

 

Michael Delaney

Principal