Principal's Report
Refugee Week
From June 16th to June 22nd Refugee Week is held throughout Australia to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions they make to Australian society. The theme of Refugee Week this year was Share a meal, Share a story acknowledging that food is one of the greatest ways we can bring people together and share our cultures with others. In a week where we celebrate what our new migrants and refugees bring to our country it was inspiring to watch our young people working with the women from the Wellsprings cooking group on Wednesday evening. The women who come from a variety of cultural backgrounds shared their knowledge and skills so generously with our young people as they prepared the main meals in our Graduates Restaurant. It is the aim of the Wellspring’s cooking group to continue to develop these skills so that these women will be able to generate an income to support their families. Our community finds great inspiration in the work of the Wellsprings organisation and St John’s Regional College will always strive to be a place of welcome and inclusion.
Prayer of Invocation
God of hospitality and refuge,
come to us here in this place of security and safety.
Remind us that you are God Almighty;
large enough for all people,
all nations, all tongues.
Help us, with the Presence of your Holy Spirit,
to be able to create space
for those who seek asylum and refuge.
In the name of Jesus, your Son.
Amen.
Year 9 Immersion Week
Over the last two weeks our Year 9 students have been involved in our 2019 Immersion Program. This program takes a holistic approach to the development of our students with the aim of applying real world skills of communication, problem solving, teamwork and creativity through a series of project based learning activities and seminars.
Students were able to select from the following four projects running during the week :
Hunger Pains, which required students to research the issues of World Hunger and develop solutions to the challenges they have identified;
Outdoor World required students to research and plan the first aid requirements and risk assessments for a day hike that they undertook to the Dandenong.
Mission to Mars required students to work in teams as they use mathematical applications to program their lunar robots to perform experiments on the planet Mars; Journey, incorporating a study and presentation of many of our migrant journey’s from both a historic, religious and geographical perspective.
Guest presenters also facilitated discussion with our students on topics such as: Life and The Law beyond St. John’s, Career Planning and Mock Interviews and developing Student Wellbeing through issues of self-respect and connecting to community.
Our Year 9 Students have reported high levels of enthusiasm and engagement with their learning over the last two weeks and I extend my thanks to Year 9 Program Co-ordinator, Mr Denis Palanci, the Project Based Learning Facilitators and all teaches who assisted in a very successful Year 9 Immersion.
Ticket Sales Open
School of Rock the Musical
We are counting down to the staging of the St John’s Regional College 2019 School Musical – The School of Rock from the 22nd-24th August. The school of Rock cast and crew have been rehearsing with great enthusiasm and diligence over the term and the production will be one that nobody should miss.
This year’s musical is being held at the Alexander Theatre, at Monash University, Clayton. All tickets must be purchased through the Box Office at Monash and can be done either online, over the phone or in person at the theatre. Please follow the following link for ticket information and to purchase your tickets: https://bit.ly/2x6sHSQ
Community Garden
The Community Garden is in the final stages of completion and will be available for student use in semester two. The Garden will provide fresh produce for our Restaurant, College Café and Food Technology classes next semester and assist students in the development of their understanding of health, nutrition and sustainable agriculture across the key learning areas of Food Technology, Hospitality and Health and Human Development.
I thank the design and construction team consisting of Mr Andrew Champion, Mr Kees Van der Laan, Mr Justin Summons, Mr Mark Pudney, Ms Melissa Jefferies along with the VET Parks and Garden students who have put together a wonderful facility which will enhance the curriculum opportunities and learning for all of our students.
MAD (Make a Difference) Day
As the term concludes all students and staff will gather on the last day to celebrate MAD Day, our annual fundraiser for the Lasallian Mission Council and the local Wellsprings Centre for Women in Dandenong initiated by the Presentation Sisters.
There have been many fundraising events throughout the term to support these worthy causes including cake sales and a new event the Wellsprings Dinner held at our Graduates Restaurant. Over 60 people attended the Wellsprings Dinner which saw foods from around the world being served by the Wellsprings Cooking group and our own Hospitality students. Hosted by Ms Dalal Smiley, CEO of Well Springs and their new Patron Media Personality, Ms Jo Stanley the night featured music, dancing and an information session on the programs that WellSprings offers to women in our local community. Our final fundraising activity for MAD Day will take place on the last day of this term where the school will stop for the annual walkathon and all proceeds going towards the Lasallian Mission Council and local Wellsprings Centre for Women in Dandenong.
Open Evening
Thursday 27 June
New Enrolments
Our next enrolment evening for this year will take place on 27th June at 6.30pm. New and existing families considering enrolment for their children in the 2020 or 2021 school year are invited to attend the evening which will begin in the Contemporary Learning Centre.
The evening will include:
● Welcome from our Principal and Senior Staff
● A tour of student facilities
● Meet and greet with Senior staff, Learning Leaders and student leaders.
Bookings for the enrolment evening can be made via the College website. Enrolment forms for 2020 and 2021 are available either from the College Reception, from all Feeder Primary Schools and the Parish Offices of St Mary’s (Dandenong), St Kevin’s (Hampton Park), Resurrection (Keysborough), Holy Family (Doveton) and St Paul the Apostle (Endeavour Hills).
End of Term
Reports will arrive home in the first week of the school holidays via the SEQTA Engage App giving a summary of student progress over the first semester. Staff have spent many hours providing clear feedback for each student and recommendations for the next steps they should take with their learning.
It is important for parents and their children to set aside some time over the holidays to discuss their progress and review the goals they have set for themselves at the beginning of the year. Some goals may have been achieved and require more challenging ones set and other goals may not have been achieved, requiring an exploration of the reasons why they fell short. I thank staff and students collectively for the effort they have put into their important learning partnership over semester one. I wish all of our families a safe and happy holiday and look forward to our students' return for the beginning of semester two.