School Advisory Council

Over the coming weeks, we are going to share a brief bio of our School Advisory Council Members.

This week: Rachael Castricum

About Me:

Hi there, I am Rachael Castricum, mum to Flynn (Grade 5), Max (Grade 2) and Annabelle (Grade 1), and also Harry, who finished up at St. Joe’s last year and is now in Year 7 at Beechworth Secondary College. My husband Shane and I moved our family to Beechworth nearly 6 years ago after living and working in Melbourne for almost 20 years. We both grew up down the valley in Harrietville and once baby number 4 came along we decided it was a good idea to move back to the area to be closer to our families. Once we made the move, we never looked back. We absolutely love living in Beechworth, it’s a great location and a great community for our kids to grow up in.

Why I Am On/ Value the School Advisory Council:

The opportunity to enrol our kids at St Joseph’s Primary School was a big reason that we decided to move to Beechworth. Kitty Hancock (former principal) is Shane’s cousin, and we knew that any school she led would have compassion, inclusion, and aspiration at its centre. Our family needed a school that could provide meaningful inclusion support, nurture different abilities and see potential in all our kids, and St. Joseph’s was able to do that then and is still doing that now under Carly’s leadership. I decided to join the board so that I could support and endorse the work of the St. Joseph’s leaders and teachers. I am a teacher myself, and although I work in government secondary education, many school settings share the same experiences and challenges. I was really interested in learning about how the school operated and wanted to meet engaged, like-minded parents. I have been on the Advisory Council for 5 years now and I feel very connected and invested in the school as a result.

What do you love about St. Joseph's:

What I love about St. Joe’s is the friendly and supportive community that is at the heart of our great school. I love that there are opportunities for kids with all different kinds of abilities to flourish and try new things. I love that there is a culture of high expectations and plenty of support to help us (parents too!) get there. I love that every teacher knows all my kids, my kids know all the teachers, and the kids all know each other. I now work as a teacher at Beechworth Secondary College, and what is really special for me, is that I get to see our St. Joe’s kids continue to thrive and grow as they move through our local high school. It is such a privilege.