Newsletter - Term 2 - Week 4 - Issue 65

From the Principal

St Joseph’s College Towards 2024 Strategic Plan

Last week I attended the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Term 2 Leadership Forum in Stanthorpe. This leadership forum involved the Principals from across the Toowoomba Diocese meeting with Executive Director Dr Pat Coughlan, Directors and Senior Education Leaders of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office and keynote speaker Dr William Sultmann, a former Director of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office.

The focus of these three days was very much based around the schools within our diocese being distinctive as opposed to different, and how a Catholic education adds value, meaning and purpose to people’s lives in a particular way.

Dr Coughlan highlighted that the education offered to our students is about maximising achievement in student learning, accompanying young people as they construct a personal identity open to faith, and helping young people bring the insights of faith and culture together in making sense of their life experiences. In achieving these goals, we are able to provide a distinctive Catholic education for our community.

As part of Dr Coughlan’s and Dr Sultmann’s sessions we were asked to reflect upon how our St Joseph’s College community endeavour to meet these goals. This process was really quite easy and rewarding for me personally. I was able to clearly identify current practices and strategic intents and initiatives in our St Joseph’s College Towards 2024 Strategic Plan, which will be launched next Monday, that support the attainment of these goals.

We would love our parents to join us, Dr Pat Coughlan, and other invited guests for the launch of the St Joseph’s College Towards 2024 Strategic Plan. At this event as we will take the time to acknowledge the outstanding historical success of the College and look forward to the exciting future that our plan clearly outlines for the next four years. Community members who wish to attend the official launch are asked to rsvp@sjc.qld.edu.au by Monday 8.30am at the latest. A copy of the strategic plan will be available to families at the front office of the College, or on our St Joseph’s College website from early next week.

NAPLAN Week

This week our students have been involved in the annual NAPLAN tests. These tests provide a wide range of relevant data for the College to use in assisting to improve the educational experiences and learning of our students, provided that the data is accurate. With this in mind we spoke to the Year 7 & 9 students at the beginning of the week to encourage them to give these tests their best possible shot, aspiring to excellence. I would like to thank and congratulate our students on responding to this challenge in how they engaged with the tests. We look forward to using the data we are provided to inform us of the areas for further development with our students.

St Joseph’s College Open Day

Next Wednesday we are hosting our annual open day from 8.30 – 11.30am. The aim of the morning is to provide families with an overview of the way the College provides a holistic education for the students, to give students an opportunity to participate in a range of activities and for all visitors to journey through the College on a normal school day.

It will be no surprise to anyone that in most communities, word of mouth is the most successful form of advertising for any school. We encourage current families to share their positive experiences of St Joseph’s College and remind prospective families to rsvp for the event to ensure that we provide the best experience for all our visitors.

RSVP by visiting our enrolments tab open day section register now button on the website or click the link below.

P&F Meeting June 1 – Parent Information Session

How to support your child prepare for the rigour of senior schooling!

On behalf of the St Joseph’s College P&F association I would like to invite parents to an information session on how to support your child prepare for the rigour of senior schooling. On this evening topics may include:

• Weekly routines
• Study spaces
• Preparation for exams
• Time management
• Dealing with the stress and anxiety of exams

If you wish to attend this event please RSVP to rsvp@sjc.qld.edu.au by Friday 28 May.

Kort Goodman, Principal

From the Deputy Principal

NAPLAN

This week the Year 7 and 9 learners completed their NAPLAN testing. Throughout the testing week we observed many students living out the Joey’s Way imperative of ‘Participate and Persevere’, and also many giving their best. We look forward to analysing the data that is returned from these tests and identifying areas of strength and improvement. We thank our expert teachers who have been preparing the students for these tests. Over the coming months we look forward to reviewing this data and targeting students learning moving forward.

Launch of the Parent Portal and Sentral App

It is great to see that many parents have already logged into the Parent Portal App and engaging with the content that is available. If you have not had an opportunity to setup your account and start using this new functionality, I would encourage you to. If you require support with this setup process, please contact the College Office.

As a College, we are always keen to engage our parent community in discussions around how you would like to interact with and use this technology. Please send through any ideas for enhancement or improvement in our communication strategies. We appreciate your feedback.

Study Habits and Organisation

I recently read an article by Nyland & Sawarynski (2017) about setting students up for success and ways in which we can increase effective study habits.  Research shows that students generally utilise ineffective study techniques such as re-reading and massed practice, better known as cramming.  Secondly, many studies have also demonstrated a relationship between the efficacy of study techniques and academic performance. With this in mind, it is important that our students are aware of evidence-based study techniques to help boost their academic achievement. One such technique is spaced practice.

This study technique would have learners review their subject material over a long period of time. This gives the learners time for their brain to make connections between the concepts taught so that knowledge can be built upon and recalled later. This works because you are leaving enough time to forget (almost), which sounds ineffective but an important part of remembering is forgetting. 

When our brains have almost forgotten something, it makes them work harder to recall that information later on. Spacing revision or study gives our brain a workout each time we visit the material, moving knowledge to our long-term memory.  The diagram below outlines the “forgetting curve”. With spaced practice, the chance of remembering newly learned information improves each time learners space their study.

“Learning occurs best when new information is incorporated gradually into the memory store rather than when it is jammed in all at once.”

- John Medina, Brain Rules

If you are concerned about the effectiveness of your child’s current study routine, spaced practice could be a good starting point for a discussion and conversation.

Upcoming Events

God of the journey, may all members of the St Joseph’s College community listen intently to you with their heart and so, strikingly encounter your love. Amen.

Mr Brendon Willocks, Deputy Principal - bwillocks@sjc.qld.edu.au

From the Assistant Principal- Religious Education

Feast of the Ascension

Mark 16:15-20

¹⁵ And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news^[a] to the whole creation. ¹⁶ The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes in their hands,^[b] and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

¹⁹ So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.^[c]]]

Reflection

As we read Mark’s gospel, it becomes clear that the story of Jesus’ Ascension is as much about His apostles “rising up” as it is about Jesus’ rising into the heavens.  I had the privilege of unpacking this scripture with Brennan 6 in their Joey’s Way Liturgy of the Word celebration.  We reflected on the fear that these Apostles would have felt at this point in the Christian story. Their leader had been condemned to death, the had witnessed the miracle of His resurrection, and, bewilderingly, now they were being asked by their Lord to go out and spread His story. 

The mission Jesus gave to his Apostles must have sounded totally impossible, beyond their comprehension: ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole of creation.’ They, a group with so many limitations and who had drawn back at the moment of crisis, are now entrusted with the mission of Jesus himself. Perhaps even more astounding is the fact that they did carry out this mission, and we, together with so many others, are the beneficiaries of their faith and trust in Jesus.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, right before your Ascension into heaven you told your apostles to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth upon receiving the Holy Spirit. May we be similarly inspired to spread your Gospel message in word and deed, according to your will for us. And may we do so prudently and joyfully, with your help, your guidance, and your grace! And remembering this glorious event, help us to seek what is above, Heaven, where you are seated at the right hand of God the Father!

Amen

Feast of Blessed Edmund Rice

On Friday 7 May, we celebrated the Feast of Blessed Edmund Rice.  Through our mass celebrations we reflected on the legacy of Edmund Rice, how his life and work can inspire us to Serve God in Others, some 219 years since he opened his first school in Waterford in 1802.

Our College centres on the Charism of Blessed Edmund Rice, drawing on the cornerstones of presence, compassion and liberation. We turn to the story of our founder Edmund Rice to learn from his life and reflect on how demonstrated the values of respect, endeavour, compassion and dignity. We find in his story, an example of perseverance as he faced the challenges of his life. And we reflect on how his choice, despite his own loss, to participate whole heartedly in the community has led to the development of our St Joseph’s community here today.

There are often stormy times in our lives, times when the waves seem to hit us hard, and we fear we are going to go under.

Edmund Rice experienced stormy times in his life.  His wife, Mary Elliot, died about the time their daughter, also Mary, was born in 1789. In his grief and the turmoil of these circumstances, rather than giving up and allowing his fear and self-pity consume him, he turned to God and to a life of service. He considered entering religious life.  However, while he was grieving and unsure of how to serve his God, his brother, John, and his step-sister, Joan Murphy, advised Edmund to do something for the poor of Ireland and not to lock himself away in a monastery in Rome.

The death of his wife had brought him closer to God through prayer and the care of his -daughter had shown him the need to care for the young. With his spiritual life deepening, his compassion widened to include the children of the poor. Like Blessed Edmund Rice, we are called to face the storms in our life and make a decision. We can choose to turn inward and focus on ourselves.  Or we can choose to turn outward and bravely reach out to others. We place waves at the bottom of our net to remind us of the times of our lives when the waves may feel threatening, and we fear we may be taken under the pressures of the world.

In our reflection, we add waves to our net to remind us that in these times we must turn to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Blessed Edmund Rice for the courage to face the storm.

As always, we are very grateful for the presence of Fr Ray. He drew us in to a wonderful and exciting homily, complete with sound effects, about balancing the chaos with calm.

I thank our proud Rice Captains, Keely Geiger and Nicholas Sheedy, who led our reflection on how we can learn from the life of Edmund Rice. I also thank Ms Barton and the Year 12 Drama class, who brought to life our Gospel. Finally, I thank our whole school community, who showed that we can come together to make something magical as they created the storm in our retelling of the Gospel story.

Live Jesus in our Hearts.

Forever.

Kellie-Marie Ford, Curriculum Leader - Religion - kford@sjc.qld.edu.au

From the Assistant Principal - Curriculum

Teaching and Learning Framework

Currently we are working on a Teaching and Learning Framework for St Joseph’s College. One of the collaborative activities we have engaged all staff and students in is collecting feedback on the following questions

• What is an Inspired and Passionate Teacher at St Joseph's College?
• What should our Teachers and Students have in common? (dispositions)
• What do we want our St Joseph's College students to be like?

Our staff and students were given the opportunity to provide feedback.

A very important aspect of this is missing…..

What does our community of parents are carers think of these three important questions?

• As a parent or carer what do you think an Inspired and Passionate Teacher is at St Joseph’s College?
• What should our Teachers and Students have in common?
• What do you want your son or daughter to be like as a learner at St Joseph’s College?

If you are interested in providing feedback to all or some of these questions, could you please send me your feedback to my email (kfellenberg@sjc.qld.edu.au) by Friday 28^th May, so we can collate and compare with the data collected from staff and students.  I look forward to your feedback in this important process.

Kerrie-Anne Fellenberg, Assistant Principal - Curriculum        kfellenberg@sjc.qld.edu.au 

From the Assistant Principal - Student Engagement

What Does it Mean to Aspire to Excellence?

Each Imperative in The Joey’s Way is attached to two things: i) a piece of scripture and ii) The Personal and Social Capabilities as identified by the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). We connect our imperatives to scripture because they are an essential expression of our Catholic Identity in the Edmund Rice tradition. We also connect our imperatives to the Australian Curriculum because we know that if we live out our imperatives to the best of our ability, we’ll be great learners.

The gospel of Mark (12: 41-44) calls us to participate and persevere:

⁴¹ He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴² A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³ Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. ⁴⁴ For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

In the time of Jesus, the Jews were instructed to give to the Temple and to the poor as part of their service to God. We are also called to give of ourselves in service to our community at St Joseph’s. In the story of the Widow’s Offering, the rich people are able to give comfortably. It does not do us good to stay in our comfort zone or to only give a little of what we can offer. Instead we are challenged to be like the widow, who gives all that she has.

There are incredible opportunities to learn and grow at St Joseph’s, all we have to do is participate and persevere. Like the story, we cannot stay in our comfort zones because there is no reward there. We must be fully involved by giving our all to our academic, cultural, and sporting endeavours. Through full involvement and participation, we can find the full enjoyment and enrichment that school life has to offer us. We must also not give up when it gets hard. Like the widow, we need to continue to give our all even when we feel depleted or the situation is challenging.

When we look to Edmund Rice we often do not realise that all of his educational activities were illegal in the eyes of the ‘authorities’ in Ireland at the time. However, this challenge did not deter his work. He persevered to offer education to the Irish Catholics who had been cut off from education and, consequently, active participation in society. He gave what he could and moved out of his comfort zone. In doing so, he equipped many young people to develop their own skills and God-given talents and to become self-sufficient.

Like Edmund and the widow, the Joey’s Way encourages us to invest in ourselves and others through full participation and perseverance.

Participating and Persevering Looks Like:

• Being actively involved in class activities
• Following instructions diligently
• Attempting work even when it is hard
• Finding solutions to problems and being creative
• Trying new things and taking new opportunities
• Joining a sporting team, mission group and/or cultural activity
• Taking initiative and showing leadership skills

Participating and Persevering Sounds Like:

• “Even though this is hard, I will keep trying.’
• Thoughtful discussions
• Answering questions in class
• Asking questions
• Recognising when we are in the learning pit
• Asking for help
• Positive self-talk
• Many voices contributing

Participating and Persevering Feels Like:

• Sweat and nerves
• Uncomfortable but worth it
• Like a risk
• Recognising when we are feeling challenged
• Hard work as we push ourselves to overcome struggles
• A sense of belonging as we contribute to our community
• Connected with others in our learning

We know that the greatest single predictor of a student’s success both at school and beyond is not their intelligence level, it is their ability to persist through challenges. This is the reason behind our Year Nine Resilience project. Through initiatives such as this, we believe all our students can be great learners and successful and engaged adults.

Mr Joe Cryle, Assistant Principal - Student Engagtement   jcryle@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Student Voice

McAuley House Captains

Good evening, our names are Matt and Tahni and we are the McAuley House Captains for 2021. As House Captains, we strive to encourage and inspire all of the students who are apart of McAuley House to achieve at the best of their abilities in all aspects of school. We work along side the house leader, Mrs Zenke, to ensure that everyone in McAuley feels safe and a part of a community with a friendly environment. This year, for McAuley House, we have made it our goal to increase participation in school carnivals and recognise the wide range of talent that is present in everyone in McAuley.

McAuley House is named after Catherine McAuley, who was the founder of the Sisters of Mercy and dedicated her life to helping and caring for those who are less fortunate. As house leaders we aim to embody her teachings and beliefs into everything we do for the larger St Joseph’s community. 

Curriculum Focus - Karen Tobin

Middle and Senior Years

Academic Excellence Morning Tea

To recognise the academic achievement of students across both Middle and Senior Years, we are excited to introduce an initiative that recognises the participation and persistence of those students who have aspired to academic excellence. Each term we will host a morning tea to acknowledge students in the Middle Years who receive four or more As on their term report, and in Senior Years, students who receive three or more As across either Unit 1, 2 or 3.

Our first morning tea will be held in Week 5 on Monday, 17 May and will acknowledge those learners in Years 7-10 for their results on their Term 1 interim report, and Year 12 students for their results in Unit 2. This event will be held each term and we look forward to congratulating our Year 11 students on their results for Unit 1 in the Term 3 morning tea.

The Academic Excellence Morning Tea does not replace, or impact, other academic awards at the College. Rather, we see this event as a means of congratulating students for their hard work throughout the year.

Senior Years

Year 11 Exam Block: Tuesday 18 May-Thursday 20 May

To support Year 11 students to be prepared for their Unit 1 exams, a three-day internal exam block has been scheduled.  Students are encouraged to approach these exams with a determination to 'Aspire to Excellence' and prepare thoroughly.

Year 11 students are required to attend school from Tuesday, 18 May until Thursday, 20 May only when they have scheduled Examinations as indicated in the exam schedule. Monday, 17 May, and Friday 21 May are normal school days and student are to attend scheduled classes on these days.  Parents and caregivers may be contacted by individual teachers if students are required to attend school in a supervised classroom to complete work

Year 11 Fashion students are requested to attend their scheduled Fashion lessons to complete the practical component of their assessment.  Students are requested to attend Tuesday Period 5, Wednesday Period 3 and Thursday Period 1.

Year 11 Kitchen Operation students are required to attend Wednesday 19 May, Periods 1 – 3 to complete a full shift (3 hours) to help obtain their Certificate II in Kitchen Operations.

Please note the following points:

• Students who undertake SBA/SBT or TAFE will need to attend school for their scheduled exams.
• All students are required to wear their full school uniform whenever they are at school.
• When not on campus, students are not be in school uniform or carrying the College bag.
• Student must travel directly to and from home.
• Students who choose to remain at school after an exam for private study must sign into the College via Student Entrance. Additionally, these students will be completing silent, supervised study in room 22B. Students will sign into room 22B and complete their work individually under supervision.
• If there is a reason as to why an examination cannot be sat at the scheduled time (illness or extenuating circumstances), it is essential that contact be made with Mrs Karen Tobin (Senior School Learning Leader) or Mrs Kerrie-Anne Fellenberg by contacting the College on 46318500.
• College examinations cannot be rescheduled without appropriate and accompanying documentation as per QCAA guidelines and the St Joseph’s College Assessment Procedures.
• Students must attend on time for their assessment and bring appropriate equipment.
• Students are to meet outside the exam room as per exam schedule.

Information regarding this internal exam block, along with the exam schedule, has been sent to both parents and students.

Assessment Procedures - Senior Years

St Joseph's College Assessment policy incorporates the roles, responsibilities, processes, and procedures used by the College to ensure academic integrity in relation to the submission of work, the development of assessment and the completion of all assessment items (including examinations).

The policy provides information to both students and parents about expectation for assessment and outlines students' responsibilities as learners regarding assessment. This document can be found on the College Website under Policies and Procedures.

I wish to draw your attention to the following sections of this policy:

Due Dates

St Joseph’s College is responsible for gathering evidence of student achievement on or before the due date (in class time / 3pm in CANVAS) for internal assessment instruments.

Absence from Exams

Students who are unable to attend an examination owing to illness or other unavoidable circumstances, must have their parents or caregiver inform the College on the day of the absence. It is essential that contact be made with Mrs Karen Tobin (Senior School Learning Leader) or Mrs Kerrie-Anne Fellenberg (Assistant Principal - Curriculum).

Examination and Assessment dates will not be changed for students going on family holidays and these students will receive Not-Rated for examinations. Assignments would need to be completed and submitted on or before the due date (in class time / 3pm in CANVAS).

Provided that acceptable evidence of such an absence (e.g. a medical certificate stating specifically the reason for absence) is presented for consideration to the Senior Years Learning Leader or the Assistant Principal Curriculum in accordance with the QCAA’s QCE Handbook, students may be granted permission to sit for the examination. A comparable assessment instrument may be used in situations that prevent students from attending an examination. This is an alternative assessment instrument that is used when an endorsed assessment instrument cannot be used for an individual student or small groups of students within the cohort. A comparable assessment instrument will still allow students to use knowledge and skills required for the endorsed assessment instrument and is designed to gather the evidence of student learning using the assessment objectives, ISMG or ISSM and topics of the syllabus.

Students who are undertaking SBA/SBT or TAFE are required to attend all scheduled examinations at the College. If students are not able to make alternative arrangements, such as changing their training day, they are meet with the Assistant Principal - Curriculum prior to the exam. Those students who attend their SBA/SBT or TAFE when exams are scheduled may be given a Not-Rated (NR) which will affect their QCE points and ATAR calculation.

Students with known absences (sporting commitments) will need to meet with the Assistant Principal - Curriculum in advance as changes of examination dates may not be approved and Senior students may be given a Not-Rated (NR) which will affect their QCE points and ATAR calculations.

Karen Tobin, Senior School Learning Leader - ktobin@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Curriculum Focus - Cate Park-Ballay

NAPLAN

Well done to our Year 7s and 9s for living out our College Value of Endeavour this week as they finished up all four sessions of NAPLAN. Both cohorts were seen to be striving to do their best and taking on board the feedback and preparation they have been receiving from their teachers along they way.

Thank you to the following people for helping to create a successful week:

• parents and families for helping their learners to be ready for these sessions
• the tuckshop for providing healthy fruit snacks
• maintenance staff for the setup of the hall and other areas
• IT staff for their work in ensuring that the technology worked like a dream
• teaching staff for their efforts in administering tests and managing room changes
• the learners themselves for doing their best

We look forward to celebrating our learners’ successes in NAPLAN later in the year when the results are released.

Cate Park-Ballay, Middle School Learning Leader - cpark-ballay@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Tutorials

Mission Matters

Each week a Joey’s Way group and year 11 students who have volunteered to be helpers, travel to Clifford Park Special School to prepare and serve breakfast for the students. The interaction with the students and giving back to the community, are very important aspects of this service activity. The value of service and the impact it has on the community, is also evident in the year 12’s involvement in Rosies. Each month, on a Wednesday evening, staff and year 12 students spend the evening working with the Rosies team, preparing and serving meals for families at Harlaxton Community Centre. During this time, not only are the students ‘Serving Him in Others’, with this activity, they establishing valuable relationships with this community, in particular, the children. A game of basketball often happens after dinner is served. As part of our work with Rosies, we would like to run a ‘warm clothes’ collection, here at the College. More information on this will be coming in the near future.

Tug-of-War

Last Friday we celebrated Edmund Rice Day with mass in the morning and the captains led the lunchtime activity. This activity shows strength, working together and overcoming adversity – qualities that Edmund Rice illustrated.

Cathie Barton, Program Leader - Mission & Identity - cbarton@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Getting to know our new staff members.

This term we welcome Gary Lake to our College. Gary will be teaching Maths and Science and comes to us from Rosewood State High School.

Welcome Gary.

We also welcome Sue Garry to the team.  Sue wil be teaching English and Humanities and will be taking Joey's Way Rice 2.

Welcome Sue.

Focus on Murphy House

We as a staff have been engaging in professional discussions to support the students in Murphy to develop and achieve their goals. In our JW classes staff have been working with the “Joey’s Way” to focus students on being the best student they can be, aligning all that we do here at the college to our core values, Compassion, Respect, Endeavour and Dignity.

At St Joseph’s we are aiming for all students to be present all the time, with a 95% attendance a goal that we are working with families to achieve.

To support this our JW teachers will be communicating with parents to support students. Staff want to be actively communicating with families rather than providing a notification. Heather Wolpert-Gawron talks about “The Equation of Student Success”; “Family + Student + School = Student Success”.

“The difference between communication and notification is that communication is the act of communicating anything, while notification is (uncountable) the act of notifying. Communication requires two parties to engage, whereas notification is one way”.

We are nearing the halfway point of the year with assessment and final grades all becoming realities for our students. Stress of this can often lead to changes in behaviour, in term 2 our house captains have been discussing random acts of kindness. Think back to a time when someone helped you out unexpectedly or gave you a compliment. Memories like this have intense staying power and often remind us that we can act in the same way to help, encourage, or comfort someone else. Brain research studies have revealed that our neural pathways are rewarded for altruism with a release of dopamine and serotonin during acts of kindness. Socially, acts of kindness cultivate shared happiness between the giver and receiver, build relationships and give people a sense of connectedness.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.” – Luke 6:35

 It is important that we maintain our connections and follow our motto “with vision and spirit” so that we can attain our goals.

Rodney Spain, Murphy House Leader - rspain@sjc.qld.edu.au

Focus on HPE

The Health and Physical Education department, like many others at the College, are constantly doing their best to prepare students for life long education. The HPE department hold the responsibility for educating students on lifelong decisions that include but aren’t limited to; emotional, social and physical health. It’s extremely important that our students receive this education so that they have the knowledge to make healthy decisions throughout Adulthood and into later stages of life.

One way we have given students this opportunity is through the Year 8 Park Exploration Unit. The Year 8 students are currently engaged with lessons centred around opportunities for the community to access physical activity within our local area. This culminated in a recent excursion which saw the Year 8 cohort explore the following parks in the Toowoomba area; Queens Park, Picnic Point, Laurel Bank and the Japanese Gardens.

Students were required to assess the opportunities for people within the community to access physical activity at these locations. They evaluated the enablers such as; concrete pathways, toilets, water bubblers, accessible parking and other similar positives to each of the locations. At the same time, students judged the aspects which may limit community participation at these locations. Once the students reviewed each of the locations they attended, they utilised the content they had learnt in class to offer 3 recommendations to improve the park. They justified their recommendations to ensure that the park could become more accessible to community members regardless of race, age, gender or health level.

This was an important opportunity for our young students to learn and a unit we intend to continue, as students are able to walk away and understand physical activity isn’t limited to copious amounts of high intensity running. But it can be an enjoyable and leisurely activity which is just as beneficial to our overall health. It’s this teaching of a lifelong balance of physical, emotional, spiritual and social health we as HPE educators continue to illuminate for the students.

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St Joseph's College Musical

Sports

Darling Downs Representatives.

We congratulate the following students on making Darling Downs teams over the past few weeks.

Zander Jackson 10 – 12 years hockey

Keelie Hilt – 12 years netball

Chloe Qalotaki – 12 years netball

Azariah Zillmann – 12 years netball

Taylor Lobwein – 12 years football and 12 years touch football

Chase Deurloo – 12 years orienteering

Xavier Davey – 12 years touch football

Rebecca Scott – 13 – 15 years girls’ basketball

Cross Country

The cross country was held at the Captain Cook ovals on Friday April 30 after a couple of changes due to unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, this clashed with the zone trials for the 12 years cross country. Students then had to decide between the two events, which was unfair on them. The results below will reflect two results for the 12 years age group. I wish to apologise for the decision I made in presenting the winners on the day and have decided to award medals to both groups.

Results

For the first time this year we tried to involve a Joey’s Way relay competition where a member from each year level ran about 800m and handed off the ‘baton’ to another member while dressed up in some special attire.

It was great to see many Joey’s Way groups into the spirit of the competition with Brennan 1 placed first, Rice 7 second and Murphy 3 third. Hopefully this really can take off again next year and be bigger and better.

It was disappointing to see so many of the place getters not return to the College for the presentation of the medals. The photos could not be completed for the yearbook so I hope this can be rectified during a lunch hour.

A big thank you to the Year 12 students who turned up early in the morning to assist in the set-up of the carnival. They were brilliant. Many thanks to the groundsmen who loaded the utes and made my job so much easy both before and after the day. They also drove the buses to get students to the venue. To all the teachers who sat around the course, who did crowd control and a special thank you to Jess Lawrence who did the first aid for the day.

Darling Downs Nominations

I urge parents to please look at the Darling Downs website to ensure that students know when trials are coming up. Information is passed on through the notices at school, but students don’t seem to be looking at these.

Forms can then be sent to me before the due dates to be processed so that students do not miss out on the trials.

Lost Property

At this time of the year where the weather is cold in the morning and warm during the day, students are taking their jackets off and leaving them lying around. We are picking up a lot of lost property and are finding it difficult to return these items to students as they do not have names on the items. I urge parents to name every item that students bring to the College so that they can be returned. I also ask parents to check uniform items and ensure they have the right items with their names on them.

Coming Events

In the next couple of weeks students will be competing in AFL tournaments and softball tournaments. There are three teams of rugby league and netball teams competing on a Wednesday night. It is great to see so many students involved but this couldn’t happen without the commitment from the staff and parents of St Joseph’s College.

We have tried to also have the T20 junior and senior cricket matches but the weather has not been favourable for us. The junior cricket has been cancelled all together. The senior boys were due to play Centenary Heights in the final to progress to the next level but the game has been cancelled and as Centenary cannot agree on another date we have progressed to the final with a better overall run rate. We will now move on to the next round against the Ipswich competition winners on a date to be announced.

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Library News

We have had a great time in the library over the last two weeks- engaging in a range of activities with our students. We have included some highlights:

Mother’s Day

The week leading up to our mums’ special day the students had the opportunity to spend some lunch times in our Maker Space zone making some beautiful cards for the special women in their lives.  It was lovely to see the creative minds and how the different personalities of our Mums, Aunties, Grandmas, Nans and Great Grandmothers were shown through the specific card designs.

The Library offers different art, crafts and building activities during lunch time every Thursday- during our Tinker Thursday programme.  If you have any suggestions on what you would love to learn or make please let the Library Staff know.  We would love to hear from you.

Year 9 English

Mrs Dwyer’s Year 9 English class came to the Library for a lesson with Mrs Andrews about how to:

• use the Library website to search for books,
• access our ebooks and audiobooks, and
• navigate the physical collection.

Prior to the lesson, Mrs Dwyer and her students provided the Library staff some information regarding their interests and we were able to put together a list of suggested books for each student. It was great to see the excitement in the room when it came time for students to seek out these books and find one that they wanted to read. Every student left with a book that aligned to their interests. We look forward to hearing from these students after they have read the texts- we hope they enjoy them!

Tinker Thursday

Our Tinker Thursday group continues to grow as more and more students learn about the STEM projects we undertake using the Kiwi Kits. It has been great to watch our participants work together on projects and to feel a sense of accomplishment when their kit is completed. Piper Wiemers finished her basketball hoop trash can this week and the STEM group are enjoying using it to contain their rubbish from the kits.

Year 8 Digital Technologies

Miss Wighton’s Year 8 Digital Technologies class is lucky to have their lesson in Seminar Room 1, as it gives them access to the wider Library space to test out the functionality of their new robots. Last week, the Library staff enjoyed watching as the class engaged with a Sphero, creating a tunnel through their legs for the robot to navigate. Lots of fun was had by all!  

From the Counsellors

Free On-line Parenting Program

Like all of us, teenagers face a wide range of life challenges on a daily basis (e.g.  self-acceptance, relationships, study pressures, etc).  Of course, this has an impact on family life.  Thanks to a Queensland Government initiative, the internationally acclaimed Triple P parenting program is now being offered on- line for FREE!

This program will provide you with a toolbox of ideas and strategies you can use to guide and support your children.  It can help you to:

• Build a stronger relationship
• Negotiate boundaries and expectations
• Deal calmly with conflict
• Survive the emotional rollercoaster
• Prepare for risky situations
• Equip them to handle life’s problems
• Cope with the impact of the pandemic

It is an eight-module course you do whenever, wherever you want.

Career Pathways

Toowoomba Virtual Jobs Fair

The Jobs Fair is an online event where job seekers can chat with employers and discuss job opportunities and career options from a wide range of industries in and around Toowoomba. Some of the exhibitors include Darling Downs Health, Toowoomba Regional Council, TAFE Queensland and DGT Employment and Training.

This event will be held from Thursday 13^th May to Saturday 15^th May. Registration is free, but essential. Register for the event here.

ADF Tech & Trade Careers Information Session

Are you considering a technical trade career with the Australian Defence Force? A Tech & Trade Careers Information Session will be held on Monday 24^th May from 6-8pm at Toowoomba Defence Force Recruiting, O’Quinn Street, Toowoomba. You can register online by clicking here.

University of Southern Queensland - Two Day Experiences (Year 9 – 12 students)

Two Day Experiences will be offered at USQ Springfield, Ipswich and Toowoomba. These experiences are an engaging and immersive way to explore your fields of interest. You can participate in interactive sessions led by USQ's team of academics in areas such as biomedical and medical laboratory science, creative writing, film, television and radio, journalism and aviation. You will learn about pathways and scholarships, take a tour of the campuses and residential colleges (Toowoomba only) and hear from current university students about their journey to university. For more information visit USQ Two Day Experiences.

University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)

UCAT is a computer-based admissions test used by certain universities to assess the abilities and professional behaviours of students who are interested in studying medicine, dentistry and clinical science. Registrations and bookings close on Monday 17^th May for testing in July and early August. Students are encouraged to browse University Clinical Aptitude Test for further information on eligibility, important dates, the test format, preparation advice and which universities consider UCAT a compulsory entry requirement.

School Based Trainees

Congratulations to Exauce Muteba new School Based Trainee at Reece Plumbing Certificate II in Warehousing Operations

Congratulations to Holly Eldridge New School Based Traineeship at McDonalds Toowoomba– Certificate III in Retail

Congratulations to Madison Kelly new School Based Trainee at Antony's Bakery and Patisserie, Certificate III in Business.

Virtual Jobs Fair

The Toowoomba Regional Jobs Committee are hosting a free Virtual Jobs Fair online from Thursday 13 May to Saturday 15 May 2021.

The Virtual Jobs Fair will provide an opportunity for job seekers to see jobs that are on offer currently, interact with potential employers and access resources to help with their job search or quest to retrain or upskill. The Virtual Jobs Fair will also provide information and resources to help businesses plan for their future workforces – please see attached flyer.

The event will be free of charge to all and will include a Jobs Board, an Exhibition Hall (full of booths) and Workshops (live and on-demand).

For more information, to have a virtual booth or to list your job vacancies please contact Lauren Russell at RDA Darling Downs & South West projects@rda-ddsw.org.au or 0435 509 376 as soon as possible.

Also please share this link or the attached flyer to people interested in registering to attend the day as a participant.

• Register to attend the day as a participant.

CURRENT SCHOOL-BASED
VACANCIES

Golden West Apprenticeships is currently seeking applications from students looking
to undertake a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. 
See below for our current vacancies.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - HOSPITALITY (FRONT/BACK OF HOUSE) TRAINEESHIP - TOOWOOMBA
 Position Overview:
The purpose of this school-based Hospitality (Front/Back of House) Traineeship in Toowoomba is to provide the successful applicant with the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge through completing on the job working experience and training with an employer whilst completing a nationally recognised course of training through a registered training organisation.

Duties and Responsibilities:
As a Hospitality (Front/Back of House) Trainee you will develop key service skills and knowledge such as food and beverage service, barista skills, cash handling/register operations, and basic food preparation and safety. To be successful for this role you will need a commitment and passion for the hospitality industry; a willingness and ability to commit to a traineeship which involves study and hands-on experience; have a positive attitude; and be prepared to provide a high level of customer service.

This is a great opportunity to develop skills and knowledge through completing on the job working experience and training with an employer whilst completing a nationally recognised course of training through a registered training organisation.
 
Essential Criteria:
- A willingness to develop skills and knowledge.
- The ability to listen, follow instructions and ask for assistance when required.
- The desire to make a positive contribution to the workplace by being punctual, showing interest and adhering to the relevant workplace policies and procedures.
- The ability to act responsibly and safely in the workplace.
- The ability to develop effective working relationships both in the workplace as well as with Golden West Apprenticeships team members.
- The ability to complete timesheets correctly and on-time.
 
Desirable Criteria:
- Work experience in your chosen industry
 
Position Requirements:
To fulfil the requirements of this Hospitality (Front/Back of House) Traineeship in Toowoomba with Golden West Apprenticeships you will:
- Abide by the terms and conditions of the Training Contract.
- Complete Golden West Apprenticeships inductions.
- Perform work in a satisfactory manner.
- Commit to and complete the Training Plan in the timeframe allocated by completing theory based assessments and demonstrating skills through competency based assessments to the best of your ability.
- Comply with registration relevant to your field of work, in particular the Further Education and Training Act and the Work Health and Safety Act.

What you need to do now!
If you are driven, determined and want to take the next step in your career, this Hospitality (Front/Back of House) Traineeship in Toowoomba is for you.Apply today at the Golden West Apprenticeships website - www.goldenwest.org.au or phone 1300 650 775 to find out more!

Air Hair Studio

Air Hair Studio is currently looking for a school based apprentice to join our team.

We would love to meet any young people within the school that are looking to pursue a career in Hairdressing.

If they could please send through a copy of their resume to airhairstudiotmba@gmail.com, or drop into the salon to that would be wonderful.

Once their resume has been received, we will then contact them to arrange a trial shift.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0438 837 799 or at the salon on 4632 5511.

Kindest Regards,

Tracy Pitts

Salon Director

Cert III in Early Childhood Education

Please click the link below to find out more about a new SBA vacancy 26-21 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at a new childcare centre opening in Westbrook in June/July.

The centre is looking for a Year 12 student who is interested in working in the childcare industry with the view to moving to part time upon completion of Year 12.

Part Time Work - Westside Meats

Westridge Meats is looking for a school student for after school and some weekend work. If you would like to apply please take your Resume instore at the Butchery.

For more information please contact the Careers Team

Angela Stafford, Vocational Education Cor-Ordinator - astafford@sjc.qld.edu.au

Leah Millett, Careers Support Officer - lmillett@sjc.qld.edu.au

Maree Harman, Career Development Practicioner  - mharman@sjc.qld.edu.au

Are you missing something?

Glasses - left behind at Parent/Teacher/Studnet Interviews.

Garage Opener - left in the front office.

P & F Association

NEXT MEETING
June 1 - 7pm - Library



Dear Parents & Friends,

Thank you to those for attending the meeting on Tuesday the 4th, I can’t wait to see what exciting Information Sessions we will be able to bring to the school later this year.

Thank you also to Cathy Condon and Toni Burton for up-dates and information from the Toowoomba Diocese AGM of the Catholic School Parents Queensland.  We also have a representative who attends meetings and reports back to the St. Joey’s P&F - Danielle Hart.

And a big thank you to Juanetta Krause for looking after the property portfolio - you do a great job.

One of the things that I would like to remind Parents about, now that our students are back representing the school in various ways is that the P&F have a Grant system that can help out in a small way with costs. 

The P&F’s Support Grant is available to any Student who represents the school in Cultural, Sporting or Academic endeavours. 

Best Wishes,

Carmen Humphries 

Car Accident Check List

As discussed at the May meeting, below is an attachment for students (and parents) to print and place in their car glove boxes in case of an accident.

Canteen

We need your help!

We are seeking volunteers to help out in the Canteen throughout the year.  Volunteers are required between the hours of 8am and 3pm each school day, however we understand people may not be able to assist for entire day -  if you only have an hour or 2 to lend, it would be a great help as well. We appreciate any time that is given to help out and would appreciate the opportunity to get to know some of the parents in our school community, especially the new families this year.  You do not need experience to volunteer in Tuckshop, we are happy to guide you along the way - it’s a fun day of helping out and your children will enjoy seeing you at school for the day.  Volunteers are required to wear closed in shoes, neat hair and a great smile 😊.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the College  with your availability as soon as possible so we can put together a roster for term 1.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Deb Ditchmen and Michelle Tully, Canteen Convenors

E dditchmen@sjc.qld.edu.au

E mtully@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Uniform Shop

Covid restrictions apply – EFTPOS only - No Cash accepted until further notice.

Winter stock is now available.

Blazers are available for the cold weather  - all sizes available.

The uniform shop is currently out of stock of the following and waiting on orders to arrive:-

- Boys Formal Hat, size M                                          ETA 04/06         

- Jumpers, Size 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 & 24         ETA 20/05
(Jumpers have being delayed due to Covid lockdown in Fiji.)

New Ordering Online Process

www.midford.com.au     pass phrase StJC1956

New stock into the shop 

• Formal Girl long pants.

• Face Masks – navy  (washable/reusable) S & L

• 150ml hand sanitiser

Second hand uniforms are also available at the Uniform Shop.

If you have used uniform items that would like to donate, please drop off to the Uniform Shop during opening hours.  Donations are greatly appreciated.

If you have used uniform items that you would like us to sell for you, please call into the uniform shop and collect a “Used Clothing” form. Used uniforms items MUST be in good condition, hems intact, no holes, stains or missing buttons. They also need to washed, ironed and be the current uniform.

If you have any questions, please call us on 4631 8514 during opening hours.