Newsletter - Term 2 - Week 8 - Issue 67

From the Principal

Dear Parents, Carers and Students.

Earlier this term we held the very successful launch of the St Joseph’s College Towards 2024 Strategic Plan. At this event we took the time to acknowledge the outstanding historical success of the College and we looked forward to the exciting future that our plan clearly outlines for the next four years.

As with all organisations, the strategic planning process is integral to achieving the vision and mission. The development of our plan has taken place under the guidance of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, critical friend and educational consultant Dr Judy Smeed, and the St Joseph’s College leadership team. Input from the above groups and the College Board, College P&F, students, parents, and staff has resulted in the establishment of the strategic intents and initiatives that will be pursued over the next four years. 

A copy of the strategic plan is available to all families at the front office of the College, or on our St Joseph’s College website. However, it is my intent to share the strategic intents of the plan over the upcoming newsletters so that our community is fully aware of our direction for the next four years. The strategic intents will be presented according to the domains outlined in the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Diocese School Renewal and Improvement Procedure. The domains are: Teaching and Learning; Mission and Identity; School Renewal and Improvement; and Stewardship and Strategic Resourcing. 

The St Joseph’s College: Towards 2024 Strategic Plan acknowledges the importance of individual growth for our young people, while setting aspirational targets and benchmarks.  Furthermore, it is clearly in alignment with The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, as St Joseph’s College continues to promote excellence and equity in a manner that enables all students to become confident and creative individuals, successful learners, and active and informed community members. 

As a community we are excited and enthused about our plan for the next four years and we look to working with our parents and the wider community to make our plan our reality.

Domain - Teaching and Learning – Students and their learning 

Strategic Intent: As an aspirational learning community, St Joseph’s College embraces a culture of learning to empower young people to pursue their passions and meet the demands of their future pathways. 

Key Improvement Strategies:  

In relation to Teaching and Learning practices, the College will: 

• Develop and implement a St Joseph’s College Teaching and Learning Framework that incorporates high impact teaching strategies and target teaching to ensure there is impact on every learner. 
• Foster a culture of teaching and learning that aspires to excellence and agency for both students and staff. 
• Continue the student academic care tracking programs across the school to monitor progress towards measurable improvements. 
• Utilise evidence to inform targeted programs and track impact. 
• Share responsibility and accountability between teachers and the Enhanced Learning Team to maximise student learning and differentiation through Planning for Personalised Learning. 
• Monitor and extend high potential learners. 
• Use digital tools that improve learning and continue to respond innovatively to the changing needs of learners through the implementation of the eLearning plan. 
• Achieve: 
  • 100% of students graduate with a QCE and QCIA 
  • 100% of students graduate with a pathway 
  • 90% ATAR above 60. 
  • 28% ATAR above 90. 

In relation to the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy, the College will: 

• • At least 3% above the National Mean in all domains in Year 9 of NAPLAN 
  • Show continual growth in all domains from Year 7 to Year 9 NAPLAN.  

Open Day Success

As you would know we recently held our annual Open Day. The day was a great success with over 500 people attending. I would like to thank all the families who recommended the College to a family who may be interested in enrolling their child in the future. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and students of St Joseph’s College who made the day such a great success. Our students were amazing ambassadors throughout the morning. It is the staff and students who make this College such a wonderful community to be a part of and our Open Day was just another example of their commitment to the College.

Kort Goodman, Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Year 12 EEPP

The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office will be offering the External Exam Preparation Program again this year to students attending Toowoomba Catholic Schools. This program seeks to bring together students from across the diocese in the common pursuit of excellence in academic achievement in their General External Exams. The program takes place in the second week of the September school holidays (from Sunday 26 September – Friday 1 October). The subjects offered this year will be:

• English
• Mathematics General
• Mathematics Methods
• Physics
• Chemistry
• SOR
• Special Mathematics
• Biology

We encourage all students sitting General External Exams in these subjects to fill out the expression of interest form and mark this program in your family diary. It is an exceptional opportunity and one that complements and extends upon the learning covered in class across Unit 4.

Term 2

As we move into the second half of Term 2, we are keeping a close eye on our students’ progress and their engagement. Below are a few brief suggestions to support wellbeing –including mental health- and some practical resources for you to access.

• Teaching models of thinking, such as Growth Mindset
  • Frustration, hardship and challenge are a part of life and learning. A strategy to assist our young people develop these skills is recognising and naming that sometimes things can be difficult to manage; however, we then need to learn and grow. Sometimes we need to step in and give them help, prompts and support.
• Teach help seeking behaviours and that is it not only ok to ask for help, but an essential skill
• Give practical skills to overcome challenges
  • For example, pressure and stress of assessments. It is important to teach our young people good planning, develop strategies to understand all required elements of the task, teach effective study strategies such as spaced and retrieval practice.

SchoolTV is a wellbeing platform that provides a wide array of information, resources, videos and conversation starters to support parents. The overall intent is to connect, inform and empower parents with credible, sound information with realistic and practical strategies. A range of topics are published monthly with comprehensive videos from leading specialists and organisations.

You can access this resource via the SchoolTV website - https://sjc.qld.schooltv.me/

Study Strategy: Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice is the purposeful of intent of bringing information and skills to front of mind. Check out the below videos for a brief overview.

Study Strategies: Retrieval Practice – 3min 24 sec video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO8abw3DHxs&t=75s

Cognitive Scientist discussing retrieval Practice – 2min 45sec -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zyIBpiIsZw&t=3s

Upcoming Event

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

From the Assistant Principal- Religious Education

Reflection  

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip? Did you learn anything about how poor people live?” 

His son replied, “Yeah the trip was great. I learnt so much!  

I learnt: 

We have one dog and they have four.  
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the yard and they have a creek that has no end.  
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.  
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.  
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.  
We have servants but they serve others.  
We buy our food and they grow theirs.  
We have walls around our property to protect us and they have friends to protect them”  

 The boy’s father was speechless.   

Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.” 

Just Joeys – Covid Appeal 

By Emily Chandler and the students of Just Joeys 

I’m not sure we as Australian citizens realise just how lucky we are. I know that you hear this a lot but it’s true. There are several European countries that are on their second or third international lockdowns some of which have lasted months at a time. The United States death toll is close to 600,000 and over 3,000,000 people have died from COVID-19 and although this statistic may not seem overall large these 3,000,000 people are the friends, family and loved ones of millions of people all around the world.  COVID is having a massive effect on people from all over the world and its not just those who are directly affected by the virus. Many people are suffering from unemployment, losing money and in many third world countries haven’t had the opportunity to receive an adequate education for extended periods of time.  

I realise that we could stand up here and give you statistics and ongoing information for as long as we wanted but the point still wouldn’t get across. Instead we’ve chosen an issue a little closer to home; we interviewed Mal to find out firsthand what COVID has been like for his family in Sudan, this is what he had to say:  

My family lives in South Sudan. South Sudan is a third world country with a population of 12 million, 76.4 % of the population is below the poverty line. Only 75% of the population have access to health services, making it difficult to access testing or medical treatment and a large percentage of the population in South Sudan travel to nearby neighbouring countries on a daily basis to access better medical treatment or work to make an income. During COVID those countries closed their borders, taking severe measures to prevent the spread of the virus. If someone was to cross these closed borders the would be shot or jailed. For example, my aunt was part of a group who tried to enter a neighbouring county when police/ military started firing shots at them, forcing the group to flee into the forest, surviving without food or water for a week. Many young South Sudanese had no access to education for 14 months due to school lockdowns and no access to technology for online learning.  Social justice groups can assist those in South Sudan by creating more popup medical centres for people to access treatment and testing facilities which would help control outbreaks. They can also help raise money to provide essential items to families in more impoverished areas.  My family has been impacted from the COVID pandemic mainly due to lockdowns as they couldn’t make money at the street markets. Hence, had no income to buy essential items.  

For the month of June we as a community, through your JW mission bag, will be raising money to help CARITAS support developing countries through the COVID epidemic. Our goal is to raise $4000 as a community. This may seem like a lot but we only need each PC to raise only $100 and each person to simply bring $5 to positively impact so many people who are currently affected by COVID-19.  

So as a group we challenge you to rally together your JW groups to raise as much money as possible, whether this be hitting up your family and friends for a bit of extra money, organising a fundraiser within your JW group or even just bringing a few dollars a week, for these vulnerable families.  

Breakfast Club

Kellie-Marie Ford, Assitant Principal - Religious Education - kford@sjc.qld.edu.au

From the Assistant Principal - Curriculum

As part of our planning for 2022, all students in Years 8 and 9 will choose elective subjects next term.  Subject handbooks will be available next term. Our current Year 10 students will continue their goal setting activities in Joey’s Way looking forward to their senior schooling.  Students will participate in completing a career survey early next term to help inform them of possible pathways and reflecting on their strengths and interests.  Year 10’s will have the opportunity on the 22 July to engage in a SET planning and Career day.  They will be informed of our senior schooling structure, the Queesland Certificate of Education (QCE), ATAR, SBA’s and TAFE and Headstart opportunities.  Senior students and Curriculum leaders will have an opportunity to speak to students and answer questions. This is in preparation prior to the Subject Expo evening on the 3 August as per the College Calendar.  Further information will be provided early next term.  SET planning for Year 10 will occur on the 19 August at the College and parents and carers will be notified next term of their son/daughter’s time with their academic mentor.

All students will complete subject selection in Term 3 prior to the spring holidays.  This information will inform the eventual timetable structure. Other resourcing requirements may also need to be adjusted. The number of classes, room requirements and teacher availability are all important considerations.

In summary, from 2022, students in Years 9 and 10 (2022):

• will continue to study Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Physical Education
• will choose two elective subjects per semester.

In Year 11, students at the College study 6 subjects including a Religion, English and Maths subject and 3 electives.

Year 11

End of Unit 1 reporting is currently being finalised and will be sent to families in the mail but also via email. Currently, our Year 11’s have commenced Unit 2 units contributing towards their QCE.

For Years 7 - 10

At the end of Term 2, results will be reported on and further conversations will happen in Term 3 with Parent-Teacher-Student interviews. Not only does assessment provide the opportunity to ascertain information about your child’s learning, but it also provides valuable evidence for teachers to use and consider when reflecting on the learning process.

Another critical aspect of this assessment period is ensuring your son or daughter’s routine remains as normal as possible. This includes eating a balanced diet, exercise, sleeping adequately (especially the night before exams), and drinking plenty of water. 

If your child is feeling overwhelmed by the assessment period or would like some extra assistance with their study schedule, please encourage them to take up various opportunities of academic tutoring on offer at the College. If this is of interest to your child they can contact the subject curriculum leader or subject teacher. 

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

From the Assistant Principal - Student Engagement

What Does it Mean to Use Empathy? 

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 Luke (10:25-39) calls us to use empathy:  

 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life? 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” 

Empathy is a choice we make. It is a way of saying to someone else “I hear you, and I am here for you”. This is easier said than done and takes practice.  

In the parable of the good Samaritan, it is easy to be sympathetic for the man who has been harmed- to look on him with pity and point out the positive. It is much harder for us to stop, listen, and help him. We like to think of ourselves as people who are able to easily see who needs help, but sometimes it is not so obvious. When we think of our ‘neighbour’, it’s not necessarily the person we are sitting next to in class. It might be the person that harmed you. It could be the person who has treated you with disrespect. It could be the person that made you feel ashamed. Part of showing empathy is understanding that every saint has a past; and every sinner has a future.   

Empathy is welcoming everyone’s perspectives, acknowledging that everyone has an idea, and all perspectives are valid and deserve respect and to be listened to.  

Edmund Rice acknowledged that in order to show empathy, you need to walk in someone else’s shoes. So, he bought ninety pairs of shoes for the young men at Waterford. On a literal level, the boys had shoes, so they looked ready for school. On a metaphorical level, Edmund acknowledged that there was a need that he could fulfil, and by providing the boys with basic things like shoes, he could help get to the real problems, and help create real solutions.  

In the Joey’s Way, we show empathy in many ways. We attend Breakfast Club, Rosie’s, participate in social justice activities, and look out for the people in our community that may be lost. We actively participate in restorative conversations and conferences, and we try and walk in someone else’s shoes, even if the ground is rocky or uneven.  

Empathy Looks Like: 

• Staying out of judgement  
• Listening to others  
• Recognising emotions in others
• Engaging authentically in restorative conversations and restorative conferences when applicable.   

Empathy Sounds Like: 

• “What’s your name?”  
• “I am here for you”.  
• “Can I help you?”
• “Are you ok?” 
• “Thank you for sharing your perspective with me”
• … Nothing! Simply listening with open ears and open hearts.  

Empathy Feels Like: 

• Someone is with you. 
• You are never alone at St Joseph’s College.
• Even if we do not get our way totally, our perspective has been heard. 
• Taking the time to understand a person’s perspective, even if it differs from our own.  

We also know that the qualities of empathy, along with grit, are the single greatest predictors of career success for our students. Fundamentally, it is the reason that our Ignatius Room processes and Restorative Practices framework are utilised here at St Joseph’s. If we teach our students nothing else, we must teach them to be empathetic.  

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

Senior Years

Year 11 and 12 QCE Reminders (Queensland Certificate of Education)

The QCE is Queensland's senior secondary schooling qualification. For students to receive a QCE, they must achieve the set amount of learning, at the set standard, in a set pattern while meeting literacy and numeracy requirements.

Students must take responsibility for tracking their QCE and to help with this, all students in Years 11 and 12 have been emailed a QCE tracking template. This template allows students to not only track their QCE but also provides students with a QCE requirement checklist.

Students in Year 11 and 12 are also encouraged to log in to their myQCE account. Students in Year 12 will begin to see their confirmed results in the QCAA portal, along with other valuable information - specifically their external assessment timetable for later in the year.

Unit 1 results for Year 11 students have been finalised. You will see on the report card that an A-E standard has been awarded, however, the QCAA requires a final grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory for Unit 1 to calculate whether a student is entitled to bank one credit point towards their QCE. If students have been unsuccessful in Unit 1, then a conversation with individual teachers would have occurred. Students must be well-informed and have this knowledge and feedback to be able to move forward to ensure success in future units. Please ask your son or daughter whether such a conversation has occurred and encourage them to be proactive about seeking this feedback.

Unit 2 work has started and for those students who may be contemplating subject changes, I urge them to consider prerequisites for future study and pathways that they are interested in. Consultation with our Careers Practitioner, Mrs Maree Harman is advised, in addition to conversations with me or Mrs Kerrie-Anne Fellenberg. 

Motivation, Momentum, Manage and Mocks

I had the privilege of speaking at the College's recent P& F meeting and presented information around the topic of Creating Senior Learners. 

There is an abundance of information available to parents around 'senior learners' and how to best support your son or daughter during their senior years. In recognising this information overload that parents are faced with, the presentation was structured around the idea of Four Ms: Motivation, Momentum, Manage and Mocks.

I would like to share some information centred around motivation and share some simple ideas that you may be able to implement to help your son or daughter become more motivated. 

Procrastination and Motivation

Humans have always struggled with procrastination; there is more to it than just being lazy, being an avoider or being incompetent. Procrastination is the result of a constant battle in our brain between the Limbic and Prefrontal Cortex, and unfortunately, the Limbic Brain is often the strongest - that's why procrastination often wins. In attempting to beat procrastination, I spoke about three areas that may assist with improving motivation: study environment, time management and working as a team. Below are simple strategies and advice that may be useful.

Study Environment

• Study best occurs in a designated space.
• Have all equipment ready.
• Improve concentration by sitting upright. Study needs to happen sitting at a desk or table and not lying on the bed. Lying down tells the brain that you are going into rest mode; when you sit up there is more chance to stay alert.
• Eliminate distractions - remove mobile phones from the room, turn off the television and music.

Time Management

• Prioritisation - work collaboratively to help set achievable goals with study practices and routines.
• Encourage the use of the study diary.
• Help create a study timetable by collaboratively identifying non-study activities such as work, sport, extra-curricular and relaxation, and then fitting it blocks of study around these activities.

Work as a Team

• To keep the motivation going strong, parents have a critical role to play. Think about the idea of working as a team – offer support, ask questions about their learning and study routines.

Karen Tobin,  Curicculum Leader - Senior Years   ktobin@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Congratulations

College Senior wins Composing Competition!

Congratulations to Andre Fuller has been selected as one of the winners for the Artology Fanfare Composing Competition. Fanfare develops the creative potential of young people through experiential learning in the performing arts.

His fanfare composition, Defense of H'Muuhi Citade,l has been selected for the 2021 Fanfare Competition and will be performed in concert by the Queensland Youth Orchestra (QYO) in September.

He will now participate in two workshops with conductors, composers and an orchestra in Sydney, all expenses paid. He will experience his music played by an orchestra and will receive feedback on its effectiveness before it is finally performed by the Qld Youth orchestra in September

Andre is a Music Extension student majoring in Composition. This is an outstanding opportunity for him and a credit to his passionate perseverance in composing.

Focus on Rice House

Back and front page coverage, rumours of mystery illnesses, selections from left field. All these disiplines indicate that it must be State of Origin time!

Aside from being happy that your team wins, or players from the club you support representing their state, why should you care? Can tuning into a game of Rugby League or any sport for that matter be good for your health?

It might just be. Let’s take a closer look.

Last week students across the College focused on the VIA character strengths during Joeys Way. Students were challenged to find how their ‘Top 5’ could positively impact their lives and the lives of those around them.

The use of Character Strengths is a fundamental tool in the application of positive psychology. Positive psychology founder, Martin Seligman, recently described the core areas of human well-being with the acronym PERMA (Positive emotions, Engagement, positive Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement).

These 5 areas are the pathways to a full life – a life of flourishing. Maybe State of Origin, watching a Joey’s team play or even supporting your house can help you tap these areas? Dr Ryan Niemiec explored this idea in an article on the VIA blog from March this year, some of this article is below. 

Positive emotions: Sport is extremely popular, in part, because it offers us a feast of emotional experiences. If you have a team or several teams you support, there will be emotions of anxiety, frustration, and sadness brewing within you. But, don’t forget that positive emotions are at your fingertips as well – feelings of joy, pride, hope, interest, awe, and inspiration.

Engagement: When a game is close and an underdog team is attacking to win the game, we are glued to the screen. Even the person with minimal sports knowledge is engaged in a trance-like state, excited to see an upset. This kind of engagement with the task at hand is important for our overall happiness at work or school and in our personal life and helps us reach our goals and achieve more. Sport can remind us of this by offering us experiences of engagement.

Positive relationships: Researcher Daniel Wann has found that you are better off identifying with a particular team than not identifying with one. Those who connect with a team are more likely to have greater mental and social well-being and feel less isolated. This can partly be explained because watching games often involves connecting with others in groups, meeting new people, and calling up friends. The experience of belongingness and support rises, like “we are all in this together.” So, pick a team to support. Maybe your friend is in the team or the jersey is in your favourite colours, it doesn’t matter why, just by choosing a team to support you’ll find yourself more connected to others.

Meaning: Meaning is a strong part of the experience of many sports fans, especially those who exclaim: “That’s my team” and “We played well. We won today!” (even though that person never stepped onto the court or field). This is because fans feel that they are part of something larger than oneself. This creates meaning. When “my” team, plays hard and loses or wins I feel a strong sense of meaning. I then feel my nostalgic connection to the team and feel appreciative to the lead person responsible (coach, teacher), and to the players who put forth their character strengths of zest, perseverance, and love for the game. Yes, this meaning quality of PERMA has been so strong for me that I’ve even become tearful after some victories.

Achievement: Winning is one type of achievement. And, for the fan, it can be a vicarious one in which the fan “lives through” the team’s trials and tribulations. When we watch our favorite team win a difficult game, it almost feels as if we, too, have gone through various struggles and won. When I see my team win and accomplish its goals, in some way, I feel like a part of me has also accomplished something. When they lose, I have also lost. When they struggle and suffer, I also suffer. Indeed, good coaches will speak to this, exclaiming that a victory for their team is also a “victory” for the club, school or city/state.

Watching sport is not all good and positive, but there is plenty that can help you find greater well-being. Each student in the College is now aware of their Top 5 Character Strengths. ‘People who use four or more of their signature strengths have more positive experiences’ (VIA, 2021). My challenge to each student at the college is now – ‘how will use these to your benefit and the benefit of those around you?’.

• Will your zest for your team be a positive or will you let your enthusiasm affect your ability to work as a team?
• How will you show gratitude to your coaches and match officials at the end of a game?
• How will your love of learning affect your ability to persevere during this assessment period?

Tom Moore, Rice House Leader - tmoore@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Focus on Enhanced Learning

As Term 2 nears completion it is an opportune time to reflect on the year to date within Enhanced Learning.

It has been pleasing to see how well the Year 7 students have settled into the routines and responsibilities of secondary school: negotiating their way between classrooms, learning teacher names, maintaining lockers, and completing homework and assessments on time. It is a significant change and they have handled it well.  At the other end, our Year 12 students are beginning their transition to post school life, through participation in School Based Apprenticeship’s, Certificate courses, external and internal work experience and completion of classwork to go towards their final Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA).

Homework Club, run on Thursday afternoons from 3 – 4.30 pm during the term, continues to be an important aspect of support for a range of students who require assistance to organise and complete their homework and assessment in a timely manner. Its success hinges on the creation of a supportive environment where students receive both teacher and peer support to take on academic challenges and experience success. Similarly, Room 29 remains a safe space for students to connect during morning tea and lunchbreaks assisting in developing networks with others who share common interests.

Of course, a professional, collaborative and empathetic staff in the Enhanced Learning Department is key to providing the right support at the right time for our students. This term our team has been enhanced by the arrival of College Counsellor, Shauna Green, who has already connected with a network of students, staff and families within her role. Our School Officers play a vital role, not only in providing in class student support, but in facilitating groups within the new Literacy Improvement Strategy at the College and providing intervention support through the Macqlit program. School Officer, Dane Harris, has completed his teaching practicum as part of his journey to become a teacher next year.

At this point in the year we acknowledge the outstanding contribution of many of our students to the broader school community, whether it be through service groups, music ensembles, choirs, the College Musical or sporting teams. It is wonderful to see them shine when given the opportunity to use their strengths within a supportive environment.

Darcy Goodall, Program Leader - Enhanced Learning  - dgoodall@sjc.qld.edu.au 

No Access to Cul-de-sac

To protect students while they move around the College, we ask that you reframe from driving up into the top of the cul-de-sac during school hours. 

Please dont move the orange gate or drive around it.

Where do I park if I need to pick up a student from Sick Bay?

Please use the designated parking outside the Finance building or the Uniform Shop.

Library News

The 17^th – 23^rd May marked National Careers Week and in our library, we got involved by running a Careers Acrostic Poem Competition at lunchtime on Tuesday. It was great to have a range of students participate and Mrs Baker and I thoroughly enjoyed observing their creativity.

Congratulations to Angus Deacon, Year 8, who was our overall winner with his clever and humorous response (though I am not sure how our soccer players might feel about it!):

     Cartographers are people who study maps and landscapes.

     Acrobats are people who are very flexible.

     Radio hosts are people who host shows for entertainment.

     English tutors are people who teach foreigners English.

     Engineers are people who create and modify machinery.

     Racers are people who ride fast in cars and on horses.

     Soccer players are people who fake being hurt!

Congratulations must also go to our other prize-winners:

• Cailan Bliss
• Lachlan Ryan 
• Mia Wilson
• Chloe Thompson 
• Elsey Somersett
• Oliver Maughan
• Abi Bruggemann
• Ava Whipps 
• Olivia Pickering

If these students haven’t collected their prizes yet, they need to go and see Mrs Millet, Mrs Stafford, and Mrs Harman in the Careers Office.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Recognising the influence of reading on academic success and success beyond school, St Joseph’s will again be engaging in the Premier’s Reading Challenge in 2021. According to the Queensland Government website, “The Premier's Reading Challenge aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read for pleasure and learning,” something that we wholeheartedly embrace as a library service.

This year, we will be entering all Year 7, 8 and 9 students into the challenge and they will be given time in English to engage in reading and record their tally for the PRC.

Further information about the PRC will be provided in coming newsletter communications and to students through Sentral and English lessons.

Sports

Karen Murphy Cup

For the first time in the history of the Confraternity Rugby League girls have been invited to be part of the competition. The girls will play as part of the competition over four days in the hope that more teams will come into the competition in 2022. Boys have also been invited to be part of the QISSN netball competition as well.

To prepare for this competition some of our girls travelled out to Highfields on Friday to compete in the Karen Murphy nine a side competition. This gala day gave them an opportunity to play trial games before going away in the first week of the holidays.

The girls were placed into the development division of the 11/12 carnival to allow our two year ten girls to participate.

What I was most impressed with was the girl's ability to learn and adapt on the fly. As the results indicated, they improved immensely throughout the day, and I believe they would have given all the teams in the competitive division a run for their money.

• Game 1 v St Ursulas 8 – 0
• Game 2 v Border District 12 -12
• Game 3 v St Ursulas 28 – 0
• Game 4 v Border District 28 – 4

The girls are very excited about travelling away to play and making history for St Joseph’s College by being involved in the inaugural girls’ competition.

Mr Tom Moore

Junior Vicki Wilson

On the same day the junior girls were playing in the Junior Vicki Wilson competition at Nell E Robinson courts where the wind and the lack of sunshine made it the coldest place in Toowoomba on Friday.

The girls were incredible as they warmed up for each game, not once complaining about the weather.

The Darling Downs and South West competition was taken over by Netball Queensland, so we had very little say in the running of the competition but to have to play 14 games of 7-minute halves was very demanding on them, especially being so cold.

They did incredibly well for a team who have only played about 6 weeks together.

Their story line to the finals was:

• SJC defeated Chinchilla 12 – 3
• SJC defeated Centenary Heights 12 – 5
• SJC defeated Our Lady of the Southern Cross 18 – 5
• SJC defeated Highfields 11 – 4
• SJC defeated Lockyer District 23 – 1
• SJC defeated TAS 18 – 4
• SJC defeated Concordia 20 – 2
• SJC defeated St Joseph’s Stanthorpe 15 – 0
• SJC defeated St Ursula’s 24 – 1
• SJC defeated Mary MacKillop 15 – 1
• SJC defeated Fairholme 10 – 7
• First final SJC defeated Glennie 14 - 3
• Preliminary Final SJC defeated Chinchilla 13 - 7
• Grand Final SJC defeated Fairholme 10 – 9.

The girls are now eligible to compete at the State Championships in Brisbane on August 5 and 6.

A very big thank you to Jodie Ferguson who coached the girls to this winning milestone. And to Dominique Henningsen who umpired all our games for us during the day. To both ladies, it was a pleasure to work with you both.

Darling Downs

Congratulations to Xavier Davey who is now a member of 10 – 12 years Rugby Union team after travelling to Goondiwindi for selection trials on Sunday June 6 and Monday June 7. (Lucky the weather was kind to him)

Some pictures of our students at the DD sports. If you have any photos to share with us, please send them through to me. Many thanks to parents who have sent photos in – it is great.

State Championships – Touch

The Touch State Championships were held in Brisbane last weekend. We had the above representatives involved in the carnival.

It was a brilliant carnival as we now have three new Queenslanders who were named in Merit teams as national events are no taking place.

Congratulations to Blaise Prendergast who was named as part of the under 18 boys Queensland Merit team. They finished fourth in the competition after losing the place offs to Northern.

In the under 15 team we had Zac, Darby, Kaden and Bailey as part of the team. They also finished fourth in the champions losing to Capricornia in the finals. Congratulations to Kaden and Bailey who were named in the Queensland Merit team, with Bailey also being name Player of the Series for the titles.

Kalei Brighton was part of the under 18’s Open girls’ team that finished as Runner-Ups for the series after losing to Northern in the final.

A terrific effort from all our touch players.

Volleyball

The volleyball competition is ending for this term. Two teams have been playing on a Tuesday night. The juniors were put in the B grade ladies’ competition so have struggled a little in learning the sport and probably being in too high a division, but they never gave up once. Last week we won our first set and this week we won our first game. We have grown stronger and really improved our game play and the girls were so excited with winning.

The senior girls were placed third going into the semi-finals and won their match against Lofty this week to progress to the finals. We wish them the best of luck for next week.

Students interested in playing in term 3 are to contact me and let me know of their interest in the sport.

Coming Events

June 21 – possible date for Cricket final

June 27 – July 2 Girls and boys Confraternity Rugby League Carnival in Brisbane and girls QISSN netball carnival

June 27 – June 30 – Gold Coast Invitational Basketball Competition

July 25 – Sunshine Coast Touch Tournament – open boys

August 1 – Range Zone athletic trials

August 2 – SSI Red Lion Gala Day boys and girls (Football competition)

August 5 - 6 – Junior Vicki Wilson finals in Brisbane

August 6 – SJC Athletics Carnival – O’Quinn Street

August 8 – All Schools Touch Carnival Toowoomba

August 12 – TSSS Athletics Carnival Harristown

August 24 – 10 -12 years DD Athletics trials

August 26 -  (track) August 27 (field) – DD athletics trials

September 1 -  (boys) September 2 (girls) DD All School Hockey Gala days

September 16 – 19 Senior CBSQ boys and girls (need to find own accommodation)

Deb Newton, Program Leader - Sports  ktobin@sjc.qld.edu.au 

From the Counsellors

“One day, a small opening appeared on a chrysalis.  A person sat and watched for several hours, as a butterfly struggled to force its body through that little hole.  Then, it stopped and didn’t seem to be making any progress.  It appeared as if it couldn’t go any further. 

The person decided to help the butterfly.  With a pair of scissors, they open the chrysalis.  The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a withered body, it was tiny and had shrivelled wings.  The person continued to watch, expecting that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butterfly’s body and become firm.  It never happened.  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shrivelled wings.   It was never able to fly.

What the person, in sincere kindness and goodwill, did not understand, was that the restricting chrysalis and the struggle required to make its way through the tiny opening, was necessary for forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. It would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the chrysalis.”  (Anon author)

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.  If we went through life without any hardship or adversity, we would not be as strong and capable as we could have been.  We need to learn the skills we need to overcome threats and challenges.   We are strengthened by the struggle.  Life challenges help us learn how to communicate and problem-solve, as well as developing qualities such as courage, tolerance, compassion and empathy. 

All of us can expect to experience stress throughout our lifetimes.  It is inevitable and it is an important part of ‘living’.  We need to remember that our physical stress response has two functions:

• to protect us from harm (ensuring our safety); and
• to promote personal growth (the development of wisdom and resilience).

Career Pathways

NBN & Amazon Web Services: Choose Your Own Adventure STEM Careers Day

Ever wondered about a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)? A virtual Choose Your Own Adventure STEM Careers Day is being held on 21^st July, 2021 to demonstrate to students considering this pathway that there is a thriving industry filled with female developers, technology entrepreneurs and engineers, scientists and mathematicians. There will be career stories from graduates, scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians that have taken less than conventional pathways to STEM careers.

This event is aimed at year 10-12 students but is open to all students with an interest in a STEM career. To register please click here. After registering you will receive an email information pack closer to the date of the event with instructions on how to join this virtual event with your login details.

ACU Guarantee

The ACU Guarantee program offers eligible Year 12 students the opportunity to be offered a place at ACU prior to completing Year 12. How does it work? By using your Year 11 results, ACU can predict a selection rank and make an offer accordingly. Applications for 2022 entry open 1st June, 2021 and close 24th September, 2021. For more information, click here.

Griffith University - 2022 Undergraduate Study Guide for High School Students

The Griffith University 2022 undergraduate study guide is now available by clicking here. It contains information on how to apply to Griffith, programs on offer, scholarships, VET pathways, adjustment factors and key dates. If you are considering study at Griffith University, please take time to look at the Year 12 Early Offer Guarantee. An early offer can provide students with certainty about their future before they receive their ATAR.

Using VET and other alternative qualifications for competitive entry to Griffith University

Griffith accepts standalone VET qualifications for current Year 12 applicants into certain courses/programs. They also recognise the skills and knowledge gained through Vocational Education and Training (VET) as a highly effective pathway to university. Students with a VET qualification completed at high school can be considered for admission whether or not they are ATAR-eligible. QTAC will consider your VET qualification in conjunction with other senior subjects or as a stand-alone qualification when you are applying for entry into Griffith courses.

Mrs Maree Harman, our College Career Development Practitioner, recently attended a student advisors information day at USQ. This was a great opportunity to network with advisors from other schools in our region and gain valuable information about the programs USQ offers, industry insights, support networks available when considering tertiary education and how we can best support your child should they choose to follow this pathway. Here is a photo of Mrs Harman in a flight simulator flying over New York!

Are you interested in studying Aviation through USQ?

This is a three-year full-time (or part-time equivalent) course offered at the Springfield campus. The course has two majors; Aviation Management and Flight Operations. During the first year, students complete core subjects on-campus. In the Aviation Management major, students can complete their second and third years on-campus or online. See the USQ website for further information about this course including the opportunity of being considered for the QANTAS Group Future Pilot Program.

Enrichment Program

On Wednesday afternoon, the College provides students with the opportunity to participate in a chosen activity in the Enrichment Program, remain at the College for self-guided study sessions or depart the College and go home to study or attend work placements or traineeships. The opportunities on offer for Term 3 will be communicated to parents and carers shortly. To secure your child’s place in an activity, it is important that your complete the online form and make payment, if necessary, as soon as possible. We thank you for your continued support of this initiative.

Careers Week

CURRENT SCHOOL-BASED
VACANCIES

Cert II Warehousing Operations 

SBA vacancy Certificate II in Warehousing Operations – Reece, Toowoomba West which is open to all Year 10 students who wish to apply.

Should any students wish to apply for this position, please send through their SBA referral form.

Cert III in Business - Customer Engagement  (Dental Practice)

SBA vacancy for the following position, which is open to Year 10, 11 and 12 students and will remain open until positions are filled.

• Certificate III in Business – Customer Engagement – Dental Practice at Highfields and Drayton (students to please specify when applying which location they wish to apply for)

Cert III in Dental Assisting (Dental Practice)

SBA vacancy for the following position, which is open to Year 10, 11 and 12 students and will remain open until positions are filled.

• Certificate III in Dental Assisting - Dental Practice at Highfields and Drayton (students to please specify when applying which location they wish to apply for)

Cert III in Baking

SBA vacancy for the following position, which is open to Year 10, 11 and 12 students and will remain open until positions are filled.

• Certificate III in Baking – Bakery Cakery, Uni Plaza, Toowoomba

Cert III in Fitness

Certificate III in Fitness with Premier Conditioning. This position is open for all Year 10 and 11 students and has a closing date of Friday 18 June 2021.

Should any of your students be interested in applying for this position, please forward both their SBA referral and resume by the closing date.

School Based Traineeship

Congratulations to new School Based Traineeship Akuot Monica Riec with Mary McGilvray of Mirambeena Children’s Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Congratulations to new School Based Trainee Laina Chikono with Mary McGilvray of Mirambeena Children’s Centre Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

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

P & F Association

NEXT MEETING
August 3 - 7pm - Library  5.30pm start

Topic - Teen Mental Health

Hello Parents and Friends,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Information Session about how to support your child through Senior Schooling, Tips & Tricks for Managing and Middle years preparation for Senior. It was very interesting and informative. The handouts have been helpful.

The P&F sincerely thanks, Kerrie-Anne Fellenberg, Cate Park-Ballay, and Karen Tobin for their time and effort.

We are looking at holding meetings and information sessions at an earlier time to maybe suit more people - the suggested time is 5:30pm, we would appreciate any feedback on this proposal. Please email p&f@sjc.qld.edu.au 

Have a great week and keep warm.

Carmen Humphries 

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 04/06

(The jumpers that had been delayed due to Covid lockdown in Fiji they have arrived in Australia, but are now delayed at the docks in Sydney. )

- Boys tie                                                                   ETA 15/06

- Scarf                                                                       ETA 02/07                                                                                                                  

New Ordering Online Process

www.midford.com.au     pass phrase StJC1956

New stock into the shop 

• Formal Girl long pants.
  

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.

2022 Regional Youth Leaders Program