From the Principal
This week at St Joseph’s College we celebrated Ash Wednesday which marks the commencement of Lent within the Catholic Church. During the forty-six-day journey towards Easter, we are called to grow deeper in our relationship with God. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
During the Lenten period, Catholics traditionally fast and abstain from eating red meat. Additionally, the period prior to Easter is utilised as a time for reflective prayer. Another way to observe this period of the Catholic calendar is to “give up something” or “give in” to a particular behaviour. Giving up might involve something that we consider an excess such as take-away food. Giving in refers to behavioural approaches such as avoiding arguments or thinking unkindly of others. Both acts are reflective in nature and are examples of how we might be more Christ-like.
The College last week communicated the sad news that one of our former students Patrick Aleer had passed suddenly. Patrick will be missed immensely, and I take this opportunity on behalf of the College to express our sincere condolences to his parents Joseph and Adau, and siblings Akur, Abok, and Paul. The College is supporting impacted students during this distressing time, and we have reached out to the Aleer family. “Eternal rest grant unto Patrick, Lord and may perpetual light shine upon him.”
The last two weeks have seen several community-building events within the College. Last week students participated in the annual swimming carnival at Milne Bay Swimming Pool. I was delighted to witness the enthusiasm of students in both competitive and non-competitive events whilst being cheered on by peers and staff. Thank you to Ms Deb Newton for leading the event. Our Year 7 students travelled to Redland Bay last week to participate in their three-day camp. Despite the humid conditions staff reported students enjoyed the learning experiences immensely, which have bonded the student cohort. I thank Ms Amanda Crouch (Year 7 Coordinator) and the many staff who made this wonderful opportunity possible.
Finally, on Thursday of this week, the College greeted our Year 7 and new families at the Welcome Liturgy and BBQ. It was a truly enriching experience to mingle with and embrace our newest community members.
This week we welcomed four new staff members to the College. Hannah Brookes and Laurent Epetahui joined us as School Officers in the Enhanced Student Learning Team, replacing staff who recently departed the College. Both Hannah and Laurent have worked in schools and bring a wonderful array of experience. Ms Céline O’Sullivan joins the teaching ranks for the next six weeks, replacing Ms Maxine Hetherington whilst she is on leave. Céline has extensive experience teaching in Catholic schools, and we are delighted to have her in the College. Mr Brant Hardgrave replaces Ms Maree Nunn for the next four weeks teaching Japanese. Brant has worked in a number of schools in the Toowoomba area. Next week we welcome Ms Lisa Kynoch as a Learning Support Teacher to St Joseph’s College. Lisa comes to us from St Saviours where she has worked in the above role during 2023. Lisa replaces Mr Darcy Goodall who takes leave for the majority of 2024. Ms Karyn Morrison moves into the position of Middle Leader Enhanced Learning.
During the recent school holiday period, a new Enterprise Award came into effect for College Staff. This agreement includes a clause that protects the right for school staff to disconnect from technology and school communications. This has been discussed with staff this week, and I would like to bring to your attention the guidelines that our staff will work to. The staff at St Joseph’s College have agreed that they will be available by electronic communications between the hours of 6.00 am and 6.00 pm each day during the working week. This is, of course, influenced by their timetable classes and duties, which by their nature will limit staff access to emails. The general school policy around staff communications communicated to families last year has not changed, and you can expect that a staff member will get back to you within 48 hours if you reach out to them via email. Given the busyness of the school day, email is usually the most effective way to communicate with staff. This initiative in the new enterprise bargaining agreement is around safeguarding staff well-being and allowing time to be separate from the technological and communication demands of their work.
Next week I will be attending the Toowoomba Catholic Leadership Forum which is being held in Toowoomba. This forum brings together the thirty-two principals from the diocese with Toowoomba Catholic Education Office leaders. During this time Deputy Principal Brendon Willocks will assume day to day running of the College.
Jim Brennan - Principal - jbrennan@sjc.qld.edu.au