From the Principal

In Luke’s Gospel last Sunday, we heard his version of the Beatitudes, which describes the qualities particular to those belonging to the kingdom of heaven. One of those beatitudes, states “blessed are the poor for the Kingdom of God is yours. What Luke is suggesting is that material goods don’t satisfy our true hunger and desire, so it is tempting to seek out more things such as cars, homes, the latest game, holiday destinations, etc. I wonder how lucky we could all be if we were unattached to material goods.

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 Kindilin Camp 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 was able to visit students and staff with Mr Tom Moore and witness first-hand the immersion of our Year 7’s into the Joey’s Way. I thank Ms Amanda Crouch (Year 7 Coordinator) and the many staff who made this wonderful opportunity possible. Finally, on Tuesday of this week, the College greeted our Year 7 students and new families at a welcome liturgy and BBQ. It was a truly enriching experience to mingle with and embrace our newest community members.

This Friday evening our Year 12 students will participate in their Inauguration Ball. This formation tradition within the College holds a deep symbolic meaning. It represents the first time since their induction as leaders that the Year 12 cohort are presented to our community. Whilst gowns, suits and accessories are artifacts of such an occasion, the evening captures our young men and women on the precipice of adulthood and the responsibility they undertake to live the Joey’s Way in a contemporary Catholic manner. Their acknowledgment in front of their families and staff is a testament to their success, growth and we wish them every success.

The College recently conducted a recruitment process of the position of Career Development Officer recently vacated by Ms Cate Jackman. There was an exceptionally large and quality pool of applicants. The College looks forward to announcing the successful candidate in due course with a commencement in March. St Joseph’s College is currently recruiting to backfill the position of Year 7 Coordinator from term 2 until the end of 2025, whilst Ms Amanda Crouch takes maternity leave.
In other recent staffing changes, I wish to advise that Kylie Van Der Linden has resigned from her position as School Officer, Administration at St Joseph’s College. Kylie has resigned for personal reasons, and we wish her the best with future plans. On behalf of the St Joseph’s College community, we extend our sincere gratitude to Kylie for her work in the Administration Team. The College has commenced a recruitment process for this position.

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a several classes and witness learning in action. Ms Abbey Orbansen-Thew’s Year 11 Biology class was busy preparing plant slides for observation under microscopes. Ms Kenny’s and Ms Prasad’s Year 7 Mathematics classes were discussing the differences between continuous and discrete data, whilst Mr Gehrmann’s Construction class was building outdoor tables. This week I visited Ms Price’s Year 8 English class and observed their learning on how to construct persuasive responses. Students were taught a framework for writing paragraphs and the literacy features required to convince the reader.  All classes that I visited were applying numeracy and literacy skills in real-world contexts.

Next week I will be attending the Toowoomba Catholic Leadership Forum (Monday to Wednesday) 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.
Finally, I request parents and carers please utilize the drop-off and pick-up facilities located around and within the college grounds and avoid either parking or picking up in the allocated staff car parks. This ensures the safety of all and allows staff to exit the College site in timely manner.

Jim Brennan - Principal - jbrennan@sjc.qld.edu.au