From the Principal

Dear Parents and Friends of St Joseph’s College,

This week, St Joseph’s College was delighted to have Bishop Ken Howell join us to bless our new Mary Rice Building Extension project. Whilst emphasizing the importance a new facility brings, he reminded us that schools including St Joseph’s College should be places of faith, where learners are instilled with the imperative of making a difference. Bishop Ken clearly aligned his message with our college motto of “Serve Him in Others.” We were also joined by Dr Pat Coughlin, representatives from Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, former principals Mr Peter Kenny, and Kort Goodman, along with representatives from stakeholders involved in the planning, construction, and project management of our magnificent new facility. Since its establishment in 1956 under foundation principal Br Murphy, St Joseph’s College has evolved into a co-educational site comprising over 920 students, 125 staff and 700 families. Our focus remains to provide outstanding educational and formation experiences for our learners, and they are already enjoying the benefits that the Mary Rice Extension provides in bringing those imperatives to life.

Last Friday, Toowoomba Catholic Education staff from the surrounding area including St Joseph’s College attended the annual Bishop’s Inservice Day. Such days are critical in providing spiritual formation and embracing our Catholic Identity, which promotes our schools as places of Faith, Hope and Love, where students and staff can flourish and reach their potential. Our Bishop Ken Howell, Executive Director of Toowoomba Catholic Schools Dr Pat Coughlin, and Fr Frank Brennan, delivered keynote addresses based on the theme of Hope to the 1100 staff gathered. Coming together to celebrate Eucharist and discuss our values and purpose ensures alignment between our 32 schools, Office, and Diocese. Whilst each school/college has its own unique context, we are united by our faith-based perspective, approach, and commitment to making Jesus known to others. We understand that each of us is created in the image of God, and therefore our schools are places where we seek to unlock potential to allow lives to flourish.

As part of our recent Catholic Week celebrations, we acknowledged the significant service and contributions of a number of staff members including Mr Andrew Fellenberg  (Curriculum Leader Humanities), Deb Ditchmen (Canteen Coordinator), and Ms Tanya Garrahy (School Officer Library) who have dedicated 30, 25, and 20 years of service, respectively. All three staff members have made enriching contributions to the college community in curriculum, extra-curricular, and service activities, and many students and staff have been the beneficiaries of their skills, professionalism, and collegial manner. At the same assembly, we celebrated the 78 students who were recipients of Catholic Education Week awards. Each recipient was recognised for their service, living out our St Joseph College imperatives, and upholding our college motto of “Serve Him in Others”. These students are outstanding role models who help create a tapestry that is the culture of our college.

St Joseph’s College also acknowledges Mr Peter Keightley and Ms Abbey Orbansen-Thew who were finalists in the Specialist Secondary Teacher and Early Careers Teacher categories respectively, at the recent Toowoomba Catholic Education Excellence Awards held last week. Peter was acknowledged for his outstanding contributions to enhancing student learning outcomes over the last four years, whilst Abbey was named as the winner of her category for her remarkable classroom practice during the first three years of her career.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of School Officers (Classroom Support), Jazmyn Tozer and Oliver Timms to St Joseph’s College, this term. Jaz will be working four days per week and Oliver, one day per week. Collectively they replace Ms Keeley McCullough who finished at the college last semester. They join our Enhanced Learning Team led by Ms Karyn Morrison. Both Jaz and Oliver are products of our Pathways to Teach Program, which engages pre-service teachers into our community, whilst experiencing the role of School Officer.

God Bless,

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