From the Principal

Dear Parents and Friends of St Joseph’s College,

This week, our Year 12 students participated in their final retreat as students at St Joseph’s College. As individuals and a year-level cohort, they reflected on their own personal faith journey and the stories they have created. Each journey is a highly personal experience and allows students to reflect on their achievements, growth and learnings whilst considering their next steps. Fr Ray Crowley and I travelled down on Tuesday afternoon to spend time with our young people and staff and participate in the evening liturgy. I was deeply impressed with how our young men and women engaged in the activities, especially the Tuesday night Liturgy, which focused on the theme of reconciliation. Fr Ray spoke of the importance of taking the time to speak with peers whom students may have not treated well or alternatively appreciated during their time at St Joseph’s College. He emphasized that as individuals they would spread in many directions and may not see each other for extended periods of time, hence the importance of saying sorry or thank you. It was a truly moving experience. I thank Mr Tom Moore and Ms Rosanne Pietsch for leading the experience and to Mr Gehrman, Mr Love, Mr Prasad, Ms Wright, and Ms Moloney who attended the retreat to support our young people.

Last week, the Year 8 Resilience Camp was held at Camp Kokoda, located near Boonah. This experience engaged students and staff in a range of experiences ranging from abseiling and canoeing to group problem solving. Each activity challenged the students individually and required them to work as a collective to push beyond what they thought were their limits. Camp Kokoda’s learning program is based on the values of courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice. Each evening during debriefs conducted by camp facilitators, students heard the stories of how the diggers involved in the Kokoda campaign displayed these values in the face of insurmountable odds and how they were enacting the same values in their activities. Staff commented on how impressed they were at how our students demonstrated personal growth and the College looks forward to witnessing this group apply their learnings while at the college. I also acknowledge Mr Luke Logan, who coordinated the camp and the eleven staff who attended to support the seven student groups, Bruce Cook, Andrew Fitness, Ashley Steele, Deb Newton, Tim Stone, Samantha Simpson, Mitch Wheeldon, Shauna Green, Amanda Ruhle, Hayden Maripa. Each staff member volunteered their time outside of school hours to allow students to have such a rich experience. I am grateful for their generosity.

Recently, St Joseph’s College celebrated Child Protection Week, which focused on the importance of having conversations about keeping children safe. St Joseph’s College has designated officers who students can approach if they feel unsafe either at school or outside. These staff are displayed on posters around the school and on the college website. While students engaged in conversations about safety through the Joey’s Way curriculum, I encourage all parents to talk with your children about how to maintain their safety in a variety of environments, including the digital world.

I am delighted to announce that the College Musical will return to St Joseph’s in 2026, which will showcase student acting, dancing, musical instruments, and technical theatre skills. This production is being led by Mr Thomas Holsworth, assisted by Ms Madeline Minns and a team of motivated and talented staff. The musical is scheduled to be performed at the Empire Theatre from June 11-13. An announcement on the name of the musical will be made at the beginning of next term.

At the end of this term, we farewell Ms Amanda Ruhle (Career Development Officer), who concludes her time with the College. Amanda has made this decision for personal reasons, and we wish her the best. A recruitment process has begun to fill the vacant position.

Blake Cullen, (HPE teacher), begins a nine-month period of leave to travel overseas, where he will play rugby league in Europe. This has been a lifetime ambition for Blake, and we look forward to his return in Semester 2 2026. Mitchell Kilgour (Curriculum Leader HPE) takes four weeks long service leave to spend time with his family after the recent birth of his first child and we welcome Ms Rachael Reen and Chris Beljak to the HPE team for a period next term. I congratulate Mr Tim Stone on his appointment as Acting Curriculum Leader HPE, while Mitch Kilgour is on leave.

Mr Mark Fells, (Facilities Manager), commences a five-week secondment to Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office in the second week of the holidays as a Workplace Health and Safety Officer. This is a wonderful recognition of Mark’s knowledge and skills, and we look forward to his return mid-term 4. Mr Brad Suhr will assume the position of Facilities Manager, and Mr Darcy Goodman will increase his time at the College with the Maintenance Team.

The College wishes Kate Stenhouse, and her partner Lachlan, the best as they prepare for the arrival of their second child next term. We look forward to their joyous news. Ms Nadine Luhrs returns to St Joseph’s while Kate is on leave for the next 12 months.

Thank you to Mr Josh Richards, who has covered classes for Mr Adam Watts during Term 3 after Adam’s appointment to St Saviour's College. Mrs Taylah Waldron returns from overseas to the College and will teach in the English and Humanities Teams.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank our staff, students, and families for your efforts during Term 3. Our students have grown holistically through academic, faith, sport, cultural and service experiences, and the upcoming two-week vacation is an appropriate time to recharge the batteries. For our Year 12 students, this will be the last time that they will return to school after vacation, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements with you.

I look forward to seeing everyone when school commences on Tuesday, 7th October.

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