From the Principal
Dear Parents, Carers and Students
I would like to start my article this week by congratulating the vast majority of our young people who constantly pay attention to all aspects of the high expectations that we want the young people to have of themselves. We are blessed to be part of a community that agrees high expectations are good for young people and that our students do understand the need for this – even though at times they may not agree with it.
This commendation and thanks is extended to you, our parents and carers, who share the understanding of aiming for our young people to be upholding the ‘Joey’s Way’, 100% of the time.
An example of the type of alignment that our parents and carers have with our ‘Joey’s Way’ is succinctly captured in a conversation that I heard the other day between one of our parents and their young person. The parent was clearly heard saying to her son, “manners cost nothing, but they have huge relationship-building power.”
Some people might say that St Joseph’s College is a little old school in regard to our expectations regarding manners and the ‘Joey’s Way.’ We make no apologies around our standards regarding manners and the expectation that we exercise basic civility when speaking to others. Some say we are counter-cultural on these points, and some students struggle to work within the culture and standards we set.
The late Australian poet and entertainer, Clive James, captured the scene in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall in his poem In Town for the March:
“Past the facade of David Jones
Men walk their mobile telephones,
Making the footpath hideous
With what they needed to discuss.
But why so long, and why so loud?”
This scene is a small example of self-absorption, a disease that seems to be flourishing. An overly strong concern for self can lead to self-centeredness, or a strong focus on my needs, wants, and desires, leaving little room for awareness of and respect for others.
Being civil signals to other people that we are ready to obey shared rules and regulate our behaviour so as not to undermine their wellbeing. There is a great need in our society, with all its displays of rudeness, unprofessional conduct, disrespect, and anger, for people to be civil to each other if our social life is to function efficiently and with a minimum of unnecessary conflict and disruption.
Teaching civility and good manners will improve everyone’s quality of life. Unfortunately, some young people mimic the incivility of the adult world. Children are learning to disrespect authority, so any way that teachers and staff can support families and families support the College will help to reverse this tendency.
It is commonly accepted in the business world today that good manners are as vital as good grades when it comes to landing a job and getting ahead. A St Joseph’s College education is about developing the whole person - developing good manners and being civil are central to this educational process.
With that all said, it is an absolute pleasure to get positive emails from people who have visited the College. Emails that demonstrate our students, on the whole, do get it and do possess good manners! One such example from Open Day follows and whilst this email has been deidentified, I have ensured that I have not only congratulated these two individual students but also all of the wonderful ambassadors of the College who assisted on Open Day. A truly wonderful endorsement of for the type of young people that who we want to work with our parents to mould.
Good Evening, Mr Goodman
Today my son and I attended your Open Day. We met two outstanding young students who were absolutely amazing human beings.
Student 1 who was absolutely amazing with my 11-year-old son. He went out of his way to engage my son in the art room when my son was unsure of what to do. He spent time with him in the library and kept a careful eye on him enabling me to meet with the wonderful teachers. He then gave us an amazing tour of the school. What an outstanding young man.
Student 2 was phenomenal assisting another young girl in the group ensuring that she was included and acknowledged and confided in the young girl how nervous she was when she came to Open Day. Later when the student saw the young girl again at the end of the tour, she went out of her way again to check in and ensured the young girl had a great time.
What phenomenal students you have at St Joseph’s College. After today there is no doubt in my mind that St Joseph’s College is the place for my child. Please pass on my thanks to these wonderful young people.
Year 7 2023 Enrolment
We currently have the required enrolment applications to fill the places in our cohort for Year 7 2023. We also have a waiting list for enrolments for our current 2022 Year 7, and Year 11 cohorts. Whilst this is a wonderful endorsement of the direction our college is heading in and the efforts of our staff it also provides some challenges.
One of these challenges is accommodating siblings of current students who we are not aware of. If you have a son or daughter who is a sibling of a current student, it is very important that you are aware of the current demand for enrolment at St Joseph’s College. We wish to accommodate current families, but we need this information for planning purposes. If this is the current situation for your family, we would ask that you contact the College immediately.
Applications for other year levels will be considered at the discretion of the College but we are very quickly reaching a scenario where we will have waiting lists in most if not all year levels.
Families who are looking to enrol their young people for 2024 are encouraged to now do so as planning for 2024 enrolment interviews will be carried out next term and start in term four this year.
Finally, I would ask that our community members share this information with their family and wider networks. I do this due to the fact that approximately half of our Year 7 enrolments each year come from schools who are not part of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Diocese and we have no method of communicating with these families.
Student Protection at St Joseph’s College Toowoomba
The most important daily concern for our school community is the health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. St Joseph’s College has a number of specific child protection responsibilities which are detailed in the Student Protection Processes and Guidelines, available on the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Website along with other information for parents and caregivers. Student protection | Parents and community | Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools (twb.catholic.edu.au)
At our school, we have 4 staff members who can assist with student protection concerns. These staff members are called School Student Protection Contacts (SSPC’s) and you will see their names and photographs on posters around the school. Our current SSPC’s are Mr Thomas Moore (Rice House Leader), Ms Shauna Green (School Counsellor), Ms Heather D’Arcy (School Counsellor) and as College Principal I am also a SSPC. Students can speak to any of these 4 staff members if they have any worries about their own safety or wellbeing, or that of a friend or classmate. We thank these staff members for undertaking this important role in our school.
Kort Goodman - Principal - KGoodman@sjc.qld.edu.au