From the Principal
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students
Parent Engagement in Schools
St Joseph’s College greatly values parents and caregivers who work in collaboration with our teachers to support each of our students as they strive to achieve their potential. However, we also understand that it can be quite daunting for parents and caregivers to initially engage with the secondary school environment.
To build our partnerships with families St Joseph’s College welcomes all families to be part of our Parent Engagement Network. Our date claimers for our PEN sessions for the remainder of the year are outlined below, with an additional date for a special session for our Year 11 Students and Parents on Leadership and Formation in the senior years. We hope that many of our families will be able to join us on this occasion.
Term 2 - 2nd May 2023
6.30pm – 7.00pm – Welcome and social gathering
7.00 – 8.00pm – Teen Mental Health First Aid – St Joseph's College Toowoomba Program
Presenters; Shauna Green, Cathy Condon
We will also be running a session for Year 11 parents in Term 2 - Week 8 - June 6 – 6.00pm – Leadership and Student Formation – Presenters; Joe Cryle, Kellie-Marie Ford and Cath Barton
Term 3 – 18th July 2023
6.30pm – 7.00pm – Welcome and social gathering
7.00 – 8.00pm – Passions and Pathways – St Joseph's College Toowoomba Formation, Curriculum and Careers Session – Presenters; Kellie-Marie Ford, Kerrie-Anne Fellenberg, Karen Tobin & Bill Whiting
Term 4 – 10th October 2023
6.30pm – 7.00pm – Welcome and social gathering
7.00 – 8.00pm – Joey’s Way Curriculum – Presenter Joe Cryle
A reminder also that we have parent/student/teacher interview sessions scheduled for Wednesday June 19 from 1.50 – 6.00pm.
Professional Renewal Leave
I would like to inform the community that I will be absent from the College for Weeks 1 – 7 next term. During this time, I will be taking professional renewal leave and completing the Camino de Santiago along with two other Principals from the Toowoomba Diocese.
Whilst I am on leave the following people will be undertaking the following roles:
Acting Principal – Mr Brendon Willocks
Acting Deputy Principal – Mr Joe Cryle
Acting Assistant Principal Student Engagement – Mr Luke Logan
Acting Brennan House Leader – Mrs Elle Moss
I thank these people for their willingness to undertake these roles during my period of leave and I thank the College community in anticipation of their support of these wonderful people.
Grit
This week, as our students continue to work on assignments and head into exams, we pray for the students at St Joseph’s College, that they may have the same belief in themselves that we the staff have in them. We hope that they take a positive and gritty mindset into their lessons and assessment, believing that they are capable of learning and improving each and every day.
Some parents may remember that last year I shared the TED talk below which is presented by Angela Lee Duckworth who in her late 20s left a demanding job as a management consultant to teach maths in public schools in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York. After five years of teaching seventh graders, she went back to university to complete her Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is now an assistant professor in the psychology department. Her research subjects include students, West Point cadets, and corporate salespeople, all of whom she studies to determine how "grit" is a better indicator of success than factors such as IQ or family income. It is approximately a six-minute segment and is well worth watching for parents and caregivers.
Catholic School Parents Queensland Survey
The Catholic School Parents Association have been asked by the Australian Government to prepare a submission for the current inquiry into disruption in Australian school classrooms. In order to inform their submission CSPA has asked that we share the short survey with you.
Parent Perception Survey 2023
Another survey I wish to draw your attention to is QCEC's Parent Perception Survey for 2023.
The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) is conducting an important survey with parents and carers about the Catholic education system in Queensland. QCEC would appreciate your feedback via a short online survey to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence families in choosing a Catholic school. QCEC are working with Market & Communications Research and the Online Research Unit to compile feedback. You can complete the survey online by clicking on the link below. All responses are anonymous. Thank you for your contribution.
Lenten Season
We are now well into the Church’s season of Lent where we are continually reminded that this is a time for almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Almsgiving, it needs to be noted, is not just the giving of money and goods but also, the giving of oneself and one’s time.
As I walk through the College classrooms, playground and library and see our students studying, talking, laughing, working on group projects, and eating together in the playground – I have to smile and thank God for each child He has placed in our school.
Since the start of the year, our students and teachers have shared their time, gifts and talents with each other, ensuring that the beginning of the year has been as smooth and anxiety-free as it can be. Each morning in our Joey’s Way time our students have been working together to come together as a group and a house to provide a warm and caring environment for the students to be in each day. We are indeed blessed with the generosity of our students in giving of themselves to others.
May God bless all members of our College community and keep this Spirit within them, well beyond their time here at St Joseph’s College.
Lord,
Let everything we do in this season of Lent
come from you
be inspired by you.
Let us be aware of
the many ways you reach out to help us
and let us stand in awe of the power
that you use in such loving ways.
Help us to use your love as a way
to persevere in our Lenten intentions.
St Joseph – Pray for us.
Edmund Rice – Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts – Forever.
Best wishes.
Kort Goodman - Principal - KGoodman@sjc.qld.edu.au