Newsletter 1: Friday 16 February 2024

Dear Members of the St Joseph's College Family,

A warm welcome back to the 2024 school year.  It is always a special time having students return with excitement to school.  Already the term is moving quickly, as we begin Week 4 next week.  The first three weeks have been filled with a number of school community events, along with students returning quickly to the routine of learning.  We hope that this school year is filled with wonderful memories and learning experiences that support students to achieve excellence in their lives.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

This week in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar, we begin the season of Lent following Ash Wednesday.  We were fortunate as a school to have Fr Wilber celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass with our school community.  Over Lent, students will be participating in learning more about this significant part of our Catholic Faith, particularly focusing on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  The College will be using the Project Compassion lens to support students to develop a deeper understanding of Lent and also giving to others in need.  We look forward to sharing more about this with our community during this period.

Mission and Vision

As a College, we are striving to ensure our students know and understand why we exist as a school; what we want for each student during their time at the College;  and that our Values and Beliefs are the foundation of who we are and how we behave toward one another.  These are listed below and are central to the work we are pursuing at the College.

Mission: Enabling students to achieve the fullness of life.

School Vision: In partnership with parents and carers, produce loving, forgiving, generous and happy young adults who espouse Christian values and make a positive impact on society.

Values and Beliefs:

• Christ is at the centre of all that we do and present in each of us
• Each student must be given the opportunity to achieve to their highest potential
• All members of the SJC community will be treated with love, dignity and respect
• As an evangelical arm of the Catholic Church, all members will be provided opportunities to encounter the light of Christ

School Annual Improvement Plan

The College has developed three goals for the School Annual Improvement Plan.  These goals will support our school to continue to further strengthen the great things that occur here for our students on a daily basis.  Below you will see our goals for 2024, which will be consistently referred to throughout the year.

Mission Goal: Improve student community service by designing and embedding an explicit program that reflects the Mission of Jesus Christ Foundational Values.

Learning & Teaching Goal: Improve student growth in reading and writing through embedding evidence based whole school agreed pedagogical practices.

Pastoral Care: Strengthen the AWC model to improve the parent and school engagement/communication in students' wellbeing and learning.

Commencement Mass

On Tuesday 6 February, we held our Commencement Mass to begin our school year.  This tradition is particularly special for our Year 12 students who begin their last time of everything at our great school.

Part of our Commencement Mass sees each Year 12 student light their Journey Candle which represents a key moment on the final journey at the school.  We are so excited for our Year 12 students as they work hard over the next three terms to complete their school journey, and we look forward to sharing all their ‘last’ experiences with them during 2024. 

This mass also holds significance for our Year 7 students who, for the first time, have participated in a College mass.  We warmly welcomed Year 7 to our school with the procession through the ‘Welcome Tunnel’ guided by their House Captains.

Year 7 Transition Meetings

The College has been working towards strengthening the experience of our Year 7 students as they Transition to Secondary School.  This year, we were fortunate to have Transition Meetings on the Year 7 students' first day of school. 

This saw our Academic and Wellbeing Care (AWC) teachers meet with the parents and Year 7 students in their AWC group.  It provided parents and students the opportunity to become more comfortable with the physical environment, knowing where their AWC rooms are, student lockers and how to access and receive their timetables ready for the next day.  Parents were also able to ask questions and students set learning goals to begin their year and time in secondary school. 

It was great to meet families and students and I would like to again offer a very warm welcome to our school community all the Year 7 families and students.

College Swimming Carnival

Our first College sports event, the Swimming Carnival was held on Thursday.  It was a fantastic day full of House colour and cheer. 

Congratulations to all the students for their participation and commitment to earn points for their house.  This was no more evident than in the 200m freestyle event at the start of the day which saw several students courageously take on the challenge of four laps of the 50 metre pool just to earn extra points for their house. 

It was a great honour for me to present the Age Champions and Runner-Up awards to all students who achieved this feat.  It is great to see students push themselves in events to reach their potential.  Congratulations to all these students. 

It would be remiss of me not to highlight the great achievements of Kye Thompson, one of our wonderful Year 12 students who broke two records on the day, one by three seconds which was in the 50m breaststroke event.  Well done Kye on your commitment and dedication to the swimming craft.  Keep chasing that black line!  (See the report from Leader of Sport in this newsletter.)

Thank you to Ms Ilic for her organisation of the event for our school community.  I would also like to thank all the parents who came for the day to support our students and the school.  I look forward to seeing parents at our Athletics Carnival later this year.  Congratulations to Hanly House who won the Carnival.  Well done!

Sports Excellence Program

It is with great excitement that we launch the Sports Excellence Program at the College next week.  We at the College believe that students should have the opportunity to excel in their chosen field and as a school we want to support students to achieve all their dreams and aspirations.  We have a number of athletes who are achieving at high levels or on the verge of this.  The Sports Excellence Program will provide these targeted students with high-performance support by highly qualified sports practitioners.  The program will take a holistic approach focusing on sport specific skill development, strength and conditioning, fitness, mental health/preparation, nutrition, sport recovery and academic success.  Personalised programs will be developed for each individual student designed by Accelerate Australia, a well-renowned organisation from Brisbane that supports the athletic development across a range of sports including in the past the Brisbane Bullets.  The program is designed for students who are balancing sport commitments (State Level or State Squads or equivalent) and school.  More specific information can be found in the Sports Excellence Information Packs, which includes application forms.  These will be available on the College website later this week.  If you believe your child would benefit from this great opportunity, please have them apply.

Year 7 Welcome Evening

We are excited to be hosting our Year 7 Welcome Evening on Wednesday 28 February at the College COLA from 6pm-7:30pm.  We warmly invite all Year 7 parents and their child/children to keep this date free and attend the evening.  This night aims to begin to develop a community amongst our Year 7 families and students.  It provides an opportunity for parents to meet one another, particularly those parents of students who have formed new relationships with students from other primary schools.  A flyer will be circulated next week for families to register for this event so catering can be finalised.  We begin the evening by sharing a meal together from 6pm to 6:30pm.  I look forward to this night together to further build our community.

New Staff and Staff New to Positions in 2024

We have been blessed to have a number of new staff join our school community, as well as a number of existing staff taking on new roles, or permanent roles, at the College.  Below you will see the name of each staff member and their subject area they teach, or the area they work within the school.  I would like to warmly welcome them all to our school community.

As always, please ensure you reach out at any time if your child/children require support.  I look forward to another wonderful year and working together for each student.

God Bless

Mr Ryan Campbell
College Principal

16 February 2024

St Joseph's Parish

St Joseph's Catholic Church
56 Frances Street, Tweed Heads

Weekday Mass times

• • Monday to Friday – 9:10am

Weekend Mass times

• • Saturday – 9:00am
  • Saturday Vigil Mass – 5:00pm
  • Sunday – 7:00am & 9:00am

St Camillus Catholic Church
36 Urliup Road, Bilambil

• • Sunday – 9:00am

St Anthony's Parish

St Anthony’s Church, Kingscliff
12-14 Pearl Street, Kingscliff

Weekday Mass times

• • Wednesday – 8:00am
  • Thursday – 9:00am in the school term and 8:00am in the holiday period
  • Friday – 8:00am

Weekend Mass times

• • Saturday – 5:00pm (6pm during DST)
  • Sunday – 9:00am

Sts Mary & Ambrose Catholic Church
1 Charles Street, Pottsville

Weekday Mass times

• • Tuesday – 9:15am

Weekend Mass times

• • Sunday – 7:30am

Reconciliation Times

• • Kingscliff – Saturday 5:00 – 5:30pm 
  • Pottsville – Sunday 7:00 – 7:25am

Our Open Evening is coming very soon!

We look forward to welcoming prospective families - and the wider community - to our Open Evening, to be held on Monday 11 March (Week 7 this term), commencing at 6pm, gathering first in the College's Doyle Centre.

This is a one time event on the College calendar.

In particular, we expect a lot of interest from potential students for Year 7 2025 and ask that applicants be aware of the following important dates when making their chid's enrolment application to the College:

Important Dates for Year 7 2025 Applicants

• Monday 11 March: College Open Evening (6pm to 7:45pm, with tours concluding no later than 7:45pm)
• Friday 12 April: Applications Close
• Monday 20 May to Wednesday 22 May: Year 7 2025 Interviews held in the Doyle Centre

Additional Information

Please note for all FUTURE enrolments, Years 7-12 for 2025 and beyond, the Application Form is due to change and a new link will be provided in March.  Please DO NOT complete the application form below as you will be required to re-submit using the new form.

Enrolment applications for Year 7 will be reviewed after the application cut-off date at the end of this term.  Please also note your application is an expression of interest only.  It does not guarantee your child a place at the College.

Please be aware applications submitted more than 1 year prior to the year of commencement will not be reviewed until the application cut-off date has passed.  Submitting an application for a Year 7 intake years in advance will not give your child any additional advantage.

Welcome to the 2024 academic year.  It will be a big year for everyone at the College, but a particularly big one for families who have students in Years 7 and 12; to Year 12 students, pretty soon everything will begin to feel like “the last time” - and before we know it they’ll be sitting the final exams and walking out the gates.  To Year 7, everything is new, exciting and challenging.  So a special welcome to families who are walking the path of “firsts” and “lasts” with their children.

As a newcomer to the College myself, I have been so impressed with the sense of community that underpins everything that is done here at St Joseph’s: in my wanderings through the yard and classrooms, I’m yet to be met with anything other than warmth, welcome and respect.  And I see staff and students treating each other in the same way.  It’s a great foundation for learning.

This week, Week 3, it really felt like we got into the rhythm of learning; classroom routines and relationships have been established; homework has been set; assessment and performance tasks are on the agenda.

As Mr Campbell has noted, this term we have chosen to focus on the habits and foundations of good study: preparation and punctuality.  These two items, combined with the focus on uniform, are less about the items themselves, and more about the principle of excellence.  We want all our students to understand that excellence is a conscious choice, and high achievement is never an accident; it is always based on mindful preparation and the desire to be one’s best in all aspects of life.  We do appreciate your support of this approach.

This year, we continue to pursue the strategic goal of achieving co-responsibility for learning with our students’ parents and carers.  For you, this means that we are looking for your active support of your child’s learning goals, with particular emphasis on literacy.  Regardless of subject or topic, literacy is key to success in secondary school.  All tasks and examinations require students to be able to read, comprehend and interpret language, as well as to construct arguments in written text.  To support this, you can engage in conversation with your child about what they’re learning, how they’re going and what they need to do to continue improving.  These don’t need to be long conversations, but they do need to be regular.  Discussing the book you’re reading, a movie you’ve watched recently or the current events of the world around us is another way to engage in language construction with your kids.  As a parent of two kids who have recently finished high school, I am all too aware that teens can be hard to get into deep conversation with, but we are always on the lookout for moments of opportunity! Research consistently demonstrates that parental involvement in their child's education and learning is one of the key indicators of success (for the child, that is!).

To parents of students in Year 10, this is a vital year despite what your child may tell you.  This year, and sooner than you may think, our Year 10 students will choose their Stage 6 pattern of study.  The grades they achieve in Year 10 will influence the subject choices that we steer them towards, so it is important that they strive to do their best and keep their options wide open.

To parents of Year 12 students, as crazy as it seems, the end of this term marks the half-way point of your child’s HSC.  Every lesson counts.

Over the coming weeks, assessment and performance tasks will begin for all Year levels.  These are all entered on the student Google calendars in a timely manner, so students can be prepared.  As always, preparation is not only the key to success, but also the best means of reducing stress as the term gets busy.

Finally, whilst I have prattled exclusively about learning, I do want to emphasise the importance of a balanced life for our teens; work, sport, hobbies and friends are crucial elements of a happy and balanced life for our young people.  There are many opportunities for kids to engage in co and extra curricular activities at Joeys, and I encourage you to discuss these with your children.  We want nothing more than for our students to learn how to shine and experience the fullness of life across the full range of life’s experiences.

Have a great weekend.  I have enjoyed meeting members of the parent community at our house breakfasts this term, and look forward to meeting many more throughout the year working with you and your childrens’ teachers to get the best out of 2024.

Mr Chris Mason
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Welcome Back to the College for 2024!

We hope you have found it to be an easy transition back to school after the holiday break.  This article should provide you with a lot of information about upcoming events at St Joseph's College.  Please don't hesitate to contact the College should you have any further questions.

Mr Eamon Brown
Assistant Principal - Mission

School Photo Day - Friday 1 March 2024

School photography day is coming up soon (Friday 1 March 2024, Week 5 Term 1).  Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below or by returning the order envelope with your payment to our photographer on school photo day. Order envelopes will be distributed in AWC.

There are two easy ways to purchase:

1. Visa, MasterCard or PayPal.
2. Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to the AdvancedLife photographer on photo day (correct money please - no change given).

Order School photos here

Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: QD5 7H5 CW3

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school.
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it.  Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at St Joseph's College.
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied by AdvancedLife to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately.
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately six (6) weeks after the day of photography.  Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above.  You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past.

All students are to wear the College's full school uniform.

As is the case for any school photo day, please also ensure that your child/ren comes to school appropriately groomed and dressed according to the College Uniform Policy.  In particular, please note that boys need to be clean-shaven and wearing their belt.  All students are required to wear their College tie for school photos, and long hair (on the collar) needs to be tied up.  Students are required to take their photos without jumpers, jackets or the senior jersey. 

If your child(ren) has a practical PE/Sport lesson on Photo Day, please ensure they come to school dressed in their full school uniform and that they bring their sports uniform with them to get changed.

Further information and reminders will be provided in the coming weeks.

2024 College Liturgies and Masses

As part of College life, and as agreed to at enrolment, our students are expected to attend every school mass, every school liturgy, as well as the relevant year group reflection day, here at the College. 

It is also an expectation that every College student behaves appropriately and with respect at all times whenever they are in the Holy Family Chapel here at the College.

You will note that the Year 12 Graduation Mass will be held at St Joseph's Catholic Church, Tweed Heads, where it is expected that every Year 12 student will be in attendance.  It is also expected that all Year 11 students will be there to support our Senior 2024 class.  Naturally, expected standards of behaviour will continue there as here.

Our Commencement Mass each year is a major starting point in the school's calendar, as it includes the Ceremony of Light for our Year 12 students (in this their final year), as well as welcoming our newest year group (Year 7) to the school community.

Our Year 12 students are each given a special candle at this mass, lit by their Head of House, taken from the College Candle which was lit for the first time this year at the Staff (of the Parish of Tweed Heads) Commissioning Mass.  In this way, each mass has made us all connected to our Parish.  Fr Michael Brady presided over the staff mass, while and our College Chaplain, Fr Wilber, celebrated our Commencement Mass, as well as this week's Ash Wednesday Mass.

In our Ceremony of Light, each individual candle lit becomes their journey candle, and their journey as Seniors 2024 has begun, continuing through the Year 12 Retreat (to be held next week), and concluding at the Graduation Mass, which also signals journey's end with the last formal lessons for Year 12 in Week 10 of Term 3.

Ash Wednesday is a very important event on the Catholic calendar, establishing the beginning of the Lenten period.  Lent is a period of forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.  It is a time of penitence and preparation, during which many Christians strengthen their faith through study, prayer, fasting or abstinence.

In his message for Lent 2024, Pope Francis invites the faithful to “pause” for prayer and to assist our brothers and sisters in need, in order to change our own lives and the lives of our communities.

2024 Retreat Dates

Compulsory College Retreat and Reflection Days

It is expectation that all students attend the relevant year group camps and that all Year 12 students attend the Retreat.

The events listed below are a compulsory part of the Catechesis and Evangelisation program for all students enrolled at St Joseph's College:

Preparations for our first event, the Year 12 Retreat (being held next week), are in full swing.  We look forward to sharing with the community some thoughts and photos following this event - one that is a major milestone in the Year 12 student's final year experiences.

Lismore Diocesan Discipleship Events

The events listed below are faith-development experiences, specifically targeted at students already involved in their local churches.  The number of students St Joseph’s College can send to these events is restricted due to practical limitations such as transport and accommodation.

Information about each camp, retreat or event will be shared with our families via the College newsletter and Compass closer to the relevant event.

Road Safety is a Back to School Essential Conversation

As students return to school, it is important to keep safety in mind.  Please take time to talk with your children about safely getting to and from school. Here are some tips:

• Keep your child/ren safe by expecting them to always use the door closest to the kerb to enter and exit a car.
• Keep your child/ren safe by expecting them to take off their headphones while walking.
• Keep your child/ren safe by expecting them to be a positive role model for younger students while travelling to and from school on the bus.
• Keep your child/ren safe by expecting them to wear a properly fitted bike helmet when travelling using wheels - bike, scooter, and skateboard.
• Student drivers must follow government rules, school expectations/ procedures and drive safely and responsibly. This includes only approved passengers being transported in the car with a student driver.
• Teach your young person never to sacrifice safety for convenience, source: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/

Rosies

Rosies is a social justice opportunity for our Year 11 and 12 students, and is running again in 2024.  There will be two opportunities available for students (and teachers) each term to sign-up and attend.  

It involves the students and a teacher meeting at school at 6:25pm (NSW time) on a Tuesday evening (only selected dates), where the teacher will drive the group up together to Burleigh.  The evening will involve having a chat and assisting with serving a drink and a small bite to eat with those less fortunate.  The group will return to school at about 10:30pm (NSW time).  All Year 11 and 12 students have been emailed a link to sign-up if they are interested.  

This is a great opportunity to assist those in need and to be of service in our broader community.  Please have a conversation with your child/ren if you think this opportunity may be of interest.

The first evening is coming up in Week 5, Tuesday 27 February.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr Brown.

College Youth Ministers

With the commencement of the 2024 school year, the Diocese of Lismore has taken a new approach to Youth Ministry, implementing College Youth Ministers at almost all secondary schools.  We are fortunate enough to be the only school in the Diocese to have two College Youth Ministers with us who have returned from last year - Bianca McInnes and Jacob Franey. 

Both Bianca and Jacob graduated from St John’s College, Woodlawn in 2018 and have previously worked in a variety of Youth Ministry positions.  They bring to this year a new sense of passion from the Holy Spirit as they were both a part of the Diocese of Lismore pilgrimage to World Youth Day, 2023 in Portugal.

Project Compassion - For All Future Generations

Each year, at Lent, the College supports fundraising for Caritas Australia's Project Compassion.

Lent started this week with Ash Wednesday.  As we prepare to celebrate once again the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter, Project Compassion gives us the chance to act as Jesus did.  To reach out to those in some of the most challenging situations imaginable.

Spanning across the six weeks of Lent each year, Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world.  Your generous support can help change lives today - and For All Future Generations – their continued theme into 2024.

Collections will be received on their behalf during AWC in the weeks leading up to Easter.  Without your ongoing support, the work done by Caritas Australia simply would not be possible.

With gratitude from The Mission Team

“God’s love calls us to move beyond fear.  We ask God for the courage to put on faith, hope and love as we go out into the world and become the word in body as well as spirit.”  Pope Francis

Ronita’s Story – Philippines

22-year-old Ronita lives with her husband and two children in a barangay (local district) in Quezon City, which is situated in Metro Manila in the Philippines.

Ronita left school when she became pregnant as a teenager.  This could have had a life-long impact on her ability to find work and provide for her family.

Thankfully, Ronita was given a second chance at completing her studies when she heard about the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ), Caritas Australia’s local partners in the Philippines.  Through the FCJ’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) program, Ronita was able to re-enrol in her studies, and continue learning in a safe and flexible environment – even with the arrival of her second child, Egzy Grey.

After completing her ALS classes, Ronita went on to earn her Grade 12 Senior High School Diploma.  With her new diploma, Ronita has now secured a job at a call centre which she hopes will allow her to support her family while she continues her studies.

With the support of the FCJ, Ronita has overcome tremendous obstacles to enjoy better employment prospects and a brighter future for her whole family.

“I have now graduated senior school and I am so proud of myself,” she said, “I feel hopeful for the future ... Now it’s not impossible for me to achieve my dream... Thank you.”

Leaia’s Story – Samoa

Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.

Leaia lives with her five children, husband, brother, and sister-in-law on the island of Upolu in Samoa.  Not having access to clean water for their daily lives has caused Leaia a lot of worry.

Their home is not connected to a piped water system, so they used to rely solely on rainwater collected in old fridges.  When their water ran out, she had to walk with her young children to collect water in buckets and containers from a neighbour down the street.

With the support of Caritas Australia’s local partner, Caritas Samoa, a water tank was installed at their home.  She and her family now have a steady supply of clean drinking water at home.  Next year, they will also have a toilet built, with the support of Caritas Samoa, which will further improve their health and living conditions.

“We are very thankful and grateful for the water tank.  It has helped us so much and made our daily life easier,” Leaia said.

Memory’s Story – Malawi

Growing up in the Mwanza district in southern Malawi, 26-year-old Memory was born to a low-income family who relies on subsistence farming for survival.

Memory’s parents struggled to pay for her school fees and supplies, and she often had to walk to school barefoot.  As the eldest of five children, Memory also faced the challenge of balancing her education with domestic chores, such as farming, cooking, cleaning, and carrying water.

Despite the challenges she faced, Memory understood that education was her best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty, “I told myself I can’t stop going to school because this is the only way I can get a better life.”

With the support of Caritas Australia and the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) – Caritas Australia's local partner in Malawi – Memory enrolled in a technical college where she undertook a three-year carpentry course.  Her tuition and boarding fees were partially funded by CADECOM through funds provided by Caritas Australia.

Memory now stands proudly as the first female carpenter from her village, working at one of Malawi’s largest hydroelectric power stations.  With the income from her job, she can now support her family while inspiring other young women in her community to finish their education and seize opportunities within male-dominated industries.

“Being a female carpenter sets an example to others in my community,” she said. “They see a woman can do what a man can do.” 

Compulsory College Camps

As the Assistant Principal-Mission outlined in his article, and as agreed to at enrolment, our students are expected to attend every school mass, every school liturgy, as well as the relevant year group reflection day, here at the College.

It is also an expectation, as agreed to enrolment, that all students also attend the yearly camps, that the College provides each year.

In 2024, the details are as follows:

On Monday 4 March, Safe on Social will be visiting the College to present to our students during the day.  That same evening, from 6:15pm (NSW time), there will also be a parent presentation and Q&A session. 

If you are concerned about your children’s safety on social media and looking for the answers but not sure where to turn, this session delivers real-life case studies and strategies to help parents support their children.

Topics in the evening session for parents are not limited to, but cover the following:

• Online safety and using social media with awareness.
• What you signed up for – we explain terms and conditions of use and what they mean.
• Keeping your personal information private.
• Sexting and image-based abuse and the law. (age-appropriate).
• Online stranger danger and what grooming might look like and what to do.
• Cyber-bullying, online harassment, and how to report it.
• Known scams, hoaxes, deepfake, fake news, and misinformation.
• Group Chats and strategies to manage them better.
• Identity theft.
• Legal responsibilities.
• Privacy settings.
• Online gaming safety.
• Strategies to build resilience
• Posting and sharing photos and the law.
• Respectful online relationships and consent.
• How to create a positive digital footprint.

The presenter will also cover the most popular social media apps and trends, what they are, how they work, security, and privacy tips for safe use as we know “don’t” doesn’t work.

If you would like to attend the evening we ask you to complete the simple RSVP via this link.

Any questions regarding the student or parent presentations please feel free to contact me at the College.

Vaccination Dates for 2024

NSW Health offers the vaccines recommended for school-aged children by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) annually in a school vaccination program.

Please note: The COVID-19 vaccination is not part of the NSW School Vaccination Program. 

For students enrolled in Year 7, NSW Health offer human papillomavirus (HPV) and diphtheriatetanus-pertussis (dTpa), each a single dose vaccine.  For Year 10 students, NSW Health offer Meningococcal ACWY in a single dose vaccine.

The dates schedule for the 2024 program will be as follows:

• Year 10 - 17 May 2024 (Term 2, Week 3)
• Year 7 - 20 June 2024 (Term 2, Week 8)
• (Catch-ups) - 12 September 2024 (Term 3, Week 8)

As always, parental/guardian consent must be provided for a vaccination to take place at school, ie. if you do not provide consent, then no vaccination will take place.

More information about the program can be found here at the NSW Health website.

Mr Mathew Lynch
Leader of Pastoral Care

2024 SJC Assessment Handbooks - Years 12, 11, 10 & 9

Hello students, parents and caregivers,

The 2024 academic year is well underway!  Our students and staff have begun very well and we are all striving to produce our personal bests.  Supporting great teaching and learning are our Assessment handbooks in Years 12, 11, 10 and 9 in 2024.  The assessment handbooks are designed on the major premise of containing policies and procedures that are fair and equitable to all involved.

Year 12 students received their Assessment Handbooks during Term 4, 2023.  Year 11 students received their Assessment handbooks on Monday 5 February 2024 and our Year 10 students received their Assessment Handbooks on Friday 9 February 2024.  Our Year 9 students will receive their Assessment Handbooks during this week.

The most important statement applying to all SJC students (found in all of the Assessment handbooks) is: 

A Student will be considered to have satisfactorily completed a course if the student applies themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the College.

In unpacking this statement, students need to: 

• maintain a good attendance record;
• work consistently to complete all classwork and homework tasks provided; &
• complete all formal and informal assessment tasks to a personally high standard.

The SJC policies and procedures do allow for application to assessment variation for valid reasons.  Again this is an overarching premise providing for fairness and equity for all.

All of the information provided in the hard copy that students have received is also published on our College website at: https://sjcbanorapoint.schoolzineplus.com/ 

To find the Assessment Handbooks, navigate to the Learning tab and scroll down to the Assessment Handbook tab, where you will see all of the current Assessment handbooks available for download in PDF format.  The image below assists in the navigation.

For the reference of Year 10 students and their parents/caregivers:

The 2024 Year 10 100 hour course assessment schedules will be available to students during AWC time from Friday 16/02/24.  Students can conveniently insert these stapled pages into their Assessment Handbooks that have previously been distributed.

Year 7 Digital Citizenship and Devices

I would like to extend all families a very warm welcome to our 2024 school year.  A special welcome to our new Year 7 community and new enrolments in Year 8-11.

All students in Year 7 have now had the opportunity to attend a digital citizenship presentation that focused on how students can stay safe online.  The presentation served as a timely reminder to ensure that students are keeping their devices and personal information secure, and that they are demonstrating an appropriate standard of behaviour online.  During the presentation, students engaged with the 4 R's of online safety: respect, resilience, responsibility, and reasoning.  This session provided valuable insights into how these principles can guide their online interactions and contribute to creating a safer digital community.

Following this presentation, the students received their username and password, logged into Compass, and installed Google Chrome. The students were shown how to bookmark frequently used websites and sign into their Google Workspace apps.

This week the students will install the College printer which is located in the library.  Students have an allowance of $20 per semester.  Printing costs 10 cents for B&W and 50 cents for colour.  Any printing beyond this the students will need to bring cash payment to the library for further credit.

Key reminders for students:

• Be respectful and responsible in your online interactions with others
• Laptops should be charged overnight in a central location in the home. Students are not to bring their chargers to school. We have a limited supply of chargers in the library where students can bring their device and charge it at lunch time, however, this is not to be a regular occurrence
• Always carry your laptop in its case
• Locks on lockers are essential
• Report any cyber-bullying to a teacher and/or parent
• Protect your passwords and never give personal information to strangers and companies

IT Support is available for students in the Library before school, during lunch and after school.

I look forward to working with your child throughout the year.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Mrs Georgia James
Leader of Learning Technologies 

Safe on Social Media – Parent Information Evening

Join us for a Safe on Social presentation at the College on Monday, 4 March at 6pm.  This event is tailored for individuals aged 18 and above, and we strongly encourage all parents and guardians to attend.

Safer Internet Day  - Connect. Reflect. Protect.

Safer Internet Day, observed last Tuesday on 6 February, is a global initiative led by the eSafety Commissioner in Australia to raise awareness about online safety issues. This day serves as a reminder to educate ourselves and others about the risks we encounter online and how to navigate the digital world safely.

Safer Internet Day brings together communities, families, schools, and organisations from more than 180 countries to create safer online spaces.  In 2024, the eSafety Commissioner's campaign encourages everyone to Connect, Reflect, and Protect:

• Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
• Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others.
• Protect ourselves by taking action – by telling family, teachers, or friends about eSafety and how we can help.

In support of Safer Internet Day, the office of the eSafety is also offering a range of free parent and carer eSafety webinars.  For more information and to register click here:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/Term-1- -parent-carer-webinar-flyer.pdf

Jingi Walla - Hello,

We Welcome back our families from previous years but also a huge Welcome to our new year 7 students and families, also new students and families in other grades.  We hope you all had a wonderful summer break and we are excited for the year ahead at SJC.

It has already been a very busy start to the school year, so we will try and keep this brief.

Hopefully all of your sons and daughters have settled into a new year at SJC and are enjoying the experiences and challenges that that brings.

We will send emails to parents throughout the year to inform you of different activities, celebrations or opportunities that we might have for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, along with reminders and notices of local community events.

Now, we would like to introduce a new member of our Aboriginal and Torres Islander team Mr Bailee Nicholls, below is a message from him:

Hello St Joseph College community.  My name is Bailee Nicholls, I am a Ngemba/Barkindji man from a small country town in the far North-Western NSW region called Brewarrina.  Brewarrina is known for our famous Fish Traps or as known to our local people, Baiames Ngunnhu.  I recently made the move to the Tweed Coast region late April of 2023 and have been living in Fingal Head with family since.  During my time being on the Tweed Coast I’ve learned a lot about the Bundjalung Nation and the differences to my people back home.  I am pleased to be able to work alongside Mrs Lexe Busbridge to not only teach things about my people but also learn a lot more about the Bundjalung Nation.  I look forward to working with your children this year.  If there’s any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you.

We are available Monday to Friday, and can be contacted on the below email lexene.busbridge@lism.catholic.edu.au and Bailee.nicholls@lism.catholic.edu.au please feel free to email any questions or concerns you may have in regard to your son/daughters learning, wellbeing or school operations.

Below are a few urgent matters to draw your attention this week, we ask all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to please read the below information.

Marist Fathers Grant

The Marist Fathers Grant applications are open and the link has been shared with all parents who have applied previously.  Please encourage all high school parents to apply for this funding.  Applications close on 23 February 2024.  Acceptance letters will go out early March and reimbursements will be accepted from the time of the acceptance letters being sent. Please fill out the google form linked here to apply.

Another important opportunity specifically for students in years 10, 11 or 12 is the tutoring program.  This is available to any Indigenous student in these year groups and there are many options as to how this can be accessed so if your child is in any of these grades and you think might benefit from free tutoring please get in contact.

Year 10, 11 & 12 Tutoring

Tutoring nominations are open. Please follow this link.  Nominations close on 23 February (no late applications will be accepted after this date).  Acceptance letters will be sent out in early March.

I will also be meeting with your son/daughter once from Week 5 until the end of term to discuss an action plan for their goals and learning objectives here at St Joey's, these plans only take a short time to complete and it will give us a tailored program of support for your child.

Both myself and the students find this very helpful and is a great chance for me to connect with them and learn more about their educational pathway.

2024 NAIDOC Week

This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee is "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud”.  The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

First Nations communities, registered businesses, schools and local governments are all encouraged to apply for funding to run an activity or event that directly relates to the 2024 NAIDOC theme.

For more information about 2024 NAIDOC Week what the Grants can be used for and how to apply, please follow this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this through and we look forward to hopefully seeing/meeting you all in person soon.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions

Many Thanks

Bugalbeh

Mrs Lexe Busbridge and Mr Bailee Nicholls
St Joseph’s College Indigenous Education Workers

As we embark on this new academic year, we extend a warm greeting to our returning Year 12 students and extend a special welcome to our newest members, the Year 11 cohort.  This year brings the promise of growth and learning as we navigate through the challenges and triumphs of Year 11 and 12 together.

Our dedicated teaching team for 2024 comprises passionate educators fully committed to the success of our Work Readiness Pathway (WRP) students:  Mrs Stephanie Anderson, Mrs Carlee Smith, Mrs Penny May, Ms Caitlin Lidbetter, Mr Lewis Morosini, Mr David Bell and Mr Tom McQueen.  We are delighted to introduce Mr Richard Petherbridge, who joins our team to guide and support students on their journey towards chosen industry pathways.  Additionally, we are fortunate to have an outstanding group of teaching assistants working alongside us this year:  Mrs Tegan Hope, Mr Stuart Crawford, Mr Miro Garzina and Mrs Catherine Keating.

At the heart of our educational mission lies the partnership between our school and our students' families. We believe in fostering positive relationships and open communication. To further strengthen this connection, we invite the parents of our new Year 11 group to join us for a Parent Information Evening on Tuesday, 20 February, at 6pm in the COLA. This will be an excellent opportunity for us to connect, share insights, and outline our plans for the upcoming year.

Reminder: Please RSVP by Monday, 19 February.  All Year 11 WRP students have an RSVP slip in their College diary.

Ms Hannah Lindschau
Leader of Learning - Work Readiness Pathway

Study Skills Handbook - A very useful student resource

For the information of families new to the College (and a reminder to existing students), we are a subscriber to the Study Skills website www.studyskillshandbook.com.au, having first subscribed to this online resource back in 2012.

Continuing this year, our subscription allows every College student free access to this very handy website, one that will help your child develop essential skills for academic success.  There are units of work on improving time management skills, how to study, research skills, summarising, technology use, brain and memory, and much more.  

Everything you need to know about becoming a more powerful learner and improving your marks at school can be found on this site.  For example, learn how the colour of your room affects your ability to study, what the best study techniques are for your type of brain, how to improve your handwriting, and useful software and Apps to block yourself from technology distractions.  You will also see lots of useful handouts, grids and planners at the bottom of the THINGS TO PRINT page.

To access the handbook, go to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au and login with these details:

Username:  sjc
Password:  24results

We'll be sending out periodic reminders via the College newsletter of the monthly Study Skills Tips, and today we begin with:

Study Skills Tips for February:  Guidelines for Goal Setting

It has been wonderful to welcome our new Year 7 students into our St Joseph’s College community.  During their initial maths lessons, all students received a calculator. We ask that all students of every year level ensure they are bringing their calculators to every lesson.  If a replacement calculator is required, and you wish to purchase one through the school, please contact myself (leanne.ward@lism.catholic.edu.au) to arrange.

Maths Help is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes in room 108.  This is a quiet space students can work on any subject, with specific help available for maths - great for assistance with completing homework, catching up on missed work, or just some extra help with classwork.

There is also an opportunity for Year 7-10 students with an interest in maths beyond the classroom to participate in a virtual workshop through the University of Melbourne.  Students should register their interest through the form on the student notices - further details are also attached.

Mrs Leanne Ward
Leader of Learning - Mathematics

Dear Parents/Carers,

In preparation for this year's NCCD (National Consistent Collection of Data), we are updating our student records to ensure we have the most up-to-date information and assessments for your child/ren.  Now is a great time to send that information through.

If you have clinical assessments or medical diagnosis for your child that the school does not have on file, or if you have updated information, please email this to our Administrator for Diversity & Inclusion to better manage the daily and emergency health needs of your child.  This also includes Anaphylaxis, Diabetes, Epilepsy and any other medical plans relevant for your child.  Please ensure the school office has an in-date EpiPen for your child should they have Anaphylaxis.

Please send all information to deborah.pirlo@lism.catholic.edu.au

We appreciate your support as we gather the necessary information, and if you have any questions please direct them to Ms Amie Nugent our Leader for Diversity & Inclusion amie.nugent@lism.catholic.edu.au

We hope that your child is settling into 2024.

From the Diversity and Inclusion Team

Dear St Joseph’s College Families,  

Welcome to the 2024 school year. 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the College’s Leader of Sport.  Within this role, I oversee the organisation of both internal sport lessons and extracurricular representative sports. 

Internal Sport 

As communicated at the end of 2023, our internal sports program will be different from previous years.  The main change to the program is that students will have their double sports lessons with their entire year group and not just their class group.  This change allows the College to have the ability to offer students the opportunity to choose their offsite sports activities for their double lessons. 

A variety of options will be available for students to choose from across each of the school terms.  The College’s sport budget will cover or significantly subsidise the cost of each of the activities.  Depending on the activity students choose there may be an additional cost that will need to be paid and this needs to be taken into consideration when students are selecting their preferences. 

Each term students will make selections for the next term's sport.  This will be done electronically and students will be asked for their order of preference.  Each sport activity will have a limit to the number of students that can participate and students will be allocated their activity on a ‘first in first served’ basis.  For Term 1 students have been making their selections throughout week two and communication for parental permission and payment will be sent out via Compass. 

We understand that at times it may not be possible for some students to physically participate in sport due to illness or injury.  If this is the case, a note from the parent or caregiver is required to be written in the diary for your child’s teacher. 

As with any activity, there is an expectation that all students behave appropriately.  This is especially important when we travel off-site.  Failure to follow teacher directions or behave in a sensible and safe manner will result in students not being allowed off-site for their sports lessons and they will be required to remain at school. 

St Joseph’s College Representative Sport

In regards to extracurricular representative sports, St Joseph’s College provides a range of sporting opportunities for students to participate in organised team and individual competitions within the school, locally, and at Diocesan and State levels. 

All representative opportunities are communicated through the SJC Sports Desk Google Classroom and students express their interest in trialling for a team on our SJC Sports Desk Google Classroom.  The code for students to join this Google Classroom is 6v6zikw.  Once students have registered their interest, the coaches will run trial/training sessions to allow them to select a team, and then the team/s will be announced.  Once selected for a College representative sport team students will be required to attend training sessions prior to the day of competition. This year we will be introducing before and after school training for a number of sports to assist with strengthening our students’ skills and the competitiveness of our teams. The focus areas for this semester will be Netball, Rugby League, Touch, AFL and Running Club.  Additional information about when these training sessions are occurring will be communicated shortly. 

Parents/guardians will receive permission notes for representative sports events via Compass where you can give permission and pay for the event.  It is College policy that elective fees must be paid and up to date for a student to be able to attend an extracurricular event, therefore please make sure that this is the case prior to paying for any sporting events. 

NSWCCC Sporting Representation

Families with students who wish to nominate for trialling in a sport at the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) level should make themselves familiar with the Catholic Schools NSW (CS NSW) Sport website https://csnsw.sport/.  Parents/carers will need to create an account to be able to register their child.  Once a student has been registered on the CS NSW Sport portal it will be sent to me for College approval.

This document is a summary of all the details of all the representative sports pathways that NSWCCC offers. Within the document, if a sport is noted as ‘‘Via Dio’, this means that students must trial for the Diocesan team first and communications for these teams will be sent through our Sports Desk.  Please be prepared to travel if your child is accepted to travel.  Parents have the responsibility to register their child on the NSWCCC portal, please make note of the registration closing dates as there will be no reminders about these sports. 

Swimming Carnival Results 

Congratulations to HANLY who were crowned HOUSE CHAMPIONS at our College Swimming Carnival on Thursday 15 February 2024.  

Hanly - 1935
Reynolds - 1868
Hoade – 1745
Dalton - 1607

We made the journey down the highway again to the Murwillumbah Aquatic Centre for this year’s Annual Swimming Carnival.  Students who attended the carnival had a fun-filled time as they embraced the ‘Hawaiian Holiday’ theme and enjoyed the sunshine whilst participating in a variety of events with their friends and housemates.

I applaud all the students who stepped up and competed in the championship races to ensure they did all they could to contribute to their house points.  The students’ enthusiasm and team spirit are what made the carnival so competitive and enjoyable.  I congratulate and thank them all for their wonderful efforts and cooperation on the day.

A big thank you to the house leaders who worked hard not only throughout the day but also in the lead up to promote participation and create carnival cheer, you did a fantastic job, as well as those teachers who helped set up early (arriving at 6:30am!) which allowed for our long distance competitive to run.

Congratulations to all age champions on their success at the carnival.  A special mention must go to Kye Thompson who now adds another two school records to his tally:  one for Open Boys 50m Breaststroke (breaking his own time (35.07) from last year) with a new record of 32.16; and one for Open Boys 50m Butterfly in a time of 28.72.  Congratulations, Kye – an outstanding achievement!

Male Age Champions

12s Dax Stonefield
13s Liam Morrison
14s Jarrah Star-Webb
15s Liam Reilly
16s Keelan McLaughlin
Opens Kye Thomson

Female Age Champions 

12s Ella Reid
13s Imogen Beacroft
14s Kiara Skorupski
15s Elodie Campbell
16s Jarah Irvine
Opens Evie Richardson

We have a competitive group of students who placed 1st or 2nd in a championship event at our carnival that will be travelling to Port Macquarie on Thursday 7 March to compete in the Diocesan Carnival.  We wish them all the best at the carnival.  Further information will be provided to parents and students next week in regards to which events they have qualified for.

A reminder that the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) Carnival is at Homebush on Thursday 4 April 2024.

Ms Madeline Ilic
Leader of Sport

In other sports news . . .

Jalen Beatty - Year 9 RY7 Gold - Board Rescue Gold - Sprints Gold  - Flags Gold - All Age Beach Relay Silver - Team Cameron (Swim, run, board) Bronze - Mixed Sprint Relay
Tilly Mison - Year 9 DL5 Gold - Individual board Gold - Board rescue Silver - Swim team Silver - Cameron relay 4th - Individual iron 4th - Individual swim

We'd love to share good news, sporting, academic, cultural, anything with the College community via the newsletter or on social media.  Please provide the information via the email sjcbanora@lism.catholic.edu.au. 

Please find attached the specials board for next week (Week 4, Term 1), as well as our regular canteen menu.  We'll be sharing the weekly specials via Compass every Friday and the following Monday. 

And don't forget:  our recess and lunch order cutoff time is 9:00am.

Homework Hub/SJC Afternoon Hub runs Monday to Thursday in the College Library after school from 3:15-5:00pm.

It is a free, supervised service provided by the College where students can remain behind after school if needed for a variety of reasons, such as a late bus, later parent pickup, homework/assessment/study catch-up, etc.  (Phones can be kept on for parental pickup or communication.)  All students are welcome.

Mrs Fin & Mrs Williams

The uniform shop hours are as follows: 

Every Tuesday during the school term: 12:00pm – 3:30pm
Every Thursday during the school term: 8:00am – 12:00pm

During shop hours: (07) 5523 9300
This shop is managed by Lowes staff only

Payments: Cash and EFTPOS Only
NO CHEQUES ACCEPTED

Or, if you'd like to make an online purchase, you can use this handy link.

For the SJC Community:

Free Tennis Lesson at Club Banora

Learn a game for life. Lots of fun.  Great exercise.  Come and try your first group tennis lesson for free.  For more information, call or text Scotty 0418 737 644.

Scott Styman Head Coach
No Limits Tennis Coaching Club Banora

The Kingscliff Triathlon is on Sunday 24 March 2024, and event organisers are hoping to have as many local families as possible.  The event is open for 7-12 year olds and all kids will receive a free gift, sausage sizzle and a medal at the finish line. 

Over 14 years are also welcome to enter the event, which has been designed for absolute beginners as well as regular competitors.  Kingy Kids organisers say that no matter someone's fitness level, the distances are achievable and the goal for those who come along is to finish and have a great time. 

Further queries should be directed to Nicola Farquhar on 1300 282 949.

TUFC 2024 Registration

All Participants are required to complete the following steps:

• Login to Squadi and complete the registration https://registration.squadi.com/login
• Every player requires a head shot added to their profile.
• Select the player type:

• • U6 - U12 are ‘Miniroos’
  • U13 - Senior Men & Women are ‘Community Competitive’

• Pay the fees for the season. You can upload an Active kids Voucher if applicable, and we have various payment options available.
• If you are registering multiple players, simply add another participant at checkout.
• Then follow us on Instagram or Facebook to keep up to date with information.

For further information email tufcregistrar@outlook.com