News & Events
News from the Deputies
We would like to extend a warm welcome back to all members of the St Joseph’s community for what we hope is an exciting and rewarding year for everyone. We hope that the Christmas holiday period was a happy time for you all and one that allowed families to spend a lot of time together. A special welcome is extended to all our new families, we look forward to working closely with you all throughout the years ahead.
2015 will be another busy year at St Joseph’s. Term 1 is only eight weeks long but will be packed with sporting events, College celebrations and most importantly, a lot of school work. In week 2 we will be celebrating the achievements of many of our senior boys at the Senior Awards Ceremony. The following day, Wednesday 11 February, is the Year 7 – 9 House Swimming Carnival at Kardinia Pools. These two events are fantastic opportunities for our new Year 7 students to involve themselves in the extra-curricular life of the school and begin to develop an understanding of what it means to be a St Joseph’s College student. Later in Term 1 we also have Edmund Rice Day, our main fundraising day, as well as our House Athletics Carnival.
The beginning of a new school year is an opportune time to remind all families about the expectations we have of all our students.To put it very simply we expect students to do the best they can in all that they do. The words ‘Ad Alta Virtute’ appear on our College crest and translate into ‘Strive for the Highest’. We expect this attitude to be applied to all things here at St Joseph’s. We expect students to wear their uniforms with pride, we expect them to treat each other and all members of the community with respect and we expect them to do their best in the classroom as well as in all other areas of school life.
We would like to remind all families of the importance of the partnership between student, school and home and of the positive impact fostering this relationship has on student outcomes. Students will only achieve academically if they feel connected and safe at school so please do not hesitate to contact the college as quickly as possible if any concern or difficulty presents itself. College staff are accessible by phone and email and will respond to messages at their earliest convenience.
Your son’s Homeroom teacher is the first person to make contact with for minor concerns however subject teachers, Year Level Coordinators and Deputy Principals can also be contacted at all times.
Paul Clohesy & Michelle Brodrick - Deputy Principals
Welcome back for 2015. The reflection to begin our staff meeting last Tuesday reminded us that teachers are very lucky. Every year we get to start anew – new classes, new students, some new staff, and sometimes new offices. We begin with the hope that all will go well, that we will teach our students with passion and skill, that they will welcome the challenges that we plan for them, that we will see growth in their words and actions.
Our students are just as lucky. They also get to have a new start each year – new teachers, new classmates, new challenges, and new opportunities. They begin with hope, for a good year, for teachers who will want to get to know them, for success, for fun with friends, for growth.
Through the following prayer we recognise that these hopes will be achieved with the guidance of God’s Spirit working within us all.
Lord, at the beginning of this New Year, I offer you my life. Come take my voice, may the words I speak be filled with encouragement and goodness. Come take my hands, may the work they create be generous and giving. Come take my feet, may the journeys I walk be led by your Spirit within. Come take my life Lord, for I love your goodness, your kindness and your leading. Amen.
This year there are a few new faces in the Mission Office. Zoe Marshall zoe.marshall@sjc.vic.edu.au has taken on the role of Service Learning (community service) Coordinator. Rachel Roche rachel.roche@sjc.vic.edu. au is the Faith Development Coordinator, responsible for Renewals and Liturgies. Vicki Mills vicki.mills@sjc.vic. edu.au continues in her role as the Religious Education Domain Leader, Kylie Pretty kylie.pretty@sjc.vic.edu. au is currently the ATSI Coordinator, and I remain as the Director of Identity jo.hart@sjc.vic.edu.au. Should you have any reason to contact us, please do so using the above email addresses.
Jo Hart - Director of Identity
Chess club will meet in F9 each Friday lunchtime commencing 13 February. Students from all levels are welcome to play or learn to play.
Michelle Cameron
subject or senior school pathway): Percentages/ Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory/Competent/Not Yet Competent
• Teacher feedback on each assessment;
• (Year 7 to Year 10) Student achievement assessed against AusVELS progressions; and,
Curriculum News
A very warm welcome to parents, students and staff as we commence the 2015 academic year. I hope the holiday break has been a time of rest and renewal for all. I’d like to welcome all our new students and in particular all our Year 7 students who begin their academic life at St Joseph’s. I am delighted to be appointed as Director of Curriculum and I am looking forward to continuing the fine tradition of learning excellence for which St Joseph’s is renowned. I am also looking forward to meeting many of you throughout the year.
During last week, staff were involved in a number of planning meetings to prepare for the boys’ return this week. It has been very gratifying to witness the dedication and commitment of the staff in providing the best possible opportunities for students to be their best. I am very confident that students will be engaged and “strive for the highest” in their studies in 2015.
Term 1 is when most students establish the way in which they intend to work throughout the year. Establishing good routines early in the term can make an enormous difference to the quality of student work produced throughout the year. I want to encourage all our families to have high expectations and support the boys’ academic endeavours in partnership with their teachers. Subject teachers are in the best position to know how your child is progressing so please don’t hesitate to contact them in the first instance. Assessment feedback, reporting academic achievement and the PAM (Parent Access Module)
Our school intranet system, “SIMON” features a Parent Access Module (PAM) where parents are able to view many of the daily occurrences at the College. The Director of ICT, Mr Chris Valmadre has included information about the module in this newsletter edition. Being able to monitor student attendance, your son’s timetable, assessment results, teacher feedback, daily messages and many other features in real time, strengthens the links between home and the school by providing up to date information about the student’s progress Throughout the course of the semester, academic results and teacher feedback will be posted and viewable from the “Learning Resources” section of PAM (Parent Access Module). Teacher feedback and results will appear for assessment tasks (Year 7 to Year 10), SACs/SATs (VCE) and the VCAL. These results should appear within two weeks of an assessment being completed.
St Joseph’s has six formal reporting periods throughout the year. At the conclusion of Terms 1 and 3, students will receive a Mid-Semester Report which indicates the level of academic progress – not assessment grades - that the student has made as well as the Work Habits demonstrated throughout the term. At the end of Semester One, all students will receive a Semester Report that will contain:
• Assessment indicators and/or grades (depending on the
• Work habits
Students in Year 7 to Year 11 receive a Semester Report in the second semester.
In summary:
Term Type of Report
11. Mid-Semester Reports (accessed online)
2. Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
23. Semester Reports (accessed online)
34. Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
5. Mid-Semester Reports (accessed online)
46.Year 7 to Year 11 Semester Reports (accessed online)
Student reports are accessible and can be printed from the parent module once they have been made available. The Mid-Semester Report in Term 1 will be available for viewing well before the Parent/Student/Teacher interviews.
Applications for a change of subject close tomorrow
FRIDAY 6
FEBRUARY
Each year, every effort is made to ensure that the maximum number of students are in subjects they selected. A small number of students realise that a subject they had selected the previous year is no longer suitable or possible (it may clash with another subject or is not being offered). For these students a subject change is a sensible course of action. A subject change is a significant decision and this is why we ask that a student applying for a subject change has all the necessary signatures according to the application form. Once the student has these permissions, he must see Mr Dawson who will be able to determine whether the request can be met within the student’s timetable. Senior school students must also make an appointment with the Careers department to check that their selections align with the post-school aspirations. It is sometimes the case that a change of subject cannot be granted because of a subject clash or another reason that will be communicated to the student. All subject changes must be finalised by tomorrow (Friday February 6) to maximise the student’s attendance in the new subject and minimise the amount of catch up work.
Books and Booklists
The collection of booklist parcels and laptops ran very smoothly and I wish to acknowledge the work of Dominic and his team from ‘Landmark’ for the efficient distribution of student texts and stationery and the ICT team for the distribution of the student laptops. If there is an issue with a book listed item, please contact the Campion team at Landmark or myself at the College.
Term 1 Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews
Parent/Student/Teacher interviews will be held in the College’s Gymnasium on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 March. More information about this event will appear in subsequent issues of the newsletter.
Michael Goss – Director of Curriculum
ICT Matters
ACMA Cybersafety Presentations Cancelled
The Cybersafety Presentations to students and parents have been cancelled by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. We are trying to source another presenter and will inform parents if this eventuates.A summary of the 2014 presentations is available for download from the SJC website. http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/learning-Student-Computer-Program
Email Addresses - update
Some parents may need to update their email address as we only use the address provided in your sons’ enrolment information. If this has changed since your last enrolment information update, please send email address updates to registrar@sjc.vic.edu.au
PAM – Parent Access Module
The Parent Access Module login details and an instruction sheet will be emailed to all parents once email addresses have been updated.
The Parent Access Module allows parents to see:
• Assessment results and teacher comments as they are marked
• Due dates for assessment tasks
• Attendance for all lessons
• The number of behavioural incidents
• Daily messages for students
The instruction sheet can be downloaded from the College website.
http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/learning-curriculum_overview
Filtering on Student Laptops
Parents are able to request the school activate extended hours for internet filtering on the student laptop. If you are interested in this service, please download the form from the SJC Website and hand in to the school office.
http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/learning-Student-Computer-Program
The school internet filter:
All student laptops have internet filtering on school days between 8am and 3.30pm. There is no cost for this service
The following internet areas are filtered: Adult/pornographic content, violent content, gambling, games, social networking, sites that cause security problems, YouTube and other internet video services that are not listed under “Education”, unfiltered image searches, email other than school email, peer-to-peer sites for downloading illegal content and chat sites.
The following are unblocked when we ALLOW “Recreation” sites:
Sites in this category include some game sites, some social networking (like Facebook), Web email, some forums. If Skype is installed it will be blocked at school but it will work
at home. If parents do not want students to use Skype, please ask your son to uninstall it.
The school will only provide the options shown School Term Options
Filtering option – please select one only for during school Terms
1. Keep the same filtering as used at school
2. Same as number one but allow recreation sites between 5pm and 6pm each day
3. Same as number one but allow recreation sites between 6pm and 7pm each day
4. Same as number one but allow recreation sites between 7pm and 8pm each day
5. Same as number one but allow recreation sites between 8pm and 9pm each day
6. Retain the same filtering as used at school for MondayThursday but allow recreation sites Friday 4pm to Sunday 9pm
7. Same as 6 but also allow recreation sites between 5pm and 6pm Mon-Thurs
8. Same as 6 but also allow recreation sites between 6pm and 7pm Mon-Thurs
9. Same as 6 but also allow recreation sites between 7pm and 8pm Mon-Thurs
10. Same as 6 but also allow recreation sites between 8pm and 9pm Mon-Thurs Term Break Options
Filtering option – please select one only for during Term breaks
1. Keep above selection for the Term break as well 2. Allow recreation sites anytime over the Term break
Mr Chris Valmadre – Director of ICT
A Music Information evening will be held on Monday 9 February in the Br O S Adams Gymnasium from 7-8pm. This is a chance for Year 7 boys in particular, but also any other boys from other year levels to explore possible instrumental or vocal tuition.
Many of our Instrumental Teachers will be on hand to answer any questions you might have. There will be an opportunity for boys to try out on all the instruments. Parking is available on Queens Road, enter via Gate 6. Robyn Gallaher - Music Assistant
Three Big Changes To The Vaccine Program
In 2015 three major changes to the vaccine program will impact on parents of secondary school students:
1. The Barwon Health Immunisation Service may contact you about the secondary school vaccine program. Schools have been authorised to provide parent contact details to local councils for this purpose. Contact the school(ph: 03 5226 8100 or email: office@sjc.vic.edu.au) by 28 February 2015 if you do not want your contact details given to the Barwon Health Immunisation Service.
2. In 2015 only the vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough will be offered to all students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. From 2016, this vaccine will be offered to Year 7 students only. This will provide earlier protection from these diseases.
3. The time-limited human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine program for Year 9 boys was completed in December 2014. A catch-up program is being offered through Barwon Health Immunisation Service for those who have not yet completed the course until 23rd December 2015 . HPV vaccine will continue to be offered to all students (both male and female) in Year 7 from 2015.
Look out for the vaccine consent form/s coming home from school with your child. You need to read, complete and return the form/s regardless of whether your child is being immunised at school.
To learn more about the changes, the diseases, the vaccines, or how you can prepare your child for vaccination go to immunehero.health.vic.gov.au
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 2015 VET STUDENTS
VET start dates: VET students attending St Joseph’s College will be starting from week one.
VET buses: VET buses are available to transport students to off-site providers on Monday and Wednesday each week commencing service on Wednesday 4 February. Students needing to catch a VET bus will be able to leave class at 12:30pm on their designated VET day in order to get dressed and depart the College at 12:45pm.
VET attire and equipment: All students attending VET studies at the College and off-site providers must have all the required VET attire and equipment. Failure to bring the appropriate attire and equipment will result in students being unable to participate in classes or sent home.
VET withdrawals: If your son is no longer wanting to undertake VET studies in 2015 it is imperative that he completes a VET Withdrawal Form. The VET Withdrawal Form can be collected from the Careers Office and must be signed by a Parent or Guardian and returned to the VET Coordinator by the VET cut-off date.
VET cut-off date: The VET cut-off date is Wednesday 4 March. Any VET withdrawal forms received after this date will incur the full VET charge.
If you have any enquiries regarding VET please don’t hesitate to contact me via email jarrodg@sjc.vic.edu.au or on 5226 8118.
Jarrod Gore - VET Coordinator
St Joseph’s Registration Day is Sunday 22nd February for Junior Football, Little League, Auskick and Netball is on at our Clubrooms; Drew Reserve, Hilltop Road, Herne Hill from 10am until 3pm. Apparel will also be able to be ordered on this day. This option may be easier for families.
Alternatively you are now able to register online for all football, if you played last year you will receive an email from AFL Barwon with a link, the choice is yours.
