Compassion Innovation Integrity

135 Aphrasia StreetNewtown Victoria 3220

Ph: 03 5226 8100Fax: 03 5221 6983

Email: sjcoffi ce@sjc.vic.edu.auWeb: www.sjc.vic.edu.au

News & EventsThursday 27 February 2014 - Issue No 3

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of the College,Former student, Brennan Houghton’s funeral mass took place at St Mary’s Basilica last Tuesday. It was wonderful to see the support of Brennan’s class mates, who although they have left the College, chose to wear their school ties to the service. About 150 of his year level were in attendance, a fine tribute to a courageous fighter.

During the week I was asked to address a Year 12 Religion class about issues of belief. As part of that presentation I shared some of my life story and reflected on the difficulties I experienced at school as a consequence of my father not being a Catholic. I think in the past the Catholic Church has been too focussed on that which divides rather than unites us with other Christian Churches. The current Pope, Francis recently addressed this issue during an address in St Peter’s square on 22 January this year where he referred to Christianity’s divide as a scandal. I have included some extracts from his speech below.

As St Paul reproached the Corinthians for their divisions and rivalries, he asked them, “Is Christ divided?” the Pope said. “Christ has certainly not been divided. But we have to recognise with sincerity and with sorrow that our communities continue to live divisions that are a scandal,” the Pope said. “Divisions among Christians are a scandal. There is no other word for it. A scandal.” Christians had two important elements in common - baptism and the cross, he said. However, the Pope stated that divisions among Christian communities “weaken the credibility and the effectiveness of our efforts to evangelise, and they risk emptying the cross of its power and meaning”.

After his main catechesis, the Pope addressed Arab Christians in the square, especially those from Egypt, asking them to never let the faith be used to divide, but to join in communion with God and their brothers and sisters.

Let the Lord’s name be proclaimed, not to shut people out, but “to open the heart to love which unites and enriches” he said. “Let’s pray that the Lord grants unity to Christians, living differences as a richness; seeing the other as a brother to welcome with love.”

Principal’s Report

St Joseph’s College Geelong

New Parent Welcome EveningAsh Wednesday LiturgySJC Athletics DayLabour Day - Public HolidayComputer Free DayWestcourt Campus OpeningEdmund Rice DayNational Anti Bullying, Anti Violence DayP&F Trivia NightBarefoot Bowls n Beats

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Calendar of Events

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Last Friday evening I attended the Associated Catholic Colleges Swimming Sports at the Melbourne Aquatic Centre. Congratulations to all who competed in the event.

Last Saturday evening the St Joseph’s Cricket Club celebrated their 50th anniversary. The club is located on our school grounds and provides coaching to about 9 junior sides as well as providing one of the largest Milo junior coaching clinics in Victoria. During the evening I was presented with a cricket bat recognising the support of St Joseph’s College from 1964 - 2014. I hope to display the bat in its glass case in a prominent place and in doing so reflect on a mutually beneficial partnership over the past 50 years. Congratulations and best wishes to all those connected with the club and its history. Sporting clubs connect people into their local communities and therefore are an important part of our social fabric and so I wish the club well, as it moves into the second half of the century.

Paul Tobias - Principal

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& Enrolment at St Joseph’s College Geelong

Thursday 24 April 2014

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Compassion Innovation Integrity

Upfront Fee Payment Discount

The College offers a discount of 3% off the tuition fee to those who pay College fees ‘upfront’. For those families wishing to take advantage of this fees must be paid in full by 28 February.

Chess Club

2014 Chess Club has begun with a fantastic turnout of students from all year levels.Each Friday students are welcome to play chess, learn some new skills and meet other students.This week our celebrity player was Mr Gnaccarini.He had no shortages of talented challenges but like the champion he is, he remained undefeated.I was impressed with his ability and thought it apt to ask him a few questions:When did you first play chess? When I was 7.Why did you start playing chess?My grandmother gave me a set for Christmas.What do you like about the chess club?Taking the opponent’s pieces off the board and the battle of attrition.Chess club meets each Friday in F8Ms Cameron & Mr Conroy - Chess Coordinators

News from the Deputies

SENIOR YEARS INFORMATION EVENINGWe would like to thank all the families who attended our Senior Years Information Evening on Tuesday February 18. For those who were unable to attend we have placed the presentation onto the College Website http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/learning-Senior-Years The presentation only includes key points so please don’t hesitate to contact the College if you need more information.YEAR 11 SPORTS UNIFORMYear 11 is the final year of compulsory physical education practical classes at St Joseph’s and we have decided to allow Year 11 students to wear their PE uniform to school on their PE Prac day. In the past we have been hesitant to allow senior boys to wear their sports uniform to school as we have found that they often replaced official uniform items with their own brands. To ensure that the students will continue to benefit from this change in policy, it is essential that the sports uniform is worn correctly. In Terms 1 and 4 any combination of St Joseph’s sports clothing can be worn, however, in Terms 2 and 3 the full winter sports uniform must be worn including the tracksuit jacket.If you have any concerns relating to this change please don’t hesitate to contact the College.NEW PARENT WELCOME EVENINGWe wish to remind parents and carers that the “new parent welcome evening” will be held next Tuesday 4 March beginning at 7.00pm in the Br O S Adams Centre (gym). We hope that parents of all boys new to the College in 2014 will attend. The purpose of the evening is to give parents, particularly those of Year 7s, an opportunity to meet other parents in their son’s Homeroom, to meet staff who will be working closely with their sons and to hear about the many services we provide to support the boys throughout the time at the College. We look forward to meeting you on the evening. Claire Brown & Paul Clohesy - Deputy Principals

www.sjc.vic.edu.au

Beach Bonanza

On Monday 17 February, 7C and 7I went to Bancoora beach for a surf day. The surf day was good not only because we missed out on school, but because I built bigger and stronger relationships with some other boys. Surfing was also good because they taught us how to stand up and ride a wave. We got to do beach activities with other kids in our class and also get more confident in the water. Overall the beach day was one of the best days so far.Lachlan Stonehouse - 7C

On Friday night the St Joseph’s Swim Team travelled to Melbourne to compete in the annual ACC carnival. As soon as we got there the atmosphere was electric with the cheer squads in full voice. Will Paatsch got the team off to a great start finishing third in the Open 200m Freestyle. Overall it was a great night and experience for all involved. We competed hard and had some fantastic individual results. These were just some of the outstanding individual swims on the night.Will Paatsch 3rd 200m Freestyle 1st 50m Freestyle 2nd 50m Butterfly 2nd 50m BackstrokeBaxter Mensch 3rd 50m FreestyleBrayden Thompson 2nd 50m Freestyle 2nd 50m BreaststrokeBlake Robinson 3rd 50m BreaststrokeNathan Keating 1st 50m Freestyle 3rd 50m Breaststroke 2nd 50m ButterflyAshley Thompson 1st 50m BreaststrokeJohn Perks 1st 50m BreaststrokeEthan Lewis 2nd 50m ButterflyConnor Pickett 2nd 50m BackstrokeLachlan Dunell 3rd 50m Backstroke

ACC Swimming Results

ROUND 3 - SJC v DE LA SALLESJC 10/185 cc (Connor Jervies 59, James Hickey 23, Sam Plummer 20, Billy Hyde 20, Jack Driver 19, Jordan Stone 18)defeated DE LA SALLE 5/65 off 20 overs (Sam Plummer 3/9, D McNeel 1/6, Connor Jervies 1/12)*Game reduced to 20 overs due to rain, De La Salle’s revised target was 165.

Cricket - SJC First XI

Community service is well and truly underway at St Joseph’s this year. A number of staff have already generously spent time out at Samaritan House providing a meal and supervision overnight at this facility. Samaritan House provides a meal and a bed for homeless men in Geelong. Other staff members and students have visited the breakfast programs we support. Every week we have staff and students assist St Vincent De Paul with providing breakfast for the primary school students of Christ the King, St Francis Xavier and St Thomas Aquinas. This year our commitment has grown to include a new breakfast program at Christ the King, which has been extremely popular so far with 90 -100 people being served breakfast. Community service in the school has grown with the introduction of compulsory hours to be completed at Year 7, Year 11 and Year 12 levels. Students in Year 7 are required to complete 2 hours, students in Year 11 are required to complete 8 hours over two years and students in Year 12 are required to complete 5 hours. Years 9 & 10 complete school based community service. This is an ongoing program that is developing each year with next year seeing the introduction of compulsory community service hours at Year 8.Please encourage your boys to become involved in community service as the experience for them will be rewarding and they will feel a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that they are helping someone else in need.Boys are encouraged to complete community service hours in their own time. Please see community service opportunities listed towards the back of this newsletter for Clean Up Australia Day and for the Irish Folk Festival. For hours to be verified an authentication form must be signed by a supervisor at the place of community service.Claire Wrigley - Community Service Coordinator

Community Service News

www.sjc.vic.edu.au

Curriculum News

VICTORIAN YOUNG LEADERS TO CHINA PROGRAMThirteen of our Year 9 students are busy preparing for 6 weeks in China as part of the Victorian Young Leaders to China program. The students will spend one week in intensive Mandarin language training, one week visiting key cultural sites and four weeks in classes at leading schools in Shanghai and Nanjing, capital of Victoria’s sister-state, Jiangsu Province. St Joseph’s College is one of eight schools that have been chosen to participate in this program. ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING PAM (Parent Access Module) is up and running. Parents/guardians have been sent log in details and are encouraged to have a look at the information that is presented on PAM such as daily messages, school events and assessment. Through the Learning Areas section on PAM, parents have access to more immediate feedback on assessment. Assessments will appear when all of the class has been completed and in many cases it has been cross marked with teachers across the whole year level. These measures are important to provide consistency and accuracy in our reporting system. It does mean that it is unreasonable to expect assessments to appear immediately on the system. Later this term, Mid Semester Reports will also be distributed via PAM. Whilst this is a really valuable way to communicate progress, nothing can replace the important contact and discussions held at parent teacher interviews. The interviews that are held in Term 1 are a wonderful opportunity to meet all teachers and discuss how teachers, parents and students can work together. These interviews are for students and parents to attend and they will be held at the end of Term 1 and mid-term in Term 3. Term 1 Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Thursday 3 April 4-7pm and Friday 4 April 9-12noon in the Br O S Adams Centre (gym). Westcourt teachers will also be conducting their interviews in the gym at the main campus.For Year 7 parents and new parents to the school, we have quite a unique system for these interviews. No appointments are necessary. This enables parents to access as many teachers as they can in the time they have available.

ESTABLISHING GOOD HABITSIn our everyday lives, it is sometimes difficult to find time for our sons/students to complete homework. If we do not provide time, students will often think that a task that has been set for homework can be quickly done when they arrive at school or during breaks. The start of the school year is the best time to establish regular work habits. BOOK SUPPLIESIf any parents have any queries relating to textbooks, they are encouraged to contact Landmark or the school. Up to date information on books will be available on the school website. Michelle Brodrick - Director of Curriculum

STUDENTS IN YEARS 10 – 12 SHOULD BE READING THE WEEKLY CAREERS NEWS BULLETINCareers information is not just for Year 12 students. It is relevant to all senior year levels. WHERE CAN I FIND CAREERS INFORMATION? SJC has its own Careers Blog. This is the place to go to keep up to date. The weekly Career News bulletin is published on the Blog, under the CAREERS tab, in the menu at the top of the page. At the very least, students in Years 10 – 12 should be reading this weekly newsletter. It contains the latest Careers news information and events, and it includes links to relevant information. Please make the time to visit the Careers Blog, and if you have any suggestions or questions, send the Careers Room a ‘post’! The link to the home page of the Careers Blog is: http://blogs.sjcgeelong.catholic.edu.au/careers/

Senior students and the Weekly

Careers News Bulletin

Year 10 Work Experience

All students must have organised their work experience placement and returned their yellow work experience arrangement form by Friday 28 February to the Careers Office (unless alternative arrangements have been made directly with Mrs Shum).Any student having difficulty finding a work experience placement is asked to see Mrs Shum at the Careers office as soon as possible.If any parent is interested and able to offer a work experience placement to a Year 10 SJC student, please contact Karen at the Careers Office on 5226 8143.Karen Shum - Careers Coordinator

Compassion Innovation Integrity

ICT Matters

STUDENT LAPTOP ADJUSTMENTSInstructions have been sent to students’ emails and to their teachers who can assist or the boys can bring laptops to the ICT Centre.1. Internet connectionsProblems connecting to SIMON (our Intranet) or Google? Boys need to install the Chrome browser and set the homepage to sjc.vic.edu.au2. EmailBoys need to set up Outlook3. PrintersBoys need to install Printers while they are at school.PAM – PARENT ACCESS MODULESome parents may need to update their email address as we only use the address provided in your sons’ enrolment information. Please send email address updates to registrar@sjc.vic.edu.auThe Parent Access Module login details have been emailed to all parents.Please continue to check your son’s assessment results and due tasks by logging into PAM regularly. Please contact helpdesk@sjc.vic.edu.au for any assistance.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 incidentsFILTERING ON STUDENT LAPTOPSParents 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 http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/learning-Student-Computer-Program• The school will only provide the options shown• There is no cost for this serviceChris Valmadre – Director of ICT

SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT TASKSThe English faculty has devised some guidelines for the submission of assessment tasks. ENGLISH DOMAIN GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSMENT TASKS IN YEARS 7 & 8To encourage Years 7 and 8 English students to maintain an organised approach to their studies and achieve their best, the English domain has introduced the following guidelines:• Years 7 and 8 English students are expected to submit

assessment tasks on the date they are due. Exemptions from this include the student being absent on the due date or a parental note explaining the reason for the non-completion of the task by the due date.

• Due dates are outlined on the planning schedule provided to all students at the beginning of each semester.• Students who do not submit their assessment task on

the due date will be requested to submit the work by the following lesson and a letter outlining the unsatisfactory effort of the student will be sent to his parents/guardians.

• English staff will guide and support students to be organised with their work and achieve their best.• These guidelines do not relate to completion of homework tasks.ENGLISH DOMAIN GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETION OF PRACTICE PIECES BEFORE YEAR 10 AND VCE ENGLISH SACSTo provide students with opportunities to develop their skills and provide them with feedback on their progress, the English domain has introduced the following guidelines:• Year 12 English students undertake 6 SACs (school

assessed course work) throughout the year. Year 12 English students will complete 2 practice pieces before being able to undertake a written SAC. The Oral SAC is exempted.

• If both practice pieces are not completed prior to aSAC, a letter indicating that the student has been given an N will be sent to the student’s parents/guardians. It is expected that students will redeem the N by completing the practice pieces before being able to undertake the SAC.

• Year 10 and 11 English students undertake 6 writtenSACs (school assessed course work) and 2 oral SACs during the year. Year 10 and 11 English students will complete 1 practice piece before being able to undertake a written SAC. The Oral SAC is exempted.

• If the practice piece is not completed prior to a SAC, aletter indicating that the student has been given an N will be sent to the student’s parents/guardians. It is expected that students will redeem the N by completing the practice piece before being able to undertake the SAC.

• All Year 10 and VCE English students are expected to abide by these guidelines. • Teachers will encourage and support students to develop the skills important to doing their best in each SAC and the exam.If you have any queries about these guidelines, please contact your son’s English teacher, or email me, margotd@sjc.vic.edu.auMargot Davies - English Coordinator

English Domain News

ARE YOU ATTENDING? RSVP NOW

http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/coming-events/westcourt-opening-celebration

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One of the biggest challenges for an event such as Edmund Rice Day is to help students, parents and staff connect what we do on that day to the people who benefit and the lives they lead.SO WHAT DO WE DO ON EDMUND RICE DAY?1. We recognize the founder of the Christian Brothers and the example he set in following Christ by seeking out the marginalized and working to restore their dignity.2. We celebrate the work of the Christian Brothers, particularly their work with the poorest of the poor, in places such as Tanzania and Kenya.3. We raise money to support this work and other projects in countries where access to education is the best gift we can give the people to enable them to free themselves of the bonds of absolute poverty.One fundamentally Catholic way to meet this challenge of connection is through the concept of solidarity. Solidarity has been a central concept of Catholic Social Teaching throughout its development. It is the ability to recognize the humanity in the “other”, our sisters and brothers, even when they live in places beyond our imagination. Charles E. Curran describes solidarity as helping “…us see the ‘other’ - whether that other is a person, people, or nation - not just as an object to be exploited but as our neigbour and helper, called with us to share in the banquet of life to which all are invited equally by God.”

COMPUTER FREE DAYTo help us express this solidarity with our Edmund Rice sisters and brothers in Africa and around the world, who live in absolute poverty, we are having a “Computer-Free” day here at the St Joseph’s College Main Campus (excludes Westcourt). On Friday 14 March, students and teachers will do without computers in the classroom for a whole day. Why? Because the students who our gift of fundraising assists, will never experience computers in their classroom. They are lucky if they have some recent text books to use. This “Computer-Free” day is about us as a community saying “We are with you!”

COMPUTER-FREE DAYSJC MAIN CAMPUSFRIDAY 14 MARCH

Students are required to leave their computers at home on Friday 14 March in an act of solidarity with the poorest of the poor for whom we fundraise on Edmund Rice Day. (Does not include Westcourt

students). Any enquiries can be made to Jo Hart (joh@sjc.vic.edu.au)

Pope Francis says “…this word solidarity is too often forgotten or silenced, because it is uncomfortable. It almost seems like a bad word…The culture of selfishness and individualism that often prevails in our society is not, I repeat, not what builds up and leads to a more habitable world.” While we hope we will raise a generous amount through the Edmund Rice Day Walkathon as has been the case for many years, we also hope to create a sense of solidarity between the students here at St Joseph’s and those to whom we give this gift.Jo Hart - Director of Identity

www.sjc.vic.edu.au

In Sympathy

Mr Ian Donaldson (69 years), father/father –in-law of Melissa and Alfred Vella, Aaron Donaldson (Old Collegian 1993), grandfather of Sebastian Vella (Year 11G), Kate, Stephanie and Jacqueline (past students SHC).Mr Max Foran, Old Collegian (1960), father of Mark Foran (1993) and past College Board member (1992 / 1993).Mrs Freda Kloess (87 years), grandmother of Tania and Michael Timms, staff member, great grandmother of Maeve and Sam.Mrs Barbara Theobald (74 years), grandmother of Charlie Johnson (Year 9), Ruby Johnson (SHC 2013) and Daisy Johnson (Sacred Heart College Year 12).Mr Tim Howells (Queensland), Old Collegian (1985), brother of Michael and Richard Howells (1980).Mr Royce Moncur (60 years, Gippsland), brother-in-law of Libby Mears (College Board Member) and Clarke Veale, uncle to Harrison (Year 12), Thomas (Year 11) and Ruby Veale (Sacred Heart College).Mr Eddie Sadler, grandfather of Jack Sadler-Cahoon (Year 8), and Old Collegians Cassidy Redden (2010) and Tanner Redden (2012).Mrs Nancy McKinnin (94 years), great grandmother of Adam Welsh (Year 8 ) and Megan Welsh (Year 10) Clonard College. Our hearts go out to you all as we pray “That God will welcome these faithfully departed into His loving arms. And that precious memories will be of comfort to those left behind, knowing that their love will live on in their hearts forever.”

EVENT WINNER TIMEJunior Medley FOLEY 2.33.93Intermediate Medley JORDAN 2.35.8Senior Medley BROPHY 2.28.5U/13 50m Freestyle A DREW GREEN 0U/14 50m Freestyle A JACK KEATING 31.8U/15 50m Freestyle A WILLIAM PAATSCH 26.7U/16 50m Freestyle A WILLIAM PAATSCH 0U/17 50m Freestyle A NATHAN KEATING 24.84Senior 50m Freestyle A HARRISON VEALE 27.72U/13 50m Breaststroke DREW GREEN 45.75U/14 50m Breaststroke JOHN PERKS 38.47U/15 50m Breaststroke JACK KEATING 40.24U/16 50m Breaststroke BLAKE ROBINSON 36.68U/17 50m Breaststroke NATHAN KEATING 33.05Senior 50m Breaststroke HARRISON VEALE 40.17U/13 50m Backstroke JOEL LEWIS 38.36U/14 50m Backstroke JOHN PERKS 38.04U/15 50m Backstroke AIDEN SWEENEY 39.7U/16 50m Backstroke BRAYDEN THOMPSON 32.18U/17 50m Backstroke NATHAN KEATING 32.53Senior 50m Backstroke ETHAN LEWIS 37.15Junior 50m Butterfly JOHN PERKS 8.00Intermediate 50m Butterfly WILLIAM PAATSCH 28.93Senior 50m Butterfly NATHAN KEATING 27.22U/13 4x50m Relay BUTLER 2.36.48U/14 4x50m Relay BUTLER 2.12.94U/15 4x50m Relay FOLEY 2.20.10U/16 4x50m Relay JORDAN 2.07.17U/17 4x50m Relay BROPHY 2.06.4Senior 4x50m Relay FOLEY 2.07.36Mitchell Classic 50m Sprint BRAYDEN THOMPSON 27.16

= New Record

2014 AGE GROUP CHAMPIONS

GROUP WINNER SECOND THIRDU/13 DREW GREEN ALEX BISINELLA

LACHLAN TAYLORJOEL LEWIS

U/14 JOHN PERKS ASHLEY THOMPSON BAXTER MENSCHU/15 JACK KEATING MITCHELL WHARMBY AIDEN SWEENEYU/16 WILLIAM PAATSCH BLAKE ROBINSON BRAYDEN THOMPSONU/17 NATHAN KEATING CAMERON DRAKE LUKE TRELOAR

MICHAEL PHILPSENIOR HARRISON VEALE

ETHAN LEWIS0.00 NICHOLAS JONES

FOLEYFOLEY BUTLER BUTLER BROPHY BROPHY JORDANJORDAN 1336 1306 1162 1039

Swimming House Results

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

The House Winner is:

SJC Swimming Carnival Results

Hear from returned students, find out more about discounts and scholarships available and ask questions.Thursday 6 March - 7.30pmBelmont Library163 High Street, BELMONTVisit www.studentexchange.org.auor call 1300 135 331 for more information

free student exchange information

evening in geelong

www.sjc.vic.edu.au

A question that teachers at Catholic schools often grapple with is the question of how best to share faith in God with students. It is a universal question asked by many people of faith including parents, bishops and popes. No doubt even Jesus asked himself the same question. He was utterly in love with God his father, yet so far from convincing some people that they nailed him to a cross. When I speak of faith, I am not referring to Christian values about the best way to live, or even the content of what Catholics believe. I am referring to that intangible element in one’s life where they know in their heart and mind and indeed, in the depth of their soul, that God is real and loves them unconditionally and is there for them every moment of every day offering inspiration, encouragement, wisdom and a host of other things. Values and beliefs can be taught, but how to “teach” a faith so profound yet so intangible? For me, this sharing of faith must be a joint venture between teachers and parents, as I will outline below.In a recent article, Father Kevin Bates reflected on faith as a gift (see article opposite). Fr Kevin is formerly from Geelong and is now a parish priest in Sydney. He says the best gifts are those that are freely given and come with no strings attached, in the sense that there are no expectations on the receiver whatsoever. In his article he is referring to God as the giver of the gift, and writes that God “happily sits back as a vulnerable lover, and delights as our gift of faith grows into something splendid. No matter how long we take to make sense of this grace, this gift, God, the faithful lover simply waits.” I like Father Kevin’s approach to faith as a gift, yet the question remains as to how this gift is communicated. Sometimes I think it would have been easier if God shared faith with us through lightning bolts or injected micro-chips into us! But God in his wisdom has destined that his gift of faith be passed on by human beings to each other. So, maybe those of us who genuinely can say we have a faith (however large or small), have an obligation to pass it on to others. Obligation is a strong word, but for those parents and teachers among us for whom the gift of faith is so important, surely we must try to find the words and actions to share it with the children and students that we love just as we first received it from those who loved us. John Harmon - Chaplaincy and Liturgy Coordinator

Passing on the gift of faith

REFLECTION THE GIFT OF FAITHFollowing on from our reflection on faith as a mystery, let’s look now at faith as a gift.Normally when we give a gift, there is love, acceptance, hope or thanks behind it on the part of the giver. There may also be some expectation that the gift will be well shared, that there will be expressions of thanks to the giver and that the recipient will use the gift in the way the giver intended.In this mode, the gift-giver assumes a certain position of power, inasmuch as her or his clearly expressed expectations accompany the gift. These expectations are a bit like gift-wrapping and they are seen to be an important part of the gift by the person doing the gifting. When these expectations are not met, the giver feels sad, disappointed and even angry that the “wrapping” was not acknowledged or honoured and the gift is then “misused” in the eyes of the giver. When a person receives a gift, it is sometimes a delightful surprise. Sometimes it is a gift that we expected. Sometimes it is a gift that we’ve been dropping hints about for ages to the hoped-for giver! In this instance, the person receiving the gift is in a position of power in that he or she can use the gift however they choose. The receiver can decide whether a word of thanks is to be given or not. Now the giver of the gift becomes the vulnerable and powerless one. In the life of the Church we have often enough looked at “people of faith” as being people who meet our expectations of what a committed Catholic looks like. In a parish we can offer and receive gifts with all sorts of strings attached. We can bind people up with our expectations of them and be disappointed when they cannot be the gift we hoped they’d be.A real gift is far removed from this kind of exchange and the gift of our faith becomes the model for us here. Faith cannot be purchased, wrapped in expectations or bound by some kind of contract. It is simply given and simply received.A pure gift is given without strings attached, without expectations and without any sense of power. A pure gift is just the opposite in that it is given as an act of surrender so that the giver puts himself or herself into the hands of the one being gifted and is content with simply offering the gift. Faith is such a gift. It cannot be purchased, bought or traded. It can’t be forced on anyone or any community. It only makes sense when it is received as freely as it has been given. Religion and religious practice have often been forced on people and communities, with promises of reward and threats of punishment, but this is a very different thing from faith.God’s gift of faith works subtly, mysteriously and surprisingly. God’s gift of faith massages us, puts us to the test, comforts us, delights us and persistently invites us to explore and discover. Given freely and only out of love, faith grows within us and among us in its own time and manner. God happily sits back as a vulnerable lover, and delights as our gift of faith grows into something splendid. No matter how long we take to make sense of this grace, this gift, God, the faithful lover simply waits. The rest is up to us.Father Kevin

Compassion Innovation Integrity

YEAR 7 BIN AUDITCongratulations to team Year 7 families!!! After completing our first waste audit for Year 7, I am pleased to announce that the total waste in the area for the week amounted to; 3x120L Waste bins and 2.5x240L Fully Commingled Recycling bins (Including weekend activities).By comparison, at the same time last year we averaged 13.3 x 240L bins per year level, per week. This is a wonderful improvement on reducing our waste and whilst some items are still being placed in the incorrect bins, we are certainly moving in the right direction!YEAR 8 BIN AUDITAn audit of the Year 8 area commenced on Tuesday and will conclude next Tuesday. I urge all students to support our endeavours by refusing to bring plastic wrappers to school.CUT THE WRAP!!!I would like to thank parents for their support and interest in our “Cut the Wrap” initiative, which we have been promoting in a bid to reduce the amount of “soft plastic” coming into the College, but also encouraging families to rethink the use of plastic altogether and try to find alternative ways to transport food. As many of our students do not carry their lunchboxes around the yard, I encourage you to consider baking/greaseproof paper as a biodegradable alternative for wrapping lunches. We are also encouraging students to use “Enviro lunch wraps” (insulated), as they are easily folded and placed in a pocket. Enviro lunch wraps are now available in stores and online and we are currently investigating having our own SJC “Enviro Wrap” produced. Please email me at kellyj@sjc.vic.edu.au, for more information regarding suppliers in Geelong.CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY Sunday 2 March 9.30 - 11am. St Joseph’s families are invited to join in “Cleaning up Australia” at the Jerringot Wetlands (part of Belmont Common). Please meet at the bird hide (Barwon Valley Golf Course entrance, off Barwon Heads Rd) to register. More information and a map may be obtained at the following website;http://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/Jerringot+WetlandStudents can also count their participation in Clean up Australia Day towards community service. For hours to be verified an authentication form must be signed by a supervisor at the place of community service.Kelly Jenkins - Sustainability Coordinator

Sustainability Matters

Congratulations

Year 11 student Thomas Vlalmis, is currently appearing in the television show ‘Fat Tony and Co’, playing the role of Tony’s son, which started on Sunday on channel 9. Thomas has played various roles in past school productions both at St Joseph’s and at Sacred Heart including “The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui” in 2013 and “Parade” in 2012. Congratulations to Thomas and best wishes.

Past student named the region’s

apprentice of the year

Former St Joseph’s student Mark Costa, (Class of 2009) was recently rewarded for his commitment to the workforce when he was named the region’s apprentice of the year. Mark is employed by OneSteel and is completing an electrical instrumentation qualification. He has been commended by OneSteel for his willingness to learn and for striving to improve.The apprentice and trainee awards recognise workers who have shown a range of skills, including passion, commitment and leadership. The details for this award and accompanying article were published in the Geelong Advertiser on 15 February. Well done Mark and best wishes for the future.

Compassion Innovation Integrity

9.00am-12.00noonStudent guided tours during normal school program with last tour leaving 11.30am

Year 7 Applications for 2015 close Friday 23 May 2014. Limited places available for Senior School.

• Quality Catholic education• Strong academic focus with

a well rounded education• Positive outcome for all boys• Excellent modern facilities• Extensive VET, VCAL and School

Based Apprenticeship program• Shared VCE classes with Clonard

College and Sacred Heart College

4.00pm-6.30pmStudent and staff guided tours of the facilities with last tour leaving 6.00pm

Tours leave every 15 minutes from the Peter Cannon Performing Arts Centre. Parking will be available at O’Driscol Oval on Queens Road.

hoolm

onard ollege

s

or

Compassion Innovation Integrity

Ms Rae KINGSBURYHonorary Consul Timor Leste Victoria

Timor Today

Christian College Bellarine

Christian College Highton

Clonard College

Geelong College

Geelong Grammar School

Geelong High School

Kardinia International College

Matthew Flinders Girls Sec College

Sacred Heart College

St Francis Xavier Primary School

St Ignatius College

St Joseph’s College

Suf Coast Secondary College

Torquay College P-6

An Eveningwith

Friends of Viqueque

BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.TRYBOOKING.COM/EFYH

Clean Up Australia Day & Friends of Waurn Ponds Creek

invite you to join us to help clean upthe surrounds of Waurn Ponds Creek

on Sunday, March 2 from 9.00am till noon at the Baseball car park near the junction of Pioneer Rd & Meadowvale Drive, Grovedale

Just turn up and register on the day. Bring water, hat, gloves, solid footwear

& any pickup tools you may have.

Email: fofwpc@y7mail.comWeb Site: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~fofwpc

orhttp://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDCome along for a fun day of volunteering

and build some of your community service hours on Sunday 15 March at St Patricks Primary school Irish Folk

Festival. We need your help with different activities, e.g. face painting, hand ball, book

store, craft, dunking booth and more! If you are available on the day between 10am and pm we ned you. Contact Julie

Sharkey (0417365614) or Sheri Steenhuis (0438823173)

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

CANTEEN ROSTER

THE TERM 1 CANTEEN MENU IS AVAILABLE ON THE COLLEGE WEBSITE

WWW.SJC.VIC.EDU.AU UNDER THE MENU

“STUDENT WELLBEING” IT ALSO IS POSTED ON

OUR COLLEGE APP

WESTCOURT CAMPUS CANTEEN PRICE LIST ASH WEDNESDAY 5 MARCH 2014• Margarita pizza $3.50• Nachos with salsa and sour cream $4.50• Baked potato with coleslaw, cheese and sour cream $4.50• Salad roll $3.70• Salad sandwich $3.20