Principal’s Blog – Term One, Week Eight

As autumn marches on, the eighth week of Term held plenty of newsworthy moments at St Joseph’s College.

We hosted 109 Grade 5 students from Sacred Heart, St Joseph’s Red Cliffs, and St Paul’s Catholic primary schools on Tuesday. In four fun-filled hours at the Mercy campus, the youngsters participated in activities involving Dance, Drama, and Food Technology. They also spent time getting active with tabloid sports games and gave our climbing wall a go.

Also on Tuesday, prospective students and their families toured both the Enright and Mercy campuses as part of our yearly Open Evening. Attendees visited subject displays and spoke with teachers about the boundless possibilities St Joseph’s College offers students from all over Sunraysia.

Harmony Week

Harmony Week gains in popularity every year, and it’s easy to see why. Its motto, ‘everyone belongs’, really says it all. This year’s college events promoted positivity and inclusion on a grand scale:

• The Mercy Action Group raised more funds for Project Compassion by selling orange-coloured treats at lunchtime on Harmony Day, Tuesday 21 March.
• On Thursday, students attended a special Harmony Day assembly and enjoyed a free sausage sizzle and a lunchtime concert featuring the talents of our musicians and singers.
• Friday was ‘Harmony Casual Day’. We encouraged students and staff to wear orange, the official colour of Harmony Week. Students could also wear traditional cultural dress and model their outfits on the catwalk as part of a fashion parade.

The 28th National Schools Constitutional Convention

College Year 11 student Grace Albanese spent three days this week in Canberra as one of the 24 Victorian delegates to the 28th National Schools Constitutional Convention. Grace joined 115 other Year 11 and Year 12 students from across the country as they discussed this year’s theme: ‘Constitutional Reform – Is section 128 still a necessary requirement to change such an important document as the Australian Constitution?’

After attending the Prime Minister’s Welcome Reception, the delegates spent two days hearing from experts and debating issues relating to the holding of referendums as stipulated in section 128. On the third day, they voted in a mock referendum of their own conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. The Convention’s outcomes will be compiled and forwarded to the President of the Senate, Senator Sue Lines, for tabling in Parliament and officially recorded in Hansard.

Grace and her fellow delegates also attended a meeting with the Governor-General, The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) at Government House and a special dinner at the High Court of Australia.

What an amazing opportunity. We are very proud of Grace for being chosen to represent both St Joseph’s College and Mildura at this important Convention.

God bless.

Mrs Marg Blythman
College Principal