Assistant Principal - Mission - Staff and Student Wellbeing

Since arriving at St John Paul College, I have continued to be amazed by the experience of community that has been on show. In his book When All Is Said And Done, Neale Daniher constantly returns to the role community has played in his life, whether it be initially his family on the farm, his time at Ascension College, at Essendon football club or in the most recent time as he leads the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The power of supporting each other is something that we should never under estimate.

The initial two staff days of the year consisted of the regular meetings and organisation that comes with every school, however it all occurred within an atmosphere of care for one another. Similarly, the support the students and parents have shown for one another in the sense of community has been clearly obvious. The swimming carnival was a great opportunity for the College to come together and celebrate the athletic ability of its students in a friendly atmosphere. In the past week the Year 7 cohort had their Belonging Day and Night and were joined by an energetic group of Year 10 students who shadowed and supported them throughout their activities. In the evening the students and parents came together for a liturgy and meal to celebrate the successful transition into high school. On Tuesday evening a group of enthusiastic parents attended the first Parents and Friends meeting for the year, while over 250 students from many year groups enjoyed the College Social in the Hall. To finish off what was a very busy week, Mr Tim Davis hosted a carers and sons evening on Friday night.

All of these events took effort to organise and attend however, they are a very important aspect of College life. Students and families are continually encouraged to support the College’s Code of Conduct which highlights the need for engagement for all students.

A final reminder to all parents that the first free Parenting Ideas webinar entitled “Future Proofing your Child” will air on Wednesday 18 March at 8:00PM. All parents are encouraged to go to the Parenting Ideas website, click on webinars and add the voucher code of FUTURE to avoid the $37 regular charge. Any feedback will be welcomed.

Until next week:

Remember; ’it takes a village to raise a child’.