Assistant Principal - Mission - Staff and Student Wellbeing

Dear Parents

It is wonderful to join St John Paul College in 2020 in the position of Assistant Principal – Mission - Staff and Student Wellbeing. My family and I have relocated from Wagga Wagga, where we have spent the past twenty-five years at different schools. I am pleased to say that I have been warmly welcomed by staff and students alike.

I firmly believe that for a student to be successful at school, they must feel safe and happy to be themselves, within obvious guidelines. These guidelines are clearly explained in St John Paul College’s Code of Behaviour that is visibly present right across the College. Highlighting the need for student personal engagement, being responsible for their own behavior, having respect for themselves, others and the College and a willingness to cooperate with others is a great recipe for personal success in any organisation. While we all slip up from time to time, I encourage all members of the College community to do their best to follow these principles as we seek to establish the best learning environment for our young people.

Being a parent is no easy feat. My wife and I are parents to three young adults and one teenager, and I assure you that there have been, and continue to be, times where I wonder if what I am doing for them is in their best interest. The College has membership to various professional organisations. The one I would like to draw your attention to today is Parenting ideas. Through the College’s membership, parents have access to free Webinars throughout the year (valued at $37 each). Topics explored include:

‘Future proofing your child’ – March 18

‘Understanding techno tantrums’ – June 17

‘Teaching young people about healthy relationships’ – September 9

‘Parenting like a cat and dog’ - November 11

Vouchers for these Webinars will be made available closer to presentation dates.

The end of the school day is always going to be problematic, and the recent soaking rains have even made it more difficult at times (not that we are complaining about the life giving falls). The best way to alleviate this problem is for students to use the public transport supplied. However, if this is not possible parents are asked to always follow the guidelines for student pickup. If you drive past the pickup area and your child is not in sight, please head to the car park adjacent to the all-purpose courts. Do not continue around and stop in the pickup zone to wait for your child. This causes a bank up of traffic and eventually a situation of grid lock. The aim is to keep this area flowing as much as is possible. Parents are also reminded that the top carpark is NOT a student pickup area. With the buses arriving and departing between 3:10pm and 3:50pm, this is not a safe area for pedestrian traffic. Thanks to all for your patience thus far at this very busy time of the day.

Until next time:

‘There is no one giant step that does it ……… It’s a lot of little steps’