St Joseph's College Lochinvar - Newsletter Term 1 2025

A Message from the Principal

I was probably one of the few people (apart from frustrated parents) who was really looking forward to school returning this year. Since my appointment in Term 3 of 2024, I have been working in the background in preparation for 2025, so when the day finally came to be, firstly on site with the College staff and then with the students, I could not have been happier.

What I have learnt so far is that everything I have heard is true. There is a strong, positive, family culture in this school. People care about each other and work together well to advance the interests of our students.

The students have been very welcoming and friendly and demonstrate a strong sense of pride in their college.  I have spent time in classrooms, and students are engaged in their learning and appear at ease with their teachers. The critical student / teacher relationship has a strong foundation, and I have great expectations of what we can achieve together throughout the year.

As I have met with different year groups, I have been delivering a consistent message about my expectations of students in 2025. It boils down to three very simple points.  

• Be Here – It’s not okay to be away from school for anything less than exceptional circumstances. Attendance is, unsurprisingly, a predictor of academic achievement and growth.
• Be Prepared – You’re responsible for your preparation. Have your equipment and resources in good order and on hand every day. Personal responsibility and consistent expectations are all part of growing from a child to a young person to a young adult.
• Work Hard – No matter where you’re starting your learning journey, you need to work hard. This means completing all set tasks, showing grit and determination when things get hard (and they will get hard). Ask questions, embrace mistakes and don’t be afraid to seek help, these habits will develop resilient learners. This also means working hard away from school. Homework and Assessment Tasks need to be completed to the highest possible standard.

Hand in hand with high expectations is high levels of support offered to students. We have a variety of supports on offer to ensure students have access to the services they need to achieve their best outcomes.  If you have any concerns, I encourage you to reach out and seek assistance.

Sisters of St. Joseph

In the past few weeks our Sisters of St. Joseph have been constantly in our prayers as we paid farewell to Sr. Ruth Long and congregational leader Sr. Carmel Hanson

Both extraordinary women of service who have left a legacy for us to strive towards.

Sr. Ruth was farewelled from the College on Monday 3 February while the funeral mass for Sr. Carmel was celebrated on Monday at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. We are grateful for their commitment, care and support of not only our community but all the lives they have touched.

High Achievers Assembly

On Friday 14th February the College came together to recognise and celebrate the academic excellence of our 2024 students in both the Higher School Certificate and Year 10 Record of School Achievement for our High Achievers Awards Ceremony.

2024 St Joseph's College Lochinvar Award for DUX 

Congratulation to Faith Rafferty who achieved the highest overall ATAR at the College in 2024, with an ATAR of 96.3, and has been awarded the 2024 St Joseph's College Lochinvar DUX Award.

Faith presented the following speech at Friday's assembly:

Good morning teachers, parents, students, special guests, and my fellow 2024 graduates.

It is an incredible honour to stand before you today as the DUX for 2024. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity and quite honestly still in shock.

When starting Year 12, getting DUX felt like a pipe dream of sorts, one of those things that I of course wanted to achieve but felt far out of reach. I still remember being at the last years year 12s graduation and after seeing Bella get first in course for all her subjects having Mr Johns say to me, “that better be you next year” and thinking “there’s no way that’s happening.” But it did and it serves as a reminder to me and hopefully to you that anything is possible with persistence, dedication, and the support of those around you.

When I was thinking about what I wanted to include in this speech, I reflected on the past years DUX speeches. I thought about what they said that stuck with me or what I hoping to hear them talk about, which was advice on how to study and prepare for the HSC. So, year 12 as well as the younger years here’s some advice on how to survive your final year of school based on what I found helpful and unhelpful in my preparation for the HSC. Firstly, I believe the best thing you can do is to put in consistent effort across the entire year. This means doing your summary sheets and revision as you finish each topic, instead of leaving it all to the end, and putting the best effort into all your assessment tasks, not just the trials and HSC. Year 12, I know you have already had your first assessments for most of your subjects, and some of you might not be happy with how you went but just remember a lot can change from now until the HSC. If you keep putting in 100% for all of your assessments, that rank can easily change.

Another important thing is to take breaks and find time for yourself during the HSC period. I have firsthand learnt that these breaks are not a waste of time, as I had previously thought, and instead make your studying much more effective as looking back on it now, the exams I did better on ended up being those where I made time to hang out with friends leading up to the exam. This time away from your desk gives your brain time to process and absorb what you have been studying, which is much better than trying to cram and getting burnt out. You shouldn’t have to put off socializing and doing things that you enjoy just because you think that time could be better spent studying - however it’s important to first plan out your study, consider how much effort you need to still put into a subject so then you can make time to do the things you want.

Another piece of advice I can give to you is to find ways to make studying more bearable. This could be by studying with your friends, if you know they aren’t going to distract you, or changing the location of where you study like going to the library. I also used study circle apps with my friends which meant we could keep each other accountable and have a bit of friendly competition as we tried to overtake each other with the number of hours we spent studying. And of course have lots of study snacks.

In the next few months, a lot of you will receive early offers to Uni and I think that gives a lot of people the excuse to give up on trying in the HSC. But don’t let it be, keep pushing yourselves. Because what do you have to lose? A few more months of hard work may feel like a struggle, but in the grand scheme of things, that small sacrifice will be nothing compared to the rewards of truly giving it your all. To know that at the end of the HSC, you can be proud of your results regardless of how you went because you know you tried your absolute best. So, Year 12, don’t give up. You’ve got this.

For the Year 10s who will be choosing their senior subjects this year and the Year 11s who have just started them, I would like to offer you some advice as well. Choose subjects that you enjoy. For those of you who want to do well in year 12, you may believe that you shouldn’t pick certain subjects because they will pull your ATAR down. But this isn’t always true. You don’t need to choose the hardest subjects to do well. Pick what you enjoy, because when you’re passionate about a subject, you’ll put more effort into it, leading to better results. If you choose subjects you don't like just for your ATAR or whatever degree you want to do, studying will feel painful, and you’ll lose motivation. Finding a balance with one or two subjects that you enjoy, like I did with Drama and Entertainment, can give you a break from the subjects you find difficult or boring. Your senior years at school are hard but those enjoyable subjects will make the journey easier.

I would also like to take a moment to express my gratitude to my teachers who supported me throughout not just year 12 but my entire school journey. You’ve given me the tools to succeed, the encouragement to keep going, and the belief that I could achieve more than I thought possible. Your dedication has shaped me into the person I am today so thank you. Also, to my friends and family, especially my Mum, who believed in and supported me throughout my entire schooling, who lifted me up when I was feeling down and helped me when I needed it most, especially with Chemistry and Maths.

As I move on to the next chapter of my life, with university this year, writing this speech gave me the opportunity to reflect on my schooling and what I will miss the most. I’ve only been out of school for a few months now, but I already miss being able to hang out with my friends every day and seeing my peers and teachers who I had grown close to over the past two years. So as much as you might dread going to school, please cherish it while it lasts and make many memories that you can look back on for years to come.

And of course, remember Lochinvar students can do anything, even if you don’t believe it is possible.

The following students achieved highly prestigious First in Course in the Diocese in HSC Courses.

James Drain

Equal First in Diocese: Geography

Rory Curtis

First in Diocese: Mathematics Standard 1 Examination

Caitlyn Farrell

First in Diocese: English Studies

Faith Rafferty

First in Diocese: VET Entertainment Examination

Caitlyn Schmidhauser

Equal First in Diocese: VET Business Studies Examination

2024 Year 10 RoSA Achievement Awards

Mackenzie Cronin

Sophie Fogarty

Isabelle Kennedy

Joan Rafferty

Regards

Mr Peter Antcliff
Principal

Ministry Musings

For new families and students to the College, my name is Taylor Zahra, and I am the Leader of College Ministry. My role at the school is to nurture the spiritual development of staff and students, in exploring their faith and growing closer in their relationship with Christ. To do so, I work with my colleagues and various students to develop prayer services, retreats, liturgies, and various spiritual activities to engage the community in deepening their faith.

This year is particularly significant as Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 as a Year of Jubilee, a sacred time of grace and renewal. Under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, we are called to reflect on where we place our hope and how we live it out in our daily lives. For our school, this theme has been embraced as “One Call. One Mission: Pilgrims of Hope”, reminding us that we journey together in faith, to renew our hope in Christ.

This year we will unpack what it truly means to renew our hope in Christ? Beginning by identifying that hope is more than just mere wishful thinking—it is a deep trust in God’s presence and promises. To nurture this hope, we must return to the foundations of our faith: reflecting on who Christ is, our relationship with Him, and how we encounter Him in our world.

One of the most profound ways we experience Christ is through creation itself. The world around us speaks of God’s love, power, and unfathomable intelligence. This is what we call the sacramentality of life—the ability to see God’s presence woven into everything He has made. From the vastness of the sky to the smallest blade of grass, all of creation reveals something about our Creator. Illustrating that God truly desires a relationship with us, as he makes himself visible in all things, we just have to look deeper to see Him.

With this mind for 2025, we will explore our relationship with Christ through our experiences, to renew our faith and strengthen our hope in Christ.

I look forward to journeying this path with each of you this year!

God Bless,
Mr Taylor Zahra
Leader of College Ministry

First Reading: Mark 6: 7-13

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. ⁷ Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. ⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. ¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Reflection:

Why would Jesus instruct the Twelve to go forth to preach with authority but to take nothing with them on the journey? Most people who set out on a journey prepare ahead and make sure to pack what they need. Jesus’ instruction was not so much a lesson in relying upon others for basic needs as it was a lesson on reliance upon divine providence for their ministry.

The material world is good in and of itself. All creation is good. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with having possessions and using them for our good and for the good of those who have been entrusted to our care. But there are times when God wants us to rely more upon Him than upon ourselves. The story above is one of those situations.

By instructing the Twelve to go forth on their mission without bringing the basic necessities of life, Jesus was helping them to trust not only in His providence for those basic needs but also to trust that He would provide for them spiritually in their mission of preaching, teaching and healing. They were given great spiritual authority and responsibility and, for that reason, needed to rely upon the providence of God to a far greater extent than others. Thus, Jesus exhorts them to trust Him regarding their basic needs so that they will also be disposed to trust Him on this new spiritual mission.

The same is true in our lives. When God entrusts us with a mission to share the Gospel with another, He will often do so in a way that requires great trust on our part. He will send us forth “empty-handed,” so to speak, so that we will learn to rely upon His gentle guidance. Sharing the Gospel with another is an incredible privilege, and we must realize that we will be successful only if we rely wholeheartedly upon the providence of God.

Reflect, today, upon those to whom you sense God wants you to reach out to with the Gospel. How do you do this? The answer is quite simple. You do so only by relying upon the providence of God. Step out in faith, listen to His guiding voice every step of the way, and know that His providence is the only way that the Gospel message will be effectively shared.

Concluding Prayer:

My trustworthy Lord, I accept Your call to go forth and to share Your love and mercy with others. Help me to always rely upon You and Your providence for my mission in life. Use me as You will and help me to trust in Your guiding hand for the upbuilding of Your glorious Kingdom on earth. Jesus, I trust in You.

ALL: Amen

Mary Mother of God … Pray for Us

St Joseph… Pray for Us 

St Mary of the Cross… Pray for Us 

Fr Julian… Pray for Us                                                                                                                   

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen

From the Assistant Principals....

Welcome to 2025.

Firstly, as Assistant Principals we would like an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the St Joseph’s community and outline our role at the College.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mr Matthew Johns for his work in 2024, as Assistant Principal each Monday. Mr Johns has returned to his full-time role as Leader of College Administration and Mrs Stokes to full-time Assistant Principal.

As Assistant Principals, we each have areas of responsibility within the College, working with the Leadership Team and Principal to support a range of areas within the school.

We are supported by a fantastic team of teachers and leaders within the school, but more importantly, a wonderful student body who continues to inspire us each day with their creativity, ambition, sporting prowess, resilience and determination. Lochinvar students can do anything and we love hearing the stories of students past and present doing amazing things across our community and world.

A bit about us..

Mrs Stokes

I am now in my 23^rd year of my teaching career, having worked previously at St Paul’s Booragul, St Peter’s Maitland, the Catholic Schools Office and St Joseph’s College Lochinvar. My primary areas of teaching are English, History and Religion.

During the last 15 years at St Joseph’s, I have witnessed immense change as the school has continued to grow from strength to strength.  I am incredibly proud to work at St Joseph’s, particularly in a school established by the Sisters of St Joseph.  Their dedication to education, the poor and the marginalised and their unfaltering faith in the providence of God inspires me each and every day to continue to improve in both my teaching and leadership roles.

When not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and love my daily walks with my dogs.  

Mr Dart

I would like to welcome all returning and new families to St. Joseph’s College. This is now my 30^th year of teaching, 29 of which have been in Catholic education. I started teaching in the western suburbs of Sydney in 1996, then four and a half years at St. Patrick’s Parish School in Cooma, 8 years at St. Francis Xavier College in Canberra and now up to my 18^th of educating in the Maitland/Newcastle diocese in three different Colleges. Time has certainly flown by.

I am a passionate Visual Arts teacher and love being in the classroom. In addition, I am a practicing artist, creating paintings and etchings when I get the chance. I surf, run, walk and enjoy being with my wife and kids.

It is a blessing to work at St. Joseph’s College, not only because we become part of a rich history of educating children on this site, but also because of the nature of community. I wish everyone the best as the year unfolds.

Mr Paul Dart  & Mrs Elizabeth Stokes
Assistant Principals

From the Counsellor’s Desk

WELCOME SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Hi all,

My name is Chris Gabrielides, I’m a psychologist by trade and have worked as a school counsellor since 2023. I have lots of experience working with young people regarding their mental health, family relationships and grief and loss.

If you think that counselling might be helpful for yourself or someone in your family the best thing that you can do is start a discussion with the Year Coordinator / Leader Of Wellbeing. From there we will all work together to help students get the most out of their time at St Joseph’s.

Thanks for the warm welcome,

Chris

Resources for Families, Friends and Carers

Mr Christopher Gabrielides & Mrs Julia Priestley
St Joseph's School Counsellors

Curriculum News (KLA’s)

Documenting the ‘Body of Work’. A series of musings 

Heading into one of the most important years of your life is both extremely daunting and beautifully cathartic. The new year allows you to really reflect on where your priorities are, what you have or haven’t achieved, and what ultimately makes your life more fulfilling. As HSC students, this is the time in our lives where we start to decide just exactly what it is we want from the world and from ourselves. The Visual Arts Body Of Work is designed to span the entirety of Year 12, a year in which each student is going to be working tirelessly to find out what exactly their story is to tell. Whatever the final piece becomes, whether it’s a complete opening up to oneself or a small moment within a greater life story, the result is just that, a result. The true artistry of every piece will never be fully captured by its final submission, but rather, in the months of dedication put forward by each and every talented member of the class. Over the next year, both artwork and artist will change, evolve, improve, and at times stagnate, but it’s exactly this hardship and passion which we hope at years end will bring forth a collection of students and designs that showcase exactly the personal and artistic growth the task strives to produce. I look forward to seeing how every one of my peers develops their craft, and I have immense gratitude that I and many others will soon be able to experience the sheer range of our artist’s stories.

Stan Twentyman
Year 12 Visual Arts

Careers – Opportunities & Notices

Seniors Newsletter

Ms Vikki Jordan
Careers Advisor
vikki.jordan@mn.catholic.edu.au

Yalawa Yarnings

Anikanya (Hello)!  Welcome back to the 2025 school year. We hope that all of our students had a deadly break and got to spend some much needed time with loved ones. We are looking forward to working with our students and community in a range of ways this year.

Student Support

If there are any issues that we can support students with or that you think that we need to be aware of please do not hesitate to contact one of us. The earlier that we can intervene with matters, the better the chance of a successful outcome. Below is a table of when our Aboriginal Education Teachers are on site and relevant contact details. Alternatively, please phone reception on 49307291 and ask to speak to someone in the Yalawa Centre.

Miss Zara Francisco

zara.francisco@mn.catholic.edu.au

Days: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

Mr Thomas Germon

thomas.germon@mn.catholic.edu.au

Days: Monday & Tuesday

Miss Nicole Small

nicole.small@mn.catholic.edu.au

Days: Monday & Friday

Deadly Achievements

Congratulations to Porschea Longbottom who competed in round 1 of the NSW BMX state series held in Tenambit on the weekend. Porschea ended up placing 2^nd overall in one of her finals. Good luck for the rest of the series Porschea.

If your child is also doing amazing things in the community, please let us know so we can give them a shout out in the ‘Yalawa Yarnings.’

Recent Events

Over the last two weeks the Yalawa staff have been checking in with our new year 7 students. It has been great to be reacquainted with these students since meeting them at our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Transition Day last year. Many year 7 students have already taken up the offer to hang out at the Yalawa Centre at break times where they have been involved in playing the didgeridoo, art as well as board games and table tennis. The Yalawa Centre is open at both breaks (second half lunch and afternoon tea) and is open to all students, Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal.

Ms Zara Francisco, Mr Thomas Germon & Ms Nicole Small
Aboriginal Education Teachers

Message from the Finance Office

School Fee Statements will be emailed the beginning of March with 2025 fees billed for the year.  Please review your balances and commence weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments with fees to be finalised by 30/11/2025.  Families who have opted to pay a lump sum are due on 30/06/2025.  Please call the Finance Office on 0249 307 291 or email finance@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au to discuss if needed.

The below is the schedule and discounts which can apply to the Tuition Fee either for a sibling discount or a Health Care Card/Pension Card Holder.  If you receive a family discount and hold a current Health Care Card/Pension Card a combined total of 50% tuition discount is applied.

Health Care Card and Pension Card Holders / Family Discount on Tuition Fee

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle offer a lower tuition fee to ‘means tested’ low income families such as Health Care and Pension Card holders. This rate is 50% of the Diocesan Tuition Fee full rate for each child.

If you are a fee payer and hold a current Australian Government Health Care Card/Pension card you may be entitled to a discount on your school fees, please email a copy of your card to finance@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au

In 2024, the family discount on full rate diocesan tuition fees are:

• 1 child family 0% - full rate to be applied
• 2 child family 15% - each child
• 3 child family 25% - each child
• 4+ child family 50% - each child

Mrs Cathy Duff
Finance Officer

Canteen News

Lunch Orders

Lunch Orders are still available through the QKR app. Orders made via QKR need to be placed by 8.15am.

Qkr! – Getting Started

Mrs Tania Cullity
Food Operations Manager

Contact us (Email addresses)

In order to keep our records up to date:

FOR STUDENT SERVICES – Please email studentservices@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au 

FOR FINANCE – Please email finance@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au

ALL OTHER MATTERS (other than Finance) - please use the email admin@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au

Alinta Uniform Shop

Shop Opening Hours

Our opening hours have changed, please see new hours below:

Blazers

Due to the lead time associated with the delivery of blazers for our senior students we are asking if parents/carers could place their orders as soon as possible. This will alleviate any delays as the weather gets cooler.

General News

Communication Protocols

Attendance

Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier, and your child will build and maintain friendships with their peers. It is important that parents schedule appointments outside of school hours where possible (we acknowledge specialist appointments need to taken when offered) and that family holidays are scheduled within the school holiday breaks. Leave will not be approved for students during examination or during in class summative assessment tasks. Attendance letters are sent regularly to ensure parents are aware of the impact of non-attendance on their learning and wellbeing.

Traffic Management

Morning Drop off of students

Just a reminder that supervision does not commence until 8am and therefore no student should be onsite before that time – please do not drop off your child just because the drive in gate is open.

Road rules on site

Parents and those who drop off and pick up students are reminded that road rules apply within and around all of areas of the school apply and that no-one is above the law – imperative in all of this is the safety and wellbeing of students, parents and staff. There are two pedestrian crossings in school grounds – cars must not park on or within 20 metres before and 10 metres after a children's' crossing or pedestrian crossing

We have instituted a pick up point in front of MacKillop Place this year as communicated via Compass – last week every car in the line had accessed their child for pick up within 15 minutes of the final bell. We will continue to monitor the process while parents become accustomed to the new process and I expect all parents to be polite to staff who are supervising. There have been some unnecessarily rude and aggressive comments made to staff that are completely unacceptable and against the Community Agreement that all parents signed when enrolling their child.

I have also contacted police to ask them to monitor the highway this week and provide feedback to us in regard to safety.

Complaints Resolution

How do we Safeguard our students

At St Joseph’s College Lochinvar we place safety of our students at the core of how we plan, think and act.  The Diocese has a positive obligation to reduce the risk of abuse to children derived from law and regulation.

Our Diocese has to ensure we comply with 2 sets of standards, both derived from the Royal Commission into Institutional Historic Child Sexual abuse.  This includes the NSW Child Safe Standards and the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

The ways in which our school meets these standards include:

• Our staff Code of Conduct and Commitment Statement is displayed on our website and posters in our school for transparency and to ensure that we all embrace a safeguarding culture, emphasising that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

• We have a Safeguarding Promoter in our school whose role it is to monitor compliance and risk and promote all things safeguarding as a priority.

• We educate our students about safe relationships, protective behaviours and ensure they understand their human rights.
  
  
• Our Student Representative Council (SRC) allows students to have a voice and be heard.
  
  
• We encourage parents to have a voice through our PEG meetings.
  
  
• Parents and students have access to support information via SchoolTV on our website.
  
  
• Equity is promoted and diversity is respected in our school through education and special events .

• Our staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training.
  
  
• Our staff regularly undertake professional development as well as invite external speakers into the school to discuss safeguarding topics to students and staff including online safety, bullying, trauma informed practice etc.
  
  
• Our are supported in their roles, especially new staff.
  
  
• Our school follows Diocesan student placement protocols and procedures.

• We promote all Safeguarding policies by ensuring they are communicated with families on our websites and through our communication channels.
  
  
• Our classrooms, counselling rooms and other areas in the school are safe spaces with visibility from the outside but does not compromise our students right to privacy and wellbeing.
  
  
• We have an effective complaints management system in place, with students and families having a variety of avenues to provide feedback or complaints.

Community Announcements

Parish Mass Times

St Joseph's, East Maitland
(Cnr King St & New England Highway)
Vigil 5.00pm
Sunday 8.30pm
Youth Mass 6.00pm

Sacred Heart
(New England Highway, Campbell's Hill)
Vigil 6.30pm

Holy Family
(11 John St, Largs)
Sunday 8.00am

St Columba's
(Cnr Prince & Church St, Paterson)
Sunday 9.30am

Immaculate Conception
(Cnr George & James Sts, Morpeth)
Sunday 7.15am

St Patrick's
(55 New England Highway, Lochinvar)
Sunday 9.30am

Our Lady of Lourdes
(Cnr Anderson Dr & Delprat Ave, Beresfield)
Vigil 6.00pm

St Paul's
(10 Young St, Rutherford)
Sunday 8.00am