I am pleased to inform you that I have been appointed as the Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing commencing in 2023 and I will continue as Acting Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing for the remainder of the 2022 school year. On behalf of the College, I wish to acknowledge the great leadership of Mr Steven Mifsud as he guided the Wellbeing Team and the community of MSJ and I wish him every success at Damascus College Ballarat.

The Feast Day celebrations on Friday 12 August were a resounding success, including the fact that for students in Years 7-9, this was their first opportunity to be a part of this event. Students and staff enjoyed the day as we celebrated Mass, activities in House groups, a festival with rides, games and sausage sizzle, and finishing the day with MSJ’s Got Talent.

I would like to thank parents and carers that are supporting our work to improve the uniform standards across the school. We are following up with students and have set up some reflection sessions as part of the process.

Dr Kristy Goodwin

We were privileged to have Dr Kristy Goodwin present to our community, including students, staff and parents, her informative talk "Screenagers". As staff, parents and carers, it is imperative that we all have a real appreciation of the phone as a powerful electronic device that requires supervision and guidance (especially for our juniors). Dr Kristy’s message was around the balanced use of technology and questioned how technology was being used and ensuring adequate sleep and activity are being built into our daily routines.

Tik Tok accounts

Currently we are seeing a rise in the use of fake Tik Tok accounts that cause significant distress for individuals. I ask that you be vigilant and take an active role in directing your child’s social media interactions. The space is ever changing, but it requires parents and carers to ensure they are aware of your child’s digital footprint. Whilst we do work closely with families to navigate this space, it is important that you know what your child is posting and how to seek help from the social media platforms should you need support. It is imperative that all abuse is reported directly to the platform and then if you are still concerned that the material has not been removed, that you contact the eSafety Commissioner. Students are encouraged to be upstanders and report material they know may be inappropriate to parents, carers and the House and Year Level Team Leaders directly.

Vaping

Sadly, a lot of the hard work and benefits of the numerous smoking campaigns are being lost on many young people that are taking up vaping. We currently know very little about the long term consequences of vaping but we do know that Vapes are designed to look cool, and the liquids are developed with flavours like vanilla, Krispy Kreme, roast chicken and tuna. The flavours are designed to taste better than cigarettes, but they still contain toxic chemicals that can seriously harm you.

The Lung Foundation offers some great resources and a free pack that you can download. I encourage you to go to the Lung Foundation and explore the huge range of resources available. We do know the industry is largely unregulated and that varying levels of chemicals found in the products include:

• Formaldehyde: (Used in glue and can cause irreversible lung damage)
• Propylene glycol: (Found in paint and is toxic to human cells)
• Nicotine: (Is addictive and can harm your brain, especially in the areas that control attention, learning, mood, and behaviour)

As a school, we take the use of vapes seriously and encourage students to look after their bodies and encourage conversations at home regarding this issue. It is included as part of the Health curriculum.

Finally, it is great to see our future leaders currently going through a process of selection for our School Student Leadership Team. The enthusiasm, passion and commitment to MSJ is evident as they undertake this rigorous program of application, panel and individual interviews and a speech to the school community.

In the words of Mary MacKillop, “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”

Stacey Bourke - Acting Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing