At John Paul College, our mission is to nurture and educate young people to achieve success through quality teaching and learning and a school culture that fosters wellbeing, promotes resilience and inspires faith in action. This mission calls us not only to strive for excellence in what we teach, but also to provide a school environment where learning can genuinely flourish. To that end, I am pleased to share with our community the recent launch of the Vision for Engagement, a system-wide initiative from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) that complements and strengthens the work we have already commenced through the Vision for Instruction.
The Vision for Engagement is MACS' clear, evidence-informed response to a question we must all ask: What kind of learning environments do our students need to thrive—academically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually? In the face of growing societal concerns about student wellbeing, disengagement, and technology challenges, this vision offers a grounded and hopeful direction. It reaffirms our Catholic commitment to the dignity of every learner and the belief that all students deserve a calm, respectful and inclusive classroom in which to learn and grow.
At John Paul College, we have already taken significant steps towards this goal. Earlier this year, we formally introduced a set of practical, consistent expectations for all students across every classroom. Known as the JPC 5, these expectations are designed to support positive learning behaviours, promote focus, and reduce unnecessary distractions—laying the foundations for deeper engagement in learning.
The JPC 5 ask students to take responsibility for their learning and develop habits that support engagement and maximise learning time. As we communicated to parents and students earlier this year, these minimum expectations are:
These expectations are simple but powerful. They are rooted in research, aligned with the MACS Vision for Engagement, and shaped by our experience of habits that helps students succeed. Since their introduction, staff have noticed a more consistent tone in our classrooms: calmer starts to lessons, reduced transition times, and increased attentiveness from students.
The Vision for Engagement enhances and expands this work. It provides a comprehensive framework for ensuring that all students are not only taught well, but are also present, focused, and supported to participate fully in their learning.
Importantly, the Vision for Engagement is designed to work in harmony with the Vision for Instruction, which JPC began implementing in 2024. Where the Vision for Instruction focuses on what and how we teach—through the use of explicit instruction, a method proven to help students gain and retain key knowledge—the Vision for Engagement focuses on the conditions that make such teaching possible and effective.
In simple terms: Instruction is about content and teaching quality; Engagement is about readiness, focus, and participation. One cannot work effectively without the other.
The Vision for Engagement highlights several key focus areas that schools should address in order to support students holistically. These include:
As our families would be aware, at John Paul College we are already doing significant work in these areas, and we acknowledge that this vision launched by MACS does not assume that this work is not already happening in schools. However, we will continue to seek that all our students are connected in a learning community where they are safe, seen, and supported. It means developing habits of attentiveness, perseverance, and mutual respect. It means benefiting from clear structures, strong relationships with staff, and ongoing communication between school and home.
For our teachers, the Vision for Engagement provides guidance and backing to reclaim classrooms for their core purpose—teaching. It encourages consistent expectations, professional learning in behaviour support, and shared language around routines and learning behaviours. At JPC, this shared approach empowers our teachers to spend less time managing disruption and more time focused on learning.
We know that many young people today face increasing social pressures, digital distractions, and mental health challenges. The Vision for Engagement is a direct and thoughtful response to these realities. It recognises that students do not leave their lives at the school gate—and that, as educators, we must create classrooms that are not only academically rigorous, but also relationally strong and emotionally safe. It is also age appropriate. How the Vision is enacted will differ in a primary to a secondary setting and may also be different in the senior school to middle school classes at JPC.
As we adopt this vision at John Paul College, we will continue to work with staff, students and families. Our implementation will focus on consistency of expectations, building staff capacity to support positive engagement, and further strengthening our pastoral care systems. This will ensure that every student has the opportunity to experience success and growth.
We are also committed to working closely with parents and carers, whose support is crucial to this journey. In Term 2, you received a letter introducing the JPC 5, alongside a copy of the MACS Vision for Instruction. That letter encouraged you to support these expectations at home—for example, by checking your child is organised with their materials, encouraging good use of break times, and reinforcing the importance of focused learning in class.
We now ask you to also support the broader intentions of the Vision for Engagement. This may involve:
Together, we share responsibility for shaping the environment in which your child learns and grows. When students experience consistency between home and school, their sense of belonging, purpose and motivation increases significantly.
At JPC, we believe every child is capable of growth, achievement and contribution. The Vision for Engagement affirms this belief and provides us with the tools and direction to help make it a reality for all students—not just some. It reminds us that excellence and equity are not mutually exclusive, both must be present in a truly Catholic school, and that every learner deserves the chance to flourish.
The path ahead will be one of ongoing collaboration. We will continue to share updates with you as our work in this area evolves, including the professional development of staff, student voice initiatives, and new pastoral programs that align with this vision. We thank you for your continued partnership as we strengthen our commitment to a calm, inclusive, and high-performing school community.
Warm regards,John VisentinPrincipal, John Paul College