On Thursday, we held our first major school event, the ‘Academic Assembly’, in our Multipurpose Centre. We took a cautious approach due to the current pandemic resulting in only Yrs 7, 11, 12 and award recipients being in attendance. This assembly set the tone for a culture that demonstrates diligent participation in the academic and co-curricular programs, the pursuit of personal excellence and belonging to the school community. The 2021 high academic achievers from each year level were recognised on stage.

Thank you to Deputy Principal (Learning & Teaching) Mrs Bernadette Donnelly for her tremendous leadership and management of this first significant school event and the team of staff involved in the organisation. Thank you to parents and family members who were able to attend.

Congratulations to the following students.

2021 VCAL Awards

2021 VCE Awards

Students who achieved a study score over 40. A student who achieves a study score over 40 places them in the top 9% of that subject in the State.

And a special mention to Audrey Hughan in Year 11 who achieved a study of score of 50 in Psychology placing her in the top 3% of that subject in the State. An outstanding achievement.

The following students achieved an ATAR over 90, as well as study scores over 40 in some subjects:

Special Awards:

Congratulations to our Dux of 2021, Bailey White.

As well as achieving a very high ATAR, Bailey achieved study scores of greater than 40 for Further Maths and Legal Studies.

Bailey is currently studying a double degree in Engineering and Business at RMIT.

Congratulations to 2022 Yr 11 student Emma Fenton who has received the Kwong Lee Dow award.

The Kwong Lee Dow award is presented to a high achieving Victorian student as part of an academic enrichment program. This recipient has the opportunity to experience a taste of university life while still at secondary school and participate in a range of activities and events hosted by the University of Melbourne.

The Senior Religious Studies Award, is sponsored by Mrs. Cate Slattery, a former, long–serving member of the Saint Ignatius College Board and continuing supporter of our school.

This award is presented to a student who has excelled in Religious studies at the College. Congratulations to the recipient of this award, Florence Noble.

The St Patrick’s Old Collegians Association Alumni Award was presented to Hugh Fleet. Congratulations Hugh.

2021 Year 7 – 11 Academic Excellence Awards

The recipients of the Year 7 Academic Excellence Awards in 2021 were:

Simone Choong
Max Creati
Hannah Dreise
Owen McCoughtry
Nikita Melnyk
Lua Payne
Harriet Stepto
Sarah Tolan
Ella Veenvliet
Phoebe Zahl

And the Highest Achiever at Year 7 in 2021 was Harriet Stepto.

The Top 10 Year 8 Academic Achievers in 2021 were:

Amelie Anderson
Paige Berrie
Indianna Colley
Layla Derrick
Evie Durbidge
Drew Magtaka
Thomas McLean
Stephanie Reynolds
Amelia Stanic
Archie Stella

And the Highest Achiever at Year 8 in 2021 was Amelie Anderson.

The Top 10 Year 9 Academic Achievers in 2021 were:

Alex Batchelor absent
Brianna Brew
Stella Burke
Alana Clark
Chelsea Ferguson
Fin Hanley
William Hanley
Alice Molloy
Riannah Tatlock
Jack Van Zyl

And the Highest Achiever at Year 9 in 2021 was Alana Clark.

The Year 10 Academic Achievers in 2021:

Kramer Cuolahan
Ross De Lange
Grace Durbidge
Emma Fenton
Alexander Joyce
Lily Maclean
Marcus Manzl
Jasmine Perilli
Matilda Stepto
Amy Thompson

And the Highest Achiever at Year 10 in 2021 was Emma Fenton.

The Top 10 Year 11 Academic Achievers in 2021 were:

Thomas Bothe
Belen Coggins
Emily Green
Tyson Henry
Anna Hewitt
Sam Hines
Audrey Hughan
Jason James
Makaelah Naus
Emily O'Kane

And the Highest Achiever at Year 10 in 2021 was Makaelah Naus.

(Peace)

As the impact of COVID-19 lessens and we return to the fullness of classroom learning, our community has been alarmed by the invasion of Ukraine and the uncertainty these global events bring into our lives. It is easy for us to feel powerless and anxious during these times, but as a community we are reminded that the inverse is true. Each of us are powerful, there is hope in spite of war and peace will overcome all evil. We are people of the resurrection and as we draw closer to Easter we know well that death and sin has been forever defeated. The invasion of Ukraine is horrible but not hopeless. The evil people do to others can be overcome by the love we offer each day.

The events of the last few weeks are shocking and tragic. These events are also human and completely avoidable. War is a choice people make. Our humanness fuelled by insecurity and mistrust so easily fuels our primal emotions. During Lent we seek to be more like God than human in nature. As we journey through the second week of Lent these negative human emotions are opposed to the weekly reading where we encounter Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. At this moment Jesus is literally transformed, his closest disciples see him in a new and profound way and become more aware of his divinity; yet they don’t truly understand. Jesus’ transfiguration offers us an insight into the presence of the Spirit that guides our hearts and actions – we are made in his image and likeness; we have been created to be like him!

At the College we seek to view the world as God sees it, as glimpsed by the disciples, filled with goodness, love and hope. Last week we began our response to the invasion of Ukraine as Erika Slevin (Justice Captain) describes,

“We as a college community we have been constantly thinking about the people of Ukraine over the last few weeks and the events that are taking place in their country.
On Wednesday 9th of March, fifty students gathered to share prayers for all those impacted by the invasion. We were fortunate to have Fr Raymond Bugeja - College Chaplain (St Thomas Drysdale), Fr Iurii Tychenok (Ukrainian Catholic Church - Bell Park), and Fr Darien J Sticklen - College Chaplain (Holy Trinity Parish), who spoke to us about the folly of war, the need for peace and core belief of human dignity, and led us in prayer. After we offered prayer the students completed a variety of different activities in solidarity and to advocate for those suffering at this time.”

Beyond this event, we have placed sunflowers and a letter from our Archbishop Peter Comensoli about the invasion in new reception area. Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine and the simple invitation to pray for Ukraine is powerful. Our decision to donate this year’s Caritas – Project Compassion funds directly to Caritas Ukraine is another small yet powerful symbol of hope and care for those in need. Flying the Ukrainian flag and the Peace flag side by side at the College honours the people of Ukraine and our belief in God’s desire for peace and inspires those who see the flags to consider how they can respond to this seemingly overwhelming event. The Ukrainian word for peace is мир (myr). We believe that peace or myr is impossible without God, our human hearts alone cannot rest or love enough for peace to occur without God’s presence. Our call for peace and dignity is guided by God but can only occur through us – everyone of us are blessed peacemakers and powerful beyond measure!

The most important aspect in the process of bringing peace into the world is our daily prayer. We need to call upon God to transform our hearts so that we can inspire transformation in others. In the Gospel Jesus commands us to love our neighbour. We need to pray for the strength and humility to do this as time and again he teaches that our ‘neighbour’ is the one who we find it hardest to love. Our challenge, if we are to truly see him transfigured and be transfigured ourselves is to love like him. To care for ‘the least of these’ and to love those who hate us is what challenges us the most when we observe the invasion of Ukraine. How can we love those who bring war? How can be merciful like the Father? How can forgiving a person in our life change the world?

Although challenging, to be authentic we must forgive and the only way to love like that is to trust in God. Prayer is the most simple way to develop our relationship with God. When we enter more deeply into our spiritual journey we find that the most profound prayer is the moment we spend with others. Times when we intentionally care for those in need, open our hearts to those we love or forgive those who don’t deserve our forgiveness. This is where we find peace, hope and God.

As we continue to pray for peace, advocate for the people of Ukraine and our belief in human dignity we can be inspired by our patron, St Ignatius of Loyola. As a young man he was guided by ego and pride. His selfishness led to his injury at Pamplona and his conversion during his recouperation and like Jesus, Ignatius was transformed. Today we can see Jesus as the disciples did on the mountain and as Ignatius did during his mystical encounters at Manresa but to do so we must “stay awake”.

During Lent we need to try and view the world around us as God does. We need to see what is happening in Ukraine and decide how we can bring мир (myr) into our lives and know that this will transform the others. We need to believe that prayer is truly powerful and that what we ask of God drives out the darkness in our world. We need to have faith in the resurrection and that death and human evil will be overcome again and that we have nothing to be anxious or concerned about. We rise with him and through him we bring new life and light into the world.

Inspired by the Gospel how will you respond to events that seem overwhelming and where will you witness the transfiguration today?

Yours in Christ,

Brendan Nicholls
Liturgy Coordinator

SELF Update

It has been wonderful to see our students back into a learning routine at school over the last six weeks. Our new program SELF (Student Effective Learning Framework) and the Student Learning Capabilities provides the framework for all our students and staff to engage with, as well as the behaviours and criteria expected that reflects our Ignatian way of learning. Over the last two weeks, students have been asked to complete their first round of self-reflection for each of their subjects against the Student Learning Capabilities.

Student Parent Teacher Conference dates

Please keep Thursday 7 April, 4:00pm – 7:00pm and Friday 8 April, 9:00am – 12:00pm free for Student Parent Teacher Conferences. We will once again run these conferences online via your son or daughter’s laptop using Zoom. Instructions and further information will be forwarded in week 8.

2022 Homework Guidelines

Just a reminder of the 2022 revised Homework guidelines outlined at our recent

Years 7 and Year 8

In Years 7 and 8, the focus will be on learning to organise a homework study schedule and developing a good routine. This will occur through the following subjects: English/Reading, Mathematics, Music practice, Science and Humanities, Languages and Visual Arts (Year 8).

Year 9

In Year 9, the focus will be to continue developing a homework study schedule and a good routine. Students will also be introduced to study and revision practices in preparation for their Year 9 Examinations.

Year 10

Year 10 students will continue to build on their homework and study practices. The focus will be on becoming more independent in managing their time with other commitments and fulfilling their academic potential as their Year 10 Core and Elective subjects are of equal importance in terms of allocation of time. It is important that they create a Homework schedule that is realistic, sustainable and supportive of their learning.

VCE Homework Program

VCE students will focus on creating a Homework schedule that is realistic, sustainable and supportive of their learning. VCE students will continue to become more independent and responsible for their own learning outside of the classroom, which will also include embedding study strategies.

VCAL Homework Program

VCAL students are not assigned regular homework but are required to use time outside of class to keep up to date with all assigned work. This will occur as the nature of the VCAL program is very individual and flexible.

Ms. Bernadette Donnelly | Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning).

Next week is Harmony Week, with the theme of ‘everyone belongs.’ During Harmony Week there are a myriad of activities both at school, and at home with loved ones that students across all year levels are encouraged to participate in.

Students with their parents/guardians are invited to ‘Cook around the world this Harmony Week’ with different countries being the focus on certain days, and recipes associated with these countries to complete. Once students have cooked up a storm at home, they are encouraged to submit photos of their creations to the relevant daily Google link for a chance to win prizes.

There is also a photography competition, daily ILC quizzes and Kahoots, and a traditional Chinese Dance on site on Thursday.

Students are encouraged to embrace the theme of everyone belongs this Harmony Week and enjoy the associated activities.

Ms. Leonie Stephenson | ILC Coordinator

Ms. Rachel Snowden | Library Technician.

Ms. Milena Torres | Information Librarian

Ms. Elana Cole | Development Manager

This year we once again successfully celebrated International Women's Day at St Ignatius, in line with the 2022 theme #BreakTheBias. The Social Justice Committee sold Lapel ribbons, United Nations Enviro pens, Cupcakes and Biscuits and sold over $1400 worth of goods.

This was an amazing effort by everyone at the college and we would like to thank everyone who supported this movement and/or bought something as a donation. The profits made from the event will be divided and given to the United Nations Women's Fund and Voices of Children Ukraine, to help support women and children that are unfortunately being affected by the war happening in Ukraine at the moment.

There was also the annual netball match between female staff and Year 8 students in the gym at lunchtime which drew a huge crowd (standing room only) and celebrated the diverse talents we have within our school community.

Once again we would like to thank everyone who helped out with the planning and running of this event, as well as those who supported and donated to this cause, and we hope everyone will continue to #BreakTheBias and stop discrimination against women.

Erika Slevin (Justice Captain)

On Wednesday March the 9^th, students, staff, and community enjoyed nibbles and drinks in our new Loyola Building before being inspired by Moira Kelly AO as part of our International Women’s Day celebrations.

Moira Kelly AO was hosted on a panel by her Iraqi-born adopted son Emmanuel, who at the conclusion of the evening sang John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’

This was a wonderful evening for our College community, and we look forward to future community events during the 2022 academic year.

Ms. Elana Cole
Development Manager.

From Monday 7^th until Friday 11th March, all Year 12 students travelled to the Don Bosco Camp in Dromana for their annual Retreat. During Retreat students explored their place in school and the wider community and their journey through their years of education leading to their senior years.

Students travelled by ferry across the Bay to the campsite where they enjoyed 3 days of spending time as a cohort and developing and strengthening relationships.

A beach walk, yoga, art classes, mindfulness activities, team building games and companion bracelet making were highlights of the trip. Companion bracelets reflected the values of St Ignatius and were made in the colours that reflect those values: gratitude, empathy, companionship, beauty, joy and god, excellence and service. Students threw themselves wholeheartedly into all activities and the sounds of laughter and quiet contemplation were equally as prevalent.

African Drumming was a new inclusion to the program this year and students practiced emotional regulation through rhythm.

Students also had an opportunity to reflect on their journey at Saint Ignatius College and look towards their future. They contemplated this in a manner befitting some of the values of Saint Ignatius – gratitude, respect and kindness. The values of Saint Ignatius were reflected in the many activities undertaken and students had an opportunity to reflect on these and strengthen their faith.

Delicious and plentiful meals were a highlight and it was lovely for students to share meals and conversation in this environment and slow down and take a step back from our busy schedules.

A big thank you to the students who participated fully in the activities and entered into the spirit of the retreat. The camaraderie amongst the students was lovely to see.

The support of the staff that attended the Retreat was amazing and I can’t thank them enough for their dedication to our year 12 students by participating 100% in all activities and giving up their time away from their personal lives to share this experience with the students.

A very big thank you to Mr. Paul Lewis, Mr. Michael Tod and Mr. Jarryd Atkinson for their support, organisation of the program and ensuring everything we needed was available.

All staff ensured a memorable Retreat was given to our students – huge thanks to Mr. Michael Timms, Ms. Olivia Whitehead, Mr. Angelo Scotto, Mrs. Colleen Boland, Ms. Kirsty Allan, Ms. Andrea Dart, Ms. Merrin Viljoen, Mr. John Clatworthy, Ms. Vicky Munro, Mr. Brendan O’Brien, Miss Kate Kearney, Ms. Stacey Learmonth, Mr. Jason Broadbear, Mrs. Blair Philips, Ms. Julia Hall, Mr. Joe McLean, Mr. Andrew Walsgott, Darcy Bassett and Mrs. Alex Simpson

Ms. Kristin Williamson
Year 12 Coordinator

Some Year 12 students have shared their reflections of the Retreats.

We went on retreat to a camp to Don Bosco. The food there will compete with your mums cooking and there was a lot as well which kept us all energised. We had a great range of teachers and the apprentice Darcy Basset was leading from the front. We had a lot of good workshops and activities ranging from wellbeing to team building. The last night being a highlight with everyone having to perform a play. Everyone delivered well with a couple of shots at teachers which made some of the teachers question themselves. All in all big thanks to Ms Williamson and all the others for setting the retreat up.

Nick Gibbon

This retreat was a great experience! It taught me a lot of new things and was a great way to get out of your comfort zone and share new experiences with friends. I was grateful for the new relationships I have formed and enjoyed getting to talk to people I usually don’t and have a laugh with everyone. There were some great activities and overall was a great experience to share with the year level and to take a break before everything that we have to come in the year!

Poppy Parke

The Year 12 Retreat was a great experience to get away from the chaos of year 12 SACs and classes. The drumming was a really fun experience getting everyone to join in together and create music as a whole. The music created was upbeat and i loved the opportunity to learn about another culture. I also loved spending quality time with everyone and improving these relationships, including my closer friends and even those I haven’t spoken to much before. It was a great time to widen our friendship and find new things in common with others.

Hannah Mawson

I really enjoyed retreat and all the sort of activities we got to do. I went into retreat not having many of my usual friends and I left feeling very comfortable with the people I was surrounded by and really appreciated having the teachers being so supportive and fun. I really had a great time and got to chat to people I wouldn’t usually chat to and I got to get to know people in ways I never thought I would know. 

Thanks Willo for the great time

Ethan Jamieson

The 2022 Reading Program at Saint Ignatius College

At Saint Ignatius College we highly value reading – particularly for enjoyment.

Reading skills are core to every subject your student engages in.

We have been running a formal reading program for years, and now this program is in the process of being updated and improved.

• Starting with the name – ‘WIRED’
  - Students are invited to enter a competition to rename the program. Hopefully the new name will represent more accurately, our goals and hopes for student engagement and success.

• Incorporating team- teaching and further support from the Learning Information Staff, new aspects will be embedded in this program.
• We warmly welcome Ms. Penny King in assisting many classes in her role as the ‘Literacy Tutor.’ Ms. King has been a great support for the English teachers and the ILC staff in running this program.
• Accountability for reading and making progress will include discussions around ‘real reading’ and ‘fake reading’.
• Students will have support to help decode texts and develop analysis skills including reading for meaning, in a supportive environment. This process began in the first few weeks of the term –

Students had the opportunity to read together in a small group with Ms King leading discussion, guiding and encouraging students to read aloud. This process helped to establish a sense of the students reading confidence and level. Many students really enjoyed sharing a classic Roald Dahl story together.

All students will have the opportunity throughout the year to read a novel together in a small group, led by Ms King, one of the library staff or their English teacher.

The novels for the ‘shared reading’ have been carefully chosen for each year level – multiple copies are now available and we hope that the shared reading experience will be enjoyed on a whole new level. This technique will support students who find it hard to ‘stick’ with a novel and finish it.

Factors that may influence students to read more at home include:

• students having the ability to request texts to be purchased for their enjoyment. (These suggestions are evaluated against the ILC and College policies.)
• no infringements will be imposed for overdue books
• borrowing will extend across holiday periods
• the number of books borrowed will no longer be limited

How you can assist in supporting the program?

• Model reading - if possible set aside time to enjoy reading
• Try to get a conversation going - ask what they’re currently reading
• Encourage the habit of reading each night, even if it is just for 10 – 15 mins

The English and ILC team really look forward to supporting your student.

This team is all about encouraging independent, sustained and most importantly an enjoyable reading experience.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions in relation to this program.

Mrs. Jane Alexander
Literacy Coordinator

During last week, the year 12 VCAL students went on the Paddock to Plate excursion to local businesses and enterprises. We were very lucky as we got to meet extraordinary people making/producing amazing products just minutes away from the school. Three key words to sum up these inspiring business owners, Passion, Enthusiasm and Talented.

First we met Miek from Ket Bakery just 5 minutes away on Grubb Road Wallington. Miek and her team have been quietly baking award winning pastries and bread for the past 4 years. It’s not uncommon to see a sold out sign outside her business by 10.30am. A real ‘can do’ successful individual. Next we went to Tuckerberry Hill Farm and Lard Arse butter factory in Ocean Grove. Monica and her staff at the diary factory are so popular and talented that they supply all the diary products to the politicians at Parliament House, Spring Street, Melbourne. Lastly we returned back to Wallington and spent time with the amazing folk at Wattle Grove Honey producers. A wealth of knowledge, this team have been harvesting honey from their 400 hives for more than 50 years. They also make honey / soy candles, lip balm and other honey based products. What a team.

It was such a great trip. We learnt a lot about locally produced products, quality control measures, Workplace Health and Safety, marketing, point of sale and business strategies. We’ll take all this knowledge with us when we start our own businesses in the future.

Regards

Ava Jolley on behalf of the year 12 VCAL students

Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition

The University of Melbourne’s 2022 Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition is ready to get underway! The competition is open to all secondary students and they may work either individually or in teams on any of the questions in their age category.

If you are interested in taking part, please register your interest via email to perkinsk@ignatius.vic.edu.au

Karen Perkins
Enhancement Coordinator

On Monday, 28^th March Saint Ignatius College will be holding our fourth Digital Tattoo Logging In event for all year 7 & 8 parents and carers. This amazing event is run by Leigh Bartlett from BATFORCE, and will teach parents all about online safety in an ever changing digital world in a bid to support our young people. With the changing world of Digital Technologies, it is important that you have an understanding of how this could impact on the safety of your child when they are online.

Leigh will present on the following topics:

• Social Media

• Gaming and exposure to violence

• Sexualized imagery

• Online gambling

• The importance of role modelling

• How to start conversations with your child around these topics

Information has been sent out to parents via Operoo. This is a fantastic event, and we are looking forward to meeting our 7 & 8 parents and carers on Monday, 28^th March.

Thanks

Roddy Nash
E-Learning Coordinator

On Wednesday the 2nd of March, the Year 11 Vcal students had the opportunity to meet the author of ‘Crashing into Potential’ Scott Harris. Scott shared with us over a one hour presentation about his story and how he ended up with a brain injury after a freak motorbike accident involving one of his best mates. Scott’s main message to us was the importance of resilience. He said that having resilience is one of the key things that got him through his recovery and that without resilience he would not have been able to accomplish all of the amazing things he has done since the accident. We are continuing to read the text for Literacy and are grateful for the opportunity to meet with him - it helps to put it all in perspective for us.

Ms. Kirsty Allan.
VCAL Coordinator.

Thursday the 24th of March will be a casual clothes day to raise money for Project Compassion! Each year, across the span of Lent, Project Compassion brings together thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters to raise money for disadvantaged and the most vulnerable communities around the world, creating lasting change for all future generations. Students will be permitted to wear casual clothing and bring in a gold cold donation to support this. Year 10 will be running their famous cake stall and VCE music students (Summer DeVries, Ebony Plowman, Lily Petterwood, and Storm Randall) will provide music on the day. VCAL students and staff will also be running a BBQ on Friday, March 25^th in support of Project Compassion.

As a school community, let’s support those in need!

Isabel Gee
Year 9 SRC Representative

Mrs. Sandra Woodall.
Canteen Manager.

The Old Ignatians warmly welcome you to be part of the inaugural 'The Saint Ignatius College Golf Day,' to be held at Curlewis Golf Club on Sunday the 27th of March, 2022.

Golfers will enjoy breakfast, lunch, 18 holes of golf, and a brief address in the Clubrooms as part of their ticket.

Format of the day includes teams of 4, with the competition type being '4 Ball Ambrose.' Individuals can still register, with team allocation occurring on the day.

Please see the Trybooking link for registration and further information regarding this exciting event. (There are limited tickets, so please don't leave it too late)!

We are also offering 'Sponsorship Packages' to this event, if you would like to embrace a package, the deadline is March 1st, 2022. All proceeds from the Saint Ignatius College Golf Day will be used for student resources at the College.

For further information regarding Sponsorship Packages, please contact Elana Cole, colee@ignatius.vic.edu.au

We look forward to sharing a great day of golf, delicious food, connection and community with you all.

Ms. Elana Cole
Development Manager.

Time and Space Evening Year 9.

Saint Ignatius College is delighted to offer Time and Space for Year 9 fathers/male mentors and their child/children on Wednesday March the 23^rd at 6.45pm in the Year 9 Centre.

This exciting evening has arisen as students in Year 8 2021 were not able to embrace this event due to the pandemic.

Fathers/male mentors are invited to share in this evening with their Year 9 child/children.

Please see attachment for further information and booking links.

Ms. Elana Cole
Companions Coordinator.