From the Principal

Dear Saint Ignatius College community members,

Mosaic Evening 6:00 pm, Thursday, 21st November 2024, at Costa Hall, Deakin Waterfront Campus, Geelong

Our annual ‘Mosaic’ evening is a wonderful celebration of our College community. All members of our school community are encouraged to attend this fantastic evening on Thursday, 21st November, at Costa Hall, Deakin Waterfront Campus (Brougham Street, Geelong). Attendance is required for all Year 7 and 8 students, and we encourage as many Years 9 to 12 students as possible to join us.

The Student Art and Technology display begins at 6 p.m. in the Costa Hall foyer. It is followed by the celebration evening, which begins at 7 p.m. in the main auditorium and concludes at about 9 p.m. Parents are asked to arrange transport for their daughter or son to and from Costa Hall.

Over the years, we have received very positive feedback about this major College function. Mosaic reinforces the College’s values for our students, celebrates student achievement in various areas, and builds a sense of belonging and school community. I also encourage parents and families to support our community by attending and being part of a delightful and uplifting celebration of the 2024 school year at Saint Ignatius College.

I look forward to joining with the College's students, families and friends to celebrate the school year. Unlike in previous years, tickets will be required to attend for organisational reasons. (Please note that students do not need a ticket.) Tickets are free. All you will need to do is book via the link: www.trybooking.com/CWCHH. You are most welcome to invite Grandparents, other family members and family friends. In the meantime, please put this date in your diary to ensure you can attend. Students are expected to wear their school uniform with the blazer.

2025 Student Leaders Investiture Assembly

The next full school assembly was held today, Friday, November 8th, in the College MPC to celebrate the newly elected 2025 student leaders. The assembly commenced at 11 a.m. and finished at about 12:30 p.m.

Congratulations to all students appointed to leadership positions for next year.

Saint Ignatius. Inspiring me to be a leader.

Yr 12 exams and pathways

Yr 12 VCE students across the State are well and truly into their exam period. Many of our students undertaking these major assessments have sat two or more exams since last Tuesday last week, with this week being particularly busy. Please keep these students in your thoughts and prayers so they can revise well and demonstrate their learning to the best of their abilities.

Our Year 12 VM students have finished their classes for the year, and I wish them all the best for their next step toward employment or further study. I know some of them have already taken an apprenticeship, and others are enrolling in a vocational course for next year. So, keeping them in our thoughts and prayers is also important as they make this significant transition from secondary school.

I know Mr. Bruce Connor, our Work and Further Education Coordinator, has supported many VM and VCE students and parents who are considering possible pathways. He remains available for the rest of the school year (and into the next school year) if any student or parent would like support or information about pathways, courses, or employment. He can be contacted by phone at our office.

Exam period – a time for student peak performance

I came across the following advice in “Principals’ Digests, Volume 22, Number 55,” which may be very helpful for our Years 9 – 12 students facing exams. I thought I would share it with parents; you might like to discuss it with your daughter or son.

“People who do well – in their careers, in sports, in exams – aim for peak performance. They want to be at their best, doing their best. How can you reach peak performance so that, when you sit your exams, you can be confident you are able to give your best and gain the results you are aiming for?

The best performers tap into positive energy at all levels of the performance pyramid. This pyramid has four levels and they are all important.

First of all, even for studying, you have to be able to find the energy you need when you need it. That means sticking to a routine of hard work and short breaks to refresh your mind and body. This might be 45 minutes of concentrated study followed by a 10-minute walk or a few minutes doing something you enjoy before getting back to your work. People who do not establish a routine waste time and energy. Regardless of their talent, they become more vulnerable to frustration, anxiety and loss of concentration and far more likely to choke under pressure. So a good examination routine means concentrated study combined with regular exercise, good food and enough sleep.

The second level is positive emotions. When you feel optimistic and confident, these emotions ignite the energy that drives high performance. Negative emotions like frustration and fear drain your energy and can wreck your performance. Positive emotions reduce your stress but negative emotions increase stress. If you are feeling negative emotions, and we all do at times like examinations, try to act as if you are feeling confident and optimistic because getting rid of negative feelings will help you succeed.

The third level is focus. Keep your mind on your goals and what you need to do to achieve them. Resist being distracted. You will have all summer for everything else you enjoy. For this short but important time in your life, keeping your focus is vital.

The fourth level, which will help with everything else, is to tap into your deepest values and develop a strong sense of purpose. In the face of challenges like examinations, knowing what you stand for and what you value in life is a powerful source of motivation, focus, determination and resilience. We need to remind ourselves what is truly important to us so we can find the energy, the focus and the positive attitude that will bring success not only in exams, but also in life.

So there you have it: energy, positive emotions, focus and knowing what you truly want are the foundation for examination success.”

[Acknowledgement: “The Making of a Corporate Athlete” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in Harvard Business Review, January 2001]

Remembrance Day

As you know, next Monday is Remembrance Day. On Monday, we will hold a short memorial service for students and staff in their classes.

The College will be called to attention at the start of Lesson Three (just after 11 a.m.). Under the teacher's supervision, students are to remain in their classrooms and give their full attention to the ceremony broadcast via a video that will be played in each classroom.

We will begin with an introduction about the significance of Remembrance Day. This will be followed by the playing of the “Last Post.” The College will be called upon to observe one minute's silence. This will be followed by the “Rouse.” The poem “In Flanders Fields” will then be recited. The ceremony concludes with the “Ode of Remembrance.” All students will be asked to repeat "Lest we Forget."

Best wishes for the next fortnight,

Michael Exton | Principal