From the Principal

Dear Saint Ignatius College community members,

This is the second last newsletter for 2022. The final edition for the year will be available on Thursday, 15th December.

Our Years 7-11 students have their last day of classes next Wednesday, 7th December, before commencing the summer holidays. Parents can access the Student Semester Two Statement of Results via the parent portal from Thursday, 15th December 2022.

The exam period for Year 12 VCE students finished two weeks ago. Students undertaking Unit 3/4 VCE exams will receive their results on Monday, 12th December 2022.

I hope our students’ results reflect solid gains in their learning for another year, considering the pandemic’s impact, and affirm their determined efforts and positive attitude to their subject courses.

An overview of some key dates on the College calendar over the holiday period:

• Orientation Day for next year’s Year 7 students will be held on Tuesday, 13th December.

• The College office will close on Tuesday, 20th December and re-open on Wednesday, 18th January 2023, for the summer break. (Textbooks ordered through ‘Campion’ will be home delivered before Christmas. Years 7 & 10 students will be provided with their new laptops in a Mentor period early in the first week back next year.)

• Next year's first day of classes for Yr 7 students will be Wednesday, 1st February, and Yrs 8 – 12 students will commence on Thursday, 2nd February 2023.

Year 12 Valedictory Evening

On Friday, 25th November, the annual Year 12 Valedictory was held at GMHBA Stadium with over 1,000 people present. It was a very uplifting event, and we were so pleased we could have this Dinner/Dance with members of the student’s families present after two years of being unable to.

A unique feature of the formal part of the evening was the return of one of our past College Captains to provide the keynote address and promote the “Old Ignatians Association”. Ms Taya Payne spoke encouragingly about how she managed her post-school journey and proactively and constructively acted to provide opportunities to find and make her way forward with her career. In addition, each year 12 student was presented with an “Iggy” Wolf that they will hopefully keep as a sign of their continuing connection to their secondary school. Iggy is our College mascot, and there is a connection to the two wolves on the College crest.

The College Captains, Emily Green and Sam Hines spoke fondly about some aspects of their six years at the College, expressed gratitude to the staff and parents and wished their classmates best wishes for the next stage of their life journey.

VCE Unit 3 & VCAL Orientation Programs

Thank you to the Senior School team of teachers for providing a valuable Orientation Program to prepare the Year 11 students for next year. The program began on Friday, 2nd December, and will conclude on Wednesday, 7th December.

It is essential that these students use some of the holiday period to prepare for their 2023 courses. Teachers will have given guidelines and provided preparatory work. The students are responsible for taking advantage of this and not turning up next year, finding themselves behind the rest of the class. Can I please encourage parents to support this expectation? I expect that our senior students give their academic program the priority it deserves, and other undertakings will need to fit in with their studies. I want all students, as I am sure parents do, to have the best chance of achieving to the best of their ability, and this will be enhanced if the prevailing atmosphere is one where students encourage each other to do their best with their studies.

Trial of a modified student drop off and pick up system.

We will be conducting a trial of a modified drop off and pick up system from Friday, 2nd December, until Wednesday, 7th December. The following information has been sent to parents:

The following safety features will be in place to ensure that the dropping off or picking up of students is undertaken in a safe manner:

• The designated drop-off and pick-up area for students will be located on Manresa Drive (the main College driveway adjacent to the soccer field). Several car parks to the left of the driveway have been set aside to create a 'drive-through' system.

• The new system will allow vehicles to line up and drop off or pick up students and then re-join Manresa Drive by merging before the turning circle.

• Please note that these drop-off or pick-up spaces are no standing bays, and drivers will be urged to move on to keep traffic flowing.

• The drop-off and pick-up area will be clearly marked by signs and bollards.

• In the event a driver misses the drop-off and pick-up area, they must exit the College and turn left before re-attempting drop-off or pick-up.

• The College has also engaged a traffic management contractor to assist with the trial and ensure the changed conditions are adhered to safely. They will be on-site during peak drop-off and pick-up times. Please follow the signs and directions provided.

• Note that speed limits have been reduced along the school's roadways (shared zones) to 5km/h. Vehicle speed has been restricted for the safety of our College community.

• The current temporary Bollard system that stops traffic continuing through to reception will continue to function between 8:15 am & 8:50 am and then between 3.00 pm & 3.30 pm.

We would love to hear from you. Please provide your feedback to info@ignatius.vic.edu.au. Feedback is important to us to help improve and enhance our traffic management.

The final day of classes Wed. 7th December 2022

I am grateful to the Year Level Coordinators and their team of teachers for organising, providing, and managing a productive and well-organised finish to the school year. They have prepared liturgies and final gatherings for our Years 7 – 11 students to ensure we finish well on the students’ last day for 2022.

Next Tuesday, 13th December, we will conduct Orientation Day for the grade six students attending Saint Ignatius next year. We look forward to welcoming our new College members.

Advent Season

Last Sunday, we commenced the Advent period of the Church’s calendar, the beginning of a new Church year. The Advent period is a time of waiting and preparing for Christmas.

“Lord, you sent us Jesus your Son to bring light to our darkness and lead us to eternal life. As we begin this Advent season, enkindle within us the deep desire to seek him in all things.

Lord, you fashioned our hearts to be satisfied with nothing less than Your love which overflows for us in Christ. As we journey through Advent, rekindle your gift of hope within us, and turn our expectant waiting into readiness to welcome Him in all persons we meet.

We ask you this in his name. Amen”

Michael Exton | Principal