From the Principal

How well do you think our College is travelling? What are we doing well? Where can we improve? At Saint Ignatius College we are committed to ongoing improvement. We use data from a variety of sources to monitor how we are performing and to inform our planning. For many years we have used the Catholic Education Melbourne’s (CEM) School Improvement Framework (SIF) as the basis for our improvement planning. Each year the consultancy company, “Insight SRC,” conduct surveys of parents, students and staff based on the SIF.

It is time again to conduct our annual surveys. The eldest student from each family should have brought home an envelope which contains the confidential log-in details for you to go online to complete the parent opinion survey. We need as many parents as possible to complete this online survey. Please note, the school is not privy to any specific answers as your responses go directly into a database that is managed by “Insight SRC.” The log-in details have been randomly assigned, and your responses cannot be identified. By completing this survey, you will provide valuable data that “Insight SRC” will analyse. We will use the resulting report to monitor the College’s progress and inform our improvement planning. The survey must be completed by Friday 24th August 2018.

I can readily point to many positive outcomes as a result of our strategic planning over recent years. Some of these include the following:

• The very impressive VCE results that have placed us in the top-performing Victorian Catholic co-educational schools for many years now.
• A well-developed VCAL program that has provided a viable applied learning alternative for a small cohort of our senior students.
• The current building program that will deliver mid-next year over $12M of new facilities.
• Very high demand for places with the addition of a tenth stream at Year 7 for next year.
• The growth, development and success of our co-curricular programs that include sporting, performing arts and debating opportunities and our overseas immersion and trip programs.

Moreover, of course, the pride, involvement and achievements of our very impressive students who have responded positively and constructively to the improvements and opportunities available to them are tremendous positive outcomes. The students are a credit to their families and their school.

Many of these achievements or levels of performance can be relatively easily quantified, measured and reported. There are many, many other essential things that we value and strive for at a deeper level that are not easily measured. They cannot be quantified, or we may not see the results of them until many years later on. As an Ignatian school, we are striving for the development of young women and men of:

• Conscience – reflection
• Competence – excellence
• Compassion – service
• Commitment – a love of learning.

The ‘Strategic Intent’ of our current School Improvement Plan (2017 – 2020) is to develop further:

• A culture of high academic achievement and servant leadership in the Ignatian way.
• A focus on staff collegiality and professional learning leading to important learning outcomes for students.
• A strong and supportive community that embraces the connection between well-being and learning.

It is crucial we do not rest on our laurels, and I recognise that there are areas in which we can and need to improve on. We want to ensure that we are continually reflecting on our programs and procedures and taking action to improve what and where we can. I urge all parents to please take the time to provide feedback through this survey. This will provide valuable data that will help the College Executive with school improvement decisions that will ultimately lead to improved learning outcomes for our students. Thank you in anticipation of your support for this important survey.

Michael Exton Principal