From the Principal

Dear Saint Ignatius College Geelong community members,

I am writing to inform you that Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning), Mrs Annette Chidzey, will be retiring at the end of this year. 

Mrs Chidzey will have served as our Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning) for six years at that point. As a member of the Saint Ignatius community, you will be aware of the extraordinary contribution she has made to the College over thirteen years and particularly, in the role of Deputy Principal.

I appreciate that this news comes in a period of remote and flexible learning and working with its many uncertainties and challenges, both individually and professionally. This news comes with sadness as we will miss Mrs Chidzey. She has been such a dedicated and committed member of staff. Due to the current situation, community members will not be able to have face-to-face contact with Mrs Chidzey to acknowledge her decision at this time. Hopefully, there will be many chances to recognize her contribution, express our gratitude and say our farewells later in the year.

Mrs Chidzey has been an outstanding teacher for almost 44 years. She has enriched, supported, challenged and inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of students in their learning. She is a very well-respected educator who has been a tremendous role model and mentor for her colleagues. Mrs Chidzey’s teaching methods include English and Humanities. Teaching has been her life and a significant part of who she is; it has indeed been a vocation. We give thanks to God for Mrs Chidzey’s significant positive influence on the lives of her students and colleagues over more than four decades. We pray for Mrs Chidzey that the remainder of the year will be a professionally rewarding, healthy and enjoyable time as she finishes up and looks forward to retirement.

Mrs Chidzey pictured congratulating a student at the Mosaic 2019 evening. 

Succession planning for this key leadership role will now be a focus for me, and I will be starting the recruitment process immediately to enable a thorough search process and provide potential candidates with an appropriate period of notice. 

This role will be advertised in “The Age” and the “Geelong Advertiser” this weekend. My objective is, of course, to find the best possible candidate to join our College’s leadership team. Someone who can build on the current strength of the College in the teaching and learning area and take it to even greater heights. You can be assured that we will not leave a stone unturned in our efforts to achieve this.

While I look forward to announcing the next Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning) in early term four, I also look forward to celebrating Mrs Chidzey’s highly professional and dedicated service to education towards the end of this year.

Yours Faithfully,

Michael Exton  Principal