Principal's Message

Dear Parents & Carers,

Canvas Cyber Incident

As you may be aware, our College uses “Canvas” as our Learning Management System, an online platform provided by the third-party vendor Instructure. Instructure has recently advised of a worldwide data breach involving Canvas, as reported in the media.

As soon as we received notification of this incident, our IT team implemented all recommended security measures advised by Instructure.

At this stage, we understand that the impact is limited to student and staff names, email addresses, student ID numbers and Canvas internal messages.

Instructure has advised that sensitive information, such as passwords, dates of birth, government IDs, or financial information, is not involved.

At this stage, there’s no indication of ongoing risk to our school systems, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely in partnership with MACS and Instructure.

Instructure suspended access to Canvas. As a result, we put plans in place to support the continuity of teaching and learning. The College uses Canvas as the student-facing learning platform and, as such, does not store curriculum documentation solely on Canvas. Consequently, staff and students have been able to access teaching and learning materials via an alternative online platform.

No action is required from you at this time. As a general precaution, we recommend that all members of the community continue to:

• be cautious of unexpected emails or messages

• avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments

• watch for phishing attempts requesting personal information or passwords

• avoid reusing the same password across multiple services

• reset passwords if there is any concern they may have been compromised.

College staff will never ask you to provide your password or sensitive personal information via email or Canvas.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact our IT Support team at: E: itsupport@ignatius.vic.edu.au

We will continue to keep our community informed as further information becomes available.

Year 7 Camps

I was delighted to visit the Year 7 camp at Anglesea on Tuesday and Thursday evenings the week before last. I was very impressed by the positive and enthusiastic responses I received from the students about their camp experience and how they were settling into secondary school life.

As in previous years, I was accompanied by several of the College Captains. These Senior Student Leaders were uplifted by the warm welcome they received. They did a tremendous job of meeting as many Year 7s as possible, sharing their experiences of camps and school, and encouraging the young students to make the most of their opportunities.

Thank you to the team of dedicated staff for making this a valuable and enjoyable experience for the students. In particular, thank you to Mrs Deb Hodge (Head of Yr 7) for coordinating the camp and to all staff involved.

College Assembly

We held the Term Two whole-school assembly on Tuesday last week. As is our practice, the student leaders ran the assembly. Most of the captains from each area reported to the assembly on their activities to date and what students could look forward to. The College Vice-Captains did a great job as emcees for the assembly, and the College Captains delivered an inspiring address to their fellow students. Each leader recognised the students who had been involved in one or more of the many activities to date and highlighted many of the opportunities available to students for the remainder of the term.

Other features of the assembly were:

• A very impressive performance by the cast of “Come From Away”, the VCE Unit 3 Theatre Studies class performances, which will be held later this week;

• Presentations of awards to the Athletics Carnival placegetters (see below); and

• An entertaining performance by the Yr 10 student band;

2026 House Athletics Age Group Champions:

Female Age Group Champions
Year 7 - Isla Briggs
Year 8 - Scarlett Kelly
Year 9 - Quinn Davidson
Year 10 - Milla Allchin
Year 11 - Heidi Connor
Year 12 - Lua Payne

Male Age Group Champions
Year 7 - Dylan Marshall
Year 8 - Thomas Bosworth
Year 9 - Liam Miskell and Heath Tatlock
Year 10 - Leo Hill
Year 11 - Mikhail Ahmet
Year 12 - Aiden Fitzgerald

Well done to all students involved in running the assembly!

Jesuit Mission Maytime Fair

Saint Ignatius College Geelong was again very pleased to support the Jesuit Missions Maytime Fair at Xavier College on Saturday, 2nd May. The proceeds will assist the Jesuits in their work with people in India, Myanmar, Africa, China, East Timor, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Well done to the Senior Student Leaders, who, with some staff support, ran a “Tastes of the Bellarine” stall. In addition to raising valuable funds, the students were great ambassadors for our college and strengthened our connections with the network of Jesuit groups. In particular, thank you to staff members Carmen Ahearn and Michael Tod.

Faith and Youth Ministry events last week

Last Thursday, our Year 11 Religion Academy students hosted students from Clonard College, Loyola College Watsonia, Sacred Heart College and Saint Joseph's College for a vibrant Youth Ministry Equipping School event. Over weeks of preparation, our students enthusiastically planned a ‘Rise Up’-themed day centred on celebration, reflection and prayer. Through liturgy, workshops and a closing plenary, they showcased practical ministry skills developed through the RE Academy and Journey programs. The talents shared throughout the day included public speaking, prayer writing, music, drama, dance, technology and stagecraft. We are proud to have hosted this event, which connected our young people through a youthful expression of faith.

Following this wonderful day, our Year 9s participated in ‘Encounter’ on Friday. This new addition to our calendar was designed to deepen connection with self, others and faith. Students were enthralled by our guest speaker, Sam Clear, who shared stories from his walk for unity around the world. Reflecting on Sam’s words led students to consider resilience, perspective and how faith shapes humanity. Students enjoyed time in Mentor Groups, deepening connections through Youth Ministry games and Ignatian Conversation. A shared BBQ lunch and a year-level mass, celebrated by Fr Ray Bujega, concluded the day. While Encounter included moments of reflection and stillness, its true success was creating space for students to connect with one another, explore new ideas and continue growing in confidence and self-awareness.

College Cross-Country Carnival

On Monday morning, we held the annual House Cross-Country Carnival at school. Congratulations to Ricci House on winning the House Shield as the highest-scoring house in the carnival. I commend all students who participated and gave their best effort.

Well done to the following students who placed first, second or third in their year level.

Year Level Champions

As you know, there is considerable media coverage of adolescent health. As a school, we aim to support the development of the whole person. The Sport and Physical Education programs are also an important part of our students’ education. We must continue to foster a culture at our school that encourages participation in events such as Cross Country.

As a result of the carnival, our Sports Faculty will organise a team to compete in the annual GISSA Inter-School Cross Country Carnival.

Best wishes for the next fortnight,

Michael Exton | Principal

As you may be aware, our College uses as our Learning Management System