Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Welcome to term three. I hope our students have had a restful, enjoyable and productive break from classes and are ready and eager to make the most of the opportunities that will be available this term. I also hope that your family has not been affected by illness. As a College community we need to remain careful about maintaining ‘COVID Safe’ practices. Again, I would appreciate it if parents would please reinforce this with their daughter or son.
COVID-19 Update
Rapid antigen tests − Terms 3 and 4
The Victorian Government has determined the rapid antigen test (RAT) distribution strategy for Terms 3 and 4.
Under the approach, schools will receive up to three deliveries of RATs each in Terms 3 and 4.
Schools will be able to provide these RATs to parents/carers, staff or students on request, as the previous settings that required weekly or daily testing of students and staff have ceased.
We expect that schools will receive their first delivery of RATs by Friday 29 July 2022.
Face masks
Schools have been asked to remind staff, students and families that the current advice from the Victorian government is that it is recommended face masks are worn in indoor settings (except for close contacts, who must wear a mask indoors unless an exception applies).
Managing a confirmed case of COVID-19 in schools
Parents/carers should inform the school by phone or written notification.
Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period.
Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school. Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they take additional safety measures in the 7 days that would have been their quarantine period. If household contacts do not undertake the safety measures they are required to isolate and test on Day one and Day 6 of isolation. Household contacts are required to inform the school that they are attending during the 7 day period.
Parents/carers are able to leave isolation if other arrangements cannot be made to transport their non-infectious child via private vehicle to and/or from school. The person leaving self-isolation must travel directly to and from the location, making no stops, unless there is an emergency or as required by law. They must remain in the vehicle at all times, unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to deliver the person to and from school, and must wear a face covering whilst outside the place of self-isolation.
Thank you for everything you are doing to keep our College open and safe.
Fr Des Panton – 60th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of Priestly Ordination
On behalf of our College Community, I congratulate Fr Des on his sixty years of Priesthood. Fr Des was the Drysdale Parish Priest for 32 years and was very involved in supporting St Thomas Primary School and our College. In addition, he was President of the Canonical Administrators of our College for many years.
There will be a special Mass at St Thomas Church, Drysdale, to celebrate Fr Des’ special milestone this Sunday, 17th July, at 4 pm. Mass will be celebrated by our Regional Bishop, Martin Ashe, who will be visiting the parish for the first time. Fr Des will be present. Our choir and some student leaders will participate in helping make this a very special celebration. College community members are welcome to attend.
College Feast Day
Sunday 31st July is a special day for our College Community - the Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, the College’s patron saint. With the day falling on a Sunday, we will celebrate this day on Friday 29th July. All students are expected to attend school on this day and join in the spirit of the day by fully participating in the special activities that have been organised.
We will commence the day with a special liturgy to mark the closure of the Ignatian Year and then we will conduct the Blessing and Opening Ceremonies for the new Loyola Centre. Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, Bishop Martin Ashe will bless the new building and it will be officially opened by Fr Gerry Healy SJ. We are very grateful to Bishop Ashe and Fr Fr Healy for honouring our College with their presence at this special occasion.
Then there will be a variety of activities organised for students to participate in for the rest of the day. As some of these activities may be of a sporting nature, all students are required to wear their correct sports uniform on this day.
The canteen will be open from recess to the end of lunch time. Students can order lunch (“red” foods allowed on our celebration day) from the canteen and there will be a variety of food vans present on the day as well.
If the weather is inclement on the day, we will run normal classes. So students should make sure they are prepared for this.
Previous years’ Feast Day celebrations received overall very positive feedback. We are hoping that this day will continue to be a special one in the culture of the College over the years and indeed a day the students and staff look forward to and celebrate – a very positive community building event.
More details will be provided closer to the day by Deputy Principal Mr Paul Lewis.
Staff news
There have been some more changes since the previous newsletter to our College staff.
I extend a warm welcome to the following new Education Support Staff:
Mr Jack Terry (Learning Support Officer, LSO)
Mr Brad Madhavan Nair (LSO)
Ms Nicole Hargreaves (Reception - Monday and Tuesday)
Ms Terri Walker (Reception – Thursday)
Ms Anna Kennedy (Reception – Friday)
Congratulations to two current staff members on their recent appointments to new positions within our College:
Ms Deb Miles (Registrar)
Ms Olivia Whitehead (Student Wellbeing Office Coordinator)
Yr 10 Work Experience
Most Year 10 students undertook Work Experience for the last week of last term. (Some were unable to do so for a variety of reasons and they will undertake theirs at another time.) Mr Bruce Connor reports that the week seems to have gone very well with many glowing reports coming in about our students - well done to them all. This was a valuable opportunity for them and as well as learning about a particular career and the workplace environment, I am sure there will have been valuable personal development they will have gained from the challenge such a program provides.
Once again thank you to our Work and Further Education Coordinator, Mr Bruce Connor for coordinating this program and Mr Brendan O’Brien (YLC) and the Year 10 team of Teachers for their work to support this. We are very grateful to the employers who generously provided a place for our students and also to the workers in those workplaces for supporting our students.
Subject selection for 2023
During term three students in Years 8 – 11 will be asked to indicate their preferences for elective subjects for the following year. Whilst considering options at this time it is important to discuss with your daughter or son her or his strengths, interests and post school options and review this every so often. The Semester One Statement of Results would be a helpful springboard into this type of discussion. Our Work and Further Education Coordinator, Mr. Bruce Connor, is also available by appointment to help in this area. And students are welcome to access our Career Centre resources (located in the Loyola Centre) by seeing Mr. Connor first.
Best wishes for the next fortnight,
Michael Exton | Principal
As a new Semester begins we are preparing for two important celebrations which I think illuminate a vision for the remainder of the year. This coming Sunday representatives of the College will participate in a mass to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Fr Des Panton and two weeks later we will celebrate the feast day of our patron, St Ignatius of Loyola. Each of these celebrations will focus upon the dedication and commitment to the community required to give up a ‘normal life’ for one of service to the community and the Church.
Many families at the College will remember Fr Des Panton who was for over thirty years the parish priest of St Thomas Parish Drysdale. Fr Des was a driving force behind the consolidation of Catholic Regional College to Drysdale, a keen supporter of the transition to becoming an Ignatian Companion School, oversaw the development of St Thomas’ Primary School from its inception and the construction of St Thomas Church which links the local parish and schools. Fr Des offered so much to our local community and more broadly as the president of the Canonical Administrators and the Deanery. Since his retirement Fr Des has continued to offer mass where possible and has maintained strong pastoral connections with many parishioners and families.
In his time St Ignatius also gave up a ‘normal life’ for one of service. His desire to serve was guided by his spiritual conversion at Manresa and the transformation that occurred due to his mystical encounters. The commitment required to continue to lead and serve the Jesuits during the remainder of his life was extraordinary. His letters illustrate the depth of his care, wisdom and pastoral guidance which today are a source from which the Jesuit and Ignatian communities draw insight from.
These two examples allow us the opportunity to contemplate where we place our energies and whether we sustain our commitment or vary our focus over time. Contemplate for a moment what you truly enjoy and how much time each week you offer that thing. Do you consistently offer the time and attention required to maintain or improve in this area? Assess the level of commitment you currently have for this aspect of your life.
Our lives have a natural ebb and flow in all areas but in the areas that are life giving there is a tendency for us to offer more time and attention. The things that we are committed to are the things that fulfil us the most. These are thin places where the distance between God and ourselves is small. When we are committed we find the effort enjoyable and the need for affirmation or reward minimal.
Both Fr Des and St Ignatius offer us an understanding of service and how commitment can transform entire communities, if not the world. Their lives also show us that it is through service and the love of God that sacrifice and dedication are virtues that make us whole.
As you contemplate these thoughts I encourage you to pray for Fr Des. For his service and in celebration of his 60 years of service to the community as a priest. The chorus of his favourite hymn might be a fitting:
I thank my God each time I think of you.
And when I pray for you I pray with joy.
Yours in Christ,
Brendan Nicholls
Liturgy Coordinator
2023 Subject Selection
It is an exciting time for our students who commence the process of considering subjects and pathways for 2023. Parents and students have access to all subject information, including important dates on Canvas. Year 9 and 10 students and parents are invited to attend the Senior Pathways Information evening which will take place virtually on Monday 25 July, 6:00pm - 8:00pm. The Zoom link is available via Canvas.
At Saint Ignatius College, we offer a range of subjects to cater for the interests of our students. In Year 9, the students can select six subjects from the 25 elective subjects on offer. At Year 10, students have a choice of Religious Education, English, Mathematics and Science subjects. They are also able to choose from 27 elective semester subjects. At Year 11, there are 35 VCE subjects to choose from or the new VCE Vocational Major pathway. At Year 12, there are 31 VCE subjects, as well as the VCE Vocational Major pathway.
We encourage our students to engage in this process by accessing all the excellent information on Canvas, speaking with their teachers or recommended staff, such as Mr Connor, our WAFE Coordinator and perhaps reflecting on what subjects they like or what they don’t enjoy. We wish them well in this process and we are here to guide them.
Cura Personalis
Year 7 and 8 students have just made their Semester 2 choices between GISSA sports or an Enrichment Activity. Once again, we have been able to provide wonderful Enrichment opportunities for our students, as well as six GISSA sports. We look forward to hearing from our students about their involvement and their learning. Thank you to Emma Cuthill and the wonderful Cura Personalis team for all their preparation and dedication in making this new program so successful.
Bernadette Donnelly
Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning.
Victorian Child Safe Standards
In the June edition of our Newsletter, we reported that Saint Ignatius College Geelong is in the process of updating policies, procedures and practices that align with the new Victorian Child Safe Standards and Ministerial Order No. 1359, Implementing the Child Safe Standards – Managing the risk of child abuse in schools and school boarding premises. The College recognised this as an opportunity to build on our existing Child Safety Program to address the 11 new Standards.
In recent weeks, a great deal of work has been done to ensure that our policies and guidelines are reflective of the new Victorian Child Safe Standards. We have been working on the following policies:
Saint Ignatius College Geelong Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
PROTECT Identifying and Responding to Abuse – Reporting Obligations
Family and Community Involvement in Child Protection at the College
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students (Child Protection)
Students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (Child Protection)
Please refer to our College website to access the updated and revised policies and procedures at any time.
Kirsty Allan
Acting Deputy Principal - Students
In embracing the College theme of 'learning to a higher level,' students and/or their parents/carers are encouraged to collect a new 'student wall planner,' as students embark on a new Semester of academic studies.
The student wall planners are available for collection from Reception in the Loyola Centre.
SICG The Bookclub’s next meeting is Monday July 25th at 7pm. We will be discussing Abomination by Ashley Golberg.
Refreshments available.
Register at; https://forms.gle/asx8hiYn8oH9tzJD9
The ILC Team
THE MEGA RAFFLE | The 2022 Mega Raffle is under way! Have you had a chance to purchase your tickets to the Mega Raffle?
--> https://rafflelink.com.au/2022-mega-raffle <--
With a total prize pool of just under $5000, it is the raffle to have a ticket in!
All proceeds from the Mega Raffle go to student resources at the College.The Parents and Friends Mega Raffle is drawn on August the 1st, 2022.
The Parents and Friends Association sincerely thanks the local businesses who have donated to this year's Mega Raffle.
https://www.safeonsocial.com/d...
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eSafetyHQ is Safe on Socials online learning program. It offers access to the most current cyber safety information year-round in easy bite-size video, audio, and written content.
It enables students, staff, school, and parents to be informed, educated, and empowered.
Stage 1. Fertilise and Prepare Soil
Stage 2. Pre-seed of oval
Dave Peters and The SICG Maintenance Team
Regular dates (1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month) from 3-5pm
20th July
3rd August
17th August
7th September
Opening prior to the P & F meetings from 5-7pm
18th July
8th August
13th September
W/C 18/7/2022 | ||
18th | E.Dear, L.Mew | |
19th | S.Twaits, K.James, S.Peters. | |
20th | C.Ford, NEEDED. | |
21nd | M.Hiemstra, M.White. | |
22nd | E.Stokie, B.Allen. | |
W/C 25/7/2022 | ||
25th | K.Allchin, E.Musella. | |
26th | C.Rivo, M.Dunstan. | |
27th | L.Dowling, NEEDED. | |
28th | C.Wake, NEEDED. | |
29th | L.Taylor, L.Hart. |
If you are able to assist on the above mentioned dates, please contact Canteen Manager Mrs. Sandra Woodall on woodalls@ignatius.vic.edu.au
Volunteers must hold a current WWCC.
Mrs. Sandra Woodall.
Canteen Manager.