Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Dear Parents, Students, Staff Members and Friends of the College,
This continues to be a very challenging time for schools and the wider community. It is vital we all work together and help minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading further.
We are now into our second week of the Stage 3 restrictions. Our teachers and support staff continue to work hard to minimise any impact on student learning and to care for the wellbeing of their students during this second period of remote learning and working. We have learned many things from our earlier experience of remote learning and are better placed to support our students’ learning continuity this time. However, a challenge for us all is to continue to monitor the wellbeing of our students. Please know that you can seek help or advice from our Student Wellbeing Team (E: wellbeing@ignatius.vic.edu.au) if you have any concerns. A member of the team is on duty at our College each school day.
To coordinate and manage the College’s response to the Stage 3 restrictions, we have again set-up a network of teams coordinated by the Critical Incident Management (CIM) team which I convene twice per week. The purpose of each team is to assess, anticipate, act and refine action for its designated area – ICT, Curriculum, Student Wellbeing, Staff/Operations & Administration or OHS. Our overall aim is to ensure learning can continue remotely and the focus of each team is to troubleshoot, problem solve and support our teachers and students with their work. Feedback about how we are progressing with remote & flexible learning is discussed by the appropriate team. So feedback from parents, students and staff members to the appropriate team is vital.
I encourage parents and students to continue to send their feedback to the appropriate person as indicated in the document “Remote and Flexible Learning: Information for Students & Parents” that was emailed to all parents and students by Deputy Principal, Mr Michael Timms last week.
Another College response to the current situation that was a great success during the previous period of remote learning was our ‘Meals Program.’ Deputy Principal, Mr Paul Lewis has written to our school community (email letter) to inform everyone that we are preparing meals here at school and providing them to St Ignatius families who are in need of such support in these difficult times. To further promote this initiative, I provide the following excerpt from Mr Lewis’ letter.
Depending on how many meals we can make and how many families need our support, we will also investigate if we can offer similar support to other local charities.
If you would like to donate food items that can be used as part of this community support program, that would be wonderful. If you are driving for an essential reason and it happens to bring you past school, you will find a container just inside the Front Office where you can leave your donated food items.
It may be that you wish to support the program but won’t be out and about driving past our school in the near future so you may like to make a financial donation. As we are an essential service, we are permitted to purchase quantities of most food items from the supermarket so we will use the financial donations to purchase food for this meals program.
Financial donations to the program can either be paid directly into the College account, details as follows:
BSB 063-512
A/C 10124719
Quote Ref “Meals Program”
or via credit card at Reception.
We certainly realise that these are very difficult and challenging times for many people and for some their employment situation may have recently changed, and as such we completely understand that making a financial donation to this program may not be possible for some families.
Obviously, the year has unfolded very differently for us all and in particular, for our Year 12 students in their final year of secondary school. Adjustments have been made to the VCE and VCAL programs and many of the usual significant events that help make this final year special have not or may not be able to happen. Further support to students has been announced by the State Minister for Education, The Hon. James Merlino. Yesterday, parents received an email message from me about the introduction of a new ‘Consideration of Educational Disadvantage’ process to calculate VCE scores, taking into account disruptions to learning this year. This measure will ensure that Victorian students are not disadvantaged in comparison to interstate students in the calculation of their individual ATAR. This email letter includes important information for parents and students in Years 11 or 12.
During term three, students in Years 8 – 11 are 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/son her/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 (E: connorb@ignatius.vic.edu.au) to help in this area.
Important information to support the subject selection is available via Canvas. Please ask your daughter or son to show you where you can access the video and booklet relevant to her/his year level. The video is provided as a substitute for the usual parent information evening.
I am pleased to report very strong interest in the College continued again this year with many more applications than places available for next year.
The very positive reputation of the College is a commendable result of the commitment of our students, staff and parents to our College community and its continual improvement. This has helped at a time when we have not been able to run our usual on-site Open Day and Tours.
As in the past three years, I have enrolled 250 students for Year 7 next year.
The third edition of Catholic Education Today for 2020 is now available on the Catholic Education Melbourne website www.cem.edu.au under News and Events / Catholic Education Today.
The Term 3 edition focuses on ‘stepping up’ with articles that explore school transitions and how to support your child through changes at all levels of school from beginning in Foundation to leaving secondary.
I thank parents for your ongoing support of the College.
Michael Exton Principal
As we enter into the second round of remote and flexible learning you may notice that the change is easier to bear than our first experience. The College has learned from the first period of satellite teaching and has adapted the framework to better support the students academically and emotionally. On Tuesday we received further information from the State Government about changes to the awarding of VCE and VCAL certificates and ATAR grades to support senior students and their post-school pathways. These changes impact our whole community and with transform this academic year and potential the years to come.
When I was young we struggled to be entertained as children. There was no internet, streaming, YouTube or dedicated kids channels on TV. We got up early for the cartoons and waited for the test pattern to end at 6 am! Sadly, growing up in the 80’s was much more about “don’t come back until dinner time” than social media, television and gaming. I remember a saving grace fondly being a TV show called “Transformers”. An animated series about vehicles that could transform to humanoid robots with two groups that fought in a deeply moral war of good versus evil.
I fondly remember playing with my transformer toys and imagining our old car transforming with me and battling the ‘badies’. What I was not aware of at the time has been revealed over time. When I think of the show today I now think about how the characters were able to change when needed from their ordinary form into something new; something extraordinarily powerful and virtuous. The vehicle in its ordinary form actually had everything needed to become something more amazing and better than what it was. Paradoxically the robots were always happy to transform back into the ordinary vehicle they originally were when the battle was over and serve in their ‘ordinary’ way.
As we serve others through the sacrifices Stage 3 Restrictions have upon our lives and educationally we would do well to consider the relevance of the Transformers narrative to our current situation. We are moving from the ordinary into very challenging times emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually. We have everything within us to transform into someone that not only can cope with the challenges presented at this time but reach out to others and help them.
Philosophically and theologically we are always presented with the competing demands of our own needs and desires and the decision to put others first. Jesus offered us a guide to this conundrum in the Golden Rule, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you”.
There are a myriad of ways you can transform your thinking and actions to be more sacrificial. However, you may need to make a choice to move beyond your own challenges and frustrations at this time. Offering a positive or supportive comment might be the transformation that helps someone else make the decision to do so for others. There is much wisdom in the concept of paying it forward. You might consider supporting others in financial hardship by donating to the College’s meals program. You may simply spend time in prayer asking for guidance and spiritual contentment.
However you chose to enter into this period of restrictions aim to be transformed positively because of it. Believe in the gifts you have been given. You are stronger than you can imagine and are able to help those around you in a unique way. Look beyond yourself and the ordinary and strive to be more because of the challenges we face. When this period of restrictions ends you, like the Transformers, may take a step back. You might though be changed forever!
If nothing else, these next five weeks will go by swiftly. Today there are any number of streaming platforms and dedicated TV channels. If you get ‘bored’ though you might want to watch a few episodes of the Transformers and contemplate how relevant the story is to our lives today.
Yours in Christ,
Brendan Nicholls Liturgy Coordinator
For general enquiries please telephone the College on 5251 1136 or email: office@ignatius.vic.edu.au
For student absence please contact the College office by 10am and leave a message or email: office@ignatius.vic.edu.au
For College Fee related enquiries email: fees@ignatius.vic.edu.au
For account related enquiries email: accounts@ignatius.vic.edu.au
For enrolment related queries email: registrar@ignatius.vic.edu.au
For general IT support enquiries please email: itsupport@ignatius.vic.edu.au
For Wellbeing support please email: wellbeing@ignatius.vic.edu.au
Thank you for your understanding.
Parents and guardians of students in Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 are reminded that digital subject selection preference forms must be submitted to the school by no later than Tuesday August 18th.
Prior to submitting the completed selection form, please ensure that all requested information has been provided including the student name and year level at the top of the form.
Completed forms are to be returned to the following email address:
selections@ignatius.vic.edu.au
Blank forms for each of the relevant year levels can be downloaded from the Canvas 2021 Subject Pathways course. A link to this course is provided here:
https://ignatius.instructure.com/courses/2557
Students who wish to make separate application to accelerate in a subject or who wish to undertake a VCAL pathway at Years 11 or 12 in 2021 must return those applications to the same email address as well by Tuesday August 18th.
We look forward to processing student selections after that date and thank you in anticipation of returning these completed forms by the designated date.
With the introduction of the second phase of remote and flexible learning, the school has created a new Canvas course that provides parents and guardians with access to the adjusted subject focus at every level [7 to 12] between now and when the current period of Stage 3 restrictions in Regional Victoria is due to be reviewed or conclude.
As well as detailing the focus of learning, this information lists the required assessment task/s to be completed in that time and is intended to help families manage learning continuity at home.
All students are enrolled in this course and parents and guardians can access this as observers as they would do in viewing feedback on student formative and summative tasks.
This Canvas course can be accessed via the following link and we invite you to look at the relevant subjects your daughter or son is undertaking this Semester to keep abreast of what is being delivered remotely.
https://ignatius.instructure.com/courses/3256
Thank you for your ongoing support as we endeavour to provide effective learning remotely.
Mrs Annette Chidzey Deputy Principal [ Learning & Teaching]
Congratulations to the following students who participated and earned a place in the recent Education Perfect Regional Championships.
Saint Ignatius College Geelong finished 4th overall in Victoria out of 308 schools. A special mention goes to Dana Lourie, Year 12 Arrupe who helped staff run the lunchtime points activity. We walked away with 1st in Indonesian and 3rd in Italian across the region which is a notable effort.
Complimenti ai seguenti studenti! - Prof Losi, Italian teacher
Kathleen Donald 4th 6,050 Emerald
Drew Magtaka 12th 3,011 Gold
Janelle Nichols 13th 3,005 Gold
Thomas Galan 17th 2,856 Silver
Therese Flatt 19th 2,732 Silver
Harper Sullivan 44th 1,471 Bronze
Dana Lourie 52nd 1,330 Bronze
William Hanley 56th 1,287 Bronze
Erin Donald 62nd 1,238 Bronze
Stephanie Reynolds 70th 1,138 Bronze
Cristiano Amarante 72nd 1,133 Bronze
Erika Slevin 75th 1,083 Bronze
Fin Hanley 84th 1,005 Bronze
Jacob Irwin 97th 866 Credit
Amelie Anderson 101st 840 Credit
Kai Jones 106th 806 Credit
Joshua Galbraith 118th 700 Credit
Lily Leorke 124th 675 Credit
Shakira Palmer 141st 590 Credit
Emily Douglas 156th 537 Credit
Nathan Oddo 159th 527 Credit
Benjamin Cirillo 168th 507 Credit
Daniel Dalton 176th 502 Credit
Oliver Connell 177th 501 Credit
The current climate of COVID has made it challenging for students and teachers to learn and adapt to new ways of learning and embracing the use of digital technologies to do so. Although there has been disruptions with face-to-face learning, the Digital Technology faculty has been working hard to provide exciting resources and content to the students.
We were lucky enough this year to receive our own official classroom that allows the College to provide exciting resources to the students. The College has invested time and money in the acquisition of Virtual Reality headsets, such as the Oculus Quest, programmable drones, a class set of Micro:Bits and Bit:Bots, 3 x class sets of Arduino smart cars, a lego smart city, a plastic recycling machine to make 3D filament and 8 3D printers. These valuable resources have allowed the students to be learn and to be exposed to cutting edge technology and how it can be used not just in the Digital Technology classroom, but other subject areas.
A few programs/units of work have included Year 7s design a 3D model of a chess piece and having it printed on the 3D printers, Year 8 students building and programming a smart car, Year 7 & 8 students using computational thinking and algorithms to program a drone to fly around a course successfully and many more.
We also currently have been supporting students with their own work or projects of interest and are proud of the work that these students are producing. Some students in Year 7 & 8 have been making a rechargeable bluetooth speaker in their lunchtime, where they design and 3D print the housing unit before wiring up the electronic components.
For Product & Design, Daniel McInerney SotoMayor from Year 11 has used the 3D printers to print a Star Wars Clone helmet in 12 separate pieces, where he then attached and smoothed the piece. He will be using this model as a mould where he will be able to replicate and 'clone' more of these helmets.
Christian Privitelli and James Fuller have been working hard this year to create a 3D printed bionic limb that is controlled by a Raspberry Pi and an app that Christian wrote which controls the movement of the hand.
We are so excited with the work that students are producing at the College and encourage others to use the facilities for their school work, such as using the drones for Maths, or 3D printing to create models or prototypes in Woodwork or Science.
Brenton Reid Learning Area Leader: Digital Technology
Preparation began in March for our A Grade Team’s participation in the Schools’ Competition conducted by the Debaters’ Association of Victoria (DAV). Year 12 students William Bothe, Matilda Crosgrove, Noah Gullan, Jesse Hart, Luke Lawson, and William Palmer were all keen to take part, and in the wake of the Covid-19 disruptions affecting the State we eagerly awaited the DAV’s restructuring of the program. Normally we participate in the Geelong Region’s competition, however, with face-to-face debating no longer possible, our students became part of a Thursday afternoon online event. This means that we have been able to debate against teams from a much wider range of locations whilst using Zoom as the platform.
For Round 1 we took the negative position with the topic being “That we regret the rise of streaming platforms (such as Netflix and Disney+)”. After several planning meetings at school, final preparations and the debate itself were undertaken via Zoom as we entered the first lockdown. Matilda Crosgrove presented very well in her first appearance and was strongly supported by both Noah Gullan and William Palmer. Our opponents from Northcote Secondary College presented a compelling case and took the honors with the adjudicator complimenting both teams on a close debate of good quality.
All team members took part in a practice debate via Zoom during the holiday break to prepare for the second fixture. This was Jesse Hart’s first formal debate and he acquitted himself very well when opening the affirmative case. Overall, the practice exercise was great fun and inspired some confidence for students’ next challenge against Hume Central Secondary College.
The topic for Round 2 was “That the government should outsource climate and energy policy to a panel of experts” and we argued the negative case. Noah Gullan opened the team’s case superbly, challenging the affirmative team’s proposed model and speaking for over 7 minutes. Luke Lawson’s rebuttal as second speaker was exceptionally strong and also effectively reinforced our main arguments. Third speaker William Bothe finished the counter-arguments and summed up well in another very fine performance. The adjudicator again praised both teams on their research and awarded SICG the points, with Noah Gullan announced as the Best Speaker.
Round 3 marked the commencement of the Secret Topic phase of the competition, meaning that teams had just one hour to prepare their arguments prior to speaking. The team remained at school for this debate against Melbourne Grammar and worked very efficiently to organize their case. With the topic being “That we should introduce a tax for businesses that automate tasks which could otherwise be performed by humans” we again took the negative position. The hour passed quickly with a high level of great teamwork on display.
Brainstorming resulted in the formation of arguments around the importance of innovation and pursuing other tax alternatives as more effective options. Research tasks were shared and some great evidence emerged. Whilst our opponents presented an effective and clever model to open their case, it became a fiercely contested debate. Luke Lawson argued strongly that development is key to realizing human potential and spoke for close to 6 minutes. William Palmer used evidence from international studies about the impact on employment levels, and focused on the importance of fulfillment in our work. As final speaker, William Bothe delivered some excellent counter-arguments in his 8 minute rebuttal. Whilst Melbourne Grammar proved too strong, our students will benefit immensely from this experience having learnt some valuable tips from the very clear adjudication and from observing our opponents in action. We look forward to the next Secret Topic challenge on Thursday 13 August.
Congratulations to all of our Senior Debaters on your great teamwork and fine performances so far. You can all be very proud of your efforts and achievements in representing the school so well. Thank you to both Mr Timms and Mr Exton for their encouragement and support during the Round 3 event. Special thanks are also extended to the Hart and Palmer families for hosting the team during the rounds 1 and 2 fixtures.
The support of all parents involved is also greatly appreciated.
Ms Andrea Dart Senior Debating Co-ordinator
On Friday the 31st of July, the VCAL Year 11 students had 4 people visit from the Bell Park Dragons Football Team: Luke Massey (Video production for Fox Footy), Jai Smith (Football Coach/Trainer), Noah and Kirra (two of their star football players).
Together, they spoke about all their challenges that they had faced when creating their football team and also spoke about the importance of inclusiveness in relation to mixed abilities. After their talk we all went out onto our school oval and practiced some football skills.
Isaac Andree-Jansz
On behalf of the Year 11 VCAL Students
On Tuesday the 11th of August, Year 12 Barry joined in on a zoom session with Sam Niasmith the ruckman from the Sydney Swans, and The Black Dog Mental Health Institute.
During the session they spoke to us about ways to deal with mental health through things like meditation, breathing techniques and finding things you enjoy in things you do in life. They went through different mental health situations and techniques and as different techniques were explained Sam talked about his experiences and how he has resolved them using the strategies provided from the Black Dog Institute.
Throughout the zoom we participated in thinking exercises about what we are grateful for and a group meditation. It was a really interesting and informative session, helping us to better understand our PDS (Personal Development Skills) theme of Mental Health and young people.
Caitlin Edmanson
What better way to unwind and relax by reading a gripping, riveting, captivating book. Don’t have a book? Can’t get to the library. Use our Click and Collect Service! What better way to keep the enjoyment of reading happening.
What do students need to do?
1. Go to the Canvas ILC library page and click on Catalogue
2. Log in to the library using your school username and password. Search for a book
3. Click the reserve button. Confirm your reservation
4. Wait to hear from us. We will email you when the book is ready for collection
5. Collect your order from the College Front Office. All items will be in a tub with your name on it.
We also, have access to a large number of eBooks and audiobooks via the ePlatform.
To access;
1. Go to the Canvas ILC library page
2. Click on the ePlatform button
3. Browse the collection or search for a title
4. Click Login
5. Sign in with your school username and password
6. Click Borrow
New titles are added each month.
Need assistance? Email library@ignatius.vic.edu.au
Leonie Stephenson ILC Co-ordinator
I am pleased to announce that we have reached the finish line of our camino (journey) around Australia.
Recap
Wrap up – 10/8/20
We have completed our camino! Over the last eleven months we have travelled around Australia. Our journey followed the outer edge of our continent as best we could.
Over the last few weeks of our journey we jumped on the Spirit of Tasmania, completed a lap and retuned to SICG before our breach of COVID regulations put an end to our dream - Thank goodness this is was a virtual camino.
Over the journey we hope you have learned a little more about the other Jesuit and Companion schools across our country, have enjoyed the fitness challenge and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Our thanks goes out to every participant. With your support we completed the 18,500km round trip in under a year!
We look forward to future journeys and hope that you stay active and safe during this period of restrictions.
Details:
• Began: 1 September 2019
• Finished: 17 August 2020
• Total distance: 18,500km
• Average km/per week: 420 km
• Kilometres walked: 9,165 km
• Kilometers run: 10,106km
• Most kilometres completed by participant: Brendan O'Brien (3084 km)
Camino de Ignacio fishers (628km by Feast Day 2020): Seven finishers.
1. Brendan O'Brien - 3,085km
2. Lorella Knight - 2425km
3. Brad Manczak - 1,710km
4. Kylie Pummeroy - 960km
5. Greg McKillop - 960km
6. Cameron Donald - 757km
7. Amanda Kristapsons - 628km
Review
If you were not able to follow our blog or were not aware you can read over the blog posts that will offer you a little insight into our journey and the Jesuit and Companion schools throughout Australia.
Please click here for the latest edition of Catholic Education Today https://www.cem.edu.au/News-Events/Catholic-Education-Today.aspx
The Term 3 edition focuses on ‘stepping up’ with articles that explore school transitions and how to support your child through changes at all levels of school from beginning in Foundation to leaving secondary.
This issue explores how a school changed its language offering and involved the whole community. It also contains guidance to help families build resilience, looks at how our students are building connections with the vulnerable through the Letter Project, and celebrates events around the Archdiocese.
We conducted our first “virtual” P and F meeting on Tuesday 11th August and were joined by Michael Exton and Annette Chidzey who were able to provide an update on the latest happenings around the school. We were fortunate to see the proposed plans for the new Senior building (to replace the existing Administration building once that has been completed). Very impressive! Kind of makes me wish I was back at high school!
If you weren’t able to join this one, we are conducting our next Virtual meeting on 8th September 2020 at 7 pm. Link will be provided closer to the date in this newsletter so hope to see you all then!
The PFA will be donating $2600 towards the Meal Program to enable meal packs for those who require them in these difficult times. A huge thank you to the College for this initiative. Don’t forget, you can play your part by donating food items to the school or making a financial donation
I appreciate that now, more than ever, this service is really important for our school community so rest assured, we are looking into some proposals to get the store up and running for Term 4 in time for summer uniform!
Will keep you posted….
Please don’t forget we are still fundraising! E-Entertainment Books are now available for 2020/2021 so please help support the school by e- purchasing!
Visit the school Facebook page for details or you can contact me directly on
0438 353 855 if you need any further details.
It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again, but we will be seeking nominations for 2021 Executive committee positions (President, Vice President , Secretary and Treasurer) in the coming months – if you would like to know more about these roles, please feel free to email me on ps.clark@bigpond.net.au
Stays safe and look out for one another.
Regards
Sandi Clark President
‘How much time should my child be allowed in front of a screen?’ ‘What about my five-year-old?’ ‘How long should I let my 13-year-old play Fortnite?’ As a digital wellness and online safety expert, these are some of the questions I am most frequently asked.
They are certainly all relevant questions as parents fumble about trying to make rules and boundaries around their child’s screen time habits. Obviously we all want to prevent the screen time obsessions we hear about in the media. We want to maintain a sense of control over our child’s screen time habits.
As the digital world is far more complex and nuanced, our approach and questions need to mirror those complexities. We can certainly apply some time limits, and prescribe times when devices are not to be used. But it’s wise to ask more pertinent questions to help us make more informed choices about the rules and boundaries we set up for our kids.
In particular, there are three important questions we should ask. These are:
There’s no point worrying about how long your child is on a screen if you have no idea what they are doing when they’re on it. Handing a child a device without guidance can lead to a vast range of different experiences. One child might spend the time researching the dietary habits of a green tree frog, or learning how to make the best paper plane to fly with a younger sibling. Another might watch a funny cat video, or even watch hard-core pornography. These are vastly different ways to spend their
time online.
Is your child enjoying socialising online because it allows them deeper connections with their friends, provides them with support and gives them a sense of belonging? Alternatively, is he or she feeling excluded or being cyberbullied? A child’s online experiences can help or hinder wellbeing. If online activities lead to tantrums when transitioning to offline tasks, or even aggression then it may be a sign that online use is having a negative impact.
Children and teens benefit from involvement in a wide range activities so they can maintain optimum physical, social and emotional development. Spending time outdoors, enjoying active sports, connecting face-to-face with friends, sharing family meals, keeping up with homework and assisting with household chores are the types of activities that most experts agree are beneficial for children and young people. If the amount of time a child spends on digital devices excludes him or her from these types of activities then it can be considered excessive. If this is the case, then it’s reasonable to expect that, with your assistance, your child begins to place some limits on their screen use.
Digital devices present new challenges for parents to manage. As a result parents need to shift the focus away from simply managing a child’s time to helping him or her successfully integrate screen use into their daily life in ways that support learning, development and wellbeing.
Michael Grose
Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 10 books for parents including Thriving! and the bestselling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It, and his latest release Spoonfed Generation: How to raise independent children.
Join Saver Plus and we'll match your savings, dollar for dollar, up to $500 for school costs.
To join Saver Plus, you must be at least 18 years or over, have a child at school or attend vocational education yourself, have regular income from paid employment (you or your partner), have a current Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card and be in receipt of an eligible Commonwealth social security benefit, allowance or payment.
The eligibility criteria has also been broadened to assist more families, with JobKeeper and/or a formal Child Support arrangement classed as ‘income’.
Contact: Your local Saver Plus Coordinator
Phone: 03 5278 8122 Email: GeelongSP@bethany.org.au Web: www.saverplus.org.au
See PDF flyer for details:
Local Community and Sporting groups you may be interested in.
Parent Education Events - Geelong Region: Term 3 2020
All programs are free and will be run via Zoom, however, bookings are essential.
To book visit www.geelongaustralia.com.au/parenting or call us on 5272 4781.
There are a number of events planned for Term 3, please see attached flyer for event details: