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Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Our News // 02 April 2026
Dear Parents & Carers,
As we come to the end of the first term here at Saint Ignatius, we look back with gratitude on the many accomplishments, growth, and experiences that have shaped these past months. Guided by our College improvement theme, “Engagement for Excellence”, we have begun the year with a clear focus on striving for high standards in all aspects of school life, encouraging every student to be actively engaged and to pursue their personal best. With each new term comes the promise of new experiences, friendships, and discoveries, and it is pleasing to note that the academic year has commenced in a positive and purposeful manner. It has indeed been a busy and vibrant term for our faith and learning community.
Competence is a key value of an Ignatian education. I commend all students who have embraced the opportunities of a new year, demonstrating commitment, a positive attitude, and diligence in their studies as they work towards excellence in their learning.
We also recognise the importance of fostering a strong sense of belonging, connection, and empathy within our community. This term, our students have come together to support one another through acts of kindness, friendship, and inclusivity. Whether participating in charitable initiatives such as Caritas’ Project Compassion, contributing to Clean Up Australia Day, engaging in Open Afternoon activities, supporting International Women’s Day events, or simply offering a helping hand to a peer in need, our students have exemplified the spirit of compassion and community.
Many of our students have been actively involved in co-curricular opportunities. Our sporting programs have seen strong participation and success in cricket, swimming, athletics, surfing, basketball, and more, while the Performing Arts have showcased a number of impressive musical and choral performances. There was a high level of participation and competition at the recent Athletics Sports at Landy Field, Geelong. I also received very positive feedback regarding our Year 12 students’ enthusiastic and reflective participation in their retreat at Dromana, and our senior Religious Education “Journey” classes’ retreats at Anglesea. And, our Year 9 students have been away this week on their Grampians (Gariwerd) camp. I trust this experience has provided valuable opportunities for learning, challenge, and the strengthening of friendships.
The final day of classes for Term One will be Thursday, 2nd April 2026. Students will be dismissed at 2:20 pm. The bus departure times have been adjusted accordingly.
Parent engagement in student learning
As you are aware, we held Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences via Zoom last Thursday and the previous Thursday. The high level of participation was very pleasing. This reflects a strong learning culture at our College, which enhances our students’ learning outcomes. I trust this feedback and the opportunity for discussion about improving student learning has set a positive tone for term two. As usual, summative reports for Semester One will be available at the end of next term.
All students are required to wear the full winter uniform for terms two and three. As there may be some hot days early next term, students may wear the summer uniform on any warm days for the first two weeks of Term Two.
Please check the College website for details about what can and cannot be worn. Note that the summer shirt with the logo is not to be worn as part of the winter uniform since it is not designed to be worn with a tie. The College uniform long-sleeve shirt must be worn with a tie and is compulsory for both boys and girls in the winter uniform. Additionally, the kilt should be worn no longer than mid-calf with navy blue tights or stockings.
We extend our best wishes to Ms Lesley Falconer as she commences a period of long service leave in Term 2. During her absence, Ms Catherine Alizzi will be stepping into the role.
We are pleased to welcome Mr Jack Sutherland and Ms Narelle Fitzpatrick to our teaching staff and look forward to their contributions to the College.
We thank Ms Ranu Sharma, Business Analyst, for her dedicated service and wish her every success in her future endeavours.
We also wish our Human Resources Manager, Ms Sheila Tivan, all the best as she takes leave for Term 2. Ms Katherine Sanders will be assuming this role during her absence, and we warmly welcome her.
Mr James Little will also be on leave for Term 2, with Mr Ken Stewart joining us to take on his responsibilities.
On Sunday, we observed Palm Sunday, marking the start of Holy Week. This special week is the final stage of our Lenten journey. It holds great significance and sacredness as it reminds Christians of Jesus’ final week before his death and, most importantly, his resurrection.
On Tuesday, we gathered the whole school together to reflect on this special week and help prepare our students for the celebration of Easter.
Holy Week, and indeed all other events and seasons in the Church’s year, are a lead-up to the most important celebration of the year and at the very heart of our Christian beliefs, Easter.
Easter is the high point of the Christian year, the most important of our celebrations. Please consider taking your family to one of the many Church services over the Easter break to support your daughter/son’s faith development.
I wish everyone a very enjoyable Easter, and I hope all students have a restful break, including time spent revising work and preparing for next term.
Please note that the first day of classes for term two will be Monday, 20th April 2026.
Happy Easter, everyone and best wishes for the Term One holidays.
Michael Exton | Principal
This year’s Kartini Cup was particularly special, as it marked the 10th year of this Diversity Week inter-school language competition run through Education Perfect. For the past decade, the Languages competition has encouraged students to challenge themselves, practise their skills, and be part of a broader community of language learners.
Although we didn’t come away with the Cup this year, our students can be very proud of the way they approached the competition. The standard was extremely high, with very strong performances from rival schools. Despite the tough competition, our students showed great effort, persistence and enthusiasm throughout.
More than anything, the RA Kartini Cup is about the learning that happens along the way. The greatest success lies in the way students have built on, strengthened and consolidated their understanding of Indonesian and Italian — while hopefully enjoying the experience too.
Well done to all students who took part, and thank you for the effort and commitment you brought to this year’s competition.
It has been a very positive and exciting start to the 2026 school year for MacKillop House, with both students and staff beginning the year with great energy and enthusiasm. The support of MrsTaylor-Payne and our student leaders has allowed Mackillop House to quickly build a strong and welcoming environment.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all new Year 7 students and families joining the College community, as well as students joining the Senior MacKillop cohort from the junior year levels. It has been wonderful to see how quickly you have settled in and become part of our House community.
There have already been many highlights this term. Our success at the Swimming Carnival, where we finished in 1st place, was a fantastic achievement encouraging teamwork and connection within our house. Students have also proudly represented MacKillop in GISSA sports, along with many other House activities throughout the Term.
We are also incredibly grateful for the support shown in our Hot Cross Bun Drive, organised by Ms Clark and Ms Weir.
Final scores:
1st – MacKillop (109)
2nd – Ricci (73)
3rd – Xavier (45)
4th – Glowrey (41)
Thank you to all families who contributed as we raised an amazing $1,095 and sold a total of 265 packets, with proceeds going towards supporting Caritas Australia.
On a personal note, we are proud to announce that 13 Loyola Awards were awarded to MacKillop Senior Students this Term. We would like to formally congratulate some of our outstanding MacKillop student achievements. Riley Norton for his recent success in GISSA sport, being acknowledged as Golf Champion, our House Captain Chelsea Hanks, who has been representing Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving club at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships in Queensland, Chloe Van Den Bosch with the school’s Senior band performed at the Flying Brick. Jeff Sefo has been selected in the senior team of the Geelong Rams, Memphis Johnson and Arabella Johnson are both representing the college in GISSA swimming, as well as competing at the 2026 Australian Age Championships. We are very proud of all students who continue to make a positive impact in their communities.
As we approach the season of Easter, we are reminded to think of those in need and how we can support one another. We encourage everyone to check in on others, take care of themselves, and spend this special time with loved ones.
We wish all MacKillop students and families a safe and happy Easter, and we look forward to an exciting Term 2 ahead.
By Jeeann T
Arrupe Leader & 2026 BBBH Leader
The Be Bold Be Heard (BBBH) program is a Geelong-based initiative launched in 2018 at North Geelong Secondary College by Assistant Principal Brad Headlam that empowers young women to boost their voice, agency, and leadership. This year, the program will see the involvement of 130+ students from 20 schools stretching along the Bellarine Peninsula to Melbourne, all supported by their respective passionate educators.
The program continues to provide young women with the platforms and resources to make an impact in schools and communities through choice and agency. Focusing on developing the voices of young women and promoting gender equality through structured, collaborative forums.
It involves quarterly forums throughout the year, where students from various schools meet at venues such as GMHBA Stadium to create action plans tackling issues like gender equality, school culture, and social challenges. The first Forum was about inspiring students to start identifying changes in classes, their schools and the wider community that they would like to pursue (to tackle student engagement, voice and agency).
Earlier this month, Mrs Kiely and Mrs Frigo supported a group of Year 11 female students from our college, including Heidi Conner, Addison Fowler, Addison Lewis, Samantha Nyatsanga, Jasmine Halliwell and myself, to participate in the BBBH program. Held at GMHBA Stadium, the first forum involved identifying a challenge we could address at our school and formulating an action plan to address it. Our group decided to focus on gender equity in sport and we have been actively working toward this goal since our return. We were able to collaborate openly with many other students from a variety of schools and ended the day hearing about the journey of some inspirational female leaders in our community.
Overall, my fellow female leaders and I came back with the knowledge and wisdom of many female mentors and peers, the readiness to empower students in our own College community and the strength to be bold and be heard!
The Ministry department has had a fantastic start to the school year with many events highlighted on our calendar.
We have had many liturgies and masses this year, including the start-of-the-year mass, the Ash Wednesday liturgy, and the Easter liturgy. These events have involved a significant number of student involvement, such as musical performances and student readings. The Easter Liturgy that took place on the 31st of March was entirely run by a Year 10 Journey Class. It was an excellent display of the talent we have at this school and the eagerness the students have to participate in school events, especially in the ministry department.
Saint Ignatius College was also invited to the St Joseph’s Ash Wednesday Mass and Caritas Launch on the 18th of February. A few student representatives were fortunate enough to attend this event. The Caritas launch focused on uniting against poverty, with offerings such as a fruit bowl for the hungry, a medical kit for those enduring war or illness, and clean water for those with nothing to drink. Events and fundraisers such as the “Big Water Walk” and Project Compassion boxes were also introduced to reach the goal of uniting against poverty.
The Year 12 Renewal is always a significant part of students' final year at the College, and this year was no exception. It offered students a chance to step away from the pressures of school to reflect on their journey and to connect with others. This was achieved through meaningful conversations, group activities, and moments of reflection. Many students were able to strengthen friendships, build new ones, and feel a deeper sense of belonging amongst the cohort.
The retreat also encouraged students to reflect on their values, goals, and the burdens they may want to leave behind as they move into their final year and beyond. It was inspiring to see students open up, support one another, and engage so genuinely in the experience.
The Year 11 Religion Academy Retreat also took place over the last two weeks of Term 1 in Anglesea. The main theme the students dwelled on was time. The Retreat was about carving out time to reflect and to focus on themselves and their spiritual experiences.
As a group, they listened to songs and inferred their meaning in relation to the Retreat, answered hard-hitting questions that encouraged them to listen to other people's points of view, and reevaluated their assumptions and understandings about the topics presented. In individual groups, the students participated in Ignatian conversations and talked about their beliefs, fears, stresses, and goals.
Next Term, we have our Equipping Schools Program, which is a day where youths come together in a Youth Ministry space and teach each other different ways to present these experiences to equip their schools with this same knowledge. The day is entirely student-run by the Year 11 Religion Academy classes and the Youth Ministry Department, especially by our two youth ministers, Alexi and Declan. The schools that will be in attendance are all the Geelong catholic schools, as well as Loyola and Domascas. This year's theme is " Rise Up, " and we will be running workshops, performances, and plenaries in accordance with that theme.
Day 1 Holy Triduum Evening Mass of the Lords Last Supper
7:00pm St Thomas Drysdale. Adoration of Blessed Sacrament to 9:00pm
Day 2 Holy Triduum
9:00am Stations of the Cross Lumen Christi Leopold
3:00pm St Thomas Drysdale
3:00pm St Patrick’s Portarlington
Day 3 Holy Triduum/Easter Vigil
6:00pm St Philip and St James St Leonards
6:30pm St Patrick’s Portarlington
8:00pm Lumen Christi Leopold
Easter Sunday Resurrection of the Lord
9:00am St Thomas Drysdale
9:00am St Patrick’s Portarlington
10:30am Lumen Christi Leopold
Parents and Friends Group Meeting Invite
Next meeting 20th May, 6.45pm for a 7pm start.
Please see the below the FREE external opportunity available to young people and families:
This free, online session is designed to support families at home. Feel free to share it with your parent community so they can access practical, expert-backed strategies for calmer evenings and better sleep.
Screens Down, Sleep Sorted:
Helping Your Students (and Families) Wind Down
In this session, you’ll:
