Dear Parents & Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2. I hope all families enjoyed a restful break and that our students return refreshed and ready for another rewarding term of learning, growth and connection. Term 2 is always a vibrant and productive time in the life of our College, with many opportunities for students to engage in learning, community life and co-curricular experiences.

This term, our College school improvement theme, Engagement for Excellence, continues to guide our work. We know that when students are actively engaged in their learning, connected to their community and inspired to contribute, they are best placed to achieve excellence in all aspects of College life. Throughout Term 2, we look forward to seeing this theme reflected in classrooms, activities and relationships across our community.

We extend a warm welcome to all new staff joining us this term. We are pleased to have them as part of our community and know they will make a valuable contribution to the life of the College:
Ms Kathryn Sanders (Acting Human Resources Manager)
Ms Narelle Fitzpatrick (Teacher: Yrs 8 – 10 Science)
Ms Catherine Alizzi (Teacher: Yrs 7 & 8 Our World, Yr 9 English)
Mr Jack Sutherland (Teacher: Yrs 7, 8 & 10 HPE, Yrs 7 & 8 Cura Personalis, VCE Units 1 & 2 PE)

This term begins with several important events for current and prospective families. Our next Open Afternoon will be held on Thursday, 23 April, followed by Guided Tours on Monday, 4 May. These events offer families considering Saint Ignatius College the chance to experience our learning environment, meet staff and students, and learn more about the many opportunities available here. We also remind families that Year 7 2027 Enrolment Applications close at 5.00 pm on 8 May.

As a community, we will pause to honour those who have served our nation through our ANZAC Day commemorations. Students will participate in our College ANZAC Service during Period 2 on Friday, 24 April, and our ANZAC Eve Companion Evening will also be held that evening. These occasions are important moments of reflection, gratitude and remembrance.

Our Year 7 students will attend their Year 7 Camp at Anglesea next week, an important milestone in building friendships, resilience and a strong sense of belonging within the College community. These experiences are central to Engagement for Excellence, helping students build confidence, relationships and connections. We look forward to hearing about their experiences on their return.

Student leadership will be on display at our Whole School Assembly on Tuesday, 5 May, from 11.00 am to 12.40 pm, which will be led by our senior student leaders. This promises to be a wonderful celebration of student voice and College spirit. Parents and families are welcome to attend. Please report to the College Reception at 10:50 am.

Also on the evening of Tuesday, 5 May, our Year 7 families are invited to the Mother’s Day Event “Growing Together and Time and Space Evening”, a special opportunity to celebrate relationships and connection within our community.

Throughout this term, the College will undertake a Review of our Student Effective Learning Formation (SELF) Framework as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in teaching, learning and wellbeing. This review aligns closely with our focus on Engagement for Excellence, ensuring our frameworks continue to support every student in thriving.

One important use of the framework, which parents of students in Years 8–12 may be familiar with, is teacher feedback on student progress in the Semester One and Two Reports. To inform the review, feedback from staff, students and parents will be sought. Parents will be consulted through the Parents & Friends Association meetings in Terms Two and Three.

For nearly five years, the Student Effective Learning Formation (SELF) Framework has guided how we support each young person in growing academically, socially, and personally. Grounded in the Jesuit principle of Cura Personalis, care for the whole person, the Framework recognises that learning success is shaped not only by academic ability but also by wellbeing, relationships, habits and personal growth.

The SELF Framework focuses on six key areas that help students thrive: Wellbeing, Relationships, Behaviours, Skills, Engagement and Technology. These areas provide a common language for students, staff and families to discuss progress, set goals, and identify ways to improve learning. In particular, the Engagement area closely supports our College theme of Engagement for Excellence, recognising that purposeful participation is key to success.

The framework is used across all year levels, with age-appropriate expectations that develop as students move through the College. Students in Years 7–8 focus on building foundations, Years 9–10 work on embedding strong habits and independence, and Years 11–12 are challenged to excel as confident, responsible learners. The framework and its capabilities can be accessed via this link.

Teachers use SELF to guide classroom practice, provide feedback and support student reflection. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning by setting goals, responding to feedback, asking questions and developing positive study habits. Families also play an important role by supporting routines, promoting wellbeing and discussing learning progress at home.

Through the SELF Framework, we aim to form capable, compassionate and reflective young people who are prepared to flourish at school and beyond.

I thank all members of our community for the positive way you continue to support our College. I look forward to another successful and fulfilling term together.

Best wishes for the next fortnight,

Michael Exton | Principal

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Family Survey

This survey is being conducted on behalf of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) in partnership with education research specialists, Edified.

Your feedback will help MACS better understand what families value most and will inform future planning and decision-making for Catholic education.

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential and will only be used for the purposes of this research.

As a thank you for your time, you have the option to enter a prize draw. Entry to the prize draw is optional and managed separately from survey responses.

Your voice matters. By sharing your experience, you are helping shape the future of Catholic education for current and future families. Thank you for your time to complete this survey.

Please click below to start the survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r...

This is not the ultimate end goal, but it is our focus for classroom instruction by the end of Term 2.

As we continue to pursue excellence across the College, and through this, excellence in student learning outcomes, two key priorities are guiding our teacher professional learning this semester. We are working to ensure that all students are fully participating in lessons, and that we are consistently checking for understanding to identify and close gaps in learning, knowledge or skill development.

Throughout Term 1, our focus has been on building full participation in every classroom. This means creating learning environments where every student is thinking, every student responding and every student is engaged in learning. Practice tactics such as ‘think pair share’, the use of mini whiteboards and whole class questioning are being used to ensure that all students are actively involved and accountable for their learning.

At the end of Term 1, staff engaged in a dedicated professional learning day with Dr Nathaniel Swain, focused on building trust through high expectations, participation and responsive teaching. Throughout the day, teachers explored how checking for understanding strengthens student engagement and achievement, experienced these strategies as learners, and worked within their Learning Areas to plan how they would embed these practices into their Term 2 units.

As we move into Term 2, we are building on this foundation through a focus on ‘Checking for Understanding’. At its core, this work is grounded in a simple but powerful idea -

If we don’t check, we don’t close gaps.

The focus here is for teachers to be continually gathering information during lessons about what students know, understand and can do. This allows them to identify misunderstandings, misconceptions or missing skills in real time and respond accordingly. This might involve revisiting a concept, prompting deeper thinking, or providing further practice to support students before moving forward.

This work sits within our broader commitment to our College Instructional Framework, and aligns with our ongoing focus on curriculum development and instructional design. By strengthening these core teaching practices, we are building greater consistency across classrooms and ensuring that learning is both engaging and effective.

Ultimately, our aim is to ensure that every student is actively involved in their learning and supported to grow in confidence, understanding and achievement!

Jemma Morris

Director of Staff Development

I hope all families had a restful and enjoyable break and that everyone is feeling refreshed and ready for the term ahead. It has been a fantastic start to the year for Ricci House, with a strong sense of energy, connection, and pride already evident across our students.

We have had a number of highlights across term one, beginning with the Swimming Carnival, where Ricci finished in an impressive 2nd place. This was a wonderful result and a reflection of the commitment, teamwork, and willingness of our students to get involved and represent their House with pride.

Athletics Day was another standout occasion. While we are still awaiting the final results, what was most striking was the incredible level of participation from Ricci students. The sea of green across the track and field events was hard to miss, and it was fantastic to see so many students stepping up, challenging themselves, and supporting one another throughout the day. Regardless of the final outcome, it is this strong sense of community, involvement, and House spirit that truly defines Ricci. In many ways, this is the real measure of success, and something all students who participated should be extremely proud of.

To round out the term, Ricci celebrated a great win in the House Basketball Tournament on the final day. This was a particularly pleasing moment, not only because of the result, but because of the high level of student involvement. It was wonderful to see so many students eager to represent Ricci, demonstrating teamwork, encouragement, and a genuine sense of pride in their House. These moments continue to strengthen the positive culture we are building together.

We would also like to acknowledge and thank our families for their generous support of the Hot Cross Bun Drive. The response from the Ricci community was fantastic, and we are very grateful for the contributions made. It is always encouraging to see our community come together to support important causes, with all proceeds going towards Project Compassion.

As we enter into Term 2, we are excited to continue building on this strong foundation. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of Ricci House. We are looking forward to another positive and productive term ahead.

National Consistent Collection of Data on School Students With Disability (NCCD)

All schools are required to provide information to the government about the number of students with additional needs currently attending their school.

There is a broad definition of 'disability' that includes students who require minor adjustments to those needing significant additional support to achieve success at school.

The data is provided to the Australian Government to assist in the development of a consistent, national picture of the educational needs of students with disability.

For further information related to this mandated collection process, please read the attached document in this newsletter titled, ‘NCCD Fact Sheet for Parents, Carers and Guardians’.

Should you have any additional questions after reading this information, please direct these to Ms. Caroline Edmonds, Head of Learning Diversity.

edmondsc@ignatius.vic.edu.au

Please see the below the FREE opportunities available to young people and families:

DIGITAL TATTOO: SUPPORTING CHILDREN + AI

See the below details of a free Family Forum focusing on youth online safety and AI, aiming to help parents/guardians navigate digital technology, build healthy relationships, and manage AI, social media and gaming.

- 7.00PM - 9.00PM TUESDAY 19 MAY

- POA BANYUL COMMUNITY HUB IN MOUNT DUNEED, VIC

This event is presented and faciliated externally by the City of Greater Geelong and BATForce. Please see the below flyer for information.

From the Student Wellbeing Team

During the term one break, we had the pleasure of hosting the Community Connections Day. This day involves student and staff volunteers from the local catholic schools spending the day with students from Cultura, an organisation that works to support refugees in the Geelong region. This day happens every school holiday, and is an amazing opportunity for students to meet people from different backgrounds.

Throughout the day, participants enjoyed a range of activities including; decorating cookies, beading bracelets, playing soccer, as well as participating in a dance drama class. Beyond the fun, the day gave us a meaningful chance to meet and build friendships with members of the refugee community as well as students from other schools.

By Jasmine H - Year 11

Saint Ignatius College Geelong is delighted to welcome Chris Anstey OLY as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Men's Health Week Companion Evening on Wednesday the 10th of June. Chris Anstey's 17-year sporting career included playing stints in the NBA, Russia and Spain. A 2-time Olympian and World Champion, Chris also played for the Melbourne Tigers, South East Melbourne Magic and Victoria Titans in the Australian NBL. He retired as a 2x Championship winning captain and MVP, with 3 NBL titles to his name. He became the team's head coach in 2012. Students and their parent/carers are encouraged to secure their tickets here --> https://events.humanitix.com/2026-men-s-health-week...

This evening is a Companion Evening, an evening for students to share with their parent/carer/grandparent. Engagement for Excellence.

Shouting out to the team at McHarry's Buslines for jumping on board to support our '2026 Men's Health Week Evening!'If you are a local business of family who would like to join in on sponsoring this evening, please email communityengagement@ignatius.vic.edu.au

Shouting out to the team at Christians Buslines for jumping on board to support our '2026 Men's Health Week Evening!'If you are a local business or family who would like to join in on sponsoring this evening, please email communityengagement@ignatius.vic.edu.au

Saint Ignatius College Geelong will once again host the VCE Lecture Series during the first week of the Term 3 break.

Lectures and presenters will be advertised at the end of the Term.

Engagement for Excellence.