1446 Ignatian Newsletter - Friday 23 July 2021
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Dear Members of the Loyola College Community,
Welcome back to Term 3 also known as Founder’s Term at Loyola College. I trust that the term holidays have been a time to rest, regenerate and spend some quality time with family and friends. In the last College assembly of Term 2, I spoke to all of the need to return to Term 3 with a view to ‘reboot’ back into our Loyola way of doing things and meeting all expectations in relation to academic studies, uniform, conduct and behaviour. Unfortunately, COVID has impacted in various ways on some members of our community affecting how some of these important aspects of College life are observed. The snap lockdown over the past few days has caused some disruption but hopefully College life will resume as quickly as possible. I ask parents and carers to support us in ensuring we have maximum corporation from all students in relation to these once we return to onsite classes.
College Production
Congratulations to the students and staff involved in this year’s College Production of Mary Poppins. This year’s show was amazing to say the least with highly professional performances presented by the students. I congratulate the Producer, Mr O’Keeffe, Musical Director (Orchestra) Mr Sherwill, Musical Director (Vocal), Mrs Hedger, Choreographer Mr McFarlane, Directors, Mrs Boyle and Mr Ventura. I congratulate all the students, both on stage and back of stage for their dedication and enthusiasm which was evident in the show. I thank all other staff who provided assistance. The fact that the performances had to comply with COVID safe regulations also added to the extra pressure which was managed very well. The snap lockdown has impacted on performances some of which will need to be postponed if possible. Once again congratulations to all involved on a fantastic event.
Enrolment Applications Year 7, 2023
Families are reminded that applications close on Friday 20 August. To ensure an interview time please complete the online application form (https://enrol.loyola.vic.edu.au/enrolment-application/start) as soon as possible.
College Feast Day
This key event in the school calendar will be held on Friday 30 July. Because of COVID regulations, Mass will be live streamed from the St Ignatius Chapel to classrooms in the morning. This year, the new Jesuit Provincial Fr Quyen Vu SJ, will be our Principal celebrant together with other concelebrating priests from our parishes. The walkathon and other activities will be postponed to later in the term. I hope that by now all students have many sponsors for their House charities which rely heavily for financial assistance from our Loyola community particularly this year because of COVID pressures.
Transition Program
Students will shortly be asked to commence making decisions about their subjects for 2022. It is important that parents and guardians become involved in this process to ensure that informed decisions are made for the benefit of each student. By now, families will have received the Re-Enrolment Package for 2022. I ask that all closing deadlines be adhered to in order to assist our planning for next year.
Academic Conversations
These were held earlier this week on MS Teams due to the snap lockdown and were still very well attended by families. Academic Companions will be in touch in the near future to arrange a meeting time with families unable to attend. It is essential that this meeting take place so that there can be some reflection about progress made in the first half of this year as well as consideration being given as to how ongoing improvements can be made.
Staffing Matters
We welcome back to the College Mrs Nicht, who has returned from maternity leave, and Mrs Keating, who has returned from Long Service leave.
We welcome the following staff to the College. Mrs Hussey (L: 98-10) who has returned to the staff of Loyola after a number of years. Mrs Hussey has been appointed the new Head of Student Services. We also welcome the following teaching staff: Ms McDonnell, Ms De Angeli and Ms Ryan, who are filling replacement positions for some or all of this semester.
In the coming weeks may our College patron, St Ignatius, guide us in our decisions and accompany us in our living out of our College theme: To see all things new in Christ. May we be inspired by his example to go out to spread the Good News of God’s bountiful love for all humanity and use our gifts and talents in action for the service of others.
Mr Joseph Favrin,
Principal
COLLEGE & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
College Events Update
Due to recent announcements, the following updates can be provided for upcoming College events:
- The Grandparents Liturgy & Morning Tea on Monday 26 July has been cancelled.
- The upcoming Working Bee on Saturday 24 July has been rescheduled to Saturday 14 August.
- The Vinnies Winter Sleepout has been rescheduled for Friday 13 - Saturday 14 August.
- St Ignatius Day festivities will be postponed to a later date.
We thank you for your continued support during these times.
Walk For Others
As part of St. Ignatius Day each year, Loyola students take part in a 7km walk around the streets of Watsonia, to raise money for their house charities. We have launched the campaign and are now asking students to sign up and start asking friends and families to sponsor them. Over 800 students have registered so far; however, we need all 1400 students to get involved. More than ever our charities need our help, so we are aiming to fundraise $30,000.
Total so far: $8,650
A comprehensive report and details about the postponement of Mary Poppins will appear in the next Ignatian.
Mr Michael O'Keeffe,
Director of College & Community Engagement
FEES POLICY
Due to governance requirements set by Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese Schools Limited (MACS), the College fee policy has been updated and is available for all parents/guardians to read under the ‘Our College’ tab of the College website (www.loyola.vic.edu.au).
I would encourage all parents/guardians to take the time to read the policy and familiarise themselves with its contents.
Any queries should be directed to the College Finance Department by calling 9433 0292 or via email to darmosa@loyola.vic.edu.au.
Mr Mark Arnavas,
Business Manager
IGNATIAN MISSION & IDENTITY
Loyola Vinnies Winter Sleepout at Home Postponed to 13 August
The Loyola Vinnies Winter Sleepout has had to be postponed due to COVID restrictions. The new date for this is Friday 13 August. Any student, staff member or Loyola family can participate. Register your sleepout group at Loyola Sleep Out at Home. A suggested donation is $5 per sleeper.
Participants are asked to sleep out at home, anywhere except their beds. This could be in the garage, on the back deck, in a tent in the backyard, on the couch, on the floor etc.
You can post images of your sleepout on Instagram using the #loyolasleepout21. My thanks to Dominic O’Dowd (7FSKE) and Mr Tran for their work in producing a promotional video.
Loyola Vinnies Winter VCE Sleepout at School with City Walk Postponed to 13 August
Year 11 and 12 students have been invited to participate in the Loyola Vinnies Winter Sleep at school on Friday 13 July. Part of this program involves a visit to Ozanam House, Melrose Soup Kitchen and various City locations. Students return to school and sleep out under the verandahs of Old Loyola. Students are asked to register at Loyola Yr 11 and 12 Sleep Out at School. A suggested donation is $5 per sleeper. Students who participate also need to complete the expression of interest form that has been emailed. Parents will then receive a Consent2Go permission email.
Sacramental Preparation Program
For a number of reasons quite a few students at the College who have been baptised have not been able to receive some of the other sacraments. These include First Eucharist (Holy Communion), Reconciliation and Confirmation.
The College is offering a formation program for students who would like to receive some or all of these sacraments. Sr Nelia Llanto SJBP will co-ordinate the program. Sr Nelia will contact families over the next couple of weeks and invite students to participate. We hope to commence the program on Monday 9 August.
It will run for four to eight weeks depending on how many sacraments the student wishes to receive. Each session will be one hour, Mondays 3:45pm to 4:45pm. People who are interested can contact Sr. Nelia directly on Llanton@loyola.vic.edu.au or 9433 0265.
Mr Chris Lynch,
Deputy Principal
Ignatian Mission & Identity
JESUIT RETREAT
Looking for some real timeout?
The JESUIT province is offering a 5-day retreat that focuses on the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ, one of the most influential mystics of the 20th century. It is a Residential Retreat at the base of the Dandenong's Victoria with Sr Kathleen Duffy SSJ online from the US 4hrs per day, Sunday 17 October 7pm – Friday 22 October 12 noon.
Don Bosco Retreat Centre is nestled at the foothills of the picturesque Dandenong Ranges, amongst farmlands with stunning views and only 45 minutes from Melbourne CBD. The retreat program will allow for prayer and walks in pastures and the adjacent state forest. Accommodation is single and twin share (shared bathrooms) and all meals (and diets) are catered for. Cost $750.
Click here for further details. To Book: info@jisa.org.au, 1300-392-636. Bookings close 24 September.
Mr Chris Lynch,
Deputy Principal
Ignatian Mission & Identity
TEACHING & LEARNING
Application for accelerated subjects in 2022
In Term Three our Year 9 and 10 students will be considering their subjects for 2022.
Current Year 9 students
If you are considering taking on a Unit 1 and 2 Subject (Year 11 subject), and meet the criteria for acceleration, in 2022, an invitational letter, from the Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning, will be sent out explaining the process.
Current Year 10 students
An invitational letter will be sent out to students currently studying a Unit 1/2 subject. Acceptance for Unit 3/4 is not automatic. Letters will be sent to students who have been able to sustain a high level of academic ability and meet the demands of the accelerated Units 1/2. Students will need to re-apply for acceleration and depending on results acceleration may or may not be able to continue.
Senior Transition Evening
Our Senior Information Evening for parents/guardians and students will be held on Tuesday 3 August.
More information will be placed on the Parent Portal closer to the date.
Transition Assemblies
Years 7 – 11 Transition Assemblies will be running during class time on the follow dates, pending post lockdown regulations.
Transitions assemblies will run as follows:
- Current Year 7 Friday 30 July Period 4
- Current Year 8 Wednesday 28 July + (CLIL Assembly) Period 2
- Current Year 9 Friday 30 July Period 3
- Current Year 10 Wednesday 28 July - VCE/VCAL Pathways Period 4
Thursday 29 July – Subject Period 2
- Current Year 11 Thursday 2 August Period 1
- Current Year 12 Monday 2 August - VTAC Presentation Period 4
Transition Subject Handbooks
For students in Years 7 – 9 all subject handbooks will be available online on the day of our transition assemblies.
Our Senior Programs Handbook will hopefully be available on the day of their assembly; however, digital versions will be available on the College Website from Monday 26 July. Lockdown has unfortunately extended our printing timelines.
Subject Selection Conversations
Students must have already completed their subject selection online prior to the interviews.
Subject Selection Conversations times have been planned for the following dates.
- August 9 - Current Year 9 & 11
- August 10 - Current Year 10
More information will be placed on the Parent Portal closer to the date.
Ms Suzanne Pola,
Deputy Principal
Teaching & Learning
STUDENTS
Online Safety
With the ongoing developments of social media platforms, there is the constant challenge in keeping young people safe when online.
As a result of research conducted earlier this year, the eSafety Commissioner has provided a series of webinars for parents in relation to keeping their child safe online.
Free webinar for parents and carers of secondary school students
1 in 3 young women and 1 in 5 young men have experienced online sexual harassment. When young people experience this type of online harassment and abuse it can have serious impacts. This webinar is designed for parents and young people to attend together and learn how to report and where to go for support.
Visit esafety.gov.au for more information on parent webinars and to register.
Free webinar for parents and carers of primary and secondary school students
Understand the risks when using apps like Tik Tok, Snap Chat, YouTube and Instagram. This webinar also covers strategies for staying safer on social media and how to report if something goes wrong.
Visit esafety.gov.au for more information on parent webinars and to register.
Ms Anna Salmic,
Deputy Principal
Students
STUDENT VOICE
SUSTAINABILITY CLUB
WELLBEING
Special Report: COVID Fatigue & Youth Mental Health
The physical impact of the pandemic has mostly spared our young people; however, as the nation continues to be on alert and in various stages of lockdown, restrictions continue to be mandated. The pandemic has had a great affect on our young people, with many paying a heavy emotional and developmental price. Psychological disorders are on the rise and emergency interventions have skyrocketed.
As hard as it is being a young person today, it's also draining being the parent of one. It has been reported that many parents are struggling to keep their child's mental health afloat, often proving it is difficult to juggle parenting responsibilities whilst at the same time providing much needed emotional support for their children.
Unlike the coronavirus itself, the emotional blowback of the pandemic cannot be vaccinated away. Psychologists are seeing more depression and anxiety across all age groups, but in adolescents it seems to be on steroids, with some choosing to self-medicate using alcohol or other drugs. When they look into the future now, they're looking at one that wasn't what they envisioned before.
This report explains the current state of youth mental health in a post-COVID era and offers guidance on how best to support young people today. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If this Special Report raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.
Mr Sal Valentino,
Wellbeing & Personal Development Coordinator
HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY
The 2021 House Cross Country has now been completed with the Senior races being staged last Wednesday (July 14).
Here is a summary of all races & results. All races were 3km (with the exception of the Senior Boys race, which was 4km)
Year 7 Boys
Chisholm’s Track star Jobe Douglas led almost all the way, showing that he has great endurance to go with the speed he demonstrated at the ACS Athletics Carnival. The Keating twins (Dylan and Riley) from Flynn also ran strongly and kept Jobe working hard through the race, finishing in the minor places. On the back of Jobe’s performance as well as a fourth place by Xavier Basile, Chisholm were the race winners, with Rohan Butterworth, Ben Brennan, Janusz Kubicki and Francis MacDonald all finishing in the top 20 as well as 5 more Chisholm runners making the bonus time.
Year 7 Girls
A strong run here by Millie Falcone (winning by almost 1 minute) for another individual win to Chisholm. This time the team race was won by MacKillop though, thanks to Emma Halliwell (2nd), Justine Walker (3rd), Shanae Icovski (10th) and Yolanda Cirillo (16th).
Year 8 Boys
After running fourth last year as a Year 7, Alex Parisi of Mannix rose up the rankings to take out 1st place. Lachlan Webb of Flynn ran 3rd, but in an extremely close team race it was Xavier House taking it out. Kevin Miao (2nd), Maksim Jovevski (8th), Damian Diaz (12th) and Jimmy Guard (20th) scored top 20 finishes but ultimately it was Xavier’s depth which clawed them past MacKillop and Mannix, with Xavier having a total of 14 boys run the bonus time or better.
Year 8 Girls
Chisholm took out their second junior race here, led by their star distance runner Jessica Falcone. Jessica’s time was nearly 2 minutes ahead of her nearest rivals. The Chisholm domination continued with Sienna Ganter running 2nd, Ava Zavitsanos (5th), Abbey Mills (9th), Ruby Quai Hoi (10th), Zara Violani (11th) and Sienna Adams (18th). Rachel Stanton of Flynn ran 3rd.
Year 9 Boys
This was a great race, with Oscar Skidmore (Flynn) setting a strong pace and courageously getting out to a strong lead. Aidan Ganter of Chisholm didn’t panic though, running his own race and he caught (and then passed) Oscar on the final lap to be the Year 9 champion. Aidan’s efforts though were not enough to stop a landslide win by Flynn in the team race though with Oscar’s 2nd place backed up by Kieran Keating (3rd), Jacob Pagliaro (4th), Josh Sandhu (5th) and Roman Black (8th) giving Flynn 5 of the top 8 runners.
Year 9 Girls
Olivia Lawson (Xavier) led from start to finish to win her 3rd straight Loyola year level title. Charlotte Bulot (Mackillop) was 2nd and Zara Simiele (McAuley) was 3rd. Despite having no runners in the top 3, Flynn House made it a Year 9 double by taking out the team race with 6 finishers in the top 20. Abbey Griffiths was 4th, Lily Bishop (5th), Christiana Sison (6th), Sophie Lay (11th), Jessica List (12th) and Sarah Boyle (20th).
With all junior races now completed, Flynn had worked into second place overall, still trailing Chisholm who led, with Xavier in 3rd place.
Senior Girls Race
A strong field of over 50 runners competed for the Senior Girls title. Year 10 MacKillop student Vivien Chen made her intentions clear early, getting out to an early lead and throwing down the challenge to the reigning champion, sport captain Brodie Car from Xavier House. Late in the last lap, Brodie showing extreme determination, summoned up the energy to get past Vivien and claimed her 3rd straight senior title. It was a great run by Vivien and she will have 2 more opportunities to become the school champion. Brodie’s Xavier teammates backed up her performance with 4 of the top 7 places going to Xavier. Jaide McDonald was 3rd, Sheridan Jones (4th) and Hayley Car (7th).
Senior Boys Race
Like the girls was race it was a Year 10 student, three time junior year level champion Marcus Glouftsis from McAuley who threw down the challenge to his older opponents and led for much of the 4km race. Again, mirroring the girls race, Sport captain Tom Hewett from Mannix was able to gradually work past his younger opponent, however this race had a further twist. After sitting in 3rd or 4th place for much of the race, Josh Fell of Chisholm stormed home to pass both Tom and Marcus to claim the Senior Boys title in the final stages of the race. Josh’s win is a testament to hard work. He has never previously won a School Cross Country title, but he has elevated his fitness and endurance this year as part of his drive to get the best out of himself. Josh is our current 1st XVIII Football co-captain, Hockey captain and he also plays high level mixed netball. With the individual places spread among the houses, this pivotal race was going to come down to depth in high level performances, and in terms of depth it was Xavier House that shone through. Led by House Captain Will Gittins (4th place), Xavier’s Year 10 boys in particular were outstanding. Riley Angel (5th), Jack McKenna (7th), George Matsas (8th), Julian Minutolo (11th) and Sebastian Kraus (18th) gave Xavier 6 runners in the top 20 and together with another 3 runners inside the bonus time, they claimed the Senior Boys race.
With Xavier winning both Senior races, they leap frogged both Chisholm and Flynn to win the 2021 House Cross Country Shield.
The win is significant as it breaks the stranglehold that Flynn, Chisholm and MacKillop have had over all the major House Sports Carnival Shields, dating back 10 years!
Final Overall Placings: 2021 House Cross Country
1st: Xavier 73 points
2nd: Flynn 64 points
3rd: Chisholm 60 points
4th: MacKillop 32 points
5th: Mannix 26 points
6th: McAuley 25 points
Mr John Baxter,
Director of Sport
ICT NEWS
Cybersafety Part 6: Cybersecurity – “How do you protect yourself against online scammers?”
When engaging in social networking, people post pictures, make catch-up plans with friends, and generally chat about what has been going on in life.
But, sadly, particularly now during COVID-19 restrictions, social networking also offers a plethora of unscrupulous individuals and organised cyber crime syndicates an irresistible opportunity to gain access to people (e.g. via Facebook, Twitter, online gaming or via email) in an attempt to exploit and defraud them of their money.
Scamming is where one person, a cyber thief, pretends to have a legitimate financial need and exploits the generosity and naivety of another in order to obtain that person’s bank account or credit card details, with the ultimate aim of ripping money off that person.
How effective is home antivirus at stopping electronic scum and villainy such as viruses, worms and trojans from infecting and spying on the home computer and passing personal information back to cyber criminals? The truth is that there is no antivirus software or firewall in the world that can secure personal bank account details on a computer if these details are unknowingly and freely offered to phishing scammers! How? Read on…
Ever gone fishing? Throw out a line and wait for a bite. Hopefully the hook does its job and, hey presto, you have caught a fish! On the Internet this is called ‘phishing’ – same sound, different spelling; one is legal and the other is not, at least in most developed nations. It is what cyber criminals do – they try to trick children (and adults) into freely handing over their parent’s or their own credit card details. No firewall needed here!
What is interesting about this type of scam is that it does not ask you for money; rather, it asks permission to put money into your bank account – to then strip the account empty before anyone realises. But don’t be fooled; if the person is a stranger, then the person is most likely not a ‘friend’, but a ‘fiend’. These scams usually originate from organised crime syndicates operating in countries such as Nigeria and Russia, where there are no laws forbidding such practices, meaning there is no way for a person to get his/her money back!
If you receive such an email, add the sender to the email ‘blocked senders list’, then delete the email.
There is no substitute for parental involvement in a child’s online activities. Parents/guardians should establish an ongoing conversation with their children about their various online experiences, providing guidance whenever necessary. Importantly, parents/guardians might consider going online themselves and joining a social networking site or getting involved with friends in a chat room. Parents/guardians should be familiar with the space their children are playing in. You would not leave your child alone in the park, would you?
To learn more about banking scams, go to https://www.esafety.gov.au/. Complaints about general content on the Internet can be made to the new Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner at https://esafety.gov.au/complaints-and-reporting.
Mr Victor Dalla-Vecchia,
ICT Manager
COMMUNITY
2021 Morning College Tours
Morning Tours will be take place on the following dates from 9.15 am – 11. 00 am:
- Wednesday, 28th July
- Wednesday, 11th August
- Monday, 16th August
- Monday, 13th September
- Monday, 11th October
- Monday, 8th November
Father & Son Breakfast- Tuesday 31st August
The tickets for the Father & Son breakfast will go on sale on Thursday 12th August at 7 pm. Breakfast will be served at Iggy’s at 7.15 pm followed by a Prayer Service at the Chapel concluding at 8.30 am. Please see invitation in the Ignatian.
2021 September Presentation Balls
80 Year 11 students are looking forward to the big event which be held on 18th and 19th September. Rehearsals will commence on Sunday, 25th July in LCH at 6.30pm.
2021 LPFA/FOPA Online Wine Fundraiser
Due to popular demand, we have continued to run the fundraiser in 2021. Not only is wine nice to drink, they also make a great gift idea. There are 7 different types of wine that can be ordered through Prospect Wines. Orders can be made online and processed in lots of 6. Delivery is within 7 working days and come to your front door. The bottles range in price from $13-$16.
All money raised will be distributed to LPFA and FOPA to purchase goods for the Loyola Community.
2021 Entertainment Books
The LPFA are proud to promote the 2021 Entertainment Book.
Loyola College Accommodation
Just inside Gate 4, on the corner of Bungay and Kenmare Streets, sits our Aurrupe House and Manresa Cottage which are used for accommodation on a short-term basis for both overseas visitors and members of our school and local community. Accommodation rental is ideal for family members or friends who would like to attend a function or appointment in Melbourne and require an overnight stay or longer at a very reasonable price. Some of our families have extended family who live interstate and rent the house on a regular basis when planning a visit to Melbourne for 1 or 2 weeks. Loyola’s close proximity to shops and the train makes it ideal to be independent and yet close to relatives as well.
Donation of Loyola Uniform
If you have any Loyola uniform items that you no longer require, please leave them at Reception. They are great to have for families in need, student accidents and our Exchange students. Blazers no longer required would be much appreciated.
Important Dates
Working Bee
Saturday Morning, 11th September
All students accompanied by Parents welcome.
Please let me know via email or phone if you are able to attend.
2021 LPFA Meetings
Wednesday Evenings – 25th August, 6th October, 10th November
2021 PWP Meetings
Monday evenings – 18th October
Mrs Dianna Alonso,
Community Liaison Officer
LOYOLA COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Loyola College Alumni Association extends an invitation to Loyola Reunion Sunday to be held at Plenty Views Bar and Restaurant - 206 Yan Yean Road, Plenty on Sunday 1 August 6pm – 9pm. The evening is a great opportunity to catch up with old school friends and teachers and celebrate over 40 years of friendship, community and education at Loyola College.
Graduate students from all years are invited with a special welcome to those students from 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 & 2019.
Finger food will be served throughout the evening, with drinks available at bar prices for individuals.