1462 Ignatian Newsletter - Friday 20 May 2022
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Over the past fortnight, there have been a number of events that have taken place in the life of the College. I am delighted to share them with you in this newsletter.
Xavier Maytime Fair
Mrs Dianna Alonso, Mr Michael O’Keeffe, Ms Ilaria Manna, parent volunteers and students from Xavier House represented the College at the Xavier Maytime Fair on Saturday 7 May. They spent the day preparing and selling hot jam doughnuts. Over 1500 doughnuts were sold, raising $2500 for Jesuit Mission. I would like to thank the staff, parents and students who gave up their time for this very worthy cause.
Mother’s Day Breakfast
Tuesday 3 May saw the College host a Mother/son breakfast to mark Mother’s Day. Mothers and sons enjoyed a lovely breakfast prepared by our canteen team and served by the Year 11 Hospitality students. Past student, Biomedical Pharmacist and mother of six, Julie MacDonald gave the official address. She shared her experience of motherhood and spoke about Mary as a role model for all mothers. The breakfast was followed by a liturgy in the chapel. Thanks to all staff, students and mothers who supported this event.
Music Camp
The Music students left Loyola on Thursday 12 May to travel to Music Camp in Upper Plenty. They spent time rehearsing, socialising and learning to work together as ensembles. The students had a tremendous time and the three days spent working on repertoire certainly resulted in great improvement in their playing. Parents and members of the wider community can witness the fruits of their labour at our mid-year Music concert on Thursday 2 June. Thank you to our Director of Music, Mrs Jennifer Taylor, and all of our committed Music staff for their preparation, supervision and merry music making.
Open Day – Sunday 15 May
The Loyola College annual Open Day took place on Sunday 15 May. Over 1400 people pre-booked to attend the day. Our student tour guides won over the hearts of our visitors and were most certainly the best possible advertisement for our college. I thank all staff and students who gave up their time to showcase our wonderful College.
ACS Chess
Loyola hosted the annual Association of Co-educational Schools (ACS) Chess competition on Monday 16 May. Seven schools attended the competition; while Loyola did not rate high in the final ranking, the opportunity to play competitive chess was appreciated by all. There are great benefits to playing chess. Playing chess is believed to improve memory and cognitive ability, develop strategic thinking and iincrease attention and focus on detail. Loyola is always keen to consider activities that build higher order thinking. Thank you to Mr Andrew McDonell for overseeing the organisation of the day and supporting our students to do their best.
JACSA Learning Leaders
JACSA (Jesuit and Companion Schools Australia) Learning Leaders from across Australia ascended on Loyola College on Wednesday 18 May to share ideas on best practise and reflect on learning and teaching approaches. The leaders consulted, shared and discussed learning with a particular focus on depth and reconciliation. Loyola was thrilled to host this event, which enabled our staff to connect with our fellow Ignatian schools. We were sad to bid the visitors farewell on Friday 20 May.
Staff Shortages
We are starting to see a higher number of positive cases of COVID-19 at the College. As we approach winter, we are also hearing reports that cases of the flu and other illnesses are rising. Student and staff absence is currently higher than would be usual at this time of year. We are doing our best to cover teachers when absent, but there is currently a teacher shortage. We ask for parent support as we ride this wave of illness.
Keeping Well
A resurgence of influenza (flu) is expected this winter. I encourage students and families to consider flu vaccinations, which can be booked through GPs and pharmacies. The flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged six months and over.
STEM Building
Senior Leadership met with the College architects on Tuesday 10 May to look at the first draft of plans for the new STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) building. This new facility will be built between K-Block and the iCentre. Building is schedule to start in 2023.
Mrs Alison Leutchford
Acting Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
TEACHING & LEARNING
Subject Specific Conversation Feedback
The College would like feedback on our recent Subject Specific Conversations. Please use the following Subject Specific Conversations link to give us your thoughts.
Application for Accelerated Subjects in 2023
In Term Three our Year 9 and 10 students will be considering their Year 10 and Year 11 subjects for next year.
Current Year 9 Students
A number of you will consider taking on a Unit 1 and 2 Subject (Year 11 subject) in 2023. Acceleration requires demonstrated consistent high academic achievement and an ability to take on the demands of an accelerated subject. Therefore, a student will need to be committed to their studies, be well organised and able to meet deadlines. English will be one of the subjects in which the student needs to demonstrate a consistently high level of academic ability. Semester Two reports will be checked for maintenance of consistency in academic effort.
An invitational letter, from the Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning, will be sent out to our students who meet the selection criteria, and their families, explaining the process for acceleration.
Current Year 10 Students
An invitational letter, from the relevant Head of Learning, will be sent out to students currently studying an accelerated 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 Unit 1/2 Units. Students will need to re-apply for acceleration and depending on results acceleration may or may not continue.
The subject selection process takes place in early Term Three for all of our students and once again students will be asked to complete their subject choices online, with your guidance.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)
Please read the relevant information in the Parent Communications tab on your Parent Portal. Names of all students identified are forwarded to the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) at the beginning of August.
Our priority is to consult, and work in collaboration, with parents, wherever possible to ensure that we are supporting each individual child with additional learning, medical or emotional needs to ensure the best outcome for them at school.
If you have any questions or concerns about the NCCD process, please do not hesitate to contact Kelly Hussey via husseyk@loyola.vic.edu.au
Year 9 Digital Technologies Day
On Monday 20 June, all of our Year 9 students will be involved in an exciting program exploring the opportunities digital technologies can afford us. Students will have the chance to select from many workshops. They are currently engaged in the process of choosing the workshops that are of the most interest to them.
Mrs Suzanne Pola
Deputy Principal,
Teaching & Learning
STUDENT VOICE
CO-CURRICULUM
Mid-Year Co-Curriculum Colours Applications
Loyola College recognises significant achievement amongst its student body with the awarding of Co-Curricular Colours each year. Students who achieve the Colours are being recognised for their qualities of active participation, team spirit, positive conduct, goodwill and co-operation in a particular area of College life. The Co-Curriculum Colours can be awarded in the areas of:
- Christian Service
- Drama
- Music
- Public Speaking and Debating
- Sport
- House
The Colours are awarded both mid-year and end-of-year, with students receiving a Certificate and the opportunity to have their blazer embroidered. Mid-year applications are currently open for Senior students (Years 10 – 12) who meet the Colours minimum requirements and criteria as outlined the Co-Curriculum Colours LMS page. Senior students who have made significant contribution over a number of years in any of the above areas may wish to apply.
Online applications can be made via the Co-Curriculum Colours LMS page by Friday 3 June.
Mrs Lauren Hartigan
Head of Co-Curriculum
WELLBEING
As a result of the global pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift in the amount of time people spend on screen-based devices. Families are transitioning back to pre-COVID routines but many are still struggling to re-establish the boundaries and rules around screen use. Some continue to deal with digital conflict and tech-tantrums on a daily basis. The latest research found that 77% of teenagers spend more than five hours on screens per day, but it is important to note that not all screen time is considered equal.
Parents play a crucial role in modelling a positive and healthy approach to using screens and assisting children to navigate the content they watch. It is better to model and mentor screen use, rather than controlling it. Children tend to do more of what they see us do, and less of what we tell them to do. However, it is still important to outline the risks and highlight the benefits of screen use to ensure you keep a balanced attitude. Encourage discussions around the issues that people experience in monitoring their screen time and be honest about your own difficulties.
Parents need to remain firm in their approach to managing screen time. Excessive screen time can be detrimental to a child’s overall wellbeing. Ensuring the correct privacy settings are in place is vital to prevent children from being inadvertently exposed to inappropriate content or online predators. Parents need to also be mindful of the potential impact screen time can have on a child’s social, emotional, educational, behavioural, and even physical domains.
In this edition of SchoolTV, care-givers will be provided with a range of guidelines and strategies to help manage screen time at home. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Mr Sal Valentino
Wellbeing & Personal Development Coordinator
PERFORMING ARTS
Junior Showcases
Thursday 9 June at 7pm in the Inigo Theatre
Theme – Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales
Year 7 Drama and Dance students will present a class performance for parents. It's part of their course work and an opportunity for students to perform on the Inigo Stage for parents. All students have been emailed to save the date and some information about the event. Shortly all Year Seven parents and students will get another email to book tickets. There is no cost; however, we have ten classes presenting so you will need to book . Every student will be able to book two tickets the first week and after a week further bookings can be made if we have seats still available.
Please save the date!
African Dance and Drumming Incursion
Year 7 Dance students had the wonderful opportunity of participating in an African Dance and Drumming workshop. Students watched a performance of African dance and drumming and learnt about the African culture. They then got to participate in a drumming workshop. They also got to learn an African dance. Students participated well and will apply this knowledge in their dance classes as they explore cultural dance.
VCE Drama Ensembles
Our VCE Drama students presented their ensemble performances on the 3rd of May in our Black box space P012. The students worked on the theme of Media and presented some very creative eclectic performances which were insightful and showed depth in their exploration of the topic and excellent development of their drama skills. Congratulations on creating such an entertaining and thought-provoking evening of performances. Thank you to Ms Vanda Tolli on teaching these classes so that they were able to present work of such a high standard.
College Play - Puffs
The College Play Puffs was on this week - Thursday 19 May. The VCE Theatre Studies students worked very hard to create this performance, organising and learning about everything from sound, sets, costumes, props and direction to acting. Mr O'Keeffe supported the students, guiding their skill development in all areas of Theatre and Performance.
Music Camp
On the 12th of May a number of our music students departed for a three day camp. Students who take instrumental lessons and are part of College Music Ensembles were invited to attend. At camp students from across all year levels get to work in their ensemble groups to refine their skills and develop a repertoire from which they will select pieces to present at the Winter Music Concert on the 2nd of June in the Inigo theatre at 7pm. We thank our Director of Music, Ms Jennifer Taylor, for all her hard work creating this opportunity for students and thank the Music staff, Mr Thomas, Mr Mangano and Mr Murnane, for their dedication to the program so that each ensemble group gets specialist tuition. Make sure you save the date so you can see the wonderful performances students have developed.
Production - Legally Blonde
We would like to thank all of our production students for their hard work so far on the show. These amazingly talented students were here on Open Day and allowed our visitors to see a sneak peek at our progress on this show. It's certainly going to be another show Not To Miss! Tickets are on sale so get in quickly, as we can sell out fast. We thank very much those many parents who are part of our Friends of Performing Arts (affectionately known as FOPA) for all they have done and will do assisting in the behind-the-scenes roles for this show. It's not too late to sign up to help. We are still looking for people who can assist with set construction.
Cabaret Night
Get in quick, this event is nearly sold out. On Saturday 28 May at 7pm in the Companions Hall we will have an event, which our Drama Captain Miss Hayley Keating has put together, which will highlight over 50 of our students in an entertaining evening of singing and dancing. Book a table and BYO food and non alcoholic drinks and sit underneath the fairy lights as we are entertained by our fantastic students.
On top of these events we have had, or will have this term, many live theatre experiences and excursions for our students and our Year 9 Drama students will participate in an interschool drama festival we are hosting.Our music students in Year 7 will also have a performance opportunity on 21st and 22nd of June with more details to follow.
I just want to commend our students for their dedication to our program, and thank both our hard-working staff and our parents for their support in making this happen. The Performing Arts building is continuously alive with rehearsals and has a buzz of enthusiasm and energy. Thank you and we hope you can come along to appreciate the student work by seeing some of their performances.
Mrs Julie Boyle
Head of Performing Arts
LANGUAGES WEEK
What an awesome week it was to celebrate Languages at Loyola! Let’s have a look at a few of the activities that took place a few weeks ago.
Crepes for Change
Students enjoyed practicing their French while ordering crêpes at the Crêpes for Change van that visited this week. Crêpes for Change is Australia’s first crêpe catering food truck dedicated to supporting young people at-risk of, or currently experiencing, homelessness. They reinvest the profits in a hands-on hospitality training program that gives young people the confidence, skills and experience they need to be the masters of their own destiny and escape homelessness.
Students braved the rain on Wednesday to visit the van, and it was encouraging to see such determination and interest! We thank the students for supporting such a worthy cause.
Year 10 Banquet
The year 10s celebrated the final year of their mandatory Languages journey by taking part in the Banquet. Students enjoyed a Nasi Goreng entrée, pizza main course and an éclair for dessert! Mia Dragicevic won the Idioms challenge; Reinard Halim, Juliana Parga and Olivia Di Girolamo won the Tongue Twister Contest and we could not crown a winner for the Trivia competition as all students were eliminated!
We congratulate Kathleen Newnham, Alexia Stavreski and Eliza Lo Presti for presenting the best menus for each language.
All students should be very proud of their commitment to decorating their tables and their behaviour on the day. It was a roaring success!
Cannoli Sale
Prof. Saltalamacchia, Prof Maitilasso and Prof Rao organised traditional half vanilla-half chocolate cannoli on Friday. Displayed on the wonderful Languages Market Trolley, the students made short work of them!
Pastry Chef Visit
On Wednesday during Languages week we were paid a visit by Arnaud Asensi, a French pastry chef who taught some classes how to make Madeleines and Chocolate Truffles. Students were amazed and engaged by the visit, leaving on a sugar high! We thank Arnaud for sharing his expertise with our students.
Languages week is an immense effort by the teachers of Languages, the Language Assistants and the college community who all pull together to make it happen. I thank everyone involved for their efforts – the students had a wonderful week!
Mr Jason VanLeest
Head of Languages
YEAR 9 MEDIA
As part of the Year 9 Media comic book creation unit, students recently attended a comic book/graphic novel literary workshop at Alternate Worlds, Bayswater.
Students explored the history of the genre and gained an understanding that picture story telling is the oldest form of communication, stemming back to cave paintings.
The students gained knowledge into how the fledgling comic book industry in the 1960s eventually spawned the superhero/Disney franchise among others.
The cohort was tasked with forming teams to work on a conflict narrative drawing series of panels, paying attention to framing and movement.
The experience allowed students to see the links between literacy and communication in combination with a framed image.
The class was fortunate enough to hold in their hands the first iterations of Spider-Man, with a combined value of $75,000.
Special thanks to Joe Italiano, the Managing Director of Alternate Worlds, for his insights and hospitality.
His was very impressed with our students and wrote: “It was a pleasure to meet and interact with your students. They were delightful and a credit to your establishment.”
Mr Mark Cuddon
Media Teacher
YEAR 11 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Melbourne Holocaust Museum
Last week, Year 11 Religion classes attended an excursion to the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. We had three activities: looking at what the Holocaust was, studying artefacts and listening to Mr. Joe Szwarcberg (a survivor of the Holocaust and Buchenwald concentration camp) to gain a greater understanding of how the Holocaust was humanly possible.
The students really enjoyed studying the artefacts that were provided to us. We had in-depth conversations about each artefact and gained a greater understanding of what the artefacts were telling us and what this told us about life during the Holocaust. We expanded our knowledge of life through the Holocaust when we got to listen to Mr. Joe Szwarcberg and his emotion-capturing story. We learnt about his life in and out of the ghettos, slave labour camps, and concentration camps and grasped a sincere understanding of the traumatic experience he and so many more people experienced.
We were very honoured to be able to experience this trip to the Museum, and we learnt a great deal about how our generation should not repeat the atrocities observed during WWII.
Jacob Glover
Religious Education Student
MACKILLOP FAMILY SERVICES
Last week we were privileged to take part in a workshop provided by MacKillop Family Services in South Melbourne. Our day consisted of activities that allowed us to further collaborate with other schools and enhance our understanding of the foundation to which our House contributes donations.
MacKillop Family Services provides care and hope to families and children who have experienced trauma. They work towards finding better pathways and funding for those who have been impacted by family violence. Our donations work towards stability for those who need our support.
Our day started with a heartfelt speech by Taylor. Taylor was a child who grew up in “out of home care”. She found herself in an unstable environment moving between 20 different homes between the ages of 8 and 18. With few to no relationships, she experienced bullying and injustice when trying to find acceptance as a young girl. With her persistence and resilience Taylor found her path with the guidance of MacKillop Family Services.
Throughout the day we learnt of past Melbourne orphanages and the gruesome reality children faced when searching for help. When sent to somewhere thought to be safe, children were separated from family, and frequently abused and neglected. They sought support, but were often treated harshly, and tormented.
We were also introduced to the well respected company Paw Pals, where we met trained dogs who work with traumatized children, introducing hope and love back into their distraught lives.
We are grateful for the experience provided by Ms Salamon.
We encourage all MacKillop students to donate from their own full pockets. As we saw on our own emotional experience today, our money really does go to a good cause!
Mikayla Marino and Luvshul Sodhi
Year 10 MacKillop House Captains
ICT
Don’t Scratch The ‘Ish’
An ‘ishing’ attack is not fun.
Click on the link and you’re done.
Beware of the phish, vish and the smish.
And keep the criminals shunned.
They say ‘knowledge is power’ and ‘ignorance is bliss’. But in the case of cyber safety, ignorance is blish: it’s like crossing the road with your eyes closed!
There is no point wishing cybercrime would go away! Nefarious cyber actors wishing to steal your credit card or eBanking login details, or corrupt your hard drive with ransomware are employing an increasing range of methods, so broad in fact that these methods have attracted their own family of ‘ish’ sounding descriptors: phishing, vishing and smishing!
Click on the links above to find out what these words mean. Don’t worry, trust me, these links are safe! You can test the veracity of my claim by hovering over each link and checking where the link takes you: it should have a URL (ie. web address) beginning with ‘https://en.wiktionary.org’.
Similarly, always check the URL of any link sent to you via email or phone message. If the link looks like a bit ‘ishi’, don’t scratch it! Never give personal details over the phone, unless you are absolutely sure you know to whom you are talking.
Report criminal communications to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Report suspicious communications, particularly in relation to abuse, bullying and child safety to the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner.
Mr Victor Dalla-Vecchia
ICT Manager
COMMUNITY
Morning Tours – 2022
Morning Tours for Semester 1 will be take place on the following dates from 9.00am – 11.00am:
- Monday 6th June
- Monday 18th July
Maytime Fair – Saturday 6 May
It was nice to see the event running after a two-year postponement. Strategically located, the Loyola Marquee was clearly accessible and on a cold day, 1500 doughnuts were easily consumed. All funds raised went to the Jesuit Mission. A big thank you to the LPFA who assisted on the day, Michael O’Keeffe, Mark Monteneri, Darren Skidmore, John O’Connell, Brendon Carrol, Reena Thomas, Ilaria Manna and Xavier students – Noah Iozzo and Shireen Yelburga.
Open Day - Sunday 15 May
Despite a little wind, it was wonderful to see over 1000 people venture out to attend the Loyola College Open Day. Both information sessions were very well attended and it was great to see so many questions being asked on a range of different aspects of our school. One question asked by a family to a student was: "If there is one thing you could change about Loyola, what would it be?" Answer … Move Old Loyola to the other end of the school, so we do not have to walk so much! With so much on display and the giving away of over 1000 sausages it was wonderful to see so many leaving with a smile on their face. A big thank you to LPFA and PWP on the day, a special thank you to Brendon Carrol (hardest worker with the most stained apron), Mina Paterra, Danielle Maraschiello, Julia Mancuso, Belinda Marchbank, Ben Kriss, Michael Beckett, Mark & Ornella Monteneri, Natalie Miranda, Marie De Cata and Liz Mora. All went home tired and with the delightful smell of sausages. Well done to Justin Lin who managed to eat 8 sausages, which to my knowledge is a record.
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. Donation of blazers and girls school dresses would be much appreciated.
Please feel most welcome to attend:
2022 PWP Meeting
Monday evening – 18 July 2022 at 7.30pm
2022 LPFA Meeting
Wednesday evening – 1 June 2022 at 7.30pm
Next Working Bee
Saturday 24 July - 9am to 12 noon
Mrs Dianna Alonso
Community Liaison Officer