1471 Ignatian Newsletter - Friday 28 October 2022
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Year 12 Celebrations
Week three of term saw us farewell our Year 12 students. Heads of House farewelled our Year 12 students at a House assembly. This is where the Ignatian principle of “cura peronalis” really comes into play in our community. Mentors have been a constant in our students' time at the college and over the years have been able to get to know students exceptionally well. This is the true value of our house vertical pastoral care system. Each and every student is known and celebrated. Mentor teachers gave a tribute to each of the students in their mentor. Many a tear was shed, by both staff and students.
The Year 12 Graduation ceremony was a beautiful evening and a real acknowledgement of what our students have grown to be during their time at the college. Thank you to Father Steve Rigo for his meaningful homily and to Father Gerry Healy who concelebrated the liturgy. Events such as this do not just happen. We are grateful to so many of the Loyola staff for their contribution. It is an honour to work together as a staff to honour the journey of our students in their time at the College.
We also acknowledge our parents, who as the original teachers and mentors of our students, have worked with us in partnership to support their growth.
Bravo!
I was privileged to a wonderful night of entertainment at the Loyola College vocal soiree on Thursday 27 October. It is energising to see how students grow vocally from year to year. We have a great range of talent in our student body. A big thank you to Mrs Jennifer Taylor, Mrs Gemma Hedger and Mrs Julie Boyle for working with the students to prepare them for this night. Students learn not only how to sing, but how to stand proudly and confidently, and to communicate with an audience.
Negotiation Of The Multi- Enterprise Agreement
Parents may have noticed that some staff are only responding to emails between 8:15am and 3:45pm. At this point in time the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria and the Independent Education Union are negotiating a new agreement. We are hoping that this will be settled by the end of the school year and that there will limited disruption. For all parties concerned, the students are at the centre of the conversation.
Alison Leutchford
Acting Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
IGNATIAN MISSION & IDENTITY
November Community Memorial Mass
On Tuesday, 8 November, Father Gerry Healy S.J. will celebrate Mass (7:30pm) in the St Ignatius Chapel.
All current and ex-members of the College community are invited to attend.
People who would like to have loved ones prayed for can email me the details lynchc@loyola.vic.edu.au or leave details on my phone which has a voicemail 9433 0227.
Loyola Young Vinnies – Christmas Present Drive
Each year the Loyola Young Vinnies run a Christmas present drive. Families can support others in need by leaving a Christmas present for children 12 years and younger in House areas. Presents do not need to be wrapped. The Young Vinnies will do this.
Mr Chris Lynch
Deputy Principal,
Ignatian Mission & Identity
TEACHING & LEARNING
Year 10 and 11 Exams and Units 1 – 4 Orientation
Year 11 exams will run from November 11 with English and Language Orals being the first set of exams. Year 10 exams will commence on November 15. Exams will conclude on November 21. Exam timetables and venues have been sent out to students via email.
Orientation for 2023 Units 1 – 4 will run from November 22 to November 29.
Year 8 and 9 Exams
Year 8 and 9 exams will commence on November 29 and finish on December 1. Exam timetables and venues will be sent out to students via email.
2023 Jacaranda Book bundles Year 7 – 9 and Senior Textbooks
In 2023, Year 7 to Year 9 students will have access to a number of their textbooks in two formats, print and digital. The subjects that this option will be available for are Mathematics, and Humanities. All bundles will be sent directly to your residential address prior to the commencement of the 2023 College academic year. Physical Education will be available in eBook format only.
All students' 2023 subject textbooks and additional resource material can be ordered online, and the relevant information will be distributed to all students later in the year.
2022 Awards Evening Friday, 2 December
Our annual Awards Evening will be held on Friday 2 December in the Loyola Companions Hall.
Mrs Suzanne Pola
Deputy Principal,
Teaching & Learning
WELLBEING
SPECIAL REPORT: A Guide To Safe Partying
Teenage gatherings provide young people with important opportunities to interact and build on their social skills and experiences. Celebrations, partying and socialising are a fundamental rite of passage and one of the most important aspects of a young person’s life. However, it is possible for the best young person to get carried away with their peers and the euphoria of the moment.
For parents and caregivers, keeping your young person safe can at times feel daunting and is often a compromise and a challenge. Most teenagers try to do the right thing most of the time, but your leadership as a role model is crucial. Your child may appear to be physically large and mature, but this is not necessarily matched by their emotional maturity and responsibility in behaviour.
Every party has the potential to get out of hand, as sometimes it’s hard for young partygoers to make good decisions. Communication and regular discussions are vital, particularly because young people are often faced with peer pressure to do things they prefer not to engage in. Hosting a celebration at home or at a venue can be a fun and memorable event, but it is important to agree on the ground rules well before your event is announced to ensure there are no misunderstandings later on.
If hosting an event, you owe your guests a ‘duty-of-care’ and should ensure all reasonable steps are taken to keep partygoers safe. This Special Report provides caregivers with a list of things to consider when planning a celebration. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you or a loved one, especially about the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.
Mr. Sal Valentino
Wellbeing & Personal Development Coordinator
YEAR 8 ROBOTICS INCURSION
Across the first two weeks of Term 4 all Year 8 students participated in a Mathematics and Science Robotics Incursion run by the World of Robotics where each BLG spent four periods solving some challenges using robotics and programming.
Students worked in small groups to solve two set problems over the course of the incursion. The first problem required students to design and program a robot that could pick up a small basketball, move towards a basketball ring and drop the ball into the ring. The robot then needed to pick up the ball again and repeat the sequence as many times as possible within a two-minute time frame.
To successfully complete this first challenge students explored the different available types of motors, claws, gears, wheels, counterweights and building blocks of the robot to come up with an optimal mechanical design. There was plenty of trial and error involved, as students would make discoveries and refine their design. Once the mechanical design was taken care of students designed a control panel that wcould then be used to electronically control the movement of their robot.
In the second challenge students were given a track in which they had to program a car that could follow the track. This required students to learn about the commands for controlling the car, measure the different lengths and angles of the track, so that they could program the correct movements into the car. Students once again went through a trial and error process whereby they wrote their code, tested their code, and then made refinements to their programming as they identified any errors in the output of the code.
By the end of the incursion students were able to demonstrate their creative design skills, evidenced by the wide range of basketball robots produced in the first challenge, and gained vital practise in using their problem solving and critical thinking skills as they worked through each challenge.
Mr Anthony Lynch
Head of Mathematics
Mr Matthew Lee
Head of Science
2022 YOUNG VOICES AWARDS
Talia Carter and Maggie Blake took up the challenge of entering the ACU- Australian Catholic University & Australian Catholics Magazine Young Voices competition.
This was an Australia wide competition/forum which allowed students to create digital media such as videos, news articles and podcasts to share their thoughts, ideas and solutions to key issues in society such as the climate change, social welfare, education in the 21st century and the impact of the Global Pandemic.
The beauty of the competition is that the students’ digital work, in the form of podcasts, can reach a wide national and international audience.
Maggie and Talia combined their RE knowledge and Media skills to present podcasts on the impact of the Global Pandemic.
The students contextualised their Podcast programs with our Catholic Social Teaching, looking at the Vaccine and the ‘Common Good’.
Mr Mark Cuddon
Media Teacher
ICT NEWS
Cybersafety Part 11: Protecting Personal Data In The Digital Age
We live in a ‘Brave new [digital] world.’ How can you be sure that news items, social media feeds and advertisements you receive on your phone and browser are not part of a highly orchestrated attempt by state or private actors to influence your political or social views, not just your purchase preferences?
Governments across the world are concerned about the unprecedented volume of user information companies like Facebook and Google collect and the risk that this data could be monetised and used by third parties for targeted advertising or scams (the recent Optus data breach is a case in point), or by nefarious actors to influence the political or social decision making of unsuspecting people.
The Australian and New Zealand governments have been seeking to push through legislation that would allow law enforcers to police the algorithms companies like Facebook and Google use to determine what shows up in search results and newsfeeds, and be able to see the encrypted text messages exchanged between criminal organisations under investigation.
In this brave new digital age, our personal data is a commodity which we are increasingly forced to hand over to corporate interests in exchange for increasingly essential services. Our hapless selves are at one end, the data behemoths at the other, and our elected leaders floundering in the middle trying to stem the privacy degradation flow.
Adding to this concern, your mobile phone is possibly listening to your every word and sending back data that is being mined for targeted advertising. Or consider the Orwellian prospect that your digital footprint could, as is being experimented with in China, be used along with facial recognition technology to build a social credit registry. The system rewards with social benefits those who act as good citizens and takes social benefits away from those who are not deemed to be acting in the best interests of society.
What can we do to protect the privacy of our personal data, some of which we have control over, but also other data that is gathered without our knowledge or consent, and protect ourselves against our personal data being harvested for social manipulation or exploitation? Regulation and legislation are one part of the solution, but equally we need service providers to be good corporate citizens and play by the rules. Ultimately, it is up to us to think carefully before handing over our personal data when subscribing to online services.
Mr Victor Dalla-Vecchia
ICT Manager
LIBRARY CHRISTMAS CLUB BOOK BAGS
Summer holidays are only a few weeks away! What a perfect time to catch up on some recreational reading and get stuck into those top titles you missed throughout the year.
If you’re after some suggestions, sign up for our Christmas Club Book Bag and the library staff will select titles specific to your individual taste.
Fill in the form and tell us your name, year level and favourite genres.
We will then select a range of books that you might like and loan them to you over the holidays.
Open to all staff and students, if you would like to participate fill in the form at the link below or via the Library LMS page by Friday 11th of November and let us find you the perfect summer companion.
Ms Annie Bourne
Head of Information Services
LCAA AGM
Notice is given of the Loyola College Alumni Association Annual General Meeting, to be held at the College on Tuesday 22 November at 6.15pm.
Expressions of interest are invited for positions on the Executive. Please find the nomination form HERE
Former students of Loyola are warmly invited to be part of the committee. A small commitment is onvolved, with only four meetings each year to discuss ways of supporting Loyola alumni and to organise events such as the Classic Car Show, Reunions, Dinners etc.
Please contact LCAA Secretary on 9433 0767 or lcaa@loyola.vic.edu.au to confirm attendance.
Ms Monica Agius
LCAA Secretary