1475 Ignatian Newsletter - Friday 3 February 2023
Principal's Report
Dear Members of the Loyola College Community,
Welcome back to the 2023 academic year. I hope that the summer holidays have given families the time to rest, rejuvenate and spend some quality time together. We are looking forward to students returning and for the new challenges that lie ahead.
Welcome to New Students
I would like to formally welcome our new students to the Loyola community. This year, we have more students than any other time in Loyola history (1446), with 257 Year 7 students and over fifty students commencing at the school in Years 8 – 12.
Members of Consult 2023
Ignatian schools call their senior executive Consult. This is symbolic of the Ignatian approach to leading and making decisions. Ignatian schools are committed to being consultative and discerning. Historically, this goes back to St Ignatius and the foundation of the Jesuits.
The Loyola Consult for 2023 is comprised of the following staff members.
Alison Leutchford Acting Principal
Darrin Day Business Manager
Anna Salmic Deputy Principal Students
Kathryn Wilson Deputy Principal Learning & Teaching
Adam Calderone Deputy Principal Ignatian Mission & Identity
Paul Toney Acting Deputy Principal Staff and Compliance
Lauren Hartigan Director of Operations
Over the past weeks, the College has focussed on our goals for 2023. Rachael Colla from Melbourne University worked with our leaders on Wednesday 25 January and our full staff on Friday 27 January. We are working to establish leaders who are good listeners, open to dialogue and discernment. Within our community, we hope to build a sense of belonging and connectedness which should lead to a stronger engagement in learning and common understanding of what it means to be a member of the Loyola community.
We look forward to embarking on this journey with our students, parents and staff.
Welcome to New Staff
The following staff have joined the College this year. We welcome them and wish them every blessing as they commence their work here at Loyola.
Teachers
Paul Bacash will be teaching Physical Education and VCE VM
Linda Box will be teaching Religious Education, English Humanities and Drama
Tristen Brudy will be teaching English
Yenda Carson and Nicola Dawborn will be teaching in the Visual Arts faculty
Vera Cook will be teaching in the Technology and Chemistry
Crystal DeLosa has been appointed as the Head of Chisholm and will be teaching Psychology and Legal Studies
Louisa D’Ortenzio joins the Performing Arts faculty as our new Dance teacher
Victoria Kanicki will be teaching French
Jacqui Licciardo has been appointed as the Professional Development Coordinator and will be teaching Mathematics and Biology
Edison Shamoail, Tony Van Beek, Andrea Pearce and Mark Stanton will be teaching Mathematics. Mark will also be teaching Economics and Religious Education
Joshua Del Rosario will be teaching Science and Systems
The following teachers are engaged in a replacement capacity
Meredith Atilemile has been appointed for 12 months and will be working in the VCE VM, English and Humanities faculties
Corinne Pearce has been appointed for semester one to replace Ianto Kelly in junior English
Brock Pybus will be replacing Paul Cocks for term one
Support Staff
Shanae Alabakis has been engaged as the College and Community Engagement Clerical Assistant
Margherita Biasetto and Sabrina Ippolito are joining us as Italian Language Assistants
Trevor Busuttil has been appointed to the gardening team
Albert Ibrahim has been appointed to Facilities Manager
Alexander Marinelli has been appointed to the new position of Hospitality Assistant
Natasha Rando has been appointed as our new Registrar
Christine Filer and Sonia Lotter will become well known faces in the College community as they take on clerical positions in reception
Pauline Renard is our new French Language Assistant
Nathan List joins us as the Performing Arts Assistant
Brodie Car has been appointed to the new position of Sport and Physical Education Assistant
Alison Leutchford
Acting Principal
Ignation Mission & Identity
2023 College Theme
This year’s theme is ‘Go on with strength and courage’. It is a quote taken from St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, a religious figure, educator, and social reformer who was the first Australian beatified by the Roman Catholic Church and the first Australian to be recognised as one of its saints.
It is a uniquely Australian theme that relates to Ignatius, who would have admired Mary’s integrity, courage, strength and commitment to action.
I thank Olivia Lawson (11/XBAM), Ms Winter and Ms O’Brien for their outstanding work on designing this year’s theme banner.
Adam Calderone
Ignation Mission & Identity
College & Community Engagement
Activities Week 6 – 10 March – Year 11 Christian Service
As part of the Year 11 RE curriculum our Year 11 Students participate in a program of Christian Service during activities week.
Helping souls was a primary concern for Ignatius of Loyola and came from his desire, like Jesus, to be at the service of those who are left out, ostracised, isolated and/or thought to be unimportant. It is these people, living on the margins of our society, that Ignatius chose to be with and it is these same people that we are challenged to stand with and for today.
Our Ignatian tradition calls us to enter into solidarity with the poor, the marginalised, and the voiceless, to enable their participation in the processes that shape the society in which we all live and work.
All students in Year 11 are required to complete one week of community service at either an Aged Care, Welfare, Disability or Environmental centre. For 2023, this will also include kindergartens and primary schools.
The allocation of placements is expected to be completed and communicated at an assembly to our Year 11 students on Tuesday 21 February. We have experienced delays in the organisation of this important program due to concerns for Covid outbreaks in late 2022. The year 11 RE teachers will be working through the Christian Service Experience as the first part of the RE curriculum.
We look forward to the support of parents in this program that may require your son/daughter to travel on public transport and make their own way to and from placement locations.
James Mcllroy
Head of Ignatian Service
Teaching & Learning
Welcome back to all our returning students, and to those students who are new to the school this year. We are all looking forward to working with parents/guardians and your children in 2023. We have many new positive and exciting initiatives.
Companion Learning (the Loyola College Learning Management System)
This year Parents and Students will continue to have online access to resources, class pages, assessment calendars and to their teachers for every class. They will also be able to access their timetable and the College calendar. Please ask your child to show you their ‘Companion Learning’ page.
Heads of Learning in 2023
This year we will continue to keep our community fully informed of the learning that occurs at Loyola College. There will also be important information for you to digest concerning the different activities affecting each year level. I would like to introduce you to our Heads of Learning, important curriculum leaders who can assist you throughout the year:
- Adam Calderone: Deputy Principal – Ignatian Mission and Identity
- Jacob Gasparini: Head of English
- Anthony Lynch: Head of Mathematics
- Mathew Lee: Head of Science
- Alexis Winter: Head of Design and Technology
- Rachael Patrick: Head of Humanities
- David Ferrante: Head of Health and Physical Education
- Jason van Leest: Head of Languages
- Matthew Thomas: Head of Performing Arts
- Jacqueline Di Stefano: Head of Visual Arts
- Hayden Langford: Head of VCE VM
- Dinh Tran: Head of Technology & e-Learning Coordinator
- Lisa Bosco: Head of Learning Pathways
Please do not hesitate to contact any of the Heads of Learning with any curriculum questions.
Loyola College Homework Guidelines
We encourage our students to set goals and work towards achieving them. They should always aim high and not be prepared to accept mediocrity. Homework is an important element of supporting the learning that occurs at the College. The College expectation for the first two weeks of 2023 academic year is that Year 7 students do not receive homework. However, Years 8 – 12 will receive homework from Wednesday 1 February.
We ask that parents and guardians fully support their children and assist them in completing all set homework. The Loyola College recommended guidelines for homework are as follows:
Year Level | Total mins homework per night | Structure of HW time | Total hours HW per week |
7 | 60 | 5 days x 60 | 5 |
8 | 80 | 5 days x 80 | 7 |
9 | 100 | 5 days x 100 | 8.5 |
10 | 120+ | 5 days x 120 | 10+ |
11 | 150+ | 5 days x 150 | 15+ |
12 | 180+ | 5 days x 180 | 18+ |
2022 VCE Results
All our Year 12 students last year are to be congratulated on completing their VCE/VET/VCAL Certificate in 2022. Their results were outstanding and reflected all their dedication and the hard work they had put in during the year. Our Dux, Alysha Prisc achieved an ATAR of 99.45 and Kelly Tran was our Proxime with an ATAR score of 99.40. All indicators show an upward trend, with 2022 producing the best results for the school in the last five years.
Y12 Destinations 2022/2023
The following chart provides an overview of our Year 12 post Loyola destinations. We wish everyone great success in their future endeavours.
2022 Semester Two Merit Certificates
Congratulations to all students who received Semester Two Merit certificates. Merit awards are given to students who perform at a high level. Awards are based on the student’s overall result for each subject. A student will receive a Gold merit award if they have achieved an overall subject result of A or A+. A student will receive a Silver merit award if they have achieved an overall subject result of B or B+.
Attached is a list of Year 7 – 11 students who received a total of four or more Gold Merits in Semester Two 2022.
Year Seven Digital Devices
On Tuesday, our Year Seven students received their Surface Laptops. Over their first two days all were engaged in a program showing them how to access the College Learning Management System and our other learning platforms, email etiquette and how to get the best out of their device. Please ask to look at the Surface Laptop: How to Guide if you would like to see what they have worked on.
Kathryn Wilson
Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning
Students
A very warm welcome to all our families for 2023, and especially to families joining the College community for the first time.
It was pleasing to see so many students return to school with enthusiasm and readiness to commence the new academic year. It is hoped that students have settled in well and that they have organised themselves into a routine which provides a balance between school commitments and home life.
With the commencement of the school year, both Mrs Leutchford and I have begun to address each of the year levels at their assemblies. My message to the students at these assemblies is the importance for our community to work together, and in doing so, the need to be respectful of one another and to continue developing positive relationships. I also refer to the Ignatian challenge of using the gifts that each student has in striving for the Magis in both their studies and co-curricular activities, of being discerning about the choices they make, and embracing this year’s College theme, ‘Go on with Strength and Courage’ (Mary MacKillop), by having the strength to see through challenges and thus being courageous to stand by one’s own values.
Running parallel to our College theme is the 2023 wellbeing campaign slogan ‘Lean in and Step up’, which sits with our Positive Education through an Ignatian Lens framework. Mr Valentino, our Wellbeing & Personal Development Coordinator, suggests that to Lean in and Step up takes courage to live by. It requires us to ‘be vulnerable, to put ourselves out of our comfort zones, and in doing so, grow as people in all aspects of our lives’. Our aim in aligning both the College and wellbeing theme is to support our students in being the best versions of themselves; to acknowledge the strengths that they have and be prepared to challenge anything that comes their way as they pursue their goals.
As the academic year gets underway, we enjoyed our annual Year 7 Family Picnic, and look forward to the Year 12 Breakfast. These events are opportunities for our students and their families to come together and celebrate the start of the academic year in a positive spirit of community. For the Year 12 students it is a welcome to their final academic year at the College, while for the Year 7 students it is an opportunity to be welcomed into our community as they commence their journey with us at Loyola College.
We look forward to meeting with as many families as possible.
As part of our ongoing commitment to working with our students and families, February 16 has been scheduled as the Mentor Conversation afternoon/evening. This is an opportunity for our parents, students and Mentor teachers to have a conversation about what each student’s learning will look like in 2023. The conversations will assist Mentor teachers in their role of supporting their students and overseeing their social, emotional and academic wellbeing. In addition, this first meeting with the Mentors will provide parents/guardians the opportunity to become more engaged with their child’s learning and to share information regarding how best we, in partnership, may continue to support their child’s education. As you will be aware, educational research highlights the significant role that parents/guardians play in the academic success of their children.
For our new families to the College, the Mentor teacher should be the first point of contact for any issues which need to be raised regarding your child; however, if there are specific subject issues which need to be discussed, please contact the relevant subject teacher, either via an email or a phone call.
Finally, as we commence the term, we encourage our students and families to become involved in the many events that have been scheduled throughout the year. In addition, we ask all families for their continued support as students work with us in meeting daily expectations such as completion of homework, punctuality, uniform and being respectful of one another.
We wish all our families the very best for this coming year and we look forward to working together in assisting our young people to achieve the very best they can.
Anna Salmic
Deputy Principal Students
Director of Operations
Excursions/Camps – Consent2Go
Welcome back to all families and a special welcome to new families. This year promises to be a great year of educational experiences both inside and outside the classroom. This includes excursions, house carnivals and camps, including Activities Week (6 March to 10 March). There will be more information provided to families over the coming weeks about this fantastic week.
All permissions for Loyola camps, excursions, carnivals and overseas trips are managed through Consent2Go, the College’s excursions administration service provider. Throughout the year these permission emails will come from mcbschools.com (Consent2Go) and we recommend that you enter the mcbschools.com email address into your contacts so it does not go to your junk mail.
There are two important Consent2Go requests that have been sent out recently:
- For all students, permission to attend ACS and House Sport, along with House swimming and athletics carnivals.
- Year 7 and new year 8 – 12 families will have received a request to check and if required update the medical details the school has been provided.
If you have not responded to these requests you will continue to receive reminders. Thank you to the families who have already responded.
I wish all the students a wonderful 2023!
Lauren Hartigan
Director of Operations
ICT News
Digital Devices Program
The purpose of digital devices is to give students access to the Internet, webmail and Companion Learning (LMS), which allows students to submit homework/assessments online. Students are also able to use printing services and access work from and save work to their 1 Tb Office 365/One Drive for Business Cloud space from their Drives tab on the LMS.
- Digital devices for Years 7 – 9 students
Year 7, 8 and 9 students are only permitted to have a Microsoft Surface Laptop. Devices must be purchased from the mandated supplier, Centorrino Technologies (ct.com.au/Loyola), which processes warranty and accidental damage claims on Microsoft’s behalf. The software on these devices is managed by the ICT Department and includes the System Bundle:
- InTune Mobile Device Management
- FortiClient anti-virus
- Microsoft Office 365
- Adobe Create Cloud
Please note: Microsoft, under its Terms and Conditions, enforces a $110 (incl. GST) charge for every claim made for Accidental Damage, and it also enforces a strict interpretation of what constitutes ‘accidental damage’. Intentional damage is not covered under the terms of Microsoft’s policy, which includes engraving the student’s name on the laptop. A sticky label could be used, instead. Note that ownership of the device is identified by the device’s serial number.
- Digital devices for Years 10 – 12 students
Year 10, 11 and 12 students are required to bring an approved digital device from the following CYOD (Choose Your Own Device, CYOD) list:
Windows Notebook or Surface Device
Windows 10 or later
Core i5 Processor or greater
Minimum 8Gb Memory (RAM)
Wireless Network Card with AC (5Ghz)
Apple Macbook (VA students) or Macbook Air (not recommended for Visual Arts students, unless it has the M1/M2 chip)
Apple OSX Mavericks or later
Core i8 Processor or greater
Minimum 8Gb Memory (RAM)
2013 model or later
Note that Android and Linux devices / operating systems are not supported on the College’s ICT infrastructure.
- Recommendations for CYOD
- Anti-Virus: This should be installed and kept up to date.
- Warranty/Care: It is highly recommended that the device is maintained under warranty and that consideration is also given to protecting the device from physical damage.
- Support: Please bear in mind that as the device is parent owned, Loyola College is not responsible for diagnosing hardware issues with the device, repairing the device or replacing the device should it be lost or destroyed.
For ICT Support, email iCentre-ICT@loyola.vic.edu.au.
Victor Dalla-Vecchia
ICT Manager
Community
Welcome
A big welcome to all Loyola families. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with so many events to keep us all busy and engaged. Loyola College is blessed with a wonderful sense of community, and I welcome anyone from existing families and those joining us to get involved. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding which area of involvement would work best from your end.
Morning Tours – 2023
Morning Tours for Semester 1 will be take place on the following dates from 9:15 am – 11:00 am -
Monday 20th February
Monday, 27th March
Monday, 24th April
Monday, 15th May
Monday, 5th June
Monday, 19th June
To book for a Morning Tour, please visit http://www.loyola.vic.edu.au/bookatour
Year 7 Picnic
Blessed once again with beautiful weather, it was great to see so many families come together in the beautiful courtyard of Old Loyola. There was a great vibe in the air as parents tried to find their child to get an insight into how their first day went. The picnic was a great opportunity for students to meet new friends and for parents to meet up with primary school connections and in many cases form new friendships. It was so nice to see families with their second, third and even fourth child now starting at Loyola. A special welcome to the families who have their first child coming to Loyola College. Thank you to LPFA and PWP members who came to welcome families and to Shanae for taking some great photos.
2023 House Cocktail night
Please join us for a wonderful event. The House Cocktail night will be held on –
Thursday, 30th March 6 pm - 8.30 pm.
COST – $35 pp.
Drinks available at bar prices
Please book now as numbers are limited - https://events.humanitix.com/house_cocktail
Dianna Alonso
Community Liasison Officer
Maths Support
At Loyola we want our students to reach their full potential in all of their subjects. In the area of Mathematics, to help support students in this aim we run a Maths Success Club: striving for the Mathematical Magis.
Maths Success Club: Striving for the Mathematical Magis takes place every lunchtime in K151 on a Monday and K158 on a Tuesday – Friday. It is a place where any student is welcome to come to connect with Maths teachers to get assistance with their studies or to work on maths problems with their peers. Students are welcome to attend as much as they like with the most benefit coming from frequent attendance.
The Mathematics department hopes to see a variety of students embrace this support opportunity and wish all students best of luck with their maths studies for 2023.
Anthony Lynch
Head of Mathematics
Local Community
Staying safe from mosquitoes
Recent wet and warm weather has increased mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes can carry diseases that may be passed on to people through mosquito bites. A range of mosquito-borne diseases have recently been detected in mosquitoes in northern Victoria. Mosquito-borne diseases can cause serious illness, including infections of the brain, with children particularly at risk.
The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid mosquito bites.
In line with community health advice , families can protect against mosquito bites by:
- using insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin if outdoors when mosquitoes are observed, from October to March
- wearing long, loose-fitting clothing outdoors if possible if mosquitoes are around and covering exposed skin as much as possible. Summer school uniforms, including polos and shorts, can continue to be worn, but students should use insect repellent on exposed skin if mosquitoes are active
- limiting outdoor activity when mosquitoes are active.
Further information
- A handy guide to help protect you and your family from mosquito-borne disease
- Better Health Channel information about preventing mosquito-borne diseases.