1480 Ignatian Newsletter - Friday 5 May 2023
Principal's Report
Australia’s Best Teachers
We are very proud to share the news that eight of our teachers have been nominated for the Herald Sun’s 2023 “Australia’s Best Teachers” campaign. Congratulations to Tim Moore, James Tadd, Vincent Lam, Anthony Lynch, Bianca Marasco, Jacob Gasparini, Kelly Hussey and Jacob Garzia. We are grateful to these teachers and in fact to all Loyola teachers who work to instil in our students a love of learning.
Staff Spirituality Day
On the last day of Term 1 (Holy Thursday) our entire staff attended the Convent Gallery for a spirituality day. The aim of the day was to build understanding of Indigenous perspectives in our community. Staff were immersed in a variety of experiences and the day finished with an exploration of aboriginal art and the stations of the cross.
The college has developed a Culturally Safe Steering Committee in response to Child Safe Standard #1. We are working to establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal students are respected and valued such that all students feel included and known in our community.
I thank Adam Calderone, Deputy Principal, Ignatian Mission and Identity for his organisation of this outstanding learning opportunity.
Singapore Trip
Over the school holidays thirty students and five staff members enjoyed our STEM Tour to Singapore. The tour aimed to spark student interest and curiosity in STEM with challenging and engaging experiences through real world applications. The students had a fantastic time, and we hope that the experience generates greater interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. A big thank you to Mr Dinh Tran who organised the trip and to the staff who supported him, Mr Paul Toney, Mrs Jenny Murray, Ms Christine Sudano and Mr Jonathan Prout.
ANZAC Day
On the first day of Term 2 - Monday, 24 April - students took part in our annual ANZAC Day Ceremony. We were privileged to hear Lieutenant Colonel Claire Baker address the students, sharing her experience in deployment and the ANZAC values. Not only is Claire an active member of the Armed Forces, but she is also a Mother in our community. This was fantastic role modelling for our young women, showing them that all careers are within their grasp.
We also thank Father Martin Tanti, from St Thomas the Apostle in Greensborough, for leading the liturgical aspect of the ceremony. It was a privilege to have Colin Brooks (State Member for Bundoora and Loyola Parent) and Kate Thwaites (Federal Member for Jagajaga) in attendance. As always, the Loyola Cadets made a meaningful and dignified contribution to Loyola service.
On Tuesday, 25 April, Wesley Mills (College Co-Captain) and Madison Howes (McAuley Captain) were invited to share their views on what the ANZAC spirit means to them. Both students spoke with great conviction and were able to clearly articulate both the ANZAC spirit and history, sharing how they live out the values of ANZACs. They spoke confidently and with great gravitas, which was befitting of the occasion.
House Athletics
The whole school enjoyed the annual House Athletics Carnival at Meadowglen International Athletics Track on Monday, 1 May. Congratulations to Xavier on achieving first place. There was great house spirit and a real sense of fun on the day. I thank Ms Jacqueline Wade for her organisation of the day and the Heads of House and House Captains who work tirelessly throughout the day to ensure they have students on the track representing each House.
Iggy’s Restaurant
Thursday, 4 May saw the launch of Iggy’s Restaurant for 2023. I was very fortunate to enjoy a meal with my family at Iggy’s on this night. A reminder that Iggy’s operates most Thursday evenings through Term 2 and Term 3. Bookings are essential.
Students prepare a delicious three course meal for $50. If you attend, I guarantee you will experience a taste sensation and the opportunity to support the Year 11 and 12 VET Hospitality students in their studies.
Staff Professional Learning Day
A reminder to parents that Monday, 8 May is a student free day.
All staff at the college will be undergoing professional learning with Dr Tom Brunzell. (MST, EdM, PhD). Dr Brunzell has experience as a teacher, school leader, researcher, and education advisor. Currently he is the Director of Education at Berry Street. He has significant experience in trauma-informed strengths-based classroom strategies.
The college will be working with Tom across 2023 and the training will equip our staff to better understand and cater for trauma affected young people. This is relevant in our current context where so many young people are challenged by poor mental health post-covid. We want to ensure our staff have the skills and tools to support students in their wellbeing so that they can learn to the best of their ability.
Parent Drop-off Zone
Parents are reminded to adhere to all safety considerations when using the drop-off zone. I continue to receive complaints from concerned members of the community as parents are double parking and stopping illegally for their own convenience. A reminder to give way to pedestrians when you exit the drop-off zone, as it crosses a footpath.
Alison Leutchford,
Actng Principal
Ignatian Mission & Identity
Staff Spirituality Day
On Holy Thursday, our staff gathered at Abbotsford Convent for our Spirituality Day, with the theme this year of Indigenous Spiritualty, Traditions and Culture. Our staff were treated to a keynote address by Sherry Balcombe from Aboriginal Catholic Ministry who spoke about the Voice to Parliament, and also witnessed a moving didge performance from Alex Splitt. Staff then elected to participate in a range of activities to immerse themselves in Indigenous culture. We finished the day with a moving Aboriginal Way of the Cross as we moved into the Easter weekend. We hope that this day will now be the foundation for integrating Indigenous spirituality into our practices at the College and continue the dialogue with First Nations peoples moving forward.
Caritas Project Compassion - Thank You
On behalf of Caritas and the College, I wish to thank all members of our community who gave of their time and/or contributed to the Project Compassion appeal in Term 1. I am pleased to announce that we have raised in excess of $5500 for this appeal, so thank you to everyone who contributed to this worthwhile cause for this outstanding amount.
Mother's Day Blessing
We wish all mothers in our community a very happy Mother’s Day for next week. We hope you have a wonderful day with your families, who I am sure appreciate all that you do for them.
Adam Calderone,
Ignatian Mission & Identity
Teaching & Learning
Subject Specific Conversation Feedback
Thank you to all parents/guardians for attending the Subject Specific Conversations. We hope they were meaningful and worthwhile, and provided feedback on your child’s learning and wellbeing, together with strategies to support future progress.
As Bill Gates suggests, “we all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve”. With this in mind, the College would like feedback on last week’s Conversations. Please use the following Subject Specific Conversations link to provide your thoughts. The survey will be open until the end of May.
Semester One Examinations
Following a review of the 2023 examination processes and procedures, it was agreed that Semester One examinations will only involve Years 9 and 10.
Year 8 & 11 will only have end-of-year examinations. The reasons for this decision were to better prepare our Year 11 students for their VCE examinations. Year 11 examinations will now replicate the Year 12 examination structure. In terms of Year 8, we now have a smoother and more fluent transition from Year 7 (no examinations) to Year 9 (two examinations).
Dates for Year 9 and 10 Examinations:
- Year 10 Exams: 14 - 22 June
- Year 9 Exams: 20 - 22 June
Kathryn Wilson,
Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning
Year 11 VM/VET Small Business Plumbing Excursion
On Monday, 27 March my class along with Gary Ramsay headed over to New Plumbing Solutions in Thornbury to gain insight into the operation of this plumbing small business. We were warmly greeted by the owner, Jarryd, who showed us around the factory, highlighting key aspects of the business.
Gathered in the Boardroom, the students had a great opportunity to interview the owner and were very interested in finding out the journey Jarryd had undergone to commence his business as a 3rd year apprentice. The importance of hiring the right people, being mentored, setting goals and re-investing in the growth of the business were emphasised and proved to be valuable information to the students.
I was most impressed by the students' interest in this opportunity and pleased to know that they gained a great deal from this experience.
Dianna Alonso,
VET Certificate II in Small Business
Singapore STEM Tour 2023
Singapore STEM Tour 2023
Loyola College successfully embarked on an 11 day STEM Tour to Singapore during the April school holidays. Flying with Singapore Airlines allowed the group of 30 students and 5 teachers to have an authentic Singapore travel experience. Students were immersed in Singapore’s rich culture, world-renowned for its exotic food, incredible technological advancements, and innovative sustainability practices.
Singapore is a beautiful country that offers a wide variety of STEM experiences. It was wonderful to see students embracing the new experiences on offer from tasting exotic fruit, to eating amongst the locals at various hawker centres and of course all the STEM workshops.
Some of the Singapore Highlights & Activities:
- One hour bus tour of the city covering Sultan Mosque, Little India, Chinatown, Buddhist temple, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and Orchard shopping centres
- Flying 101 Education Program at Flight Experience Singapore on Boeing 737 Simulator. All students had the opportunity to fly alongside one of the trained instructors – all commercial pilots – in a very realistic, state of the art, Boeing 737-800 flight simulator.
- Art Science Museum Future World. As the name suggests it beautifully fuses art and science to tell fascinating stories. The museum is also home to the permanent exhibition, Future World: here students immersed themselves in a dynamic 1,500-square-metre digital universe of interactive art installations revolving around the themes of Nature, Town, Park and Science.
- Digital Light Canvas. Discover the magic of Spectra – A Light & Water Show, a free nightly outdoor extravaganza displayed over the water at the Event Plaza. As the 15-minute outdoor show unfolds before your eyes in a four-part story, immerse yourself in the beautiful symphony of dancing fountain jets, colourful visual projections, advanced lasers, and lava and mist effects — all led by an orchestral soundtrack.
- Marina Barrage - Singapore's first reservoir in the heart of the city.
- Flower dome. Students were awed by the Flower Dome's beauty and its sheer size — this cavernous cooled conservatory holds the Guinness World Record for the largest glass greenhouse. Students explored and learned about this innovative megastructure that literally brings the world's flora under one roof
- Cloud forest, home to one of the world's tallest indoor waterfalls and a lush mountain clad with plants from around the world. Students began a fascinating journey of discovery to get up close with some of the world's most exotic plant species as they strolled along its unique aerial walkways
- Gardens by the Bay. Singapore’s first step towards becoming a city in a garden and one of the city skyline’s most futuristic additions with a tour around the multiple award winning Gardens by the Bay
- Gardens by the Bay audio tram tour
- Garden Rhapsody light show. Students were dazzled by the magnificent sight of the Supertrees coming alive immersed in a spectacular light and sound show
- Science Centre Singapore STEM Workshops - undertaking two STEM workshops Chemistry of Chocolate and Flight Science Crashing course. Students also viewed the Electrified show and Fire tornado show as well as explored the various exhibitions. Students watched Nature's Hidden Kingdom in 8K at Omni Theatre. The students had an amazing time in Singapore and were very grateful for the unique experiences that the tour offered.
- Sentosa Island - Universal Studios. Students enjoyed a full day at Universal Studios Singapore which is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It features 24 rides, shows and attractions in seven themed zones
- Zero Latency - Experience the biggest Virtual Reality arcade in Singapore
- Shopping at various shopping centres namely Suntec City, Bugis, Bugis market, Orchard Gateway, Sim Lim square technology, Vivocity, Marina Sands and Chinatown
- Sentosa Island - Activities including but not limited to Helix tower, iFly, Skyline Luge, Madame Tussauds, Sentosa 4D Adventureland, Singapore Aquarium, Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdown, Volleyball on the beach and other sightseeing activities
- Wings of Time extraordinary show
- Magical Shores is a multi-sensory experience that transforms Siloso beach into an interactive light and sound spectacle. Students could whirl around and see striking visual effects change on sand instantly, or catch nature’s enchanting song and dance that illuminates the island’s greenery after dark.
- Changi Experience Studio and Jewel Interactive
- Sunday Mass at the Church of St.Ignatius
- Singapore's largest Escape room collaborating in groups
- Paca Funworld for a great arcade experience
- Golden Village to watch Super Mario Brothers
- Chinatown market
- Bumboat river cruise to learn about the historic waterway and experience its rustic charm
The Singapore STEM Tour for many students was a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore all that Singapore has to offer in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Creative Digital Media students also discovered new innovations of how media can be presented using different emerging mediums. These memories will stay with the students for the rest of their lives.
Dinh Tran,
Head of Digital Learning
Student Voice
Co-curriculum
House Eisteddfod
On Tuesday, 4 April, all six Houses competed in the Annual House Eisteddfod Evening.
Each House prepared, over just six rehearsal sessions, one twelve-minute mini musical of their choice. House Eisteddfod is entirely student-driven, and students work enthusiastically to prepare all stage props, scripts, costumes and music for their performance - even the lighting and sound are managed by students on performance night.
Thank you to all the House captains, performers, staff House Eisteddfod patrons, Matthew Thomas, Julie Boyle, Nathan List and Steven Melville who each played key roles in the success of the night. To our judges, Jonathan White and Matthew Luczek, thank you for making some very difficult judging decisions on the night!
Congratulations to Mannix House for achieving 1st place with ‘Sing’, McAuley for second place with ‘Tangled’ and MacKillop for 3rd place performing ‘The Wizard of Oz’. All performances were amazing; well done, students.
Shannon Staub,
Head of Co-curriculum
Wellbeing
“Managing screen time”
Many parents have reported excessive screen time as the number one health concern affecting kids, especially now in the hyperconnected world we live in. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that there should be no screen time at all for children under two, less than an hour a day for children aged from two to five, and less than two hours for five- to 17-year-olds. However, these guidelines have been disputed by experts and often ignored by families. Parents must play an important role in modelling a positive approach to using screens, and assisting children to navigate the content they access.
https://loyola.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time
Sal Valentino,
Wellbeing & Personal Development Coordinator
ICT
The Australian education sector is known to be a focus for hundreds of international cyber threat actors.
School students in particular are a target because many spend much of their free time online gaming, meaning their computers are hooked into the Internet for lengthy periods.
Threat actors wishing to capitalise on this pool of online computing power place Block Chain mining software in gaming add-ons, which, once loaded on an unsuspecting gamer’s device, starts using their device to mine crypto currency. Crypto currency mining is a very expensive electrical process because it is very CPU and RAM intensive and requires many hours per day to complete. This chewing up of computer resources causes performance to lag, the fan to thrash constantly and the battery to drain much sooner!
If you are a gamer and your computer appears to be ‘going crazy’ when it’s supposed to be idle, consider the possibility of it being infected with Block Chain mining software! As per the ICT Acceptable Use Policy, student devices should only be used for educational purposes, not gaming.
Victor Dalla-Vecchia,
ICT Manager
Community
Morning Tours 2023
Morning Tours for Semester 1 will be take place on the following dates from 9:00 am – 11:00 am:
- Monday 15th May
- Monday 5th June
- Monday 19th June
To book for a Morning Tour, please visit website – www.loyola.vic.edu.au/bookatour
Xavier College Maytime Fair, Saturday 6th May
Loyola College will be holding a donut stand at Xavier College's Maytime Fair this Saturday. If you are able to assist on the day, between 8:30 am – 2:00pm, please let me know via email as soon as possible.
Open Day: Sunday, 7 May
We are looking forward to a very well attended Open Day this Sunday. The LPFA provide a BBQ to all attendees in Two Wolves Hub. If you are available to assist with the BBQ between 12 noon and 4:00pm, please let me know via email.
2023 Entertainment Books
The LPFA are very happy to continue the promotion of the 2023 Entertainment Book.
If you are interested in purchasing a digital copy (no hard copies) of the Entertainment book, please visit – www.entbook.com.au/187x238
Homestays Needed – Italian Students
I am very pleased to confirm that we are expecting 15 students from Liceo Levi in the Veneto region in Italy. The students will be here for 12 nights from the 1st of August and departing from Melbourne on August 13th. There will be both male and female students and all attempts will be made to match students regarding age and preferred. As this is a short-term visit, families are not paid to host.
All persons living in your household who are over 18 years old will require a Working With Children Card.
If you have any questions or if you are interested in being a Homestay family, please contact me via email – alonsod@loyola.vic.edu.au or call – 9433 0128.
LPFA Elite Performance Grant
The LPFA are very happy to offer a $500 grant for any Loyola Student who represents themselves at State or National level in a range of fields including sport, music, dance or other relevant field. Grant applications can be found on the Loyola website. All applications are taken to the LPFA for approval. A student can apply twice, once as a Junior student and as a Senior Student.
To apply - CLICK HERE
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 overseas students. Donation of blazers and girls school dresses would be much appreciated.
Please feel most welcome to attend -
2023 PWP Meeting
- Monday 15th May 2023 @ 7.30 pm
2023 LPFA Meeting
- Wednesday 3rd May 2023 @ 7.30 pm
2023 Working Bee
- Saturday 22nd July 2023 9am - 12pm
Dianna Alonso,
Community Liaison Officer