1485 Ignatian Newsletter - Friday 4 August 2023
Principal's Report
Happy St Ignatius Day - Monday 31 July
Once again, the sun shone on the Loyola campus for St Ignatius Day. The day was a wonderful celebration of all that is positive and good in our community. Our St Ignatius Day Mass was celebrated by Father Rob Davoren, supported by Father Gerry Healy, Father Martin Tanti, and Father Dong Tran. I thank Mr Adam Calderone, DP Faith and Mission, for his preparation of a most beautiful liturgy.
Mr Matthew Luczek, Director of College and Community Engagement, magnificently organised the festivities with military precision. The students took off on the Walk-a-thon, in companionship raising funds for House charities. The Year 12 students enjoyed dressing up in costume as they walked the streets of Watsonia.
The concert was enjoyed by all. It was wonderful to showcase the talents of our wonderful students and staff. A highlight of the concert was the “Masked Singer”. A big thank-you to Mr Ramsay (Humphrey), Mrs Alonso and Mrs Johnston (B1 and B2), Mr Toney (Dorothy the Dinosaur) and Mr Keegan (Elmo) for volunteering their vocals in costume.
It was positive to see that over $30 000 was raised for our charities – a true indication of our students being people for others.
World Youth Day
Three Loyola students are taking part in World Youth Day in Lisbon: Raphael MacDonald (11/CMST), Teresa Quinn (10/AJWP), and Hannah Thorley (11/CJBO). Sister Nelia is also present as a chaplain. In fact, this week, the Australian contingent that Sr Nelia was a part of, had an audience with the Pope. Sr Nelia had a front row seat.
We pray for these pilgrims, that they may grow in understanding of their relationship with God and develop an openness to serving God with their gifts and talents.
We look forward to hearing about their journey on their return.
Grandparents Mass and Morning Tea
On Tuesday 25 July, we hosted our annual Grandparents Mass and Morning Tea. It was wonderful to witness firsthand the special relationship that our students share with their grandparents and in turn to see the pride in the eyes of their grandparents. There is much to celebrate in the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. Grandparents provide acceptance, patience, love, stability, wisdom, fun and support to their grandchildren. This, in turn, has positive effects on a student’s well-being. It is for this reason that this event takes pride of place in our annual calendar.
Year 7, 2025 Enrolment Interviews
On Tuesday 25 July, over 175 Year 5 students, accompanied by their parents descended onto the Loyola campus for the first of two Year 7, 2025 Enrolment Interview sessions. There was a great deal energy on the day, with much enthusiasm for the College. It is important that members of our community know that Loyola continues to be a school of choice for many. The school’s reputation, our wonderful students, our partnership with parents and community all espouse a school that is grounded in our Ignatian charism with much to offer students.
LPFA Working Bee
Once again, it was a wonderful to see the large number of parents volunteering for the recent LPFA Working Bee. A large pile of mulch and a pile of soil were disseminated over various sections of the property. A new garden bed, adjacent to the basketball courts was planted out as well. Without this parent assistance, we would not be able to establish our garden beds as efficiently as we currently do. A big thank you to all involved.
Alison Leutchford,
Acting Principal
Ignatian Mission & Identity
St Ignatius Day
The College began our St Ignatius Day celebrations on Monday 31 July with a Feast Day Mass in the Loyola Companions Hall, which was presided over by Father Robert Davoren SJ, Australian Jesuit Province Treasurer. Our concelebrants were Father Gerry Healy SJ, Father Dong Tran (St Damian’s Parish, Bundoora) and Father Martin Tanti (St Thomas the Apostle Parish, North Greensborough). In his homily, Father Rob spoke about the importance of companionship and looking for God in all things through the lens of Ignatius’ life, and to let us always think about the other when choosing the pathway forward.
I particularly would like to thank Father Rob and our concelebrants, mass participants, Mr John Tran, Ms Jennifer Taylor, Ms Gemma Hedger and the choir and musicians for a wonderful celebration of the Eucharist.
Adam Calderone,
Deputy Principal - Ignatian Mission and Identity
DIAMOND VALLEY DEANERY
MASS TIMES
Our Lady of the Way Parish, Kingsbury
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil | 6:00 pm |
Sunday | 8:00 am & 10:00am |
St Francis Xavier Parish, Montmorency and Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Eltham
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil – Montmorency | 6:00 pm |
Sunday | 8.30 am (Mont) 10:00 am (Eltham) |
St Francis of Assisi Parish, Mill Park
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil | 5:00 pm |
Sunday | 9:00 am |
10:30 am | |
5:00 pm |
St. Damian’s Parish, Bundoora
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil | 5:30 pm |
Sunday | 8:00am & 10:00 am |
St Thomas the Apostle Parish, North Greensborough and Sacred Heart Parish, Diamond Creek
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil | 6:00 pm (Nth G) |
Sunday | 9:00 am (DC) |
10:30 am (Nth G) |
St Mary’s Parish, Greensborough
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil | 6:30 pm |
Sunday | 8:00 & 10:00 am 5:00 pm |
St Martin of Tours Parish, Rosanna/Macleod
Day | Time |
Saturday vigil | 5:30 pm |
Sunday | 8:00 am & 10:00am |
Teaching & Learning
Curriculum:
Subject Selection 2024
As parents / carers are aware, the Subject Selection Process commenced week 3. This already is proving to be an extremely busy time of the year for all students, staff and parents, including Year Level Assemblies, a Subject Selection Evening and Web Preferences becoming available.
Please find a summary of the upcoming events:
- Web Preferences: On Wednesday 2 August at 5:00pm the Web Preferences portal was opened. The school encourages students to choose subjects based on interests and conversations with parents and the Learning Pathways Team. There is no preference given to those students who complete their choices earlier than others.
- Subject Selection Conversations: During the Subject Selection Process, all Year 9 and 10 students will meet with a member of the Learning Pathways Team. Students are provided with a copy of their career plan and are strongly encouraged to discuss their Learning Pathways conversation with you. If you require any further information about the process, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Lisa Bosco – Head of Learning Pathways.
- Vocational Process in 2024: Thank you to all parents who have responded to the vocational pathway invite. For those students who have not received a letter of invite, parents / guardians are welcome to contact Mr Langford (Head of VCE VM) or Miss Wilson if they feel a vocational program will suit the learning needs of their child.
- Acceleration Process in 2024: the process for Year 9 students to study a Unit ½ subject in Year 10 is well underway. Congratulations to those students who met the criteria. The selected students completed the VCE Ready Test on Wednesday 2 August. The results of this test will determine if students are invited for an interview with the Head of Learning from 8 – 10 August.
Subject Specific Conversation 2023:
A reminder that our Subject Specific Conversations will take place on 17 & 18 August.
The purpose of these Conversations is to discuss the learning that has occurred to date and, in particular, look at the academic successes and challenges that your child may have encountered so far this year.
Dates and Times:
- Thursday 17 August: 2.00pm to 8.00pm
- Friday 18 August: 1.00pm to 5.00pm
Appointment bookings:
Online bookings are open to parents now and will close on Wednesday 16 August at 1pm. Appointments will last for 7 minutes with 2 minutes provided to move from one appointment to another.
If the occasion arises whereby parents / carers miss the 3-week window, then they are asked to contact staff directly. Conversations will be held this term in three locations: LCH, K Block and the iCentre.
Revised School Times:
As a result of the Subject Specific Conversations the adjusted timings of the school day can be found below. As you can see, there will be an early finish on Thursday 17 August and a student free day on Friday 18 August
Thursday 17 August 2023
- 8:25am – 1:15pm: Period 1 to 4
- 2:00pm – 8:00pm: Subject Specific Conversations
Friday 18 August 2023
- 1:00pm – 5:00pm: Subject Specific Conversations
Thank you to all the families who took the time to complete the survey following the previous Subject Selection Conversations. We have already taken on board some of the suggestions and put them into action for the Conversations in August. We envisage implementing other suggestions in future sessions.
Kathryn Wilson,
Deputy Principal - Teaching & Learning
Student Voice
Co-Curriculum
Loyola College makes available to students a wide range of activities beyond the formal hours and courses of study. The College’s Co-Curriculum Program is a significant part of an education at Loyola, as an Ignatian school focusing on the education of the whole person, also known as Cura Personalis.
Each activity falls into one of five areas – Service and Spirituality, Clubs and Societies, Performing Arts, Public Speaking and Debating, or Sports and Outdoor Activities. All activities are staffed by members of teaching staff and occasionally support staff, all of whom realise that a breadth of education is important to encourage curiosity, involvement and a lifelong love of learning. There is much research to show that involvement in a wide range of co-curriculum activities fosters friendship-making and leadership capacity, so the College highly encourages participation.
Below, I am pleased to share with you the Semester 2 Co-curriculum Calendar. The calendar outlines when, and where activities run across the College, and who they may contact to find out more. I would like to encourage all students to step up this semester and try a new co-curriculum activity– you never quite know where it will lead you!
Semester 2 Co-curriculum Calendar.docx
Shannon Staub,
Head of Co-curriculum
CLIL Celebration Evening
On the 26 July, Loyola College hosted our annual CLIL Celebration Evening. This event explains and celebrates the CLIL program by presenting an outline to families and then inviting them to take part in CLIL workshops presented by teachers in either French, Indonesian or Italian.
The CLIL Program teaches Year 9 Humanities and Religious Education in another language. Although this is a challenge for students, the benefits to their resilience, critical thinking skills and language proficiency are astounding. Loyola is proud to offer this unique program to interested students and supports them through the journey.
Families that attended were curious, active and engaged – much like the students! It was a wonderful opportunity that was supported by current and former students of CLIL who shared their stories, such as Emily Perizzolo (10/AFVE):
“To be completely honest, the first month or so of CLIL was a very big challenge for me. I remember sitting in my first CLIL class and turning to one of my friends thinking, what have I gotten myself into. However, as each class passed, I began to find the CLIL classes less daunting. We were able to work together as a group to translate and understand the set work. The language became more familiar which helped us in better understanding the content we were being taught. By the end of the year, our language skills had grown so much, and we were still able to develop of the skillsets needed to progress into our chosen Year 10 subjects.
I have no hesitation in recommending the CLIL program to future students as it is not only a way to enhance your language skills but also make learning more interesting and enjoyable.”
I would like to thank Stef Kummerle and Ilaria Manna for presenting and facilitating workshops on the night, as well as Rachael Patrick and Kathryn Wilson who also presented to the families. We thank the students Gabriel Hussey (10/XEJS), Maya Ilievski (10/ATMV), Livinia Adriana (10/KARB) and Mia Dragicevic (11/CPJK) for their contributions also.
If you have any questions about the CLIL Program please forward them to me, Jason van Leest.
Jason van Leest,
Head of Languages
Artist Incursion 2023
Artist Daniel Butterworth joined us in Art, Creative Practice Unit 2 on Monday 28, July. With collaborative creative practice being our area of study, students were excited to share their theme of ‘my culture’ with Daniel and begin their journey of , experimenting, developing ideas and art making. They were spray painting, using paper mâché, creating wire sculptures, drawing, and looking at creating installations as a collaborative team.
Daniel will come back at the end of the term to work with students again and work with students on refining and resolving their individual and group artworks. Watch this space!
Jacqueline Di Stefano,
Head of Visual Arts
New Booklist Provider
Loyola College is excited to introduce a new and convenient way of accessing educational resources - "Box of Books" for parents and students. We believe this transition to a new booklist provider will significantly benefit both parents and students, and we want to share the reasons behind this decision.
What is Box of Books?
Box of Books is an innovative and user-friendly online platform that allows parents to conveniently order all required textbooks and learning materials from the comfort of their homes. By partnering with this platform, we aim to streamline the process of acquiring necessary resources for your child's education.
Benefits of Switching to Box of Books:
Easy Ordering Process: No more queuing in stores or searching for specific books on multiple platforms. With Box of Books, you can easily access the entire booklist and make purchases in just a few clicks.
Time-Saving and Convenient: Box of Books delivers the ordered materials directly to your doorstep.
Cost-Effective: The platform offers competitive prices for educational resources, potentially saving you money compared to traditional bookstores.
Digital Options: In addition to physical textbooks, Box of Books provides digital alternatives for selected titles, offering a more versatile learning experience for students.
Eco-Friendly Approach: By reducing the number of printed materials and unnecessary packaging, Box of Books aligns with our school's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
How to Get Started with Box of Books:
More details will follow shortly in future editions of The Ignatian.
We look forward to embarking on this new educational journey together.
Dinh Tran,
Head of Digital Learning
Community
Morning Tours 2023
Morning Tours for Semester 2 will be take place on the following dates from 9:00 am – 11:00 am:
- 14 August
- 11 September
- 9 October
LPFA Trivia Night – Saturday, 12 August
The LPFA are very excited to announce the opening of this fun night. The event will be held at the Olympic Hotel. Book in early.
SEE FLYER FOR MORE INFORMATION.
If you are a business owner (or know someone who is) and willing to donate a good or voucher that could be used on the night to raise funds, please contact me.
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
Working Bee – Saturday, 22 July
Blessed with beautiful weather in July, more than 40 great parents and students attended the Working Bee. With lots of mulching and a new garden bed, the jobs were done, a true testimony to the saying … Many hands make light work. Thank you to David Kelly, Brendon Carroll and our gardeners for the hard work in ensuring these Working Bees are so productive.
Grandparents’ Mass and Morning Tea – Tuesday, 25 July
It was so nice to see over 240 people attend this very special event. The Grandparents arrived eagerly awaiting to see their beloved Grandchildren arrive at the Chapel for Mass. It was just so warm to see the beautiful bond so many students have with their Grandparent/s. All were treated to a beautiful morning tea. Thank you to the Alex, the Canteen staff and the Hospitality students who assisted in making this a very special event.
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.
Father & Son Breakfast, Tuesday, 29 August
This year we will celebrate Father and Son Breakfast. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, 1st August 7 pm.
Please feel most welcome to attend -
2023 LPFA Meeting
- Wednesday, 9 August 2023 7.30 pm
2023 PWP Meeting
- Monday, 9 October 2023 7.30 pm
2023 Working Bee
- Saturday, 9 September 9 am – 12 noon
Dianna Alonso,
Community Liaison Officer