As we come to the close of Term One, there is much to celebrate across our Loyola community. It has been a strong and spirited end to the term, marked by outstanding participation, creativity, and a deep sense of togetherness.

ACS Swimming Carnival

Our students proudly represented Loyola at the ACS Interschool Swimming Carnival, finishing 5th overall out of eight schools. While there were some excellent individual performances on the day, the true highlight was the way Team Loyola came together. The encouragement, enthusiasm and positive school spirit shown by our students was outstanding and reflected our values.

Well done to all competitors and supporters for making the day such a success. Special appreciation goes to our new Director of Sport, Mrs Vicktoria Konnas, our Sport Assistant, Steve Patman and our Swimming Coaches, Maddie O’Donnell and Mark Goy, for their team selection, along with training the team, providing both coaching and encouragement.

Passion Play

On Tuesday 31 March, we were privileged to experience the Year 12 Faith and Drama Easter Passion performance. This moving and thoughtful presentation invited us to reflect deeply on the meaning of Easter through creativity, storytelling and faith.

The performances were both reverent and powerful, showcasing the maturity and talent of our senior students. A sincere thank you to Mrs Boyle for her leadership, vision and commitment in guiding students through this meaningful experience.

House Eisteddfod

The celebrations continued that evening with our vibrant House Eisteddfod. Across seven performances, each House took to the stage with confidence and pride, displaying creativity, collaboration and plenty of house spirit. The atmosphere was electric, with students and staff alike cheering one another on and celebrating the best of friendly competition. It was a wonderful reminder of the strength of our House system and the joy that comes from shared experiences.

Congratulations to Chisholm House who won the competition with their brilliant rendition of SpongeBob SquarePants. A big thank-you to Mrs Shannon Staub, Director of Co-Curriculum, for her organisation and coordination of the event, supported by Mrs Julie Boyle, stage manager.

Premier School Cricket

Congratulations to our Cricket Team, who, under the leadership of Mr Tim Braddy and Mr Steve Patman, were invited to participate in the Schools Premier Cricket Competition. While the team did not come away with a win, they displayed outstanding determination, focus and commitment throughout the competition.

Their willingness to compete at a high level, support one another, and represent the school with pride was commendable. We are incredibly proud of their effort, perseverance, teamwork and sportsmanship.

NAPLAN

The Year 7 and Year 9 students are to be commended for the way they approached the completion of NAPLAN, particularly in the face of the unexpected statewide disruption caused by their inability to connect to the portal. Despite this setback, students demonstrated resilience, patience and maturity, remaining calm and focused throughout the process.

The disruption did not appear to impact their effort or determination; instead, they continued to engage with the task and perform to the best of their ability. We are incredibly proud of the way they adapted to the situation, showing perseverance and a positive attitude, which reflects their strong character and commitment to their learning.

As we now enter the Easter season, we wish all our families a happy and holy Easter. May this time offer rest, renewal and hope, as we reflect on the Easter message of new life, faith and community.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support throughout the term, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed for Term Two.

Child Safe Standard Two

Keeping our students safe and supported is a shared responsibility. In this edition of the Ignatian, we highlight Child Safe Standard 2, which focuses on embedding child safety and wellbeing into leadership, governance and school culture.

Grounded in our Catholic values and commitment to the dignity of every child, this article, which can be found HERE explains how our school promotes a strong child‑safe culture through clear policies, staff training, and community involvement, and outlines the important role parents and carers play in helping to keep all children safe.

As we approach the Easter season and the end of a busy Term One, we are invited to pause and reflect on the deeper meaning of this central celebration of our Christian faith. Easter is far more than a holiday break; it is a powerful reminder that renewal, hope, and new beginnings are always possible.

Throughout Lent, our community has been encouraged to grow in generosity, reflection, and compassion. Lent invites us to name the parts of life that feel heavy or uncertain. But Easter transforms that story. It proclaims that darkness never has the final word. The first followers of Jesus approached the tomb expecting grief, silence, and finality—yet they encountered new life, hope, and a fresh beginning. This is the heart of Easter: God brings light and life where we least expect it.

Our 2026 College theme, One Body, Many Stories, resonates beautifully with this message. Each person in our Loyola community carries their own unique experiences, challenges, gifts, and hopes. Together, these stories shape the life of our College. Easter invites us to see one another with compassion, to honour each person’s story, and to recognise the many ways new life emerges through kindness, forgiveness, and connection.

We witness signs of Easter every day at Loyola—when friendships are restored, when students persevere through struggle, when someone reaches out to a peer who feels unseen, and when compassion replaces judgement. These are the small resurrections that bring our community to life.

As we enter the break, I encourage every student to choose one concrete way to bring new life to our College next term—a way of honouring our theme and strengthening the body we form together. This may be offering support to someone in need, listening deeply to another’s story, approaching learning with renewed effort, or taking a courageous step toward reconciliation.

May this Easter season be a time of renewal, reconciliation, and hope for all our families. May we return next term ready to continue building a community where every story is valued, and where we recognise the presence of God in the everyday moments of school life.

Wishing you a blessed and peaceful Easter.

Coming in Term 2

As mentioned in the previous edition, parents will receive two forms of feedback in Term 2: written feedback through reports and verbal feedback through PTIs. Each serves a different purpose and provides unique insights into student learning.

Reports

Reports will be available to parents / carers through the portal from 1 May (second Friday back).

ALL (both interim and end of Semester) reports will only be available for you online. Therefore, I would suggest that you either print a hard copy or save the report as a PDF if you would like to refer to it during your Parent-Teacher Interviews.

Parent-Teacher Interviews (PTIs)

The purpose of these Interviews is to discuss the learning that has occurred in Term one and look at the academic successes and challenges that your child may have encountered so far this year.  As in previous years, appointments will be open to VCE students two days earlier.

Dates and Times:

It has been a busy and exciting term in the Visual Arts Faculty, with many highlights to celebrate.

A key event on our calendar was the opening of the Magis Collection, an annual showcase that continues to grow in significance. The launch provided a wonderful opportunity to view exceptional artworks and engage with artists about their creative processes. The collection features works hand selected by our Principal, Alison Leutchford, and will be displayed in the Via Maxima throughout the year for the whole school community to enjoy.

We are also very proud to share that this year a high number of student artworks were selected for the MACS Creative Arts Exhibition, held at the Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne. The exhibition features outstanding work from both Visual Arts across all year levels and Year 12 Faith and Art, completed as part of the Religious Education course, and showcases the depth of creativity and theological engagement of our students.

Our Year 11 Media students attended the Screen Worlds exhibition at ACMI, Federation Square on Friday 23 March, exploring the history of filmmaking alongside current and emerging screen technologies.

We were also delighted to celebrate Suhannie Bhatt, winner of the NGV Teen Party ‘Design a T Shirt’ Competition, who received two tickets to the upcoming NGV Teen Party.

Finally, we farewelled our long serving Visual Arts Technician, Amanda, thanking her for her valued contribution, and warmly welcomed Ines to the role.

3x Cup Qualifiers

On Tuesday 10th March, four teams proudly represented Loyola in an action-packed day of 3x3 Basketball at Diamond Valley Stadium. In this fast-paced, high intensity spectacle of street-style basketball, the game flows nonstop, possessions change in a heartbeat, and one shot can end it all. The was the case for our Division 2 Boys Team, who after conceding a lay-up in the first possession of overtime, won their Grand Final with a game winning three-point shot from Alfie Rowley (9FRCH).

No other schools had as many Grand Finalists as Loyola College, with our Division 1 and Division 2 Girls Teams also battling through their brackets to reach the final game. Shortly, we will find out which of these teams will progress to the State Finals on Wednesday 22nd April.

Basketball Development Program

Our exciting new co-curricular program delivered in partnership with Melbourne United is now well underway, and it has been extremely pleasing to see the enthusiasm and commitment shown by students throughout the first weeks. Participation has been strong across the board, with students arriving early each morning eager to train, learn and challenge themselves in a high-performance environment.

Led by Melbourne United’s Academy Coaching Staff, each session has delivered a professional and engaging experience that mirrors elite training standards. Students have been immersed in well structured, high energy workouts that continue to sharpen core basketball fundamentals such as ball handling, shooting, passing and defensive principles. The introduction of small sided games has been particularly effective in reinforcing decision making and game awareness, while also promoting competitiveness and enjoyment.

The success of the Basketball Development Program highlights the strength of the College’s cocurricular offerings and the value of partnerships with elite sporting organisations. Due to popular demand, the program is now running across Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. As we continue to build this program moving forward, we invite interested Year 7-12 students to touch base via basketball@loyola.vic.edu.au and keep an eye out for future information regarding the Semester 2 Program.

Year 9 Basketball Academy

The Year 9 Basketball Academy Class has hit the ground running this year with former Australian Boomer and 327-game NBL legend Brad Newly leading a ten-week sequence of training sessions with our students. His experiences at the highest level of national and international basketball provides valuable insights into the discipline, resilience, and leadership required to perform under pressure.

Students will also undertake a Basketball Victoria Coaching Course at the beginning of Term 2 to gain their Community Coaching Certificates and will compete in the Victorian Secondary Schools Challenge Tournament in May, putting all they have learnt into practice on the court. During the NBL 2026-27 Pre-Season, students will once again have the opportunity to experience an NBL training session and engage in on-court work with the Melbourne United coaching staff.

Melbourne United’s Elite Program

In Term 1 2026, four Loyola Academy athletes were selected to participate in the Elite Program, the pinnacle of Melbourne United’s Academy pathways. Designed for high performing athletes aged 15–20, this program offers Melbourne United’s most advanced training environment for those just one step away from a development player role with an NBL or WNBL team.

Each athlete receives an Individual Performance Program (IPP) delivered though a mixture of on-court coaching, video sessions, strength and conditioning, injury prevention and nutrition education. Congratulations to Elouise Di Pasquale (10CHBA), Jeremy Potter (11CAMA), Annabelle Lee (9KPBA) and Evie Smith (9FSKE) who participated in the program in Term 1.

Coaching Appointments

Through our partnership with Melbourne United, we are pleased to announce that Melbourne United Academy Coaches Santo Fileccia and Sharna Ayres have joined our ranks as ACS Basketball Coaches.

Sharna is an ex-NCAA Division 1 Athlete with a Master of Education in Health and Human Performance from Northwestern State University. Currently, she is the Basketball Development Officer for Whittlesea Basketball Association and brings a wealth of knowledge in high-performance sport and program building.

Santo is currently the Head Coach of the Whittlesea Pacers Youth League Women's Team. Santo is also on the coaching staff for the Vic Metro U16 Women’s State Team and the State Development Program (SDP). He holds a Level 3 Coaching Accreditation as well as VIT registration with a background in Health and Physical Education.

Lastly, we would also like to congratulate current coach David Jamieson on accepting the position of Director of Coaching at Diamond Valley Basketball Association.

Loyola Basketball is on the rise, and we are excited to have these fantastic leaders working alongside our students on a weekly basis.

Year 7 Family Get Together – A Night of Fun and Connection

Our Year 7 Family Get Together, held on Friday 20 March, was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, teamwork, and new connections. Families came together and enjoyed the opportunity to meet other parents and students at the beginning of their Loyola journey.

Throughout the evening, families took part in a series of engaging team challenges, showcasing creativity, collaboration, and plenty of good humour. These activities created a lively atmosphere and encouraged families to connect in a relaxed and meaningful way. The excitement continued with a raffle draw, with several lucky winners taking home fantastic prizes.

Guests enjoyed delicious pizzas supplied by Margherita Pizza, Lower Plenty and choc tops, which added to the friendly and social feel of the night.

A sincere thank you to the Loyola Parents & Friends Association (LPFA) for their hard work behind the scenes. From setup to service, their dedication ensured the event ran smoothly and was enjoyed by all.

It was fantastic to see new friendships forming and families building connections so early in their Loyola experience. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the evening such a success.

Stronger Together – 2026 Parent Dinner

The Loyola College Partnership With Parents group invites ALL parents to the Stronger Together – 2026 Parent Dinner, an exclusive PARENT ONLY evening designed to strengthen engagement and foster meaningful connections within our school community.

Join us for a relaxed and inclusive night where parents can enjoy a welcome drink on arrival and spend time connecting with other families from within their child’s House.

Guests will then be treated to an elegant selection of delicious canapés, thoughtfully prepared and served by our senior Hospitality students as part of their training and industry experience. This special event not only brings our community together, but also celebrates the skill, creativity, and dedication of our students.

The Stronger Together Parent Dinner offers a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, deepen existing relationships, and enjoy a warm, social evening in support of our young people.

Tickets are $35 per person. Secure your place today and join us for an enjoyable night of fine food, great company, and community spirit. 

Click Here to Book Your Tickets

G & T High Tea - LPFA Social Event

Join the Loyola Parents & Friends Association for a relaxed and indulgent day out at our upcoming LPFA Gin & High Tea social event at Black Sheep Distillery, Geelong. This adults-only event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other parents while enjoying a beautifully curated high tea experience.

For $97 per person, your ticket includes return travel (total time 9.00am – 3.00pm) and a two-hour gin high tea featuring a selection of handcrafted gin cocktails and spritz, bottomless sparkling wine, and alcohol-free options. Guests will also enjoy a delicious spread of European-inspired savoury and sweet treats.

Coach transport to leave Loyola College at 9.00am and return 3.00pm, with a coffee stop (at own expense) along the way.

• Saturday 23 May
• 9.00am – 3.00pm (including travel time)
• Black Sheep Distillery, Geelong
• Adults 18+ only

We look forward to sharing this special experience with you.

Bookings can be made online from Tuesday, 31March at 7.00pm. Ticket cost $97.00 per adult over 18 years of age, (plus booking fee). 

Click Here to Book Your Tickets

Two Wolves Coffee Co.

Introduced in 2025, the Loyola College Coffee Fundraising Program was developed following our Coffee Survey, where parents shared their taste preferences. We are pleased to partner with Two Wolves Coffee Co., offering a coffee blend crafted to suit the preferences of the Loyola College community.

Proceeds from all sales support the Loyola Parents & Friends Association fundraising initiatives, contributing valuable items and services back into the school community each year. 500g and 250g bags of Two Wolves Coffee Co. beans are available for purchase via Main Reception or by clicking the link below.

This initiative is a great way to support our school and also makes a thoughtful addition to gift hampers, particularly with Christmas approaching. Online purchases available for collection from Main Reception the following business day.

Click Here to Place Your Order Today

Donation of Loyola Uniform

Thank you to all the families who generously donate second-hand uniforms throughout the year to support our Good As New Uniform Sales. As we prepare for 2026, we are accepting donations of washed uniforms. If you have any items that you no longer need and are in excellent condition, please leave them with Reception. Your contributions help support families in need and are greatly appreciated.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE OLD STYLE SPORT UNIFORM CAN NO LONGER BE WORN BY STUDENTS AND MUST NOT BE SENT TO RECEPTION. Parent co-operation in this matter is kindly appreciated.

For more information, please contact Monica Agius at community@loyola.vic.edu.au or 9433 0228.

Morning Tours 2026

Morning Tours for 2026 take place from 9.15am – 11.00am on the following dates:

Please visit the College website at www.loyola.vic.edu.au to book a Tour.

2026 Entertainment Memberships

Support LPFA fundraising efforts and enjoy hundreds of everyday savings!

Entertainment Guide is the easy to use App packed with incredible savings of up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers, so you can save on takeaway, dining, shopping, groceries, gift cards, activities and more! And what’s more, 20% of every membership purchased via the following link goes towards supporting the College through the Loyola Parents and Friends Association (LPFA)

Digital memberships can be purchased HERE

Live Your Best Life in Love...

A Marriage Encounter weekend is for you…

Time-out to nurture your most precious relationship away from life's distractions. The two of you will come away from your weekend feeling more deeply connected and with tools to help keep your renewed intimacy alive. No group sharing is required. The weekend is based around Catholic values. Couples of all faiths are very welcome. Our next weekend is just a few weeks away.

Please check our website for more details and to book your special weekend:

April 24 - 26th

St Paul's Retreat Centre, Wantirna South.

November 6 - 8th

St Paul's Retreat Centre, Wantirna South
Starts Friday evening at 7pm and finishes Sunday afternoon around 4:30pm
Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au Website: wwme.org.au

Fallen Diggers Fundraiser & Comedy Night