School Newsletter 3 March 2023

3 March 2023

Thank you for taking the time to read our very first Newsletter. This will be our main form of communication with parents and caregivers this year. Recently, we have received enquiries from families about the curriculum, co-curricular programmes, uniform, bus routes, payment of fees and school times. This is the kind of content that we will include, letting you know key information as it becomes available and our progress in the building of an excellent school for your children. 

It has been a real pleasure to meet students and families over the past five months and we are thrilled to be preparing for a gifted and talented first cohort of Year 7, 8 and 9’s in 2024. You may have seen that applications for a place at the school closed on 17th February, this was due to very high demand and leaving applications open would have resulted in many disappointed families. For families with siblings looking to apply for 2025, expressions of interest are open through our website and we will begin the enrolment process during term 4.

We hope you are looking forward to your children beginning their Catholic Ignatian journey as much as we are.  We look forward to the growth of our school community in the coming years.

Inveniendum Deus in omnibus.

Finding God in all things.

We are pleased to provide assurance that, despite the recent weather, the build remains on time and on track. We are blessed with a construction team who are determined to deliver on time and ensure any works are caught up quickly following any unplanned delays. If you have driven past the site recently or visited our college Facebook page, you will have seen the steel frame in the process of construction, onwards and upwards!

An Ignatian Education is a rich and broad education that aims to teach not just the mind, but the whole person. Ignatians pull on 500 years of Jesuit spirituality and education to create both a localised and global curriculum that allows students to live and witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a manner that is Catholic, faith filled and transformative. 

Curriculum planning at St Ignatius has begun and we have developed a vision around this. First and foremost in our minds is the provision of a programme that is engaging and progressive. Subjects must be challenging, but in a way that is enjoyable and which extends our students in a positive manner. As we develop our plan, we have established the following overarching vision, “Growing men and women for and with others through a broad and rich Ignatian curriculum that accompanies all learners in the pursuit of personal excellence”.

Our co-curricular planning is also underway and meetings have already been held with local providers in Franklin and Pukekohe. Your children have expressed a wide range of interests when enrolling and as a College we are aiming to provide multiple opportunities for them. Activities such as swimming, basketball, netball, rugby union and tennis have been contacted to date. Watch this space for updates.

One of the defining features of an Ignatian Education is ‘Cura Personalis’ (in Latin this means ‘care for the whole self’).  At our school this means that each student will be known and cared for personally.  During your child’s educational journey with us at St Ignatius key members of staff will work closely with each student to ensure that their stories are heard, their context is known and they are accompanied on a journey towards becoming the best they can be.

One of the ways that we will live this out at St Ignatius is through our House System.  Each student will belong to one of ten Houses.  These house communities provide a deeper sense of belonging  and connection within our wider community and further opportunities for students to grow and develop their whole self.

Which House will you belong to?

During a recent period of discernment we have named our 10 House Patrons at St Ignatius. The names we have chosen are catholics who we feel are amazing role models for young people in the 21st Century.  We are excited to be able to tell you that the names of our houses will be:

Xavier House                                     Mary House 

Magdalene House                              Romero House

Ward House                                       Southwell House

Faber House                                      Barbier House

Acutis House                                      Aubert House

Each student will find out this year which house they will belong to when they join our community in 2024.   In subsequent newlsetters we will introduce our House Patrons to you in a more detail.  

It has been wonderful to meet those of you who are participating in the Over 8’s Baptism programme at St Patrick’s Church.  The children have brought such vitality, joy and openness to the programme – we have really enjoyed meeting you and your families and look forward to accompanying you further on your faith journey.

Introducing our school patron –  Saint Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491, one of 13 children of a family of nobility in northern Spain. As a young man Ignatius Loyola thought a lot about falling in love and he dreamed of doing great deeds and becoming a knight.  

But in 1521 Ignatius was seriously wounded in a battle- whilst serving as a soldier.  While he was recovering,  Ignatius Loyola experienced a conversion. Reading the lives of Jesus and the saints made Ignatius happy and inspired him to do great things. Ignatius realised that these feelings were clues to God’s direction for him in his life.

Over the years, Ignatius became an expert in the art of spiritual direction. He collected his wisdom, prayers, and suggestions in his book the Spiritual Exercises, one of the most influential books on spiritual life ever written. With a small group of friends, Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. Ignatius conceived the Jesuits as “contemplatives in action.” Ignatius believed that we are called to find God in all aspects of our everyday life.

Follow this link to find out more about the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Something to reflect on:

We are now in the season of Lent. Lent is often described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God.  You may wish to say this short prayer below this Lent.

Merciful God,

may we respond to and share

your call to repentance during Lent.

Give us the boldness

to speak out against injustice

and the trust to believe

that change can come.

Amen.