From the Principal
Happy New Year and a very warm welcome to the 2025 school year. I extend a particularly warm welcome to our new families joining our College and hope everyone has enjoyed some well-deserved rest and relaxation, returning to the College feeling refreshed and looking forward to what will no doubt be a very exciting year ahead.
As a Jubilee Year, 2025 is particularly significant for our Church and has been designated by Pope Francis as a time to renew ourselves as Pilgrims of Hope. 2025 is also a significant year for Loreto given it is 150 years since Mother Gonzaga Barry sailed from Ireland to establish the first Loreto school in Ballarat, Australia. Throughout the year there will be much to celebrate and to be thankful for.
Lord God, we ask for your guidance as we start our new year.
We pray that you will strengthen us so that we will be able to embrace the opportunities of College life.
We pray for patience as we relate to people different to us.
We pray for humility as we laugh at ourselves and with others.
We pray for perseverance as we strive to see goals fulfilled.
We pray for hearts warm with encouragement and empathy.
May our community continue to be one where the hand of love is always reaching out to those in need.
And may your Spirit guide us to that better place.
We ask this in your name.
With the intercession of our founders:
Mary Ward – Pray for Us
St Ignatius of Loyola – Pray for Us
John XXIII – Pray for Us
A warm welcome back to the following returning staff:
Primary - Welcome back to Sonia Thomas, Sasha Cattapan and Lisa Ferraro who are returning from leave. We also welcome back Lauren Pillera who is returning from Carnarvon after one year at St Mary’s Star of the Sea School.
Secondary - Welcome back James McLaughlin and James Kros who return from Long Service Leave and Claire Woolfitt who returns to the College after six months at Ursula Frayne Catholic College and into a permanent position as Rowing Coordinator.
We welcome the following staff who are new to our College community.
| STAFF | ROLE |
|---|---|
| PRIMARY | |
| Sian Cruse | Teacher |
| Fiona Murray | Teacher |
| SECONDARY | |
| Ellen Fortini | Assistant Deputy Principal Year 7 |
| Sophie Pass | Religious Education Teacher |
| Nicki Xanthis | Religious Education/HASS Teacher |
| Bridie Fisher | English Teacher |
| Irene Rogers | English/HASS Teacher |
| Tom Spurling | English Teacher |
| Andrew Wilson | Mathematics Teacher |
| Hazel Guthrie | Science Teacher |
| Harriet Kent | Science Teacher |
| Connor Prout | Science Teacher |
| Rebecca Marquardt | Health and Physical Education Teacher |
| Dana Kenworthy | Textiles Teacher |
| Lauren Strong | Head Rowing Coach - Boys |
| EDUCATION ASSISTANTS | |
| Zoe Prout | Primary |
| Hannah James | Secondary |
Congratulations and best wishes to staff who have commenced or re-commenced in leadership roles from Term 1 2025.
| STAFF | LEADERSHIP ROLE |
|---|---|
| PERMANENT | |
| Jenny Ophel | Director of People and Culture |
| Ellen Fortini | Assistant Deputy Principal Year 7 |
| Simon Carrello | Head of Learning Area - Science |
| Jordan Webber | Head of Learning Area - English |
| Cameron Tremayne | Head of Learning Area - Health and Physical Education |
| Jessica Pillera | Head of Sport |
| Darren Kowal | Assistant Head of Sport |
| Clare Galati | House Coordinator Koolyangarra |
| TEMPORARY | |
| Tara Purcell | Assistant Primary School Principal (Semester 1) – replacing Talea Standing |
| Brett Roberts | Head of Learning Area - Religious Education – replacing Lana Gregory-Turner |
| Kalo Bell | Head of Learning Area - HASS – replacing Chris Morris |
| Xavier Mitchell | House Coordinator Loyola – replacing Catherine Roberts |
| Janine O’Grady | House Coordinator Ward – replacing Ylenia Casadio |
| Joe Shaw | House Coordinator St Louis – replacing Carla Tripi |
ASME WA Summer School
Thank you to all staff involved in the ASME WA Summer School on 17 January hosted by the College. Around 100 music educators from both metropolitan and regional WA, as well as industry and tertiary-aligned organisations from the world of music in WA, converged on our campus for a day of professional learning in the field of music education from K – 12 and beyond. The feedback from the day was of appreciation and admiration of our College campus, facilities, staff and organisation. We commend James Kros and Catherine Haydon for their College representation and Kath Alexander who participated as an attendee.
I also express my deep appreciation to the College staff for our smooth transition into the new school year. As always, our school year commenced with days of important information, spiritual enrichment and professional learning. All staff commenced the year with Mass in the Chapel on 3 February, followed by an update and presentations including WACE analysis, strategic planning, and a variety of staff meetings and collaborative planning sessions.
Our students were expertly transitioned into the new school year throughout the week, and I extend my thanks to all who contributed.
Highlights of 2024 Year 12 Results
Congratulations to everyone involved in supporting the graduating Class of 2024.
| CLASS OF 2024 | RESULTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Performing Student | Emily Laurance | 99.7 ATAR |
| 99+ ATAR | 3 students | Top 1% in the State |
| 98+ ATAR | 11 students | Top 2% in the State |
| 95+ ATAR | 30 students | Top 5% in the State |
| 90+ ATAR | 50% of the cohort | Top 10% in the State |
| Number of VET Certificates | 36 | |
| SCSA AWARDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| General Exhibition | ||
| Emily Laurance | Maya Mintz | |
| Subject Exhibition | ||
| Emily Laurance | Religion and Life | |
| Subject Certificate of Excellence (5) | ||
| Emily Laurance | Psychology | |
| Genevieve Moody | Psychology | |
| Jasmine Boog | Religion and Life | |
| Megan Cleary | Religion and Life | |
| Emily Laurance | Religion and Life | |
| Certificate of Distinction (38) | ||
| Gemma Bailey | Jasmine Boog | Aidan Brewer |
| Tenley Burton | Megan Cleary | Sophie Dartnell |
| Henry Elkington | Julia-Grace Fiorentini | Angus Furness |
| Frederick Gleghorn | Jonathan Hie | Xavier Jeffery |
| Hannah Johnson | Emily Laurance | Joseph Kilcullen |
| Eloise Loveridge | Harry Martin | Caleb McKeiver |
| Maya Mintz | Genevieve Moody | Wim Parker |
| Asha Paton | Georgia Perry | Sky Pineda Beasley |
| Evey-Jane Plant | Connor Price | Ruby Purcell |
| Darcy Schubert | Kate Shirley | Nicholas Silva |
| Chloe Stokes | Thomas Syminton | Massimo Torre |
| Jasper Van Ast | Angelique Watson | Max Watt |
| Angela Williams | Michael Woo | |
| Certificate of Merit (29) | ||
| Amber Armstrong | Asher Aylmore | Leonardo Bergomi |
| Alex Collins | Meg Derbyshire | Darcy Floyd |
| Esther Goodlet | Samantha Gribben | Jed Hopkins |
| Sarah Macfarlane | Macy Martin | Gracie McCrae |
| Aisling McGoldrick | Luke McLernon | Laura Moore |
| Jonathon Morphett | Jasmine Naismith | Eva Papantoniou |
| Bill Penrose | Lucas Preston | Gypsi Rabeling |
| Willa Reed | Bella Samson | Samuel Smetana |
| Jacinta Sturley | Jaden Tan | Louise Tana |
| Matilda Thetford | ||
The following courses were recognised, based on the percentage of students at each school who had Year 12 ATAR course combined scores in the top 15% of all students in that course:
- Drama
- Geography
- Human Biology
- Politics and Law
- Religion and Life
The Arts
Angela Williams, Tilly Thetford and Esther Goodlet were selected to audition for the Performing Arts Perspective based on their results for the ATAR Drama practical examination. The Performing Arts Perspective is an annual event that showcases a selection of the highest standard of Year 12 student performance. Auditions are offered to 2024 WACE students in dance, drama and music with outstanding practical results.
Where to from here?
We will continue to undertake careful analysis in the next couple of months of all the data we can acquire. We will look at how individual students performed; we will compare how different subjects performed; which subjects counted towards each individual ATAR and which did not; which options and electives students chose within courses, and how our students performed in each of these. We will use all this information to assess how our students performed, identifying areas for ongoing improvement.
Our ideal is always for each student to be engaged, supported and suitably challenged, promoting their love of learning and intellectual, personal and spiritual growth.
Finally, I recognise 30 January was the Feast Day of one of our founders, Mary Ward, and given 2025 marks 150 years since the establishment of Loreto in Australia, I will have more to say about Mary Ward next week.
Daniel Mahon
Principal