From the Head of Junior School

When Saint Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, missioned his friend Francis Xavier to Asia, he gave him the simple instruction, Ite, inflammate omnia, go set the world alight. By helping young people to first ignite their own hearts with compassion and their minds with possibility, they can then go and spark the fires of change in their communities and the world.

Our professional development day enabled staff to focus on how we foster human excellence within our teaching and learning paradigm. There will always be a focus on cognitive learning as reflected in the end of semester reports parents will receive at the end of term. Striving for excellence in teaching and learning is our expertise and experience. We celebrate success in each child’s learning and what is reflected in their best efforts, regardless of their grade. However, an Ignatian education is so much more than this.

Education reaches beyond mere academic achievement to shape the morals and ethics of the whole person. It is said that the heart of education - is education of the heart. And so, education is not limited to the developing intellectual competence, but includes the formation of character into virtuous young people. In this way, we recognize we have counter-cultural expectations.

We live in a world which promotes self-interest over community, economy over sustainability, ‘truth’ created by digital algorithms that feed us what we like, and the onset of artificial intelligence. Now more than ever, it is critically important that the education of our youth be rooted in humanistic education. That is, to develop compassionate, innovative, confident and self-aware students who are connected to the wider community. We aim to foster young persons for others, enabling people who contribute to and benefit from an inclusive and sustainable future. This speaks to our vision of education – one that promotes the renewal of the world through the education of our youth.

Nic Boys
Head of Junior School