SHC Principal's
Update

We have had a productive and future-focused start to Term Three.

This Term, all Year 9 students will participate in the exciting and innovative social enterprise program, the Future Anything Challenge. Through a series of workshops, students will ideate, design and pitch entrepreneurial ideas and inventions. This experience will challenge them to apply an enterprising mindset, demonstrate agility and present their ideas at a final showcase judged by local business leaders.

Students will be immersed in transdisciplinary learning (including entrepreneurship, business, marketing, pitching, industry, social enterprise, circular economy strategies and market research) while developing critical skills in creativity, problem-solving and collaboration. This engaging project-based learning course directly supports our IB curriculum and will run during periods one to six every Wednesday until week five. Families and friends are warmly invited to attend the final showcase, where six selected groups will pitch to industry experts on Wednesday 19 August 2026 at 6.00pm, McAuley Hall, Sacred Heart College.
 

MyLearning Journey – Subject Selection Portal (Years 7 to 11)

The subject selection portal is open for all students in Years 7 to 11 to choose their subjects for 2027. Access details have been emailed to students.

• Portal Closes: Wednesday 5 August 2026.
• Parent Approval Due: Monday 10 August 2026 (via Compass).

Victorian Catholic Education Authority – State Election Advocacy for Capital Funding

Please click the button below to read a letter from the Victorian Catholic Education Authority outlining the work that is currently underway to secure a funding commitment for capital investment in Victorian Catholic schools. This would support ongoing improvements to our schools and provision of new schools. Please take the time to read the letter.

St Thomas Aquinas Food Drive

We are in the final week of our St Thomas Aquinas Food Drive. Every student is asked to bring in non-perishable food or household items, such as breakfast cereal, UHT milk and juice, cleaning products, toiletries, snack items, cake mixes, baby food, pasta, rice, tea, coffee or sugar. Please consider adding an item or two to your shopping list this week. The Food Drive ends on Monday 3 August 2026.
 

Circle of Mercy 

Next Tuesday 4 August, 6.00pm to 7.30pm, we will host our third Circle of Mercy session this year. Keynote speaker Fr Richard Leonard will guide this session (see below for more details). Fr Richard will also be the keynote speaker for our Year 12 Seminar Day on Wednesday 5 August 2026.
 

Master Plan Update

Phase Two of Stage Five of our Master Plan is now complete. This milestone included the demolition of Mercy House, the construction of a new Maintenance Facility, upgraded car parking and extensive landscaping, including a sensory garden and labyrinth. We extend our thanks to our builders – Hutchinsons and our project managers – SEMZ.
 

Feast Day of St Ignatius of Loyola

Tomorrow, Friday 31 July, marks the Feast Day of St Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), the Spanish theologian and mystic who founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and became a leading figure of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Ignatius was a master of spiritual direction, capturing his insights and prayers in the Spiritual Exercises, one of the most influential books on Christian spirituality ever written. He envisioned the Jesuits as 'contemplatives in action,' dedicated to serving God within the world.
 

College Advisory Council Sub-Committees – a reminder from last week’s Principal’s Update

Catherine McAuley was a visionary who defied the status quo, founding the Sisters of Mercy to provide education and healthcare to women and girls. Known as 'the walking nuns,' they served directly within their communities, embodying courage and forward-thinking leadership.

Continuing this legacy in a rapidly changing digital world, Sacred Heart College is establishing a new ICT and Cyber Risk Sub-committee. This committee will advise the College Advisory Council (CAC) and the College Leadership Team (CLT) on cybersecurity strategy, key projects, cyber risk management, privacy and compliance.

We invite expressions of interest for this new committee, as well as our existing Sub-committees:

• ICT and Cyber Risk
• Strategy and Communication
• Planning and Facilities
• Finance
• Wellbeing

(Terms of Reference for each sub-committee are available via the College portal).

How to Apply: Please email your expression of interest to brvos@shcgeelong.catholic.edu.au

Artificial Intelligence Parent Information Evening

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we live, work and learn. At Sacred Heart, we are committed to guiding our students through this evolving digital landscape with confidence, integrity and balance.

We invite all interested parents and carers in our College community to join us for a comprehensive Information Evening dedicated to AI and e-safety. The evening will cover many topics devoted to this, including: 

• What is AI?
• How we can help learners.
• Our approach to encouraging ethical AI use.
• E-safety reminders.
• Awareness of policy and instructional guides.
• How students will be best guided to engage with AI for innovation.
• Academic integrity.
• Ethical/moral dilemmas that AI presents for young people and how we can support them in the wellbeing space.

Our panel of experts include:

• Mark Pleasance – Director of ICT
  Mark will share crucial updates and reminders on e-safety.
• Ash Pillai – Deputy Principal – Pedagogy, Learning Design and Innovation
  Ash will unpack our College policies, academic integrity, and AI in teaching and learning.
• Renae Pirrottina – Learning Futures Specialist
  Renae will provide an overview of the latest AI tools and current engagement practices for staff and students.
• Marcelle Korth – Learning Culture Leader
  Marcelle will discuss the implications for student wellbeing and how families can best support young people in this space.

Whether you are highly tech-savvy or just beginning to explore these tools, this evening will provide you with practical insights and strategies to support every student. We look forward to seeing you there as we partner together to support our students.

Father's Day – The Fifth Quarter

The wait is officially over – tickets for our highly anticipated Fifth Quarter Father’s Day Dinner are ON SALE NOW!

With both Geelong Cats legends Stevie J and Cameron Ling officially out of the bag and locked in for an exclusive live Q&A, this is shaping up to be the biggest event of the Term.

Whether you’re celebrating with your dad, grandfather, or a special father figure, join us for a fantastic night of great food, legendary footy stories, fun trivia and great company!

Tables are strictly limited and will close on Monday 31 August (unless sold out prior). Don't wait until the last minute – lock in your table before it's too late! We can't wait to see you there for an unforgettable evening!

Circle of Mercy 2026

Anchored in Hope. Acting in Mercy. 
Where the Spirit of the Jubilee Meets the Heart of our Mission.

Session Three – The Work: Addressing the Critical Concerns of Mercy with Renewed Courage

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical urges a courageous, compassionate approach to artificial intelligence, insisting technology must serve human dignity and the common good. It warns against diminishing empathy or moral responsibility and calls for innovation guided by mercy, solidarity and protection for the vulnerable. Ultimately, true progress is measured not by technological power, but by our capacity to remain human and care for those most at risk.

Our keynote speaker is Fr Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest and academic with a PhD from the University of Melbourne and degrees in arts, education, and theology. Former director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting for 22 years, he has served on major international film festival juries (including Cannes, Venice, and Berlin) and lectured globally on faith and culture. He is an Honorary Fellow at ACU, has held visiting positions at UCLA and the Gregorian University, and currently serves as parish priest of North Sydney, Lavender Bay and Kirribilli.

Join us as we learn to widen the circle of Mercy and turn our Hope into a lived experience for all.

Suscipe (Take, Lord and Receive) – A Prayer of St Ignatius of Loyola

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will – all I have and call my own.

You have given all to me; to You, Lord, I return it.

Everything is Yours; do with it what You will.

Give me only Your love and Your grace.

That is enough for me.

Amen.