Newsletter

Celebrating Milestones

August 2026 will hold a significant place in the history of St Aloysius College. In just a few short weeks, our community has celebrated important milestones, remarkable student achievements and the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the life of our College.

Central to this has been the official opening of Altiora, our new Senior Years Campus.

It has been particularly rewarding to see our Year 11 and 12 students settle so confidently into Altiora.

Last week Year 12 students joined staff in the blessing of Emma Bamblett’s artwork, Light & Courage Journey Together. We were privileged to welcome Emma to share this occasion with our Year 12 students. Her beautiful work speaks powerfully of identity, connection, courage and journey, and its presence at Altiora will continue to invite reflection for generations of students to come.

Student Achievements

Our students have also given us a lot to celebrate. I warmly congratulate Fadzai Bako, the first ever back to back Plain English-Speaking Award (PESA) state champion. We are immensely proud of Fadzai’s creativity, dedication and accomplishment.

Congratulations also to our students who represented St Aloysius at the ACS Athletics. Their determination, commitment and encouragement of one another reflected the very best of our College spirit. Whether through outstanding performances, personal bests or simply giving their all for the College, each student represented St Aloysius with great pride.

The Assumption of Mary

Saturday 15 August marked the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, a significant day in our Catholic tradition that calls us to reflect on Mary’s faith, courage and trust in God.

The Assumption has inspired artists for centuries. A particular favourite of mine is Peter Paul Rubens’ magnificent 1626 painting, which depicts Mary being lifted towards heaven, surrounded by angels and light.

What strikes me most about the painting is its warmth—the love for Mary seems to radiate throughout the scene. It brings to mind Catherine McAuley’s words:

“How can we teach the love of God when our own hearts are cold?”

At a time when many in our world and within our own community are experiencing hardship, these words remind us that our Mercy values must be lived through the way we care for others.

May we continue to be a community that strives for excellence while always keeping our hearts open to those around us—living our Mercy values of Service, Justice, Hospitality, Courage, Respect and Compassion.

Artificial Intelligence in Education

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the world in which our young people are growing, learning and preparing for their futures. For schools, the question is no longer whether AI will form part of education, but how we ensure it is used ethically, responsibly and in ways that genuinely strengthen learning.

Across Australia, governments and education authorities are responding to this changing landscape. The Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools establishes six principles for responsible use: teaching and learning, human and social wellbeing, transparency, fairness, accountability, and privacy, security and safety. Following a national review, Education Ministers reaffirmed the Framework, recognising both the opportunities presented by AI and emerging risks, including deepfakes, privacy concerns and threats to academic integrity. Importantly, this is not simply about restricting technology. Government guidance increasingly recognises that students need to understand AI, learn how to use it responsibly and develop the critical capacity to question its outputs. Victorian guidance similarly emphasises privacy, transparency, academic integrity and, importantly, the continued place of human judgement and authentic relationships in education.

For me, this last point is particularly important.

AI can help a student generate ideas, explore different perspectives, receive feedback or deepen understanding. It can support teachers and create new possibilities for learning. But it should never replace the intellectual struggle that is essential to genuine learning, nor should it replace creativity, independent thought or the relationship between a student and teacher. Our responsibility as educators is therefore greater than teaching students how to use AI. We must teach them when to use it, when not to use it, how to question it, and how to remain accountable for the work they ultimately produce.

Parents and carers are essential partners in this work. The conversations that take place at home about technology, honesty and responsible decision-making are just as important as those that occur at school. We encourage families to take an active interest in how their children are using AI: to ask what tools they are using, what they are using them for, and whether AI is supporting their thinking or doing the thinking for them. Parents can also help young people understand the importance of protecting personal information, questioning the accuracy of AI-generated content, recognising bias and misinformation, respecting intellectual property. Most importantly, young people need consistent messages from both home and school that convenience should never come at the expense of integrity or genuine learning.

I hope last week’s Learning Conferences were rewarding to all who those had the opportunity to meet the subject teachers.

Mary Farah
College Principal