Please keep an eye out on PAM, the Loreto College App, website and social media for any scheduled events.
For the full Loreto Events Calendar please visit via the Loreto College Ballarat app or Click Here
Leadership News
From the Principal
Mrs Michelle Brodrick
Reunions and Future Celebrations
On 20 April, students from the Class of 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1974 gathered at the College for their 50 and 60 year reunions. The room was alive with the cheer and surprise that comes from returning and seeing childhood friends. Some former pupils had not returned since they finished their schooling years fifty and sixty years ago.
Thank you to everyone who could attend. The importance of sharing your stories, not only with your former classmates, but with some staff, is greatly appreciated. These stories included one student having to climb the front fence to get into the College in the early hours of the morning after travelling from NSW by overnight train and having to wake the sisters; stories of the prayers said as seven year olds before going to bed each night; early morning mass in the Chapel and the special friendships formed.
Next year, we celebrate 150 years since Mother Gonzaga Barry and her companions came to Ballarat to establish our school at the request of Bishop Michael O’Connor. The main celebrations will be held on Friday 28 February and Saturday 1 March 2025. It will include mass, a travelling exhibition and play, reunions, College tours and an Alumni gala event on Saturday evening. So please save the dates. More details are to come.
Commemorating Anzac Day
The Anzac Day Dawn Service in Ballarat had one of the biggest crowds in attendance. Many Year 11 and 12 student leaders were representing the College with other staff and students present to pay their respects to service women and men of the past and present. The theme of this year’s service was ‘Peacekeeping’ and the ceremony paid tribute to the non-wartime missions and peacekeepers. This theme was central to the service that was held on Friday 26 May at the College for all students.
Loreto College Production of ‘Mary Poppins’
Rehearsals are well under way for the upcoming production of Mary Poppins. Directed by Lindy Crowe and ably supported by staff and former students, preparing for the opening night on 22 May. Mary Poppins will run from Wednesday 22 May to Saturday 25 May. Tickets are on sale now via our website or click here.
If you are an alumni, a special preshow event commencing at 6pm is being organised for the final evening performance on Saturday 25 May. For the Alumni Fundraiser Event tickets, please click here
Catholic Education Week
During Catholic Education Week a mass and dinner to celebrate service to Catholic Education will be held. On this occasion years of service are recognised, and the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards are presented. The awards recognise the outstanding service and leadership within Catholic education throughout our Diocesan school communities, and Catholic Education Office.
Congratulations to the four nominees from Loreto College.
- Christina Sofis - Fostering Inspiring Leadership
- Simone Jans & Sarah Goodburn, Da Capo Instrumental Music Program Achieving Best Practice
- Lindy Crowe-Procaccino - Empowering all to Flourish
From the Deputy Principal
Mrs Chris Shaw
Loreto Pilgrimage 2024
Attending the Loreto Pilgrimage in recent weeks has been a great privilege allowing our group of 23 intrepid explorers the opportunity to immerse ourselves in Mary Ward’s Europe. We gained insight into how an enduring passion for the education of girls unfolded many years ago with unending challenges, setbacks and ultimate persistence. Covering York, London, St Omer, Liege, Munich and Rome, it was an opportunity for immersion and connection to the places Mary and her companions journeyed, worked and founded unenclosed religious congregations for women. As the days unfolded our group pilgrims were captivated by a story and surroundings that left considerable impact on each of us.
Each morning when I walk into Loreto College, I like many others absorb the beautiful gardens and surrounds, breathing in the story of Mary Ward and our rich faith and history. Yet there is so much more to discover and the depth of some of the stories learnt on our journey only served to begin to build a rich narrative. At any time, we could have been on the set of an amazing biographical movie and in some ways we were – personally piecing together each stage of Mary’s life into the fullness of all it has delivered to our school and many more around the world.
Small stories-built day on day in each new location allowing us to piece together Mary’s life and calling. Those stories resonated with our schools of today and the important links we see and live daily. For example, all of our students know that each Loreto school in Australia has a statue of Mary Ward, but not all know that each has Saint Michael guarding the front doors. Staying at the Bar Convent in York helped the Pilgrims understand his significance and how under the threat of siege and persecution, the sisters of the Bar Convent prayers to St Michael to be saved were answered. There are many symbols and artefacts to notice around our school, and it’s in the noticing and understanding where we gain the rich connection to our inner spirituality and the full absorption of a life lived. Connecting the pilgrimage symbols with all we see and understand here every day in Ballarat was profound and enduring.
Being attentive to our surroundings just as Mary might have been, we as pilgrims embraced the discernment of the challenge of life’s decisions reflecting on god’s guidance to navigate these. The sense of Kinship was strong – Mary and her companions seemed to be with us at every step and we felt that deeply. Connection and belonging such as this reaches right into our Loreto soul reminding us that we are all welcome and no matter our diversity or background we also belong.
In Felicitious Life, we teach about Awe and Wonder as part of our Wellbeing program, but it is embroidered deeper throughout our fabric as a Loreto school in the Mary Ward tradition. Throughout our Religious Education program and in all we learn, it is the notion of Grace (poise and beauty) that takes us from the everyday to a more spiritual understanding where our hearts and minds become open to our surroundings.
There are many places that left lasting impressions; the city of York with stories of Mary’s early life, dark oppression and her places of refuge, the reflective walk to Mt Grace and it’s beautiful Chapel, St Ethelrea’s church in London (UK), the journey across the English Channel to Saint-Omer (France) with its solitude and enlightenment to be found in every street, the darker side of Liege (Belguim), the Painted Life and the stories of challenge, betrayal, connections, defeat and acceptance found Munich (Germany) and in Rome (Italy) – far, far too many stories to highlight!
This Term as we embrace new opportunities our students can take steps towards the Kinship of Grace we learn from Mary’s life - through freedom, place, spirituality and a sense of belonging ‘when hearts and minds are opened to see beneath and beyond’ in all we do.
Thankyou to all 23 intrepid pilgrims and particular thanks to the tireless work of our leaders – Sr Sandra Perrett ibvm, Carolyn Young - Loreto Ministries and Michelle McCarty (Alumni) - Loreto Toorak.
From the Assistant Principal: Faith & Identity
Ms Felicity Knobel
Loreto Pilgrimage 2024
On the concluding day of a 14 day pilgrimage which saw us travel in the footsteps of Mary Ward, visiting places where she set up schools, where her and her companions lived and worked, where she began her journey which we live in our Loreto community today. We were in Rome, a place where Mary visited several times and where she fought to have her new form of apostolic life recognised. We visited the Venerable English College, a Jesuit seminary for English and Welsh priests, a place that Mary Ward knew well and incidentally where her sister Barbara is buried. It was here that we were celebrating the Eucharist in their Chapel, on a Sunday which the Church honoured as Vocation Sunday. It wasn’t lost on us the coincidence of this occasion with all that we had learned about the fight that Mary Ward had in living her vocation and what this means to us as people of Loreto.
It was in this celebration and hearing the familiar and much loved quote from the celebrating priest Fr Stephen Wang,
“There is no such difference between men and women that women, may they not do great things? And I hope in God that it may be seen in time to come that women will do much.”
It brought home to all of us present, the importance of our roles in Loreto Australia. We are called in our own vocations, to continuously seek, build upon and bring about the vision that Mary Ward and her companions worked so tirelessly for, to be women in time to come that will do much and change the world.
Mother's Day Liturgy and Afternoon Tea
Join us for our Mother's Day Liturgy and Afternoon Tea this weekend! Celebrate the special women in your life this Saturday 4 May and join us in the Loreto Chapel from 2pm, followed by an Afternoon Tea in the MMC foyer. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.trybooking.com/CQZCB
From the Assistant Principal: Wellbeing
Ms Gemma McDermott
Welcome to Term 2
This term Year 8 the Ballarat initiative program LIVE4LIFE will be delivered. Live4Life is the only mental health education and youth suicide prevention model designed specifically for rural and regional communities. Youth Live4Life has partnered with the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation and the Centre for Mental Health at the University of Melbourne to evaluate the LIVE4LIFE model in rural and regional communities in Victoria in 2023-2026. The project has been co-designed with Youth LIVE4LIFE and participating communities.
LIVE4LIFE is a well researched Teen Mental Health program that raises awareness and aims at removing the stigma around mental health, as well as educating the young people on how to seek support and help to build community resilience in addressing mental ill-health.
We are very excited to be launching this program this year. There are two program one for Year 8 and one for Year 10. We are starting with Year 8. The program comprises of three 60 minutes sessions.
The program will be delivered by Kelly Pearce and myself as we have been trained as Teen Mental Health instructors. If you would like more information about this program here is link to the Ballarat site https://www.live4life.org.au/ballarat
Other Resources about Teens on Loreto School TV
There is a new special report on Social Media Influencers
“Social media influencers wield significant power, shaping opinions, particularly among young people. However, their impact on youth mental health is concerning. Most recently, the controversial actions and statements of Andrew Tate and his rise to fame, has made him a polarising figure, amassing a significant following of mostly young males. Educators and families have raised urgent concerns about the damaging nature of Tate’s content, worried that his messages may radicalise students and create a generation of young men with regressive and harmful beliefs”. https://loreto.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-influencers-au
From the Assistant Principal: Learning & Innovation
Ms Adele Ryan
Beginning Term 2 with our Parent-Student-Teacher interviews provided opportunities for reflection on Term 1 and for setting goals for Term 2. It was great to hear many conversations that focused on student successes and also acknowledgement of the challenges that were encountered in learning. Learning new ideas and concepts is inherently challenging and requires focus, persistence and agency. This is where organisation and homework/study routines need to be established to support new learning.
For our Year 10 and Year 11 students, their organisation, homework and study routines will be crucial to achieving success in the Semester 1 examinations, beginning in Week 9 this term. Students should have a homework timetable set up and make sure they allocate time to include study. It is much better to start sooner than later, and space out revision. Spending an hour or so each week, rather than leaving it until the week before the exam, consolidates knowledge and decreases stress. Cognitive Science tells us that reading and highlighting notes is not an effective study practice, so making sure students are utilising strategies that work is really important. There are plenty of resources available to support study, including retrieval strategies such as how to set up Flashcards and Mindmaps. If students are unsure about how to set up a study timetable or develop retrieval strategies, then they should chat to their subject teacher, or Year Level Coordinators, or myself. We look forward to once again supporting all students in their learning.
From the Director Years 7-9
Mr Dean Pepplinkhouse
Year 7 - Ctrl Your Scroll Information Evening
There is an information evening for Parents and Carers of Year 7 students which aims to provide skills and strategies to take control over their devices and live a digitally balanced life. For more information on this fabulous program, visit ctrlyourscroll.com.au
Date: Tuesday 7 May
Time: 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Where: Loreto College Theatrette - Mary Ward Centre (enter via Gates B or C)
Cost: FREE
To book tickets, please click here
From the Director Years 10-12
Ms Kerryn Boyko
It has been an energising start to Term 2 at the College. The Year 10s have been busy unpacking their Morrisby results, thinking ahead to what subjects will best suit their future career and VCE pathway. For our Year 11 students, there have been workshops developing critical thinking, consideration of effective ways of studying and a day devoted to the concept of leadership. The Year 12s are already a third of the way through their year and this week has been full of excitement about the formal.
There are a range of experiences available to students this term such as the amazing production of ‘Mary Poppins’, Reconciliation Week and Winter sports like football and netball.
We continue to encourage you to access our SchoolTV resource, https://loreto.vic.schooltv.me/ The Healthy Body Series has interesting videos on sleep, diet & nutrition and mindfulness, to name a few.
College News
Comedy at the Grand
Our very own Year 12 Comedian, Erin Almeida, is featuring in a fabulous comedy fundraiser featuring on Saturday 18 May for the Ballarat Foundation.
For tickets please visit - https://www.trybooking.com/CQZPM
VCE-VM News
Mr Andrew Blackwood (Faculty Coordinator: VCE-VM)
Hunter Coffee Van
Our VCE-VM students have been busy putting their barista skills into practice at our Loreto Hunter Coffee van located next to the Loreto cafeteria. Each Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning we have a team of 4 students making coffees and hot chocolates for staff as well as taking orders and handling money. The feedback from our customers has been very positive and confirms the fabulous skills of our students. The homemade muffins have also been a great hit!
Thank you to everyone to has supported our coffee van so far this year, we are aiming to raise enough money to upgrade our coffee machine in the near future!
Botanikids
Our Botanikids program last week saw our focus turn towards Autumn theme with lots of activities around flora, autumn leaves and foliage. Year 11 students helped create some amazing morning tea creations and took the children out to our garden at the Little Flower to collect and pick some fresh fruit and vegetables.
Trainee of the year
Congratulations to our very own Year 12 student Alex Watt for winning the school-based apprentice and trainee excellence award for her amazing work at Taboo on Ripon. Alex works and completes her studies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the hairdressing industry and it’s great to see all her hard work has paid off.
English Faculty News
Mr Cameron Smith (Faculty Coordinator: English)
English Help Sessions continue in Term 2. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend!
The Arts Faculty News
Ms Julia West (Faculty Coordinator: The Arts)
As we move into the busyness of Term 2, the Arts Faulty are focused on supporting learning experiences in classroom learning and co-curricular activities. In revising and thinking deeper about our teaching and learning practice, Arts Faculty Teachers are researching and discussing how student agency can engage student learning and create better learning results. As families and students will know, when students have choice in designing and devising artworks, theatre, dance, and music pieces their motivation and commitment to learning is enhanced. We look forward to sharing our learning journey with you as we apply some of these strategies.
Year 10 Art
Our Year 10 art students have been exploring a variety of mediums such as acrylic paint, pen and watercolour – combining traditional art materials with food imagery to create an unrealistic scene.
Class Clowns Performances
The Melbourne International Comedy festival has once again held their Class Clown competition for students of secondary school age in Melbourne and regional centres during the early months of the year. As with previous years, Loreto College students have been successful in achieving a performance spot in heats and finals. We congratulate, Freya Cosgriff, Emma Dash and Lilah McCarty in for their dynamic and comedic performances which supported their selection into the next round of the competitions.
These students have been supported and tutored in our Speech and Drama program, facilitated by Mika Wallace, who has assisted students in preparing for such events. We thank Mika for her dedication to her students.
Wicked – The Musical
Students of VCE Theatre Studies and Dance, Year 10 Drama, Year 9 Dance and Year 9 Theatre Magic attended a performance of the musical of Wicked at the Regent Melbourne on Wednesday 1 May. In viewing the musical, VCE students developed analytic skills and made notes for content required for end of year examinations. Year 9 Theatre Magic students analysed the use of lighting, set design and costumes to aid their understanding of stagecraft. Year 8 Dance students were asked to analyse choreography and pose questions about the choices the director and choreographer made to create the dynamic movement pieces.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Melbourne, experiencing the excitement of an International musical. Thank you to Simone Jans, Lindy Crowe-Procaccino, Stephanie Greet and Samantha Marks for assistance and support in making this wonderful excursion a possibility.
VCE Theatre Studies - An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe
On Wednesday 24 April, the Loreto College and St Patrick’s College VCE Theatre Studies students collaborated on a production, An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe.
The performance was a chilling theatrical experience, taking place at St Patrick’s new Performing Arts Centre. The show featured five of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, including the well known Tell-tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher, as well as his most famous poem, The Raven. Students chose two production roles to focus on including acting, directing or designing (makeup, lighting, set, costume, sound or props).There were plenty of opportunities for the students to showcase their talents both on and off stage.
We would like to thank the VCE Theatre Students, our crew and our teacher Ms Stephane Greet, for putting in so much hard work and effort to bring this production to the stage. It was a very successful night and we look forward to sharing more of our work later this year.
Performing Arts News
Ms Lindy Crowe (Co-Curricular Leader - Performing Arts)
Mary Poppins
Our team is busily working hard to create what will be an extraordinary production of Mary Poppins. Students and staff have been tirelesly sewing, painting, set building and rehearsing, including on weekends, for many months to create the performance.
Be sure to support our 60+ cast and crew in a super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious night of musical theatre.
For tickets, please click here
Humanities Faculty News
Ms Jayne Carrigg (Faculty Coordinator: Humanities)
A Day in Court
On Friday 19 April, 24 Year 12 Legal Studies students took to Melbourne, accompanied by Linda McDonald and Rachael McNamara to visit the Supreme and County Courts. The day started with a visit to the most ceremonial court in the Supreme Court where students met with past student, Annie Poulton, to learn about her role as a Judge’s Associate. Students then participated in a discussion with Justice Andrew Tinney, past parent and friend of Loreto College Ballarat. The students should be commended for their questions and for the way in which they engaged with the Q&A opportunity.
They then visited a court room and saw a Supreme Court Justice give directions to a jury, and then visited the library before leaving for the County Court. At the County Court, the students were treated to another Q&A with the Juries Commissioner Paul Dore where they got to ask the real questions about jury formation and the role of a jury in the courtroom. The students then participated in an empanelment role play, sitting in a real court room and the various roles of key legal personnel.
Visits like this are an important part of the Humanities curriculum as experiential learning brings the classroom to life and has encouraged our students to consider the legal opportunities for them next year or beyond. It has energised them in the classroom and the students were very grateful for the enjoyable experience. A special thank you to Linda McDonald for organising much of the day.
Year 8 Medieval Experience
On Medieval Day, Friday 19 April, students of Year 8 went on an excursion to Kryal Castle, to enrich our knowledge in History and Humanities.
In spirit of the day, we were encouraged to dress up in medieval clothing. There was a large variation of costumes from small crowns to old-fashioned dresses. At Kryal Castle, we did many activities such as archery, mixing herbs, calligraphy with ink and much more.
We also learned about lots of things such as:
- Olden-day torture including trial by fire, water, bread, and combat, and the belief that you were guilty until proven innocent.
- Home remedies for sickness like honey and herb mixtures.
- The Black Death, learning the three different types, effects like dizziness and buboes, and what caused the disease and how they prevented it.
The whole day was filled with enjoyable new experiences, and we all had loads of fun.
RE Faculty News
Ms Virginia Green (Faculty Coordinator - RE)
On Wednesday 17 April, the Year 11 RE Ethics students were treated to a visit and conversation with Maureen Waddignton, Director of Mission at St John of God Hospital here in Ballarat. Maureen was able to talk to the students about being guided by a virtue ethics perspective and making decisions in a hospital setting. Maureen challenged the students to think about some of the recent decisions the hospital had to make and demonstrated the decision making model so they could see how difficult decisions are made in this setting.
Maureen was very generous with her time, expertise and insight and we look forward to working with her again in the future.
Co-Curricular Sports News
Mr Liam Gill (Co-Curricular Sport Leader)
Ballarat Marathon
Congratulations to the staff and student volunteers and runners who represented Loreto College over on Sat 27 and Sun 28 April as part of the Ballarat Marathon running festival.
It was so exciting to be a part of this inaugural event and to see so much “Loreto Blue” running and assisting.
Student performances:
There were many Loreto Students competing in the U/19 5km Main Event 5km and it was fantastic to see so many of our team taking out the top spots:
Aria Violini (Year 8) - FIRST
Bonnie Burt (Year 10) - Third
Rosie Hunt (Year 12) - Fifth
Amali Torney (Year 9) - Sixth
Gracie Downey (Year 7) - Seventh
Other competitors that completed the 5km event:
Year 11: Abi Cartledge, Izzy Rossato, Bronte Molloy, Chelsea Templar, Amber Korosec, Caitlin McConchie
Year 10: Abbie Wilson, Olivia James
Year 9: Sienna Templar, Grace B, Missy Davies
Year 8: Eva Cummins, Elsa Volz, Annabelle Reus, Annabelle Donald
Year 7: Airlie Fisher, Olivia Green, Charlie Donald
Staff performances:
Well done to all our staff who competed, in particular:
Alex Harvey – FIRST in the public event and fourth in 5km
Kelli Baird and Virginia Green competed in the 5km
Andrew Blackwood, Liam Gill and Kelli Ibbotson who completed the Half Marathon!
Volunteers:
Our College was once again represented well in our community, volunteering at the event - Mr Andrew Blackwood, Ms Jodie Howlett, Milla Russell, Amelia Loader, Matilda Melder, Ruby Bennett, Eliza Dodd, Mahima Sara-Moncy, Mrs Russell, Ms Nevett, Missy Davies, Rosie Hunt, Izzy Rossato, Bonnie Burt and Caitlin McConchie.
Other Achievements
Congratulations to Eliza Ashby for making it into the U/16 Victorian Country Basketball Team
Congratulations to the BAS Athletics Team
A huge congrats to all members of the BAS athletics team on their efforts at the BAS Athletics Carnival on 1 May. We were sharp! We finished first in the junior, intermediate and senior levels and won the overall girls aggregate by 140 points!
There were several records broken; one in particular, an 800m record that has stood since 1979 - congratulations to Rosie Hunt (Year 12) who broke the existing record with a 2.22 run surpassing the old record of 2.23.
Three of our relay teams also broke records (yet to be officially confirmed) - congratulations to the Year 9, 10 & 12 teams.
A fantastic effort by all involved - Go Loreto!
BAS Sport for 2024
Please find a link to the list of BAS sports for 2024 below.
Library News
Ms Meghan Douglas (Director of Library Services)
Reading for pleasure is an enjoyable pastime. We know that it can make us happier, more empathetic, and better communicators. It helps us understand our place in the world, and offers windows into lives other than our own. We also know that in an increasingly tech-connected world, it can be challenging to carve out time for this habit.
A recent Deakin University report into Teen Reading Habits [L. Rutherford, A. Singleton, B. Reddan, K. Johanson, M. Dezuanni (2024) Discovering a Good Read: Exploring Book Discovery and Reading for Pleasure Among Australian Teens. Geelong: Deakin University] confirmed what we all know anecdotally - reading for pleasure faces intense competition from other “passive leisure activities”, including social media use. The research found that 29% of teen readers in Australia never read for pleasure, while 26% read most days. The remaining third read occasionally or sometimes. While on the surface, this might be a cause for concern, it is helpful to notice that the majority of young people are in fact continuing to read semi-frequently, even when they are not required to.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the research found that the most popular ways for teens to find book suggestions were through connections - reading authors they were familiar with, adaptations of films and television shows they had seen, and suggestions from friends. Hearteningly, 47% of respondents also found recommendations from family members to be a useful way to find new books. This provides encouragement to families to keep facilitating conversations with their teenagers about their reading material, even while they continue to develop increasingly independent lives. Similarly, teen reading habits tended to reflect the habits of their parents. Those parents who visibly read regularly and discussed reading with their teenagers tended to have teenagers who read more.
The report found that reading was much more frequent during school holidays, as teens have fewer school obligations and more time to relax with a book. At Loreto, we provide ample opportunities for students to borrow before each holiday break, as well as throughout the school terms.
Choice and agency are vital when fostering a love of reading. By offering free reign during wide reading sessions, and a generous borrowing policy for students, we hope to allow people to discover new genres and stories, and to follow their own interests in their reading. This offers a wonderful complement and balance to the structured English program, where the teachers guide students through particular texts and focus areas.
The Library is here to help support and encourage students on their reading journey. We keep a fresh and ever-evolving collection of fiction, balancing classics with new publications in currently popular genres. Our students particularly love Fantasy, Contemporary YA, Romance and Suspense novels, and we make a particular effort to update these genres regularly. We also welcome student voice - suggestions are always well received and carefully evaluated. If we don’t have what someone is looking for or their request doesn’t fit our selection criteria, we love to direct them to our excellent public library network - with the hope of starting a lifelong connection with public libraries and all they have to offer.
Happy Reading!
Library Website: https://libguides.loreto.vic.edu.au/Loreto-Library
Our email: library@loreto.vic.edu.au
Our eBook and audiobook collection: https://loreto.wheelers.co/
Instagram: Follow us @loretoballaratlibrary
Career News
Ms Jodie Howlett (Careers Coordinator)
In this week's Career News:
- Defence Careers Australia
- Victoria University - Trades Application Support Sessions
- Melbourne Polytechnic Information Sessions
- Monash University Information Evenings
- International Women's Day
- Gender Pay Gap
- Future Health Leaders Program
Finance News
Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) will provide payments for eligible students to attend camps, sports and excursions. As Loreto College has an all-inclusive fee which covers the cost of camps, sports and excursions, any funds received will be off-set against the student’s tuition fee.
$225 per year will be paid for eligible secondary school students. Payments will come directly to the College and be credited to the students tuition fee account.
Eligibility:
Families holding an eligible Centrelink Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Veterans Affairs Gold Card on the first day of Term 1 or first day of Term 2 or be a temporary foster parent will be eligible to apply.
How to Apply:
Application forms are available on the Loreto College website, or click on the button below. The form needs to be returned to the School Office or emailed to accounts@loreto.vic.edu.au
If you applied for the CSEF at Loreto College Ballarat in 2023, you do not need to complete an application form in 2024 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances (new student/sibling, concession number, etc.). Your child's school will apply for the CSEF on your behalf.
Closing Date:
The closing date for CSEF applications to be submitted to the College is 28 June 2024 (no applications will be accepted after the closing date). All eligible families are encouraged to apply. For more information about the CSEF visit
Conveyance Allowance 2024
The conveyance allowance is a form of financial assistance for parents/carers to transport children to and from school in rural and regional Victoria. Allowances are available for public transport, private car and private bus.
In some locations, students are unable to access free school buses. In these instances, students may receive a conveyance allowance to assist with travel costs.
To be eligible for a conveyance allowance, a student must reside 4.8km or more from the College. Application forms are available on the Loreto College website or click on the link below.
Please note that in 2024 parents who successfully applied and received the Conveyance allowance at Loreto College in 2023 are not required to complete a new application form unless their details have changed – address, mode of transport, etc.
However, to submit a claim Myki receipts or statements or other bus company receipts must be received by the end of each term.
For further information visit:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/conveyance-allowance/resources
Any enquiries please email accounts@loreto.vic.edu.au
Any enquiries please email accounts@loreto.vic.edu.au
Community News
Please find the link for the March 2024 edition of “Our Diocesan Community” here.
Communications
To see the day-to-day life at Loreto, follow our Facebook and Instagram pages.
To stay up to date with important information and notices, download the Loreto College App. For further instructions on how to download and sign in to the app, head here.
A reminder that our newsletter is now published twice a term.
