As leader of St. Ignatius Catholic School, I welcome you to our website and I trust it gives you a flavour of our very special school. Nothing replaces a personal visit however, and I invite you to make an appointment to meet us, to tour our facilities and to learn more about our philosophy and values. This is my second year at this school and I am excited by this great opportunity, responsibility and challenge. I came to this beautiful island after 12 years in Poland, a country that embodies the qualities of faith and freedom epitomized in the life and teachings of Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and the experiences of my headship of The British School, Warsaw will assist me as I deepen my knowledge and understanding of this school.
In this introductory address I outline some of our key qualities and characteristics. Fundamental to this is the special ethos of the school. At Saint Ignatius we see Catholic education as an integration of body, mind and spirit. Rooted in this vision, Catholic education fosters that search for knowledge as a lifelong spiritual and intellectual quest. The expectations of our students therefore, are described not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but also in terms of values, attitudes and actions.
Saint Ignatius is now entering its 41st year and we are proud of our history of providing quality academic, athletic, artistic and spiritual programmes for our students. The strong home-school-parish relationship has created a genuine family atmosphere where young people are welcome from all social and cultural backgrounds and from around the world. Fundamental to this is our belief that parents are the primary educators of children and that schools are there to support and nurture this role.
This brand new website is only one element of our drive towards educational excellence in the 21st Century. The I-Site learning platform allows parents, students and teachers to collaborate effectively ensuring our students have the best possible chance of maximizing their potential. From September 2011 all students in Years 7-13 will be issued with a laptop, the entire campus is covered by a state of the art wireless network and students in Nursery – Year 6 will have access to laptop carts. A video tour of the I-Site platform will be available on this public website soon.
At Saint Ignatius, the holistic development of each individual is our primary purpose. Staff, from KG to Sixth Form strives to know and nurture each pupil, working together to promote strengths and self-worth, in mind, body and spirit. We work diligently so that all pupils leave us as discerning believers, effective communicators, reflective, creative and holistic thinkers, self-directed lifelong learners, collaborative contributors, caring family members and responsible citizens. We invite you to join the Saint Ignatius Community.
Tom McGrath