From the Principal Mrs Antoinette McGahan
Loving Father,
help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us
to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
–Robert Louis Stevenson
As our 2021 Academic Year draws to a close, I would like to celebrate with you a phenomenal year filled with many achievements. However, it is just as important to recognise that many of our successes this year were the result of our response, as a community, to the many hurdles and challenges that arose and became almost the defining features of this tumultuous year.
I have always felt the overwhelming support of parents, students and staff at the College as we sought to respond to these challenges, to the constantly changing rules and the underlying uncertainty and even fear engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic. With your support we have triumphed and I am extremely proud of all our staff at the College. They have placed our students at the front of all their decisions, with no task that was too hard. Their agility, pride and ability to move to remote learning in the blink of an eye was simply awesome. I thank and congratulate our staff for the way in which they embraced the challenges posed by COVID-19 with such positivity and enthusiasm. We are privileged to be a part of a community of such high calibre, extremely capable and committed staff. Thank you for continuing to make Domremy such an exceptional place.
We thank you, our parents and carers for your trust and support in all that we endeavoured to achieve when faced with so much uncertainty. Our Presentation Sisters’ prayers and constant communication with us are truly a blessing which we have valued and cherished; they are our spiritual models to whom we look for guidance and prayer. Fr Phil Zadro’s continued support has likewise been a blessing for our community – for this we thank him and look forward to an even stronger partnership. We thank our wonderful students for all they do in helping to make Domremy the vibrant and dynamic community that it is today.
Our Year 12 Events and Celebrations of Excellence clearly exhibited the many opportunities our students experienced to use their voices, and demonstrate their gifts and talents. We continued to take risks in our learning throughout 2021 as we adapted to the challenges presented to us. We too have learnt many lessons, refined our practices and as a result we have achieved some incredible triumphs. Our successes can be defined by the collaboration, commitment and perseverance of our community.
Our College community has much to be proud of. The Class of 2021 graduated with over 90 percent of our girls successfully achieving early entry into universities. In addition, we have a nomination in Encore, which speaks volumes. These young women are a credit to our College and to their families. We are extremely proud of their achievements and wish them all the very best for their future. The staff are to be commended for their dedication and commitment to ensuring the girls were well prepared for their HSC.
2021 saw many of our usual events placed on hold. Yet our theme of “When we spread our wings, we create a flutter” has exemplified our approach reflected in the diversity of events that have occurred this year.
This year, as a College we welcomed:
- The Celebration of 200 years of Catholic education in Australia;
- The completion and occupation of our new building – The Nano Nagle Learning Centre;
- A very successful Inquiry & Review in which Sydney Catholic Schools conducts an exhaustive five-yearly review of the College’s strategy, planning and performance;
- The many Project Based Learning initiatives;
- Various STEM Projects including the Solar Car and Coding Challenges;
- Our College Musical extravaganza – Showstoppers – just brilliant;
- Our traditional and festive Domremy Day;
- Watching the live coverage of the NASA rover on Mars;
- The Solais Sisters Connect;
- Year 7 making the CSDA Debating Finals;
- Click and Collect Learning packages during remote learning for TAS and Visual Arts;
- Our sporting achievements including being undefeated in Water Polo and Hockey and winning the championships. Adelaide Marshall competing in the 800m All Schools Athletics Competition, placing third and qualifying for national competition, and Chloe Gao making the Nationals in diving, where she will be trialling for the next Olympics; and
- The many social justice initiatives that challenged the girls to support the most vulnerable.
These are just some of the wonderful examples that are evident in our community. Additionally, we have only just received the news that our College’s Nano Nagle Learning Centre is the winner of the Learning Environments Australasia NSW Chapter Awards in the category of New Construction/New Individual Facility over $8 million. The College will also be entered in the LEA’s National Awards in 2022. Just brilliant!! (Below you see a screenshot from when the award announcement was made.)
Finally…..
I would like to make mention of Mrs Donna Malpass who has ensured my first year at Domremy to be just sensational. Last but certainly not least, I especially thank Mr Ryan and the College Leadership Team for their unwavering trust, commitment and hard work.
As we approach the celebration of the birth of our Saviour, we listen to God’s message as He speaks to us so tenderly and simply through the loving image of the Holy Family. Joseph and Mary’s acceptance of His will, moved by faith, trust and love in God, guided them to that “night of nights”. We pray that God will guide us as we journey through the coming year. May we live with courage, love with compassion, and be the voice of Peace on Earth.
Pope Francis reminds us that “God never gives someone a gift they are not capable of receiving. If he gives us the gift of Christmas it is because we all have the ability to understand and receive it.” I pray that this season reminds us of the value of giving selflessly. Not the giving in a material and commercial sense but the spirit of generosity in giving love, kindness and joy. This reminds us that the real happiness comes from giving unconditionally to others.
I wish you and your families a joyful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
I look forward to working with you in 2022. Christmas Blessings on you and your families,
Mrs Antoinette McGahan
College Principal
