Principal’s Message

Prayer

Dearest Mother, assumed into Heaven, 

you are the Immaculate Conception, 

the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. 

As we honor your glorious Assumption into Heaven, 

please pray for me and for all your children. 

In Heaven, you are honoured by your Son 

and your prayers are most effective. 

I believe this with all my heart and entrust myself, 

my family, our Church, and the entire world 

to your motherly care and intercession. 

Mary, assumed into Heaven, 

pray for me. 

Jesus, I trust in You. Amen

Venerable Nano Nagle. Pray for Us.

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends, 

Spiritual Reflection: Models of Courage, Faith, and Hope

As we journey through the vibrancy and endless energy of this busy term, it is essential that we pause to nourish our spiritual life and ground our daily work in our shared Catholic faith.

Over this weekend, our Church marks two deeply interconnected moments of grace that offer our community rich inspiration especially as Presentation people:

The Solemnity of the Assumption (August 15): We celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s total trust in God, her unwavering “yes”, and her place as the ultimate model of devotion and a beacon of eternal hope for us all.

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21–28): This spirit flows seamlessly into Sunday’s Gospel, where we encounter a mother’s fierce love and unshakeable persistence. With remarkable humility and courage, she approaches Jesus for the healing of her daughter, breaking through every boundary and prompting Him to declare, “O woman, great is your faith!”

Together, Mary’s gentle devotion and the Canaanite woman’s relentless hope offer a powerful blueprint for our College community. They serve as poignant reminders of the strength found in deep trust, compassion, perseverance, service, hospitality, humility and an inclusive faith that reaches out to others.

These are the very virtues we strive to cultivate in our young women every day, empowering them to navigate their academic pursuits with confidence, face life’s challenges with resilience, and extend love and hope into the world around them.

Reflecting on a Milestone: Year 12 HSC Trial Examinations

As the final papers of our Year 12 HSC Trial Examinations are to be completed this coming Monday, I want to take a moment to pause and reflect on this significant milestone for the Class of 2026.

Completing the Trials is no small feat. It represents months of dedicated preparation, disciplined study, and a tremendous test of both academic resilience and personal character.

To our Year 12 students – Your dedication and focus throughout this demanding period have been truly inspiring. You have risen to the challenge with grit and determination, and you should be immensely proud of how you have conducted yourselves.

To our parents and families – Thank you for your unwavering encouragement, patience, and care at home. You are the vital foundation of our students’ well-being, providing the steady ground they need during high-stakes times.

To our teaching and support staff – Thank you for your tireless commitment. From writing and marking rigorous examinations to offering targeted feedback and constant pastoral care, your dedication empowers our students to reach their potential.

We are truly blessed to belong to such a united and supportive community, where parents, staff, and students work hand in hand to not only pursue but also achieve excellence.

Global Connections & Cultural Exchange

Welcoming Kaimei High School – It is with great delight that we warmly welcome our visiting students from Kaimei High School in Osaka, Japan, who join our College community for the next fortnight.

Their arrival has brought wonderful energy, curiosity, and joy to our campus. Cultural exchanges like this offer priceless opportunities for our young women to expand their horizons, build meaningful global friendships, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the world around them.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Domremy host families who have opened their homes and hearts to our guests, ensuring their time in Australia is filled with warmth, hospitality, and unforgettable memories.

Looking ahead: Domremy’s upcoming Art and Japanese Tour

The excitement of this global partnership does not stop here! During the upcoming September/October school holidays, a group of Domremy students will embark on an Art and Japanese Tour to Japan. A major highlight of the itinerary will be a special visit to Kaimei High School, where our students will experience firsthand what daily school life is like in Japan and reunite and catch up with our friends from Kaimei High School who are here with us now.

Living Our Presentation Charism – 2026 NEAA Student Conference

This week I had the immense pleasure of accompanying seven of our amazing Year 10 students, together with Mrs Caroline Morizzi, our Religious Education Coordinator and Ms Isabella Soueid, our Youth Ministry Coordinator, to Iona Presentation College in Perth for the bi-annual Nagle Education Alliance of Australia (NEAA) Student Conference.

Bringing together students and staff from Presentation schools across the nation, the conference was a wonderfully enriching experience for our young women. It offered them a deeper understanding of our Presentation charism, the inspiring legacy of Nano Nagle, and the opportunity to build lasting friendships and connections with peers nationwide who share the same foundational values.

Embracing the Theme – The inspiring theme for this year’s NEAA Student Conference, “Carriers of the Lantern,” holds a profound significance for our identity as a Presentation school. Drawing directly from the legacy of Venerable Nano Nagle who famously walked the streets of Cork, Ireland, by the light of a lantern to bring education and hope to the vulnerable, the theme challenged our students to consider how they, too, can bring light, compassion and justice to the world today.

Connecting Charism to Action at Domremy – Being “Carriers of the Lantern” is much more than a historical nod to our founding story; it is a living call to action for our school community. At Domremy, we constantly strive to instill in our young women the courage to be beacons of hope in their own spheres of influence, whether through academic diligence, leadership, peer support, or social justice initiatives.

Throughout the conference, our young women embraced every single opportunity with open hearts, enthusiasm and exceptional maturity. They fully immersed themselves in the workshops, liturgies and collaborative sessions, representing Domremy with absolute distinction on a national stage.

We could not be prouder of how they embodied our Presentation values, stepping up with confidence and reflecting the very best of our school community. Watching them connect, grow and step into their potential, gives us profound confidence in the future leadership of our school. Well done to our fantastic seven Year 10 students!

On a final note…

As we find ourselves just over the halfway point of the year, I would like to offer a gentle reminder to all students that ‘success is not an option, but an expectation’ here at Domremy.

It is essential that every student remains focused, thinks positively and strives for her personal best in all that she does. A student’s achievement and performance are directly shaped by her determination, hard work and consistent day-to-day effort. We know that each of our young women is capable of extraordinary things; a truth that is borne out time and again within our community.

I strongly encourage all our students to back themselves, embrace their potential and strive for excellence daily in the months ahead.

Blessings on you and your families.

Mrs Antoinette McGahan

Principal

Prayer

Prayer for The Feast of the Assumption

Almighty and everlasting God,

You have taken up body and soul

into the heavenly glory the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

Mother of Your Son: Grant, we beseech You,

that, ever intent upon heavenly things,

we may be worthy to be partakers of her glory.

Amen

Venerable Nano Nagle. Pray for us.

Years 7 – 9 Evangelisation Day – Sydney Catholic Schools

On Wednesday 12th August, 13 Domremy girls from Years 7 to 9 participated in the annual Sydney Catholic Schools Evangelisation Day. This year it was held at Mount Saint Joseph, Milperra, with over 20 Sydney Catholic Schools participating.

It was such an uplifting, faith-filled day for us all. Here are some of the highlights from some of the girls:

“Today was a very enlightening experience which helped us grow in our faith. The speakers were motivational and passionate about unpacking and defining Christianity. We had many opportunities to encounter God through prayer, adoration, reconciliation and praise through singing. Overall, we are very grateful for this experience as it was highly enjoyed.” – Maeve and Isla – Year 7

“What I loved about today was the atmosphere and all the new information about Saint Carlo Acutis that I didn’t know about. I loved seeing people I knew and making new friends from other schools. This day was full of memories and a day to remember.” – Vivianne – Year 8

“Today was a wonderful experience where we had the opportunity to deepen our relationship with Christ, through experiences such as adoration, singing, trivia, prayer, reconciliation, and a Question and Answer section where students could ask questions to a panel of religious people. The speakers provided great advice on how to deepen our faith and how to be better Christians. From information about Saint Carlo Acutis, our first millennial Saint, to information about youth groups and World Youth Day 2027. One thing that was interesting was what they said to us; that we can ALL become Saints! Overall, it was an enriching experience, which we were so grateful to attend.” – Alessia and Mila – Year 9

Magis Matters Newsletter – Magis 2033: A bold new direction for Catholic education in Sydney – Sydney Catholic Schools

Magis = Latin for ‘the more’ or ‘the greater’

Sydney Catholic Schools is setting the vision for its next chapter with the launch of Magis 2033 this year. You can read more about Magis 2033 and the unveiling of the Strategic Plan on the SCS website here.

SCS has released its next Magis Matters Newsletter. 

We will include this Newsletter going forward.

Magis Matters – August 2026

Year 10 Commerce Workshop: Startup Pitch Fundamentals

On the 4th and 5th of August, our Year 10 Commerce students participated in an engaging workshop titled ‘Startup Pitch Fundamentals’. Delivered in collaboration with the Macquarie University Incubator and Young Wisdom, this session was designed to equip our young entrepreneurs with the core skills needed to build, structure, and deliver persuasive business pitches.

Key Highlights:

• Understanding the ‘Why’: Students learned that a business pitch isn’t just a speech—it’s an invitation to learn, get excited, collaborate, and spread the word about an innovative idea.

• Real-World Case Study: The session featured a real startup example giving students a clear look at business models, target markets, and value propositions in action.

• The Pitching Framework: Students were introduced to core pitch structures (Why, How, and Next) and learned how to blend principled language (demonstrating empathy and trust) with practical details (timelines, budgets, and business models).

• Practical Presentation Skills: Beyond business theory, students explored what makes a pitch stick—focusing on structured logic, storytelling, clear calls to action, and conveying genuine passion.

We are extremely proud of how our Year 10 Commerce students engaged with the material. They came away with valuable entrepreneurial insights and practical communication skills that will serve them well in their Commerce studies and future endeavors.

Mrs Lisa Ganderton, Leader of Inquiry and Enterprise

Year 8 Expand Their Horizons at the Meeting of the Minds Community of Inquiry

On Tuesday, 11th August, a small group of Year 8 students headed to Newington College for Meeting of the Minds, an interactive day focused on philosophy, critical thinking, and collaborative debate alongside peers from neighbouring schools.

Working in a Community of Inquiry framework, students tackled big, real-world questions across four engaging sessions:

• Exploring ‘Nowism’: Students discussed present-versus-future priorities, debating questions like whether society owes a duty of care to future generations.
• Moral Responsibility: After analysing a news stimulus on youth justice, pairs categorized scenarios into Blame or Not Blame to establish criteria for moral accountability.
• Navigating Dilemmas: Students identified how core principles clash (such as honesty vs. loyalty) and created their own custom moral dilemma scenarios.
• Ranking Values: In joined sessions, groups constructed and shared dilemmas for peers to decipher, concluding with a workshop to rank which values should take priority when ethics conflict.

Congratulations to our Year 8 students for representing the school with intellectual rigor and exceptional listening skills.

Mrs Lisa Ganderton, Leader of Inquiry and Enterprise

Year 10 Global Connections: Building America, One State at a Time

This term, Year 10 Global Connections students have been on a geographic journey across the United States – without leaving the classroom.

The unit, Coast to Coast, asks students to investigate how climate, landscape, population and culture change across a 4,500-kilometre line drawn from Los Angeles to New York City, otherwise known as a transect, a key geographical tool. Rather than studying the country as a whole, each pair of students has become the class expert on one state along that route – from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona to the rolling farmland of Ohio.

After each investigation, students add a new card to a growing wall display of their state, building up a picture of the transect lesson by lesson. So far they have explored climate zones, terrain and landforms, population patterns, natural hazards and land use – and the classroom wall of MU5 is already an impressive sight.

The class will now move into cultural geography, examining how language, religion, food, architecture and economic activity shift as you travel east across the continent. Students are also exploring how global forces like cultural diffusion and geopolitics connect their state to the wider world.

It has been a genuinely collaborative unit, with every student contributing to something bigger than their own research. We look forward to sharing more as the term continues.

Mr Greg Sciortino, Global Connections Teacher

Konnichiwa and welcome to Domremy – Japanese students from Kaimei High School, Osaka

みなさんようこそ！ (Welcome, everyone!)

“Bennelong in London” – Year 11 Drama

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From the Study Hub: Write a Book in a Day

Writing Day was upon us!!

Congratulations to the ten Year 10 students who participated in the 2026, ‘Write A Book In A Day’ initiative on Wednesday: Siena, Isabel, Lillian, Aoife, Ruby, Charlotte, Venice (Yesha), Henrietta, Juliet and Saskia.

These students wrote a digital book between 3,500 and 5000 words in length. Their book is a beautifully illustrated book titled, ‘A Crabby Situation’ and will be read by sick children in hospital. Students were given a list of parameters on the day, which they were required to include, and ours involved a crab, an athlete, a biologist and a yacht as well as a fashion crisis as an overarching issue. Girls engaged in the experience of becoming an author in just one day and put their critical thinking and creative writing skills to the test.

This initiative raises money for Kids’ Cancer Research through the Kids’ Cancer Project. These girls have already raised over $1,600 for this cause and will be holding a bake sale on the 11th September to raise even more funds. What an extraordinary effort!

Also, from the Study Hub

Year 7 are participating in a Reading Programme in The Study Hub which aims to develop reading skills in all students and to engage, in particular, reluctant readers.

The girls are being asked  to reflect on their reading habits and approach to reading. Most importantly, they will be improving their skills which will become more and more essential as they move through high school, being asked to read more and more academically challenging texts in all subjects. 

Ten minutes at the beginning of each lesson will be devoted to book tasting activities, shared reading and language observation with the girls asked to complete a log each lesson on what they have read during the period set.

We know that reading skills are vital for success as Year 7 students move through their Secondary School years and they are challenged by more and more complex academic texts in all subject areas.

Well done Year 7 on the start you have made and we are looking forward to working in partnership with parents to engage in a meaningful and determined way to improve literacy standards for all!

Added to that, On Wednesday 26th August there will be a Book Week Dress Up Day. All students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character or to reflect this year’s theme, ‘A Symphony Of Stories’ for a gold coin donation to the Catholic Charitable Works Fund (CWF). Looking forward to seeing all the amazing costumes!

Mrs Nicole Harada, Teacher/Librarian

Our Junior AFL team participating in their skills session with The Sydney Swans last week

Sydney FC Football clinic for Year 9 ASP

   

Makayla’s pathway to further studies and sport in the US

My Science Program: A joint initiative between St Anne’s Primary School and Domremy College 

For most of our Year 10 students, primary school is a distant memory, but for the Year 10 iSTEM students, an opportunity arose to return to the Primary School setting, through the My Science Program At St. Anne’s Primary School, our selected students transitioned from learners into leaders as they guided the minds of the budding young scientists. Our students embraced the mentorship role and did not disappoint, demonstrating persistence and leadership.

Over four fortnightly visits to St. Anne’s Primary School, the Year 10 iSTEM students provided guidance to Stage 2 students, who were conducting scientific investigations in an area of personal interest. Having accumulated scientific skills in core science lessons at Domremy and then electing to study iSTEM for Year 9 and 10, under the brilliant leadership of our very own Mr. Fleri, our students’ wealth of knowledge and practical experience assisted the Year 3 students in refining their ideas, collecting data and communicating that data in a final showcase. 

Below is the testimonial from two of our Year 10 students regarding their involvement in this initiative: 

“I enjoyed the experience at St Anne’s, where we got to work collaboratively with the students to mentor and guide them in their science experiments. It was an inspiring opportunity where we further deepened our science knowledge by breaking it down into simpler and understandable terms. The students were enthusiastic and eager to work together in order to complete their task.” (Sienna and Emily, Year 10)

Miss Katherine Hoban, Assistant Science Coordinator and Mrs Kelly Smit, Leader of Learning and Teaching and Newman Facilitator