College Principal

It is always a wonderful tradition to begin Term 3 with Santa Fest and Dom’s Day. This year, our 130th Anniversary, we were delighted to welcome Bishop Danny Meagher to say mass, joined by Fr John Hayes from St Martha’s at Strathfield. They were also joined by Fr Ben Saliba, Master of Ceremonies at St Mary’s Cathedral and Deacon Aisavali. Mass was beautiful and the Holy Spirit was with us as we gave thanks for 130 years of Dominican Education at Santa Sabina College. Following Mass, we enjoyed the traditional crowning of St Dominic by our Captains and then Year 12 girls danced around Dom’s Plot. The concert that followed showcased a variety of talented students who performed for us and a particular highlight was the teacher band and flashmob who delighted the students with their rendition of Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’. Congratulations to our students for entering into our celebrations respectfully and joyfully. 

We wish our Senior students all the very best as they commence their HSC and IBDP Trial Examinations this week. Students have been working diligently to prepare and I thank our teachers who provided holiday workshops for students during the break. 

We began the student leadership application process this week which is both rigorous and competitive. Year 11 students have had the opportunity to develop their leadership skills in a wide variety of ways during their time at the College whether that be through experience as Year 10 Camp Leaders or through taking on school and community leadership roles. They have also been taught how to work towards developing their own leadership style and skills in workshops and through access to a wide variety of people in leadership roles. Students will submit a written application detailing their suitability for the role, shortlisting will occur and students will then be invited to address their peers. Students who make it through to the final round will then have an interview with me or other members of the College Leadership Team to further determine their suitability to represent the College as school leaders. We always consider humility, integrity, kindness and compassion as well as a demonstrated capacity for hard work and resilience to be essential characteristics of our student leaders. 

I had the absolute pleasure of hosting our inaugural Principal’s Academic Morning Tea last week. Students from Years 7-10 who received three or more awards at our Awards Assembly were invited to come together so that we could celebrate their hard work. I was impressed to see how many of these students had done well across subject areas and encouraged students to continue to work hard and strive for excellence. 

Congratulations to our Years 7 and 8 debaters who advanced to the final round of the Catholic Schools Debating Association (CSDA) competition last week. This competition is one of the largest debating competitions in Australia and we were thrilled to have two teams make it to the Finals. Our Year 7 team won their debate confirming them as the Year 7 Winning School for 2024. Our Year 8 students were awarded Runners Up. With only an hour to prepare for this debate and without any outside assistance, the quality of their arguments was very sophisticated. Debating develops a wonderful skill that sets students up for life. Congratulations also to their Debating Coordinator, ex-student Tiana Pangallo, and the many coaches who work with students guiding them along the way. 

Congratulations also to the cast and crew who played a role in the production of Picnic at Hanging Rock recently. It was a great performance and my thanks go to Ms Ellis-Windsor and Mr Freeman who directed and produced this Australian classic. 

Finally, it was wonderful to welcome grandparents to Del Monte this week for Grandparents Day. The children really enjoyed showing their grandparents around their school and classroom and sharing all that they have been learning. They also performed for them with gusto giving thanks for these very special people who bring great joy, love and care to the lives of their families. 

Take care.

Paulina Skerman
College Principal