Director of Sport and Co-curricular

As we approach the end of another outstanding season, it is with immense pride that I reflect on the remarkable achievements of our students across Sport and Co-curricular programs. The continued growth of participation, the success of our representative teams and the commitment shown by our students embody the spirit of excellence that defines our College community.

This term alone, we recorded an impressive 422 registrations across our Sport and Co-curricular programs. While several sporting activities have reached capacity and now operate with waitlists, our clubs continue to provide exciting opportunities for students to explore new interests, develop skills and build meaningful connections.

A season of success

Our students have excelled across a wide range of competitions and activities, achieving outstanding results at local, regional, state, national and international levels.

IGSA Weekly Sport

Our Hockey, Basketball, and Football teams have represented the College with distinction throughout the season. We are proud that 55% of our teams were ranked within the top four, with our Hockey team SAN01, Basketball SAN02 and Football SAN01 team all progressing to the semi-finals.

A big shout out to SAN01 Hockey for making it to the IGSA Term 3 Grand final after a thrilling semifinal (won 2-1) against SCEGGS Darlinghurst.

Netball Excellence

Our IWNA Netball program continues to thrive, delivering exceptional results:

Two Premierships (SSC16 and SSC24)
Three Minor Premierships (one Senior and two Junior)
Six teams reaching semi-finals

We also congratulate Isabella Kelly, Amelie McKee, Olivia Pisani, and Arianna Harris, whose appointments as C-Badge umpires for Grand Finals are a testament to their dedication and leadership within the sport.

Please see Ms Gocher’s article below for all details as we come to the end of the season.

Athletics

Congratulations to Amelie McKee, Freya Ingwersen, and Charlotte Rudd, who qualified to represent CGSSSA at the NSWCCC Athletics Championships.

Tennis

Our CGSSSA Tennis team (Elyssa Jeitani, Olivia Wu, Clara Smolcic, Ashley Duigenan and Georgia Ghossein) achieved an outstanding second-place finish at NSWCCC, earning a wildcard entry to the NSW High School Championships. We are also excited by the launch of our new Representative Tennis Squad, which has attracted strong interest with 14 students registered.

Volleyball

Volleyball has enjoyed a highly successful season, including:

Year 10 Schools Cup Gold Medalists
Year 9 Schools Cup Runners-Up
Year 9 Intermediate Division Champions
Year 8 SAN05 Junior Division Champions

Representative Dance Program

Our dancers have continued to shine across multiple competitions, earning numerous first, second and third-place results, along with several Highly Commended awards.

Highlights include:

Senior Contemporary: 1st Place at Extreme Dance and Dance Spec
Hip Hop Black: 1st Place at CGSSSA Championships
Primary Hip Hop: 1st Place at Dance Spec and the Sydney Eisteddfod at the Sydney Opera House.

These achievements reflect the dedication, discipline and creativity of our talented performers and coaching staff.

Students achieving on the national and international stage

Individual student achievements continue to be a source of great pride for our College community.

Jenisha Lama claimed the Year 7 Girls Scratch and Nett titles at the Jack Newton Shield and finished 8th overall.
Faith Ata was selected in the Rugby Australia Next Generation Under 16 National Squad.
Freya Ingwersen is competing at the AusCycling Junior and Masters National Championships.
Chloe and Willow Lai will represent the College at the Aeroschools National Championships this September.

We also celebrate an extraordinary international achievement by Mina, Chloe and Willow, who recently represented Australia in Aero Dance at the World Junior Championships in Spain.

Competing against some of the world’s best athletes, the girls performed exceptionally well, earning a Silver Medal in the Junior Team category by placing second overall. They also qualified for the finals with another junior group, where they secured an impressive 7th place finish in the world.

Their dedication, perseverance and commitment to excellence are truly inspiring. On behalf of the entire College community, congratulations to Mina, Chloe and Willow for representing both Australia and our College with such distinction. We are incredibly proud of your achievements on the world stage.

Looking ahead

Beyond sport, our Debating and Public Speaking students are currently preparing for the upcoming IGSA Festival of Speech in October, continuing to develop their confidence, communication and leadership skills.

As participation across all programs continues to grow, so too does the depth of talent, character and enthusiasm within our student body.

A heartfelt thank you

As Director of Sport & Activities, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributes to the success of our programs.

To our students, thank you for embracing every opportunity with courage, commitment, and passion. Your willingness to challenge yourselves, support one another and represent the College with pride is what makes our community so special.

To our parents and families, thank you for your unwavering support. From early morning training sessions and weekend fixtures to encouragement from the sidelines, your partnership is invaluable and greatly appreciated.

To our dedicated coaches and staff, thank you for the countless hours invested in developing our students, not only as athletes and performers, but as young people of character. Your expertise, mentorship and care play a vital role in every success we celebrate.

A special acknowledgment must be given to the exceptional team in the Sport & Activities Department. Much of their work happens behind the scenes, yet their commitment, professionalism and attention to detail ensure that every registration, competition, excursion, training session and event runs smoothly. I am incredibly grateful for their passion, dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence.

Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Mrs Brooks, College Principal, for her ongoing support of our Sport and Co-curricular programs. Her regular attendance at fixtures, genuine interest in student achievement and unwavering encouragement of our teams mean a great deal to our students, staff and families. Her presence reinforces the importance of participation, teamwork and striving for excellence in all aspects of College life.

Together, we continue to build a culture where students are encouraged to pursue their passions, challenge themselves and represent the College with pride. I look forward to celebrating many more successes in the months ahead.

Ms Luiz Ramalho
Director of Sport & Activities P–12

Primary Sport

NSWPSSA Football Championships

Congratulations to Antonia Srdanovic (Year 6) who attended the NSWPSSA Football Championships in Tuggerah last week. Antonia was part of the NSW Catholic Schools Mackillop team, playing as Goal Keeper. Antonia and the team performed exceptionally, making it all the way to the Grand Final and only conceding one goal all tournament. The team finished runners up of the tournament earning a silver medal.

Sydney Catholic Schools Athletics Championships

On Friday 28 August, the following students competed at the Sydney Catholic Schools Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre.

Grace Calcagno – 1500m
Sebastian Portelli – Discus
Sabrina Commisso – Discus
Grace Ordakji – 100m
Stefania Lazanja – 100m, 200m

Congratulations to Stefania Lazanja who finished 5th Overall!

Sydney Catholic Schools Oztag Championships

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected into the Representative Oztag team who will compete at the Sydney Catholic Schools Oztag Championships on Tuesday 27 October.

Elle Farhat	Charly Merhi	Georgia Hall	Sophia Gomesis
Marissa Dojas	Audrey Tita	Eva Younan	Sienna Machaalani
Mischa Sleiman	Ashley Chow	Bailey Nasr	Isabella Lahood
Evie McIntosh

Coming up in Term 4
Wednesday 21 October – Sydney Catholic Schools Year 5 and 6 Volleyball Gala Day
Tuesday 27 October – Sydney Catholic Schools Oztag Championships
Friday 27 November – K-2 Splash and Dash Swimming Carnival

Mr Ryan Dunlop
PE and Co-Curricular Coordinator (P-4) Primary Sports Coordinator (P-6)

Winter Netball Review

While our second winter season at IWNA has come to an end, there are many people that I’d like to thank before we tackle our second spring season.

Firstly, a big shout out to our amazing coaches. We were privileged to have 13 Ex-students return to coach alongside our four staff members and 14 current students who assisted the coaches of our junior teams. Together, we produced five grand finalists with two premierships and three minor premierships.

I’d also like to acknowledge that three of our umpires were awarded their National C badges this year, bringing our total to six. We also have one association badged umpire and seven newly badged club umpires and five umpires continuing their development in the program.

Both coaching and umpiring programs continue to grow and it is wonderful to see such strong connections being made amongst all of our participants.

Congratulations to all the recipients of the Coaches Awards this year, this is a wonderful achievement acknowledging the player’s hard work, commitment and sportsmanship throughout the season.

Our Junior presentation was held on Wednesday 2 September, where we celebrated our teams achievements, played games and announced award winners.

The Junior Presentation photo slideshow and gallery can be found on the netball page in VO.

While the winter competition has officially wrapped up, I’m pleased to report that we have nine teams entered in the spring competition with IWNA. If you missed the opportunity to sign up, we do have one or two vacancies in some age groups, so please reach out.

Finally, I’d like to thank you for your participation and continued support of the Santa Sabina netball program. We do hope you enjoyed the season and we look forward to seeing you back on court in 2027, if not before.

If you have any feedback, positive or otherwise, please send email to j.gocher@ssc.nsw.edu.au as we are always looking at ways to improve the program.

Ms Joanne Gocher
Netball Coordinator