College Principal

Welcome to Term 2 and already our school is abuzz with activity. 

We started the term commemorating our Anzacs and I spoke to the girls at our Secondary Assembly about those qualities that the Anzac spirit embodies such as courage, mateship and a fair go for all. Scholars trace the onset of wars to human nature, biological instincts, frustration, fear, greed. Sadly, these same aspects lead to conflicts and tensions in many communities, even in schools. I particularly spoke about fear as it is a powerful force and it can play a role in how we respond to those around us who are different from us, and who may threaten our identity and who we are. At our school, we celebrate our differences and we strive to leave peacefully. We aim to create a school environment which is a safe place where everyone will flourish. As a Catholic, Dominican school, we uphold the tradition of ‘Disputatio’ which guides us in developing relationships with one another. The tradition of Disputatio calls us to listen to another’s position that may be different from our own and respond through dialogue, to understand another’s perspective with respect. Not to pretend there are no differences, but to build unity. We are called to respond to one another with love, kindness, compassion and respect. 

Our teachers began the term working with UTS undertaking their own collaborative Action Research projects to review pedagogical practice and measure success outcomes. There is a wide variety of projects being undertaken ranging from ‘developing academic resilience in Maths’, to ‘using digital feedback for academic growth in the Social Sciences’. In all research projects our teachers collect baseline data, determine and implement interventions to improve outcomes. Then, they measure the success of the intervention through collecting new data, before drawing conclusions. Finally, they showcase their research presenting their findings to their peers, sharing their learnings to improve teaching and learning for everyone. 

Our new Food Technology rooms have been well received and our young chefs have been cooking up a storm. It is wonderful for them to have state-of-the-art facilities to use for their lessons. We are also almost ready to share our College Master Plan with our community, we are just waiting for it to be approved by Dominican Education Australia, before we unveil the exciting developments we hope to see over the coming years. 

This is an event-filled term and today we came together to celebrate Mother’s Day with masses, breakfasts and lunch where we took time to honour the women who care for us. The Health and Harmony Mother and Daughter retreat which will be held at Tallong will be another lovely way to strengthen connections between mothers and daughters. Our stage production of Peter Pan begins on 17 May and I know there has been a huge commitment from our young actors and stage crew since Term 1 to bring this play to life. My thanks to our Head of Drama and Visual Arts, Ms Nicole Ellis-Windsor, and her team for directing this performance. I can’t wait to see it! 

Last week I wrote and published an article on our approach to wellbeing at Santa Sabina College. Learning is closely linked to wellness and if we want our students to flourish at school then we need to create the optimum environment for that to occur. Strong relationships are the foundation of good mental health, and physical fitness and good nutrition also play a key role in setting us up to live well.

Today we are joyously celebrating Mother’s Day on campus with Masses and breakfasts for our families – my warmest wishes to all mothers and mother figures for a very happy Mother’s Day this Sunday.

Paulina Skerman
College Principal