Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care

In reaching out we also reach in and reach up

Outreach at Santa Sabina is a keystone of our approach to social justice learning. In providing opportunities for our students to reach out to those who may need extra assistance, who may live on the margins of society we are ensuring that our students live the Pillars of Service and Community and in doing so feel engaged, involved and responsible. These outreach opportunities allow our students to also reach in to themselves and to grow in their own understanding and application of important Christian values like compassion, generosity and empathy. These opportunities are also occasions where we witness our students reaching up; moving out of their comfort zones and finding a new understanding of justice and equality. 

This term the Salamanca House Projects have reached the Action stage after going through the Awareness stage in Terms 1 and 2. Below you will find outlines of each House project written by a student from each House organising committee.

Gunagulla

This year Gunagulla chose to focus on Disability Support for the Salamanca Project, specifically for St Lucy’s School in Wahroonga. Disability Support is immensely important, with one in six people in Australia living with disabilities. Due to this we as a House hope to help make school easier and more comfortable for children with disabilities, which is why we chose to focus on St Lucy’s School for students with disabilities. We have begun to donate learning materials and encourage gold coin donations from students in our House, whilst also formulating lesson plans for the students, focusing on learning in a fun, yet educational way to foster a comfortable environment. Through these initiatives, and with more to come, we hope to improve the experience of students with special needs in school so that they can have valuable and fun experiences in comfortable environments. 
Eve Ardagna

Kurrawa

Kurrawa has chosen to focus on Water Pollution for our Salamanca House Project. Over 368 million people use water that is unsafe to drink. 80% of the pollution in the water comes from the land, killing almost a million marine and seabirds annually. The charity we have chosen to support is the Coral Nursery Project on Fitzroy Island, where they aim to restore the damaged reefs, and the coral in particular, due to pollution. To raise awareness for this problem, Kurrawa has taken part in fundraising activities, a ‘nude’ picnic and a plastic-free bake sale. We managed to raise $230 from the bake sale alone!
Tiffany Dao

Mundawora

Mundawora has focused on raising awareness about domestic violence in Australia through our Salamanca Project. Domestic violence can be defined as a pattern of behaviour found in relationships that can be used to gain power and control. As a House, we’ve explored this issue by examining statistics and identifying ways to support those affected. During community time we have made butterfly origami, a symbol of domestic violence, to show our solidarity and raise awareness. In addition, we have created awareness posters and infographics to further spread information on this prominent issue. Moreover, after further research and understanding, we’ve decided to raise funds for the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre in Redfern and are brainstorming ways to support those affected.

Teangi

This year, Teangi has been dedicated to raising money and awareness for women battling cancer. With a staggering 49,000 lives lost to cancer annually, we took action by organising community games during Homeroom time, where participants contributed a gold coin as an entry fee to support the cause. Each Homeroom set a collective goal to cover 49 kilometres over a week, with students tracking and submitting evidence of their daily steps or kilometres. Through these efforts, our House contributed to this vital cause and strengthened our sense of community, enhancing relationships and overall wellbeing within Teangi. Amelia Goff

Weelya

For our Salamanca House project, Weelya has undertaken the project of helping the elderly through both advocacy and awareness activities and through a hands-on approach. In community time, Weelyans have engaged in activities that have helped us understand the value and importance of caring for the elderly in our community and the positive difference it can make on both them and us. We have even created a mural of ourselves with elderly people in our lives with whom we enjoy spending time accompanied by a reflection about that person. This has helped us gain a sense of appreciation for the impact they make on us in our day-to-day lives. We have also had a group of volunteers visit our local aged care centre, Goondee Aged Care, on a weekly rotation basis which has helped build a personal connection with members of our community. 
Kelly Ghali

Yetinga

In Yetinga, the focus of our Salamanca House Project is to raise awareness about homelessness in all of its forms and collecting donations. The students designed informative infographics and posters to raise awareness in our school about the severity of homelessness and the many misconceptions surrounding it. Students created stalls to display posters and promote donations for these disadvantaged communities. These donations were made into snack packs by the senior students attending the sleepout which will be collected by Vinnies and distributed via Night Patrol. Thank you for the efforts of the students, in particular the members of the Salamanca House Committee and the teachers such as Ms Sulis and Ms Sheehan for keeping us updated on the positive impact of our work. 
Angelina Salman and Emma Wong

Gioia House

Here at Gioia House outreach is very important to us and to our community. There are many opportunities for us to participate in outreach and service for people less fortunate than us. A recent initiative Gioia House has participated in, is donating food to make snack packs for the St Vincent de Paul night patrol. These packs go out to the less fortunate, homeless and the elderly. We are aware there are many people in our community who cannot afford to buy food for themselves and this is a small way we can have a positive impact on someone who needs our help. We also contributed to the JRS Australian Food Bank providing pantry items and essentials such as toiletries. This helps refugees and people seeking asylum in the community. Our donations were able to restock the shelves for people to access food and essential items they need. We also have a personal Outreach Service log where we list the other ways we are finding opportunities to help and serve others.
Chloe Charbel (GH Faith and Identity Leader) and
Mariam Fajloun (GH Social Justice Leader)

Winter Sleepout

Our Senior student leaders have also been busy upon their return from Trial exams organising the Winter Sleepout which took place on Friday evening, 23 August. Aditi and Rochelle reflect on this event:

From 23-24 August, we hosted our second on-site Santa Sleepout. The sleepout is an experiential event where students are given nothing more than a piece of cardboard and their sleeping bag and brave the cold for one night while learning about some of the harsh realities faced by those experiencing homelessness and disadvantage. The evening was enriched with meaningful discussions on the importance of programs like Night Patrol and the critical role of snack packs in supporting those who rely on its services. Thanks to the generous donations from our school community, we successfully assembled over 600 snack packs!

We also introduced engaging activities, including a trivia session on homelessness and general knowledge, and a cost-of-living exercise that encouraged students to budget around the monthly JobSeeker payment of $816.90.To conclude our evening, we gathered for a beautiful candlelit reflection in the liturgy. Afterwards, students warmed up with hot chocolate and sandwiches before settling into their sleeping bags in St Elizabeth’s courtyard, ready to brave the cold. Around midnight, however, the weather took a turn, and it started to rain. Despite the discomfort and the challenge of staying dry, students showed resilience, embodying the spirit of the event. We hope this meaningful night inspires students to approach future volunteer and outreach efforts with even greater empathy and understanding.

We hope this meaningful night inspires students to approach future volunteer and outreach efforts with even greater empathy and understanding.

Melanie van der Meer
Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care

A note from our Outreach Coordinator

This is not a one-off event. There is an ongoing need for the goodies in the snack packs. Vinnies gives out three thousand packs a week! 

So if you want to help people in economic distress, you can send in donations at any time. Just add some muesli bars or snacks to the shopping trolley when you do your family shopping and send them with your child. Choose whatever is on special this week! They can be left at any of the reception desks at the College. Making a regular contribution and asking your children to carry them into school shows them the value you place on living out Jesus’ reminder: Whatever you do for these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me.

Packs are made up with five items chosen from this list: 

 Multipacks of 

  • chips
  • sultanas
  • noodles
  • cup-a-soups
  • fruit cups 
  • biscuits 
  • muesli bars 
  • Le Snacks Dippits 
  • individual serve tuna 
  • popper juices

Jane Sulis
Outreach Coordinator