From the P&F Association

Welcome to Term 2! We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and a restful break. The P&F Committee has been working tirelessly to organise a number of events for the Santa Sabina community.

This term has started with a bang, from the Mother’s Day Breakfast, the Mother’s Day Luncheon and to the incredible and creative entries that were received for the Easter Art Fundraiser Competition. It has been so busy that we have yet to catch our breath!

Mother’s Day Week of Events

Yet another very successful Mother’s Day week has come and gone. The Mother’s Day Stall and Breakfast could not have happened without the months of planning and hard work of the P&F committee, school staff and our wonderful volunteers in assisting putting these events together. 

A special acknowledgement goes to the Mother’s Day Committee and Sub-Committee who gave up their time to purchase and wrap the presents for the mums, grandmothers, aunties and all mother figures in our children’s lives and also to those who volunteered in the morning helping serve breakfast. We cannot do what we do without the hard work and commitment of our volunteers.

A big thank you goes to our sponsor Primo Foods, who again generously catered for the Mother’s Day breakfast. Due to their support and generosity, the P&F is able to donate $1000 to the Parramatta Women’s Shelter as a token of our appreciation and to be able to help a very worthy local organisation with financial assistance.

Special Mother’s Day Raffle Thank You

The Mother’s Day Raffle was a tremendous success, raising close to $4,000 thanks to the generous support of our community! Congratulations to all of the lucky raffle winners, be sure to collect your prizes if you haven’t already done so.

Lastly, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who generously donated prizes for the Mother’s Day Raffle:

  • Betty Pardalis
  • La Prairie
  • FY Smile
  • Stacey D’Amico
  • Putney Dental Care
  • Wellness Local Mortlake
  • Combine Air Concord
  • MCo Beauty
  • Limp in Leap Out Physiotherapy
  • Heidi Curran
  • Adore Me Hair and Beauty
  • The Athletic Buddha
  • Iris Li – Westfield Vouchers

P&F Term 2 General Meeting

The next Parents and Friends (P&F) General Meeting is coming up and we would love to see as many of you there as possible!

🗓 Date: Wednesday 28 May 2025

⏰ Time: 6:30pm

📍 Location: Benincasa, Senior Campus, Santa Sabina College

The meeting will include a set agenda with an opportunity to meet the P&F Executive Committee Members and Parent Representatives for 2025.

Any items of General Business for the meeting (including questions for the Executive) should be sent no later than 12:00 noon on Wednesday 21 May. Please contact Mary Reyes at secretary@ssc.nsw.edu.au if you have any items of General Business to be included on the meeting agenda. Your involvement makes a real difference, and together, we can achieve wonderful things for our school and our children.

Trivia Night – 13 June 2025

Our annual Trivia night is on 13 June 2025. This year’s theme is Freaky Friday! It’s going to be a night full of laughs, games and lots of fun. YouPizza will supply us with the pizza on the night. BYO drinks. Start collating your teams and may the best dressed table win!! Trybooking link will be emailed shortly.

Warm regards

P&F Executive Committee

Past events

Mother’s Day Breakfast

On behalf of all the SSC Families and the P&F, a big thank youto all those who volunteered to help make the Mother’s Day Breakfast a huge success. These events don’t happen on their own and we couldn’t have done it without you!

Mother’s Day Lunch & Raffle

The Mother’s Day lunch was a wonderful afternoon spent with our school mum and some of our own mums. It allowed us to pause, reflect and just enjoy the flow of food, drinks and great company.

A special thank you to all the donors, Ecco Restaurante and the Mother’s Day Committee. The lunch and raffle was a perfect ending to cap off an amazing week of appreciation for mother’s and mother figures in our community!

Upcoming dates – Year Group Catch-Ups

Year Group Catch-Ups

Keep an eye out for your year group catch-ups for this term. The year group reps are organising the next round of gathering which we will circulate shortly.

Year 3

Past events

Year 2 & 4 Catch-up

Parent Education – Debra Brodowski

Inclusive and Supportive School Environment

School is a wonderful place to make friendships, learn, and stretch the comfort zone of the young person in your life. One of the more current ways that this is occurring is through providing opportunities for mentoring and peer support across different year groups. In our own community we see this through the formation of buddies across different year groups, as well as the use of vertical homerooms in the high school.

Interacting with peers from different age groups helps students develop a sense of belonging that transcends traditional grade boundaries. The benefits of these approaches can be seen in the development of your young person in many ways:

  • Building confidence: Younger students gain reassurance knowing they have older peers to turn to for guidance, while older students develop self-assurance by taking on leadership roles. This mutual exchange bolsters confidence on both sides, empowering students to engage fully in their academic and social lives.
  • Enhancing efficacy beliefs: Cross-age interactions provide real-life opportunities for students to witness and participate in problem-solving, decision-making, and goal-setting. Younger students observe older peers navigating challenges, which demonstrates the attainability of success. Older students, in turn, reinforce their efficacy beliefs by serving as role models and realizing their capacity to contribute positively to others’ experiences.
  • Promoting wellbeing: Having students interact within different age groups can help promote feelings of security, reduce feelings of isolation, and strengthen social ties. These interactions help students feel valued and understood, contributing to greater emotional stability and mental health. Having a diverse network of peers ensures that students have access to support and friendship, even during difficult times.

Supporting your young person in connecting and maintaining these networks is a wonderful way for parents and caregivers to nurture these relationships, and these can create other opportunities for informal cross grade support networks to be created. Supporting your young person with these can be done in a number of ways:

  • Encourage participation in school programs: Encouraging your young person to actively participate in these initiatives can help them build meaningful relationships beyond their immediate peer group.
  • Foster open communication: Create an environment at home where your young person feels comfortable discussing their experiences and interactions with peers from different age groups. This can help you understand how they are benefiting from these connections and offer guidance when needed.
  • Role model inclusive behaviour: Our young people often mirror the behaviour of adults around them. By demonstrating respect and inclusivity in your own interactions, you can inspire your young person to adopt similar attitudes in their peer relationships.

By actively supporting and encouraging these interactions, you can help your young person cultivate a sense of belonging, develop essential life skills, and build a strong foundation for emotional and social growth.