Head of Gioia House

As we come to the end of yet another bustling school term, it’s time to take a step back and reflect on the remarkable efforts and accomplishments of our students over the past nine weeks. Santa Sabina College is a unique place where students immerse themselves in rich academic, pastoral, and co-curricular experiences.

Congratulations to all students for their unyielding commitment to learning and enthusiastic participation in a spectrum of sports, music, and co-curricular programs within and outside of the College. Our spirits soared witnessing all of the Gioia House students come alive on stage during the College Gala concert this week. It was more than just a concert, it was a symphony of world-class performances, where every student stepped into the spotlight. The air was filled with the harmonious chords of instruments, the melodic echoes of singing, and the rhythmic sway of dancing. With numerous Gioia House students taking part in multiple performances throughout the night, the Gala was an exemplary display of the collective talent of our students and music faculty, serving as a source of immense joy for everyone.

This week marked another noteworthy event as the students of Gioia House showcased their musical talents during the instrumental concerts. The event served as a wonderful platform for the students to demonstrate their growth and progress. It warmed our hearts to see the beaming faces of families, taking delight in the music and celebrating their children’s expanding musical talents.

This term in Gioia House, we embraced the themes of compassion and acts of kindness, recognising their vital role in cultivating and sustaining positive relationships. Our students have been actively encouraged to explore these qualities by initiating conversations with peers from different classes, promoting inclusivity in discussions and decision-making processes, and fostering a welcoming atmosphere through simple gestures such as a smile or a heartfelt ‘Hello.’ They have also been urged to be attentive to the needs of others and to always employ truthful and kind words.

To reinforce this culture of kindness, we invite you to continue fostering these values at home, emphasising the universal benefits we all gain from nurturing a kinder, more empathetic world.

Parent-Teacher-Student Meetings

Our recent parent-teacher-student interviews proved to be a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. The teachers and students undertook considerable preparation to ensure the insights shared during these meetings were both enlightening and beneficial. Our aim was for students to feel empowered while recognising their hard work and achievements and for parents to leave with an understanding of your child’s academic and pastoral progress thus far this year. We deeply appreciate your pivotal role in this educational partnership and encourage your active engagement. Please feel free to reach out to your daughter’s class teacher should you require any further information or wish to share any insights.

Semester 1 Reports

By this time, you should have received your daughter’s Semester 1 reports that allow us to honour her learning journey. We invite you to read the teachers’ observations and celebrate your child’s accomplishments. Furthermore, we encourage a collaborative approach towards any proposed recommendations to further enhance your child’s progress.

Junior Ethics Olympiad

Our young philosophers recently took part in the Junior Ethics Olympiad. This unique platform provided our students with an excellent opportunity to navigate the challenging yet fascinating world of ethical dilemmas. It was a great experience for the participants, as they exercised their critical thinking skills, embraced collaborative discussions, and explored varied ethical perspectives. The passion and diligence demonstrated by our students were truly remarkable, making it a day of valuable learning and intellectual growth. We congratulate all participants for their commitment to lunchtime training and commendable performance, and we look forward to more such enriching experiences in the future. I also want to acknowledge all the hard work of the Senior student coaches – Kate Fernandez, Emily Hirschhorn, Lucy Gee and Rochelle Dias – who generously shared their time and expertise with the Gioia House teams.

Congratulations to the Ethic Olympiad teams for receiving an Honourable Mention from the judges.

Emilia Srdanovic
Sienna Pirina
Rachel Michael
Elizabeth Saade
Ciara Darlow
Charlotte Esber
Louise Thill
Annabelle Stack
Sophie May
Michelle Ho
Jamie Kordian
Audrey Bargh

Reading in Gioia House

At Gioia House, we acknowledge the power of words and the transformative effect of reading. To foster a lifelong love for reading and to enhance our students’ reading abilities, we have introduced sustained reading into our curriculum. To deepen our interdisciplinary learning, we’ve incorporated reading into our various units of study, blending academic enrichment with literary enjoyment. Our unique ‘Year 6 Accendo’ reading program further offers students the chance to dive into a diverse range of genres, igniting curiosity and fostering deeper comprehension through guided book discussions.

Ensuring the continuity of our students’ reading habits during school breaks is crucial in fostering their growth. As parents, your role in encouraging reading and sparking thoughtful conversations about their books can significantly enhance this process.

To truly appreciate the impact of these initiatives, let’s hear from our Year 6 students about their transformative reading journeys this semester.

My reading sustainability has improved from reading only five pages to finishing the whole book. I used to only use three minutes to read a bit of pages and leave the book one the shelf, but now, since I have found a type of genre I enjoy, I can finally take my time to finish the book. When I was younger, I tend to miss words, sentences, or even paragraphs and pages but I think I improved on not skipping these bits of texts. I am not very good at comprehension but over the years, I have made progress, and I think that I have enhanced my skills on understanding.

Since participating in Accendo reading program, I have improved my reading and I am reading more books. I have also been more drawn into reading books. Reading books also helped me calm down so I do read a bit more when I do need to calm down. I have also found more books that I am interested and I have found more complex words that help my writing. My comprehension has improved because of all the new complex words I have learnt. Also in my free time or when I’m bored instead of staying on my phone all the time I would pick up a book and read a book that I enjoy instead of staying on a device.

Participating in Accendo has improved my reading a lot and I also love reading murder mysteries. I love reading more than I did last year because I figured out that reading is fun and not as boring as it was last year. Coming to Santa Sabina has helped me read more because of how good the library is here. I read a lot more now and I read everyday and I have improved so much from last year. Doing more reading has helped me become better at comprehension tasks as well.

My reading has improved much more as I’m starting to read a lot more. Reading this semester helped me with learning bigger words and how to spell them. Comprehension has also been way easier. My understanding of reading is easy now that I can write more. Also I have found more books that I like to read which makes it more fun.

At the start of the school year, my average reading time was around 20-30 minutes. This was due to not finding the perfect book and not being interested in the book. However, throughout the semester, my reading time has increased from 30 minutes to 2 hours of sustained reading. I normally read on weekends or in my spare time. I believe that my sustained reading has improved because I have found the right book for me which is packed with mystery and crime. I am currently reading two books, The January Stars (as part of my Accendo) and The Chronicles of Narnia. Both of these books are packed with mystery and conflict.

My reading sustainability has improved because of all the reading I do after lunch time. It also improved because of the books we read in English like Blueback and Snowy. Accendo also helps me because we are reading books that I might not read but have to read for homework and need to understand the story. I also like Accendo because after we read bits at a time my group talks about what happens in the book and I get to understand the story even better than before. All these thing have helped me build my reading skills.

Last year reading was more encouraged for homework instead of reading for pleasure, and it would take me a whole term to finish a 200-page long book. Now I have discovered genres and types of books I find more entertaining, and I usually finish my books in two weeks. Now I read for enjoyment as a source to relax and escape devices. It used to be quite a challenge to keep reading consistently and sustain reading each day, but now I feel more motivated to keep reading and find the book more enjoyable. Reading a class novel together helps everyone share what they discovered and encountered in the book that some people needed help understanding. So the idea of the book is summarised to everyone’s understanding.

I used to read friendship and mystery books, but now I have switched to reading murder mystery books. I really enjoy this genre because there is so much potential to keep me reading the book, there is a book I’m reading called ‘A good girl’s Guide to Murder’ solving a case with a huge plot twist. This book I’m reading at home because I’m given more time to do it there. The books I read at school are more fiction, such as the book I read at school is ‘Anne of the green gables’, which is interesting because it is set a very long time ago (the 1900s) and keeps me intrigued. At the start of the term, I didn’t really like going to Accendo, but now I love Accendo because it allows me to try new genres, and the more I read books, the more it helps me improve in other things, such as reading music!

Stella Azizian
Head of Gioia House

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Gioia House staff and Music Teachers for their dedication and investments in ensuring high-quality teaching and learning occur. I thank you for your partnership and wish you all a restful break.

CALENDAR DATES

23 June – Last day of Term 2
18 July – First Day of Term 3
28 July – St Dominic’s Day. Students finish school at 12:45pm
10 August – Year 6 Excursion to NSW Parliament House
25 August STEM Gala Day
13-15 September – Year 6 Outdoor Education Experience at Tallong

We have fun while learning.