Our Principal

Ms Kate Clancy, College Principal

College Principal, Ms Kate Clancy commenced her leadership of the College in 2008.

Ms Clancy has brought to our community a breadth of experience and wisdom as a highly regarded educational leader. She also has a great understanding of our Dominican heritage, both as a Dominican ex- student and a previous member of the Dominican Education Council.

Prior to joining us at Santa Ms Clancy’s most recent leadership position was as the Interim Regional Director of the Inner West Region of the Catholic Education Office Sydney, where she had responsibility for 10 secondary Schools and 38 primary schools. She is a previous Principal of two primary schools. Her academic qualifications include a Masters in Education, a Masters in Professional Ethics and a Graduate Diploma in Religious Education.

Ms Clancy says she came to the College aware of ‘its fine reputation in educational circles for its commitment to the traditions and values of the Dominican Congregation, to the promotion of, and education for justice, to personal excellence and the nurturing of right relationships. Santa’s is a story steeped in the history of courageous women who responded to a need and engendered a sense of service which we carry on today; a story which had its beginnings in troubled times 800 years ago and which still has relevance as we face the challenges of our times.’

In terms of her vision for the future, she believes that the impact of societal change on the world of the 21st century is having a profound effect upon the nature of our students’ learning. ‘We are in exciting times in education. As a result of the advances in the sciences, our understanding of intelligence, the nature of learning and the learner are challenged.’ Ms Clancy believes that such change has profound implications for schools and that the purpose of schooling needs to be ‘re-imagined’.

Given this context, Ms Clancy emphasises the commitment of Santa Sabina College to provide schooling which is appropriate for the 21st century, so that our learners are enabled to continuously transform their understanding of themselves and their worlds and use this understanding to face the challenges and possibilities of their lives.
‘The world our children are growing up in will be different, and we need to educate them for their future, not our past. They need schools that respect their talents, develop their creativity and work with them. Learning experiences that converge living and working, and which help young people make sense of the world, as well as providing a moral compass, are vital.’

Ms Clancy has been quick to embrace the College commitment to ‘inspire young minds and shape the future’. She says she has been particularly struck by the words of a 1958 Constitution of the Dominican Sisters, which speak of the role of the teacher in training the child for independent life as leading them to ‘an intelligent use of liberty’. This is the challenge which she has taken up here at Santa Sabina College, believing that ‘in partnership with the staff and parents, and with God’s grace invigorating our imagination, together we are exploring new ways of educating the present generation of students and those to come.’