2009: Term 2

Primary School Athletics Carnival

Students from the Primary School demonstrated their sporting prowess at their annual Athletics Carnival. This was a great community day for the College, with staff, students and parents all working together to support and encourage the children as they participated in their events.

Kindy Farm at Mary Bailey House

The children from the College’s Early Education Centre, Mary Bailey House, had a wonderful time up close with Kindy Farm animals recently. The children looked at the animals with amazement and wonder. They enjoyed patting and feeding them. Kindy Farm is an annual event at Mary Bailey House that provides our children with an authentic opportunity to explore and become familiar with farm animals.

Santa Fest

Santa Sabina College Strathfield may be a fair way from Bondi Beach, but that did not deter the lifeguards from hit TV show Bondi Rescue lending a helping hand as guest judges of Santa Sabina’s rendition of Thank God You’re Here, during the College’s Santa Fest activities. 

Santa Fest is a week of community events to raise funds for the College’s sister school, Holy Rosary Secondary School Montebello, in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa. There was busking, cake stalls, DJs, a raffle and movie afternoon during the week.

Four groups of Year 11 students have visited South Africa since 2005 as part of the College’s Social Justice Immersion program. A group of staff and students are preparing for this year’s trip.

Click here for local media coverage of Santa Fest.

Design & Technology Workshops with Sally Dominguez

Year 11 Design & Technology students recently attended a workshop facilitated by Australian inventor/designer Sally Dominguez. Sally is a well known identity in the field of design, she has been a judge of the Wheels Car of the Year awards and is a panel judge on the ABC’s New Inventors program. The workshop’s main focus was the importance of Communication and Presentation for designers. Through this inspiring workshop the students took home many useful skills that will enhance the development of the Minor Projects that Year 11 are currently designing, and the Major Projects that will be completed next year.

Festival of Music

Over 250 students battled nerves as they performed at the eighth annual Festival of Music. During a six week period, students from the Primary, Middle and Secondary School displayed their vocal, instrumental, and composition skills through a series of heats. Students who performed with distinction progressed to the Finalists’ Concert. Here, an external panel of judges awarded students who were skilled and engaging performers and demonstrated exceptional ability in the areas of personal expression and stylistic awareness. The Festival of Music plays a significant role in the College’s musical life.

Red Shield Appeal

The Chairman for the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal, Peter Smith, was delighted with the support of so many Santa Sabina students for the Door Knock on Sunday 24 May. Students collected donations from designated streets in Strathfield. The Salvation Army provides a range of services to anyone in need in the community, from family support to drug rehabilitation programs. Thank you to our students who gave up a Sunday morning sleep in, to support the work of “the Sallies”.

Baby Proms Concert

Children from Mary Bailey House Early Education Centre, the Catholic Centre for Hearing Impaired Children and Kindergarten students were treated to a magical music experience during the Baby Proms Concert. Under the baton of James Long (Director of Music) and the College Orchestra, the children were delighted to meet Thomas the Trumpet, Victor the Violin and Colin the Cello who entertained the children with classics like Star Wars, Bananas in Pyjamas and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. A highlight of the concert was when the children were given drums and tambourines to play along to the High School Musical excerpt, not to mention the opportunity to conduct the orchestra!

Da Vinci Decathlon 2009

Six teams of students from Years 7 - 10 entered the da Vinci Decathlon competition. The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic interschool gala day where teams of eight students from each year group compete against students from 40 other schools. The Decathlon is operated in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon and has a variety of events and timed challenges of an academic nature. The tasks are exciting and challenging with a particular emphasis on higher order thinking skills. Special mention goes to the Year 10 team members who achieved first place in the Art and Poetry challenge. The team was given 50 minutes to write a poem and create an integrated piece of artwork that explored the impact of technology on our lives.

Year 7 Medieval Day

Year 7 History students swapped their school uniform for gowns and crowns as they celebrated Medieval Day. Stepping back in time, they watched a medieval performance, were entertained by a jester and dined in medieval style, goblets and all! The day ended with medieval games like Blind Man’s Bluff and a fashion parade.

Primary School Building Fund

The College is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of funding from the Federal Government’s Primary Schools for the 21st Century Program for a building project at Santa Maria del Monte, the College’s Primary Campus.

As a College committed to providing future focused education for 21st century learners, the building project will enhance the provision of high quality learning resources for our children and provide additional amenities for community engagement.

The funding will allow for the creation of a multifunction Hall for community gatherings, exciting new learning studios and a new piazza-style outdoor gathering area.

Queen's Birthday Honour

We honour and congratulate our own Sr Judith Lawson OP, recently retired Principal of Santa Sabina College, who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on the June 8 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for services to education as Principal of Santa Sabina College, and through professional organisations. Sr Judith was an exceptional Principal over 21 years at Santa. Her significant leadership and contribution to the broader community are some of the highlights of her years of service to our community. Her work was more than a career or a vocation— it has been an exceptional model of outstanding service, of visionary leadership, compassion, action and humility, through which she earned the admiration and respect of so many. She has been an exceptional and visionary leader and an inspirational example to several generations of students.

Santa Sabina Student Starring at Sydney Film Festival

A Year 9 student is starring in 'Missing Water', created by former Young Australian of the Year Khoa Do. The film will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival. The student plays a naive and vulnerable 14 year old refugee girl escaping with her sister from Vietnam. The film is based on the stage play 'Mother Fish', in which she performed at the Riverside Theatre at Parramatta last year and in Geelong in March.

National Mathematics Day

National Mathematics Day was a chance for teachers and students to share and promote good mathematics teaching and learning with each other. Ken-Ken puzzles and parallel lines were popular on the Secondary Campus, while at Del Monte children worked in House groups to solve puzzles and enjoy games and activities on the computers and smartboards. Year 7 students enjoyed a full day of Mathematical challenges.

Middle & Secondary School Athletics Carnival

What an amazing day! Blessed with great weather students and staff shared the fun, excitement and competition of the carnival day again this year. The day was a great celebration of community spirit, friendship and the talents of our top athletes. The House Leaders did a fantastic job of rallying the students on the day and in the preceding weeks. It was also great to see a number of parents and other relatives and friends join in the spirit of the day.

Vocational Education

Students studying Entertainment and Business Services have already begun to participate in the work placement component of their courses. Girls in Year 11 studying Entertainment have been to companies such as events organisations and have been engaged in a range of practical activities to give them some experience of the realities of work in this industry. Year 12 students from the Business Services class have also attended work placements where they have demonstrated a range of office skills that are fundamental to the business environment.Work placement is a mandatory component of these courses and girls must complete 35 hours of work placement in both Year 11 and 12.

Year 12 Theme Launch

Year 12 09 students proudly carried out a surprise launch of their theme ‘Frontline 09’ amidst a flurry of cadet gear, matching T-shirts, drumming and marching. The performance of a dance specially choreographed for the day emphasised Year 12’s commitment to working together as a united and cohesive force, while the distribution of flowers represented their pledge to bring peace and happiness to those around them. Year 12 have a strong commitment as leaders in the College to caring for and serving the College community.

National Reconciliation Week

Santa Sabina College has a proud commitment to right relationships and Reconciliation. The College community gathered to acknowledge National Sorry Day. On the Primary Campus, Aboriginal Elder Aunty Ali, and artist Darren Bloomfield were guests. The students, and some children from the Early Education Centre Mary Bailey House, focused upon the ways in which Aboriginal people share their wisdom with all Australians and explored totems through puppets and art. The Middle and Secondary School students were joined by a group of boys from St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill and were inspired to ‘see the person, not the stereotype’.

ANZAC Day

Members of the College choir and orchestra, under the baton of College Director of Music Mr James Long combined with students from St Patrick’s College to provide the music for the ANZAC Commemoration Service hosted by the RSL and Combined Schools. This important occasion was attended by Premier Nathan Rees, Minister for Education and Training Verity Firth, and representatives from the RSL. A group of our History students joined with those from 100 other schools to lay a wreath at the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park.

Vive La France

During the Easter holidays, three teachers and 17 students who study French in Years 10 to 12 were given the opportunity to travel to France, and increase their level of knowledge about the language and the country. The group toured the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and attended daily language classes in Avignon, before continuing to the Loire Valley. Bike riding to view the sights of Paris, visiting the Louvre and Versailles were some of the trip’s final highlights.