Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to the 2017 academic year at Santa Sabina College. We are very excited to welcome our students from Years 1-12 on Tuesday 31 January, and Prep and Kindergarten on 1 February. Heads of School will communicate with you about all things ‘back to school’.
If you have joined the College for the first time this year, please be assured that you are joining a warm, generous and supportive community of parents. The partnership between our parents and staff enables us to foster exceptional educational opportunities for students from Prep to Year 12.
I also welcome all new staff to our community. Mrs Carmelina Eussen is the new Head of School Years 6-12. Carmelina is a highly experienced educator and leader within Catholic education, and will add significant depth to the leadership of the College. You will have the opportunity to meet her and other staff at a number of events this term, particularly at Tallong Open Day on Sunday 5 February, and P-12 House liturgies and suppers on the following dates: Tuesday 7 February for Kurrawa and Teangi Houses; Wednesday 15 February for Weelya and Gunagulla; Tuesday 21 February for Yetinga and Mundawora Houses. All new staff will be formally introduced in the first edition of Veritas Voice.
It is now my fifth year as College Principal, and I feel very privileged to lead this great school and to do so with tremendous support from the College Board, the Dominican Sisters, Executive team, and staff. Our strategic intent is to foster the Dominican charism, to thrive academically, and to grow sustainably, and we see this reflected every day in the achievements and character of our students. I have attached a ‘snapshot’ of the College strategy, and will refer to it throughout the year. We use the strategy to inform our goals and plans for each year, and hope to engage parents further in the implementation of it. One very visible sign of strategic improvement is the commencement of the transformation of the Hall precinct into the Siena Centre. The very first stage of the development of the landscaped amphitheatre is underway and scheduled for completion before St Dominic’s Day this year. Less visible but equally important is the completion of the restoration of the sandstone façade of Holyrood. We are very appreciative of those who contributed to the annual campaign last year to help complete this $300,000 project.
Our strategic focus on ‘discerning scholarship’ is important for the youngest students as well as our HSC students. A detailed report on the HSC results and those of other year groups will appear in the upcoming Santa Scholars publication. Some HSC highlights include:
- diversity of success with Band 6 results across 35 different courses
- inclusion of 35 accelerants from Year 11 undertook one or more HSC courses
- impact of targeted improvement strategies for Mathematics and Science resulting in a substantial number of students achieving in the highest band.
- results of English Advanced students in 2016 surpassed those of previous years with 25% achieving a Band 6.
- inclusion in HSC showcases for Music (Michelle Mutyora) and Design & Technology (Monica Carollo).
- continued outstanding success in Languages with top 10 places in 4 courses in NSW: Italian continues 2nd, Italian beginners 5th, Japanese continues 4th and French Beginners 5th.
In relation to ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank), there was also significant improvement at the highest end with 9 students achieving an ATAR of 98 and over, compared to 3 students in 2015; 24 students scored an ATAR of 95 or over; and 43 students or 33% of our Year 12 cohort scored an ATAR of 90 or over.
As a Catholic Dominican school, particularly in these uncertain times, we have a responsibility to be hope-filled, and share the good news of the gospel with our students. We need to share our gospel stories with vibrancy and confidence. Our faith tradition can be a source of great strength for students as they seek the truth in a so-called ‘post-truth’ world. Our Dominican charism impels us to be seekers of truth – Veritas – in all that we do. To that end, it is not just something that happens in a Religious Education class or during a retreat.
One very special way we are endeavouring to be truth seekers in a contemporary way is through the establishment of our Veritas Centre for justice, ethics and interfaith engagement. We began tentatively last year but are committed to growing and enlivening student engagement, discussions, debate and activism in matters of concern to them and to our community as a whole. The idea of the Veritas Centre builds on a fine tradition at Santa Sabina College. It was in 1994 that Sister Judith Lawson OP led the community in developing a model of Education for Justice. This model saw all areas of College life as contexts for Education for Justice. In a similar way, the Veritas Centre will resonate and reverberate in the classroom, in the playground, on the sporting field and in the orchestra as we strive to sing a new song, or indeed hear the same song in new ways.
As my former Santa Sabina Principal Sister Mary Britt OP wrote, ‘Truth and justice are inseparable. When one is denied, the other is betrayed. Both challenged our pioneers and the challenge continues’ (Dominican Approaches to Education, 2nd Ed, 2014, p. 431).
May God bless our students, staff and families as we commence this new year with hope and conviction.
Yours sincerely
Dr Maree Herrett
