The feast of the Assumption of Mary (15 August), was celebrated at SSC with two Masses catering for K-5 and 6-12 students respectively. This most important feast day in the Catholic calendar was an opportunity to reflect on Mary’s strength and the power of her witness. In the Magnificat which we heard in the Gospel of the day, Mary extols how God is saving us by turning the world on its head: where “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty”. This understanding of justice for the powerless and the poor is fundamental to Catholic social teaching, and is at odds with much of what we see and hear in the contemporary world. It is a reminder that being a Catholic is not meant to make us feel comfortable or smug but to challenge us to live in ways consistent with the gospel. It is the combined effort of many members of staff that is responsible for our beautiful and reflective liturgies. I take this opportunity to thank all of those staff across the College for this significant contribution to the religious dimension of the students’ education beyond the formal curriculum. I particularly thank Mrs Kerrie Ninni, a former Santa Sabina Visual Arts teacher, now one of our regular casual teachers, for her beautiful painting of Mary portrayed on a banner in the chapel, as well as on the liturgy booklet.
I spoke at the College dinner about a sample of the lively, exciting examples of student learning that I had the chance to see over the past week. On the 6-12 campus I went from the future to the past, as I opened the Year 10 STEAM conference, before popping into the Year 8 Medieval Day. The connection between each of these seemingly disparate experiences is the notion of “immersion”. Students learn by doing – we all learn by doing. Our Deeper Learning Days such as this particular one allow for extended and extensive learning that cannot be achieved in a typical timetabled class. For the Year 10 students there were opportunities for hands-on workshops with experts in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The experts included professionals but also university students, including Santa Sabina graduates. The presentations in the lecture theatre enabled students to see the varied and diverse scientific pathways beyond narrow stereotypical images.
The Year 8 Medieval Day has been a long-time favourite at the College. It is a whole day of learning about life in the medieval age, complete with dress-ups, a banquet, stories, and historical information entertainingly delivered by medieval specialist James Adams.
In the primary years, Year 1 had an early start last Thursday travelling into the city to perform their first instrumental gig as opening act for the ACEL (Australian Council for Educational Leaders) Early Childhood Conference. On stage at the Hilton, our young musicians dazzled the 300 or so conference delegates with their skillful playing of violins and cellos. The performance was precise and playful, with our students showcasing musical confidence and capabilities during this authentic learning experience. After the performance, students enjoyed a well-deserved picnic in Hyde Park where they appreciated the sounds of buskers and even gave positive feedback to their fellow musicians. Our students now have a sound understanding of how sound check and green rooms work and are looking forward to their next gig!
Last Friday a group of Santa Sabina Makers from Years 3-5 took the stage at the Young Creators Conference held at the Powerhouse Museum. With a focus on the Maker Movement, Project Based Learning and STEM innovation, this event was a unique learning experience for our makers to connect with like-minded peers from other schools, sharing ideas and exchanging feedback on each other’s projects. Our Year 3 and 4 makers worked through the Stanford d. school Design Thinking process to guide their inquiry as they explored the challenges and complexities of Change Makers and Game Changers across a range of discovery areas including technology, architecture, engineering, mathematics, and medicine. Our makers used a range of tools like robotics, micro bits, littlebits and their coding, web design skills to create an interactive artefact to reflect their enduring understanding of the chosen discovery area. Some projects included 3D designs of sustainable housing, an online museum, interactive board game, robotics mazes and flashing heartbeats. Year 5 makers also demonstrated their innovative maker skills, with three groups presenting their STEM Video Game Challenge Designs on the theme of Transformation. Our tech-savvy Year 5 Tech Girls Team presented their pitch and demo video of an app they created that aims to improve student wellbeing and health. Museum visitors, commended our students on their depth of knowledge and understanding about the processes and potential of their projects, especially noting the language of a “growth mindset” where our students were confidently embracing failures and challenges as part of the learning process.
Finally, I was delighted to join Sharon Portlock last night at the IPSHA (Independent Primary Schools Heads Association) Performing Arts Festival for the combined creative and performing arts concert at Sydney Town Hall. Over 100 of our students from Years 2 to 6 performed a challenging and exciting repertoire, and were also part of the combined choral and orchestral items along with students from six other schools. Congratulations to all teachers and students involved. In the words of appreciation to staff, Ms Danielle Abbott, Coordinator of Primary Music, writes, “It’s your dedication and belief in our students (and the importance of music for our children) that has created such lovely performances, but more importantly, such a lovely feeling of community!”
Remembering the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary this week, we pray:
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
