P&F Committee at the Welcome Picnic
Supporting the
DIO COMMUNITY T
he year 2020 has certainly been one we will not forget as we have all worked together to manage daily challenges and in turn have grown stronger within our communities.
In Term 3, I was asked by a Junior School teacher to prepare a short video clip for her class on the Dio community. As part of their PYP learning, they were investigating what makes a community, and so I was to reflect on what the Dio community used to be like when I attended school many years ago. What once would have been a parent visit to the classroom to share some stories of days gone by was now a video presentation. Technology and lockdowns to be considered, the Dio 64
DIO TODAY
community is already vastly different to how it was – not just a generation ago, but even a year ago. Nonetheless, I sent along my thoughts to the girls, sharing memories of the landscape of the School and how it has changed and what the Dio community means to me.
Most Old Girls will remember at some time taking the plunge into the freezing outdoor pool, the icy cold concrete changing sheds bordering the sports field, playing field hockey on a field, and a very wee tuck shop seemingly always surrounded by seagulls. Memories need not stretch back that far to remember when teachers battled for parking spaces on the side streets, the rose garden was well out of sight, and our beautiful Chapel was hidden by temporary music classrooms. How
indeed the landscape has changed! The plan that began with the development of the Dawn Jones Sports Centre over 30 years ago, has since seen the rise of numerous buildings, including Centennial Building, the Aquatic Centre, the hockey turf, and of course the Arts Centre. This well laid-out plan of development and growth is one the Dio community can be immensely proud of, for though these buildings are not the community, they are the foundations that foster the community and were built through the efforts of many. Buildings and facilities are not the true community I think of when recollecting the school I once attended, and I hope are not what my daughters will think of when they too reflect upon their school days. For me, it was always the
