F R O M T H E C O L L E G E P R I N C I PA L
Coming together as a community again
T
Contents
College Principal............................. 1
Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award........................ 13
Digging in at Del Monte...................................... 27
New community friend..................... 2
Senior student leaders.................. 14
Harmony Day................................ 28
Career Women’s Network................ 4
Service and Community................ 16
The awesome IB PYP.................... 30
Gioia House.................................... 6
Exemplary Dominican.................... 18
Mary Bailey House........................ 32
Unforgettable experiences............... 8
Mission.......................................... 20
Primary Years Library.....................34
Gala concert.................................. 10
Sporting showcase........................ 22
P&F Association............................ 36
Drama showcase........................... 12
A new appointment for Primary...... 26
Around the Plot............................. 38 Back Cover: 2022 Calendar Dates
ENCOMPASS 2021
EDITOR Victoria Harper DESIGNER Claudia De Giorgi COVER IMAGE College Principal Paulina Skerman with Casper CONTRIBUTORS George Ayoub • Stella Azizian • Jackie Baxter • Marisa Black • Karen Campbell • Belinda Civitarese • Timothy Chung • Nicole Ellis-Windsor • Yvette Graniero • Victoria Harper • Christina Higgins • Simon Mariner • Sharon Sirris • Paulina Skerman • Jane Sulis •Melanie van der Meer • Christopher Walker • Brian Walker
Encompass is published by Santa Sabina College. 90 The Boulevarde Strathfield 2135. The entire content is the exclusive copyright of Santa Sabina College, PHONE 9745 7000 WEBSITE ssc.nsw.edu.au
he year 2021 started off well and we all thought we had turned a corner and that our COVID woes were behind us. Assemblies were back on, school functions were in full swing, parents were able to come back to the school grounds, sport had returned and camps at Tallong were up and running. We even launched our very first Career Women’s Network breakfast, thrilled that alumna Dr Cathy Foley AO, Australia’s Chief Scientist, was able to present the keynote address. And, we hosted the Gala Concert at the Sydney Town Hall. This was my first Gala experience and I sat in awe of the majesty before me; children making music as good as any world class performers. We made it through to Easter before COVID once again turned our world upside down. As quickly as you could say jiminy cricket we had to move to remote, online learning. Again, this happened seamlessly and our teachers did the extraordinary, keeping our young people engaged in their learning in this remote environment. This dragged on throughout Term 3 and it was a particularly stressful time for our Year 12 students who were constantly challenged with shifting dates and deadlines. Would the HSC proceed? If so, when? It was tough going but we made it through to the other side. As I write this Sydney is reopening and in the next few weeks the HSC and IB exams will happen. Leaving my Ugg boots behind and stepping back into my stilettos has been a welcome relief as we return to living life to the full again! There is a renewed hope in the air and a heady feeling of excitement as we welcome our students back to our gorgeous grounds. There is no doubt that we all experienced some form of loss during our time in isolation. Whether we missed celebrating birthdays with friends and family or weddings or being able to say goodbye to a loved one when they passed away, or missing that last day of school milestone with our friends, it’s likely that we all felt pain somewhere. Returning to school, we all know how important it is to acknowledge the losses that our students and colleagues experienced. Coming together as a community again offers us the best possible way to recover. We will also cheer for the fact that we got through it! We made it to the other side and many of us learnt about hidden strengths within ourselves along the way. The COVID lockdown likely presented many of us with opportunities we may never have again, like saving an hour a day in travel time before and after work to go for a walk, or giving us time to linger a little longer over a morning coffee with a loved one. Perhaps it was creating gourmet meals you didn’t
know you could prepare or growing a fabulous garden with produce to feed the whole family. For me, the silver lining was the time I could give to welcoming a puppy into my home and preparing him to join our school community as our wellbeing dog. The profound psychological effects of having a pet are well reported. They make us feel calmer, less anxious and more loved. And, it is well documented that blood pressure drops immediately on petting a dog! For children the benefits are improved emotional, cognitive, behavioural, educational and social development. So Casper has joined our school family. He stood with me at the gates to welcome our youngest back to school after lockdown. Their joy and excitement at seeing him and cuddling him was magical and on his first day at work he did his job well, reducing anxiety levels and sharing the love. The pandemic has certainly turned us upside down and inside out but it has also given us hope that when bad things happen we know that we can get through them and along the way, we adapt to not only survive, but thrive. PAULINA SKERMAN College Principal
ENCOMPASS 2021
3
