Mission

Events for the community

We hosted a number of highly successful events during the first half of the year and launched more ways to stay connected such as year group specific WhatsApp groups and welcome packs for new families. We kicked off the year with a Primary Years Picnic which was the first time in 12 months many parents had been able to visit the grounds in person. We also had the opportunity to launch the first ever Welcome High Tea, held at Doltone House in the city. This event was a beautiful opportunity for parents, their daughters and members of the Santa Sabina community to come together and meet other families. We can’t wait to do it all again next year.

This year, pleasingly, we were able to host the College Mother’s Day Breakfast for our mothers and their children with enormous support from our fathers. Our Mother’s Day Lunch was a sell out yet again. This is definitely the highlight of the event season with so many opportunities for past, current and future Santa Sabina mothers to be celebrated in a beautiful setting. For the first time we were able to offer College merchandise which was so successful that we sold out.

We were able to gather in Term 2 at Strathfield Golf Club for a trivia night, another sold out event! We were joined by ex-students along with many supporters of the College both local and from around Sydney. It was a fun night for the wider community and also a fantastic distribute for the P&F even during tough times.

Although the health restrictions placed on us in June meant that all further fundraising opportunities and events would be postponed until 2022, including our two major fundraisers, we are so proud to have been able to distribute over $100,000 to be donated to the College to enrich the education of the students, highlighting the resilience and generosity of our community during trying times. This includes over $12,000 to purchase innovative educational robotics equipment and other resources for the senior students.

With the end of yet another year comes the opportunity to thank some wonderful people who have helped shape the P&F during 2021. Firstly, I would like to thank the outgoing P&F Executive members, Elena Ierado (Vice-President Senior Years) and Melanie Burnicle (Secretary) for all their tireless work, support and friendship they have shown our community during their service on the P&F Executive. I would also like to thank all those volunteers who helped out at our various events this year including all the dads who volunteered for the Mother’s Day Breakfast. Thank you Kathy Gittani and Viktoria Abraham and all the mums who made the Mother’s Day stall a huge success along with everyone on the College Dinner Committee for all their hard work. Without these wonderful people P&F events and initiatives would not be able to happen.

Finally, a big thank you to all the unsung heroes of 2021, the College teaching, corporate and support staff who showed up day after day helping parents and carers through yet another lockdown with their children. Thank you for your commitment to our children and their outcomes in 2021.

BELINDA CIVITARESE

President Opposite page: Mother’s Day lunch. Above: Scenes from the Senior High Tea, Del Monte Welcome, Gioia House Welcome and the Colour Fun Run from late 2020.

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From the President

Above: Celebrating the centenary of the Santa Sabina College Ex-Students’ Association in April were College Principal Paulina Skerman and Ex-Students’ Association President Sharon Sirris. D espite the significant restrictions that COVID19 has brought upon our community in the last 12 months, the Ex-Students’ Association continues to be involved in College life and in the wider community.

In 2020 the Association presented each member of the Class of 2020 and the graduating Year 4 boys with a gift and a certificate acknowledging their membership of the Ex-Students’ Association.

After many years as President I stepped down at our Annual General Meeting but was pleased to welcome our new President, Elizabeth Pooley (1971), other new committee members as well as Sr Pauline O’Reilly OP in the position of Dominican Liaison, representing the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands.

The year 2021 marks the centenary of the Association. We celebrated this with a special liturgy and a fabulous garden party in the College grounds on 11 April. There were over 160 people present including past and present students of our College and of other Dominican schools from around Australia. At this event the Association launched the sale of the Ex-Students’ commemorative centenary rose.

In May we saw the opportunity for the Association to be involved in the College’s breakfast event to launch the Career Women’s Network for senior students. We were delighted to be able to assist with the catering costs of the event and have so many ex-students present who advised current students about their careers.

On behalf of the Santa Sabina Ex Students’ committee I wish all readers of Encompass a safe and happy remainder of 2021 and a brighter 2022.

SHARON SIRRIS (CROWE-MAI 1975) President 2015-2021