Principal’s Report

Welcome back all our students and families to the 2021 academic school year.  In particular, a warm and sincere St Dominic’s College welcome to all our new students and their families.  May your time here at St Dominic’s College be filled with the love and grace of our Lord and that the journey is one of hope, compassion and success.  Each new year brings new beginnings, new goals, new hopes, new expectations and a renewed commitment in the hope of continuing to become a better person. Making positive choices is the key to a successful year and to becoming the gentlemen we all aspire to become.

Our current COVID-19 challenges continue to evolve with government legislation determining much of how we can interact with members of our community.  The College will endeavour to keep you abreast of all the COVID-19 health and safety requirements.  Recently, we have been informed that we are able to have a limited number of parents on site which has been extremely well received as we prepare for our Opening College Mass and Blessing of College student leaders, the “Surviving the HSC’ Parent workshop and the Year 7 Opening Liturgy and Meet the Teacher Information Evening.  These valued events will hopefully help us in returning to some ‘normality’ as we commence the school year.  All events require rsvp, therefore, please ensure you enrol yourself to these and future events.

The College theme for 2021 is inspired by the EREA Touchstone “Justice and Solidarity” and Psalm 104. “Renew the Earth” challenges us to be agents of change committed to protecting and nurturing all of God’s creations.  It symbolises hope and change of how a community can contribute to a better world.  We can renew the earth by:

• Advocating for peace and justice
• Participating in service and solidarity in partnership with those on the margin
• Working with and learning from those on the margin, leading to mutual transformation
• Working with and walking alongside First Nation people promoting justice and reconciliation
• Demonstrating a deep reverence for the earth working towards a sustainable and regenerative future
• Recognising we are part of a global community
• Nurturing a culture of critical reflection and prayerful discernment in justice and peace matters

I encourage all our community to illuminate the goodness that lives within all our hearts by finding their voice as they renew the earth and making it a better place, now and for the future.  It will be challenging, but we are a strong community that listens to the cries of the marginalised and respond faithfully to their call. 

As a community we continue to have a co-responsibility in:

• providing a positive environment
• developing right relationships
• doing my personal best
• supporting my peers in their academic and cocurricula endeavours
• remaining faithful to the charism of Blessed Edmund Rice
• maintaining the history of the College
• making the world a better place

Let us be faithful to our co-responsibility in the formation of our sons and the continuation of the St Dominic’s College story. 

In 2021, the College will continue its strategic journey with the 2021 Annual Improvement Plan.  Being a watershed year, we have focused our attention to eight priority objectives from the plan.  These objectives will assist the College in their improvement agenda and lead us into the development of the next strategic plan. Click here to view the Annual Improvement Plan.

The 2020 Semester 2 Reports seem such a long time ago.  It is these reports that provide us with the opportunity to re-evaluate and realign our commitment to learning.  I strongly encourage all students to develop 2021 goals addressing the improvements they would like to see for themselves as they commence the academic year.  I would like to congratulate all students who received a DSE score of 100%.  This is an outstanding achievement.  These students will be recognised at future year meetings while I will be hosting the students as special guests at a luncheon this coming Friday.  Congratulations to all our high achieving students. 

Our commitment to sport, both internal and representative, will recommence in Term 1, however spectators have been forbidden from attending matches or carnivals. This will include the St Dominic’s Swimming Carnival scheduled for Tuesday, 23^rd February.  Mr Churchill, the Acting College Sports Coordinator will communicate the relevant safety measures before the commencement of representative sport and for the SDC Swimming Carnival. 

A reminder that all students who wish to represent the College, at any level, are required to have a DSE score of 80% or above and meet the general expectations of the College.  Students who are unable to follow these expectations may not be able to represent the College.  I would encourage all students to maintain diligence and sustained effort in their academic endeavours and the application to College life.

Even though, at the end of 2020, only three staff members resigned from their positions, we have several new staff and returning staff for the commencement of 2021.  We welcome the following staff members to our beautiful community:

Teaching 

Mr J. Phillips (Science/Visual Art/STEM) 

Mr  H. Tsahtarlis (TAS) 

Miss I. Kraim (Maths – Term 1) 

Mrs S. Anastasio (Languages) 

Mrs L. Nixon (Maths –Term 1) 

Mrs S. Herridge (English / Diverse Learning – Maternity Leave) 

Mr Tristan Lawler (HSIE / RE) 

Mr Jarrod Glass (Science – Maternity) 

Miss M. Gorham (HSIE/Finance Dept./Assistant Admin Co) 

Miss S. Hoang (Languages – Maternity Leave) 

Miss C. Martin (Diverse Learning – Term 1) 

Ms M. Robinson-Dawe (Embark and Diverse Learning) 

Non-Teaching 

Mr S. Ferrone (Accountant) 

Mr Z. Ryan (Diverse Learning – Teacher’s Aide) 

Mr E. McDonald (Diverse Learning – Teacher’s Aide) 

Mrs R. Nicotera (Finance) Temporary 

Mrs K. Jack (College Leadership Team Assistant) 

There are several changes to leadership roles within the College and some exciting new roles.  I would like to wish all those commencing new roles every success, in particular to Mr Jansz (Acting Deputy Principal) and Miss Day (Acting Director of Pastoral Care).  Both Mr Jansz and Miss Day are well known to our community and I am confident that they will do an outstanding job in these roles.  May the light of the Lord illuminate the path of all those joining our community as they journey with us in the formation of our young men.

I have included a list of all leadership positions for your referral. We wish all our leaders every success as they lead different domains of the College in support of our sons and their learning.

I look forward to working with your sons throughout the year and encouraging them to achieve their personal best in all matters associated with their learning and development.

Dominus Lux Mea

Mr M. Ronchetti

College Principal