Principal’s Weekly Address – Monday 5th February

Welcome back to 2018 especially to those families who join us for the first time.  I hope that all our students are well rested, re-focused and ready for a successful 2018.  A new year brings new opportunities, new experiences and new hope for a better future. 

The new year also brings four new staff members Mr D. D’Souza (EMBARK / English); Miss R. Simpson (Literacy / EMBARK); Miss M. Tahan (Science); Miss D. Kennett (Art/TAS) and Mrs J. Brien (Front office).  We welcome all our new staff to the St Dominic’s College family. The College mission, vision and learning statements continue to provide guidance for us in our annual improvement journey.  Our Learning Statement, in particular, reminds all our learners to strive to do their personal best and as a community is our responsibility to support each other in maintaining high standards and high expectations. 

As a learning community, we are committed to offering a quality contemporary Catholic education in the Blessed Edmund Rice tradition for all those that experience our community.  Staff, students and parents/guardians play an important role in the success of our mission, vision and learning statement.  We are dependent on each other for this success. We all need to inspire each other by being authentic in our commitment to the values we stand for as a College.  By bringing the unique gifts and talents that we all possess to the St Dominic’s College table, we can support each other’s 2018 aspirations. 

I implore everyone to unite in the pursuit of liberating our hearts and minds so that we can be inspired, empowered and ‘hope-filled’ for a successful 2018. Mahatma Ghandi proposed that as human beings our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world … but in being able to remake ourselves.  A new year inspires us to remake ourselves and be the change agents we wish to see in the world.  What does this change look like for each of us in 2018?  Whatever this is, we at St Dominic’s have a co-responsibility to support each other in achieving our personal best.  We will all be winners as a result of this relationship.

The College liturgical theme for 2018 ‘Live the Gospel’ is based on Gospel Spirituality, one of the four Touchstones of Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice Tradition.  We are encouraged to respond to the invitation to follow in the footsteps of Jesus to do extraordinary things.  To live the gospel values we have a responsibility to make the message of compassion, justice and peace a reality within our community. We are all called to bring the Good news and live the Gospel.The 2017 HSC results were outstanding and most encouraging for the future.  The consistent and committed approach by the Class of 2017 demonstrated their courageous nature in pursuing their goals.  The holistic education experienced by all the students assisted them to achieve these outstanding results.  Congratulations to not only the students but to the teaching staff who guided and inspired them to achieve their personal best.  The College congratulates, in particular, Hartley Dhyon who received an ATAR of 97.8 and was on the HSC All-Rounders List for achieving a Band 6 in every subject he studied.  What a wonderful achievement.  I look forward to seeing all our high achievers at the High Achievers Assembly on Friday 23 February.

Recently, the College family has received the sad news that several families have lost significant members of their family.  Please pray for Ms J.Powell and Ms C.Cole (uncle); Mr R.Wakefield (father) and the Hordern family (Anthony class of Year 2014)

I hope that 2018 is filled with much success for each and every member of our community.  Through hard work and a commitment for each other, where the gospel values are authentically experienced, there will be many success stories shared at the end of the year awards evening.  I encourage all parents/guardians to take the many opportunities to be involved in the life of the College, in particular, the learning agenda for your sons. Be encouraged to be extraordinary in 2018.

Dominus Mea

Let Your Light Shine

Mr M. Ronchetti

College Principal

2018 Leadership Teams