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FROM THE COLLEGE PRINCIPAL, MS VIVIENNE AWAD
DEAR PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF DOMREMY COLLEGE,
PRAYER TO MARY FOR A GOOD MIND
(A. Hanrion, S.J.)
O Mary, my Mother, I offer you my soul, my mind, and my heart. Make of me God's instrument. Give me a penetrating mind to discover, firm to judge, open to understand, free to serve the truth; an honest mind in telling what it sees
rather than what it wants to see; a tolerant mind which does not dictate to other people, but which explain what it sees clearly; a mind infused by the light
and the truth of your Son Jesus, patient in faith, while waiting
for the vision of eternal life. Amen. Please enjoy the following article written by students on the experience of our Breast Cancer Breakfast Walk. I
congratulate Mrs Lynch and the Student Leaders on this initiative.
Ms Vivienne Awad, Principal
TAKE A STEP FOR BREAST CANCER
October is often recognised as a transitional month-daylight savings makes the days carry on longer, a new day
bears a new surprise between all types of seasonal weather, and most crucially society seemingly aims to shed light on the prevalent threat
that is Breast Cancer. October is the National
Breast Cancer Awareness month and is a time for
the community to unite in the endeavour to rid
women of the uncertainty and trauma that the
disease can bring. Whether the aim is to advertise
the necessity of early detection or to lend a helping hand through the funds we can donate for
medical research, our school community has not
let this particular cause go on being unrecognised.
With the guidance of Mrs Lynch, Domremy’s 2015 Year 12 Leadership Team has
appreciated this initiative as an opportunity to evoke community spirit and
determination to make a difference in the lives of those both within and
throughout the wider community. Every student will be affected either directly or
indirectly by Breast Cancer, an upsetting thought but one that can be changed to
have a positive outcome. The National Breast Cancer Foundation leads the
pathway in advanced medical research, and through donations, can achieve a
giant step towards a prevention and cure for the disease.
On Tuesday, the 21st October, Domremy College held a community walk around
the bay with the title “Take a step for Breast Cancer”. Many students and family
members woke to an uncommonly early alarm for a 6am start, a small price for
such a large cause, and lit up the bay with swarms of bright pink. The positivity
and enthusiasm of all who participated warmed what otherwise would’ve been a
cold morning, an attitude that was surely recognised by bystanders and the passengers of the cars as they drove
past. As the participants made their way back to
school after completing the walk, they were
welcomed with balloons and streamers to confirm
that the fundraiser was not finished. The participants
were treated to a light breakfast which consisted of
croissants, juices and many delicacies that were
graciously donated for the event. In particular,
Domremy College would like to thank the school
canteen ‘The Arc’ and Amore Bread and Cakes for
their generous contribution to the fundraising event
as well as the many students who prepared food for
this occasion.
The participation in the event from students was much appreciated and we can only encourage that this event
becomes a yearly community tradition. Each house demonstrated an astounding enthusiasm for the initiative,
especially Nagle 1, Martina 5, Orleans 4 and 5 as well as Notre Dame 1 which held the highest number of
participant for each house. Overall, Nagle 1 and Notre Dame 1 should be congratulated for sharing the highest total
of students participating in the walk.
Although the walk finished early Tuesday morning, our
Breast Cancer Initiative is yet to be completed with a
raffle expected to be drawn at the end of this month.
We are grateful for the donation of prizes from Vogue
Studios, Marrickville which consists of a main prize of
a $950 photoshoot as well as second prize which
includes a $350 photoshoot. Domremy would also like
to appreciate Tranquility Inner Health and Day Spa in
Concord for their donation of a $30 voucher and a free
spray tan voucher.
The support and generosity of the Domremy community has reached far beyond the $4000 goal set for our Breast
Cancer Awareness month and is currently approaching $6000 which is still continuing to grow as the
acknowledgement of this initiative is consistently spreading. For everyone who has recognised the vitality of Breast
Cancer Awareness Month whether it be through participation in the walk, volunteering, or donating to the cause, it
is Domremy College’s utmost priority to thank you for all the support. In today’s busy society, it is refreshing to
witness such an unwavering response to this very worthy cause and it is our hope that this enthusiasm will
continue throughout the year and in the many initiatives to come.
If you would like to donate, please follow the link below: http://pinkribbonbreakfast.org.au/sponsor/view/t/
e721678nd2cbz/take-a-step-for-breast-cancer-domremy-college-five-docks-bay-walk-and-breakfast
FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOUR DIARY 2015
On Wednesday 4th February 2015, the College will be celebrating the Opening School Mass in the Brenda Quinn
Hall in the morning. That evening, the annual Parent Information Session will be held. The purpose of this
evening will be to introduce you to the College staff, including your daughter’s Homeroom teacher who will
disseminate important information for the year. During the course of the evening you will be informed of the
College’s expectations, five year strategic plan, procedures for applying for leave for your daughter, assessment
procedures and be taken through the College Communication channel amongst other things. It is expected that all
parents will attend this important evening and a letter will be sent home towards the end of the term with more
information.
SAVE THE DATES- P&F UPCOMING EVENTS FOR 2015
The P&F will be hosting various events throughout the year in 2015. Two important dates in the P&F Calendar in
Term 1 are the Cocktail Evening on Friday 27th February and the College Open Day on Sunday 15th March. All
parents are welcome at both of these events and the P&F look forward to meeting with you all. More information
will be distributed early next year.
TRAVEL TO AND FROM SCHOOL
A reminder that all students are to travel home directly after school. If for some reason your daughter is required
to go to the shops after school, she must present a note to either her year Coordinator or the Assistant Principal.
Thank you parents for your support in this matter in helping to maintain the high standards of our College.
ATTENDANCE
A reminder that an SMS will be sent to parents if their daughter is absent. This will happen regardless if you have
called the College in the morning to advise of her absence. By responding to this SMS you are providing the
College with the official reason for your daughter’s absence and therefore will not be required to send in a note.
School begins at 8.45am each day and all students are expected to be on the grounds no later than 8.40am.
BUILDING RESILIENCE
A main focus of the Pastoral Care program this year has been on the developing of resilience. Resilience is
defined as the ability to bounce back from difficult situations. Whilst some people are resilient by nature, the
good news is that most of the research shows that resilience can be nurtured and developed, particularly when
parents themselves are resilient and they actively foster it in their kids. Resilient kids share four basic skill setsindependence, problem-solving, optimism and social connection. Students will be more likely to develop resilience
when they are receiving the same message at home and school. Michael Grose, a leading parent educator, has
some helpful advice for parents wishing to foster resilience in their children. To hear Michael speak and read his
tips for building resilience go to http://www.parentingideas.com.au/Parents/resilience
Ms Silvana Rossetti, Assistant Principal
FROM THE CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
2014-2015 HSC ASSESSMENT INFORMATION EVENING
The HSC Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 5 November. This evening will outline the expectations for
the year ahead and provide both students and parents with some excellent tips on how students can maximize
their potential.
The HSC Assessment Handbook will be published at the Information Evening. Access to this handbook will be via
the Year 11 Student Intranet and can be found under the Assessment tab – Assessment Policy. All students must
download and read through the policy and procedures for HSC Assessment. Not knowing the details of our policies
and procedures is not a valid reason for appeal.
The online Assessment Calendar for Term 4 has now been published. Dates for Term 4 HSC assessment tasks can
be accessed via the Prelim Assessment calendar. All students and parents have access to this calendar. If you are
unable to see the assessment calendar, please contact IT Support for assistance.
Ms Melissa Williams, Curriculum Coordinator
NAPLAN REPORT
At the end of last term we received the results of our Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN
assessment results.
POSITIVE RESULTS FOR LITERACY AND NUMERACY
The 2014 NAPLAN results highlight the success of the targeted teaching and learning programs that have been
implemented as a result of previous data analysis. There is some good news regarding the results, highlighting
the success of our teaching and learning programs. They demonstrate a considerable increase in our Year 9
students’ overall literacy and numeracy results. This is represented as a 5.9 % increase in students in the top
two bands in Reading and 11.5% increase in students achieving in the top two bands in Numeracy. The 2014
Year 9 group are the first group to have worked in the Newman program and this has been highly successful in
decreasing any plateau effect from Year 7 to Year 9 typical of high achieving students. The decrease in students
in the bottom two bands (Reading -2.6% and Numeracy 9.2%) can be partly attributed to the specialized
programs designed by the Literacy and Numeracy Coordinators as well as our Learning Support team. The
overall positive school trend for the Year 9 group is evidenced by the shift in these two groups of students.
Our Year 7 data shows strength in the areas of writing, spelling and grammar. The Year 7 data illustrates growth
across Year 5, Year 6 and in Term 1 of Year 7. The Year 7 Writing scores have improved from last year. Our 2014
Literacy action plan was to improve learner skills in inferential reading, academic language and to build teacher
capacity to identify and address students’ needs in reading, academic language and persuasive writing. In the
area of numeracy our target was to improve students’ understanding of ratios and percentages and their ability
to apply their numeracy skills in new situations.
TARGETED USE OF NAPLAN DATA IN SCHOOL
Whilst as parents you receive information on your daughter/s’ performance in specific bands, the College is
provided with extensive and comprehensive learning data for every student. Considerable time is allocated during
our staff meetings and in our professional learning time to unpack and analyse the information provided to us.
We are provided with student work samples, growth charts, teaching strategies and comparative performance
tables. This information is used to better understand not only individual student learning growth but also class
and year group areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Teachers work in their key learning areas
unpacking the questions and the performance of their classes as well as each year group. Students with
significant growth, overall learning trends and underperforming students are each identified and teaching
activities planned. The NAPLAN provides rich, detailed diagnostic information that is highly valued by our teaching
staff.
The data also allows us to reflect on our current teaching strengths and opportunities for improvement. We are
able to analyse five-year trends in our students’ numeracy and literacy scores. This data allows us to identify what
we are doing well and what we need to target in our professional development planning.
As a learning community we work together with you, supporting the girls to develop their numeracy and literacy
skills. To this end we suggest that there are many ways you can work with your daughters developing these very
important skills. For example, you can ask your daughter to help with the family budget or holiday planning. This
will improve her understanding of percentages in discounts and ratios. To develop her inferential reading skills,
talk together about what you are reading and discuss the implied meanings or what is being suggested ‘between
the lines’. If you are interested in knowing more about NAPLAN, how to improve your daughter’s literacy or
numeracy skills or would just like further insight into her learning growth, please contact me on 9712 2133 or via
email at [email protected].
Ms Penny Lawrence, Diverse Learning & Innovation Coordinator
YEAR 8 CAMP 2014
Another great Year 8 camp has drawn to a close! On 22
October Year 8 set off for our camp at Wombaroo in the
Southern Highlands. Two busloads of enthusiastic Year 8
students arrived in time for lunch. We arrived at Camp
Wombaroo and unloaded our luggage from the bus. Our
next destination was lunch followed by a site orientation
and our first meeting with our camp instructors. At the
same time we were also allocated a teacher from school.
Our group instructor’s name was Richard and we had Mr.
McNaughton as our teacher.
We commenced with Archery. The campsite is spread over many acres. Walking through the hot grass with
numerous bugs touching our legs made many girls scream, including me!!! At each activity safety precautions were
a priority and we were not permitted to use any equipment without completing the safety instructions first. Archery
was very challenging and enjoyable. At 3:00pm we all
met back at the canteen and had afternoon tea and
then set out for another challenge. Our next activity
was Low ropes. It was challenging because you were
not wearing a harness but we had four people
around us ready to catch us if we fell. This was the
last activity for the day.
We were finally allowed to see our cabins and
unpack our luggage. We all had an hour to shower.
This was a recipe for disaster! There were fourteen
showers between 108 girls. There were many
frustrated girls and lots of yelling telling people to “Hurry Up”! We then had dinner at 6:00pm. After dinner we all
played an activity where we had to get into groups of 10-11 people. This activity was called “The Wombaroo
Olympics”. This consisted of 8 stations where we had a minute to complete each activity. My group tied second. We
were then presented with supper and were given half an hour of free time before lights out at 10:00pm.
The next day most people were awake by 5:30am and were getting ready for the day. Breakfast was at 7:30am.
After breakfast activities began. My group’s first activity was High ropes. Many people were looking forward to the
challenge but for me I was very scared. I completed one station, which was a tightrope suspended in the air. I was
very happy when it was over. There were five stations each one requiring a different set of skills.
My group’s next activity was Catapult building. In this activity we had to make our own catapult and fire tennis balls
from it. The winning team was decided by how far you could catapult your tennis ball. Everyone met back at the
canteen and had lunch. Following lunch our group had
Raft building. Raft building was a blast! We all learnt
how to tie different knots and how to work as a team.
We had many ideas but in the end we combined them
together to make the perfect raft. Or so we thought.
We finished our raft and brought it to the water’s edge.
We should have named it Titanic!!! After we launched
it, and got on, it sunk and we all fell in the water. Our
next activity was the Vertical challenge. This is where
two people raced to see who would get to the top and
ring the bell first. Everyone participated in this activity
and when people got stuck there was lots of
encouragement from the people below. After dinner we all sat around a campfire and sang songs that were
somewhat enlightening and amusing. We then got to listen to some of our peers sing songs and we then joined in
with them.
On our last day we were all up by 6:15am because we had to be packed ready to go before breakfast. Breakfast
was at 7:00am. Then we all commenced our activities. My group did Initiative exercises. This consisted of three
activities that needed teamwork and 100% trust in each other. We then had morning tea and went off to our last
activity for Camp Wombaroo .
Our last activity fortunately was the Giant Swing. We
all walked over to the Giant Swing and were
immediately intimidated by the height. We all sorted
ourselves into an order. All of a sudden we saw Miss
Michael walk up from the bottom of the hill.
Everybody started cheering and we were all very
happy. A little reluctant at first, Miss Michael finally
rose to the challenge and accepted that we as a
group would not let her back down from this. I
showed Miss Michael how to put the harness on and
then I tightened all the straps for her. Then we placed
a safety helmet on her head. As she walked up the
ladder we could see on her face that she was terrified. She was then presented with very stylish goggles that she
had to wear. She was then clipped into the rope and was hoisted up by us until she told us to stop. We then
convinced Miss Michael to go up a tiny bit more and then we counted her down from 3. “3 2 1”! She tugged on the
string and flew through the air screaming. We all laughed and watched her swing back and forth through the air at
the same time looking very elegant and professional. She finally stopped swinging and she was able to sit back
down on the ladder.
She was unclipped and then climbed down and asked me to get her out of the harness. We all cheered and gave
Miss Michael a group hug. We congratulated her for facing her fears. It was then time for lunch. We all filed into the
canteen for the last time and ate together as a group. We then said our goodbye’s to our instructors (many hugs all
around) and took a group photo. Hopping onto the bus, we waved goodbye as we went down the dust-covered road.
It was back to Sydney from there! Year 8 would like to thank Ms Michael, Mr Souter, Mr McNaughton, Ms Primero,
Ms Levy, Mrs Kshatriya, Ms Angilletta, Mrs Fiamengo and Ms George for coming along to camp!
Celeste Jackson, Year 8
STUDENT GIRLS’ ALLIANCE
The Student Girls’ Alliance brought together a group of girls from different
schools to discuss the issues concerning modern day women. Michaela,
Naomi, Ariana, Shauna and Georgia were Domremy’s representatives at
the Alliance meetings, all attending one meeting each term. The Alliance is
a forum to network with girls from different cultural and faith backgrounds.
The first session, hosted by Santa Sabina College, was concerned with
what the Girls’ Alliance has been working to achieve over the past years. A
central focus was on establishing connections with other girls through
various games such as speed dating. This was a beneficial meeting as it
helped to build connections, share stories and work towards greater
acceptance of cultural differences between girls.
Pymble Ladies College hosted the next meeting in term 2, where each
school showed a video of their school and what they value as a
community. We were then split up into groups to discuss issues such as domestic violence, changing gender roles
and the implications of gender on employment. The discussion space was used to openly talk about our views and
how we can work with others to positively bring about awareness and change within our schools.
The Women’s College held the final meeting in term 4, during which we listened to a speech given by the Principal
of the Women’s College, gave feedback about our experiences as part of the Alliance and shared conversations
with other girls over a lovely dinner. It was a fantastic experience, gathering on the beautiful grounds of Sydney
University, sharing experiences and opinions and expressing interesting words over dinner.
Overall, it was an enlightening experience which was entertaining and enjoyable. We would like to thank Ms.
Zagora for her efforts in preparing us for the meetings and for all the schools who participated and helped to
create the environment which was interesting and judgment­free.
Michaela Curry and Naomi Spinks
FROM THE DARBY CENTRE OF INFORMATION
On Monday 20th October the Senior and Intermediate Darby Readers
Club visited the Waterford Readers Club at Christian Brothers
Lewisham for lunch and an afternoon get together. A wonderful
opportunity for socialising in a relaxed way with others who share a
similar love of books.
At the meeting, Kay Proos and Elissa from Glee Books talked to the
students about a range of recommended books that might be a good
choice for next year’s reading club picks. Novels such as ‘Every Breath’
by Ellie Marney, ‘Six Impossible Things’ by Fiona Wood, as well as
classics such as ‘The Chrysalids,’ by John Wyndham and ‘The
Outsiders’ by S.E.Hinton were singled out as must reads. The girls
enjoyed the lunch provided and had the chance to make new friends.
Year 7 have been utilising our great resources in the Darby Centre for their HSIE Task on World Heritage Sites. In
particular, Kakadu National Park. The task has required the girls to write a report describing the site and
explaining why it should be preserved. Students have been researching and pondering ‘real world issues’
describing strategies that are in place to preserve the site.
Don’t forget in the lead up to exams to embrace the opportunity for free tutoring from our amazing tutors in the
Darby Centre on Wednesday afternoons. Collect a note from the library and return it with parent signature and
chosen dates. Tutoring takes place Wednesday afternoon each week from 3.30 until 5.00pm. All welcome.
From the Staff in the Library
MCCS TENNIS
Domremy had a great first experience at the MCCS Tennis Gala day with everyone getting the opportunity to play
at least four round games. We had some fantastic results with our 12 years doubles team coming up against our
13 years doubles team in the semi final. The 13’s progressed to the final where they were only narrowly beaten by
Trinity Catholic College 6 sets to 4. The 14 years doubles also made it through to the final and lost narrowly to
Trinity 6-4. Congratulations to Erika Stephenson who competed in the 14’s Singles and made it to the final. Well
done to all of our tennis players many of which were playing up an age division.
Thank you to Ariana Mazzeo and Jenna Politis who were umpires on the day and a big thank you to Mr Rozsnyoi for
coaching the girls.
12 Doubles: Marion Labalan & Skyler Higham
13 Doubles: Sarah Tolhurst & Olivia Udovicic
13 Singles: Patricia Islam-Parsons
14 Doubles: Sophie Harte & Elena Piazzolla
14 Singles: Erika Stephenson
15 Doubles: Brieana Elcham & Chiara Ianni
15 Singles: Emma Biazzo
16 Doubles: Rebecca Apap & Zoe Harrison
Miss Ebony Dawking, Sport Coordinator
COMMUNITY NEWS
THANK YOU RAYS FLORIST
Thank you to Ray’s Florist who very generously donate flowers to our Front Office. We highly
recommend Ray’s Florist for the purchase of floral arrangements for any occasion. Situated at
Unit 2, 71-83 Asquith Street, Silverwater 2128. Phone 9737 8877.
Visit their website: http://www.raysflorist.com.au/
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REFLECTION DAY - NOVEMBER 8TH
Marist Laity Australia would like you invite you to our reflection day on Saturday November 8th at 10 am. Dominic
Arcamone will be speaking on the topic "We Escape. We Quest. We Love" at St Patricks Church Hill in the Rocks in
Sydney.
Go to http://www.maristlaityaustralia.com/2014/ for more information.