Santa Sabina College
Encyclopedia
Santa Sabina College, is a Roman Catholic, Dominican
, day school
for girls K-12 and boys K-4, located in Strathfield
, an inner-western
suburb of Sydney, New South Wales
, Australia
.
Established in 1894, Santa Sabina has a non-selective enrollment policy and currently caters to approximately 1,400 students, with co-education from Kindergarten
to Year 4, and girls only from Years 5 to 12.
The College
is a school of the Archdiocese of Sydney
, and is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
(JSHAA). Santa Sabina is also an affiliate member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
(AHIGS).
Santa Sabina is recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
.
arrived from Ireland
in 1867, to establish schools for Catholic children in New South Wales. Subsequently, 6.5 acres (26,304.6 m²) of land and a house in Strathfield were purchased from a wine-grower, Harold Lindeman. Santa Sabina College was established on this site in January 1894, with seven day students. The first three boarders were enrolled in April of that same year.
Although the College saw its first student matriculate
in 1906, it was not officially recognised as a secondary school until 1912, with the passing of the New South Wales Bursary Act. Organised sport
was first introduced in 1918, with Tennis
the most popular sport at the time.
In 1936, Santa's most prominent building, Holyrood, was purchased from William Adams of the Tattersall's Hotel. The carved sandstone
facade came from the City Bank building in Moore Street (now Martin Place
). This building was used as the College boarding house until boarding
ceased in 1975. The building now houses the College music department. The Del Monte property, located across the road from the College, was lease
d in 1949, with the first primary school students taking up residence later that year. In 1950, the owner of the property, Mary Bailey, died, leaving the property to the Sisters. Del Monte was subsequently renamed Santa Maria del Monte. Santa Maria del Monte was expanded in 1968, with the purchase of Lauriston, which had been the home of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
during the Second World War. This purchase provided the school with a sports ground and additional classroom
s.
In 1991 the campus was used as the backdrop for the Australian tv series Brides of Christ
.
1996 saw the establishment of the Out of School Hours Centre (OOSH), and in 1997, a property at Tallong
was purchased for outdoor education
. In 1998, Mary Bailey House was opened as an Early Childhood Centre, and in 2002 classes for Years 6 and 7 commenced at the Middle School
campus, Martin De Porres.
Santa Sabina is recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.
The College comprises five campus
es: four situated along The Boulevarde in Strathfield, and an outdoor education
campus at Tallong
in the Southern Highlands
of New South Wales. The four city campuses are Mary Bailey House Early Education Centre (Pre-school), Santa Maria del Monte (Primary school), Martin de Porres (Middle school
) and Santa Sabina (Senior school). Santa Maria del Monte also takes boy students from Kindergarten to Year 4, with most boys then continuing on to St. Patrick's College to complete their schooling.
The Strathfield campus includes a 33 m outdoor swimming pool
, six tennis court
s, three ovals and a chapel
. In 2002, a Middle School was established for students in Years 6 and 7. In 2005 the Aquinas Learning Centre was opened, featuring a library
, lecture theatre and student services facility.
is a black and white shield of the Dominican Order of Preachers. At the base of the shield is the book of Gospels
, containing the central motivation of the Order's existence. The rosary beads, held to be Dominican in origin since the 17th century are shown, as is a crown - signifying the joy of eternity. The dog
represents the traditional story of a dream which St Dominic's
mother had before his birth. She dreamt of a dog with a torch
in its mouth, lighting up the world with the truth of the Gospel. The star
signifies the compass points that the Gospel is to be brought to all corners of the earth. The lily and palm
symbolise a life lived with purity of intention and self-sacrifice that others might live.
Middle and Secondary School students participate in social debates with schools such as St Gregory's College, Campbelltown
, Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and St Vincent's College, whilst the Primary and Middle School debate MLC School
and PLC Sydney
.
Debating and Public Speaking
is also offered through inter-house competitions.
. As such the two schools combine drama classes to stage shows, and musicals.
Sports offered by the school include: Aerobics
, Aquathon, Athletics
, Basketball
, Cricket
, Cross Country
, Dance
, Diving
, Equestrian
, Golf
, Gymnastics
, Hockey
, Indoor Soccer
, Netball
, Soccer, Softball
, Swimming
, Tennis
, Touch Football
, OzTag
, Volleyball
and Waterpolo.
. In 1997, the College's original four houses (Murangaroo, Lakkari, Timbarra and Kuramin) were replaced by six houses. These six houses have been given the following Indigenous
names: Gunagulla (blue), Kurrawa (aqua), Mundawora (purple), Teangi (orange), Weelya (green) and Yetinga (red). In the Primary school, Santa Maria Del Monte, they have Fire (red), Earth (orange), Flora (purple), Fauna (green), Sky (blue), and Water (aqua) . The houses compete in swimming, athletics, Homerooms/KITE (kids in trusting environments) and public speaking.
Entertainment, media and the arts
Politics, public service and the law
Sport
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
for girls K-12 and boys K-4, located in Strathfield
Strathfield, New South Wales
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
, an inner-western
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...
suburb of Sydney, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Established in 1894, Santa Sabina has a non-selective enrollment policy and currently caters to approximately 1,400 students, with co-education from Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to Year 4, and girls only from Years 5 to 12.
The College
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
is a school of the Archdiocese of Sydney
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Erected in 1842 and directly responsible to the Holy See, the Archdiocese is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Bay, Lismore,...
, and is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
Junior School Heads Association of Australia
The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia , is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia....
(JSHAA). Santa Sabina is also an affiliate member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools , is an association for private girls' schools, based in North Ryde, in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
(AHIGS).
Santa Sabina is recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency is an Australian government agency. It is statutory authority located within the portfolio of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Families Housing Community Servcies and Indigenous Affairs .EOWA’s role is to administer the Equal...
.
History
Eight Dominican sistersDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
arrived from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1867, to establish schools for Catholic children in New South Wales. Subsequently, 6.5 acres (26,304.6 m²) of land and a house in Strathfield were purchased from a wine-grower, Harold Lindeman. Santa Sabina College was established on this site in January 1894, with seven day students. The first three boarders were enrolled in April of that same year.
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
in 1906, it was not officially recognised as a secondary school until 1912, with the passing of the New South Wales Bursary Act. Organised sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
was first introduced in 1918, with Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
the most popular sport at the time.
In 1936, Santa's most prominent building, Holyrood, was purchased from William Adams of the Tattersall's Hotel. The carved sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
facade came from the City Bank building in Moore Street (now Martin Place
Martin Place, Sydney
Martin Place, formerly known as Moore Street, is a pedestrian mall in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Macquarie Bank and other corporations, Martin Place is synonymous with corporate...
). This building was used as the College boarding house until boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
ceased in 1975. The building now houses the College music department. The Del Monte property, located across the road from the College, was lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
d in 1949, with the first primary school students taking up residence later that year. In 1950, the owner of the property, Mary Bailey, died, leaving the property to the Sisters. Del Monte was subsequently renamed Santa Maria del Monte. Santa Maria del Monte was expanded in 1968, with the purchase of Lauriston, which had been the home of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
during the Second World War. This purchase provided the school with a sports ground and additional classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s.
In 1991 the campus was used as the backdrop for the Australian tv series Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ
Brides of Christ was an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydney convent school and deals with the struggles of both the Roman Catholic nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social...
.
1996 saw the establishment of the Out of School Hours Centre (OOSH), and in 1997, a property at Tallong
Tallong, New South Wales
Tallong is a village of the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Goulburn-Mulwaree Council. Although officially not a part of the region, it considered geographically and historically part of the Southern Highlands...
was purchased for outdoor education
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
. In 1998, Mary Bailey House was opened as an Early Childhood Centre, and in 2002 classes for Years 6 and 7 commenced at the Middle School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
campus, Martin De Porres.
Santa Sabina is recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.
Principals
| Period | Details |
|---|---|
| 1894 | Mother M. Bertrand Walsh |
| 1895 – 1900 | Mother M. Pius collins |
| 1901 – 1906 | Mother M. Bertrand Walsh |
| 1907 – 1913 | Mother M. Pius Collins |
| 1914 – 1922 | Mother M. Teresa Casey |
| 1923 – 1924 | Mother M. Philippa Byrne |
| 1925 – 1929 | Mother M. Gonsalvo Byrne |
| 1930 | Mother M. Benignus Baker |
| 1931 – 1935 | Mother M. Concepta O'Donohue |
| 1936 – 1941 | Mother M. Philippa Byrne |
| 1954 – 1960 | Mother M. St John Hewitt |
| 1961 – 1964 | Mother M. St Luke McKervey |
| 1965 – 1967 | Sr Diana Woods (Sr M. Julie) |
| 1968 – 1970 | Sr Anne Banfield (Sr M. Joseph) |
| 1973 | Sr Diana Woods (Sr M. Julie) |
| 1971 – 1972 | Sr Mary Britt (Sr M. Reginald) |
| 1974 – 1979 | Sr Delma Richardson (Sr M. Leo) |
| 1980 – 1986 | Sr Rosemary Lewins |
| 1987 – 2007 | Sr Judith Lawson |
| 2008 – present | Ms Kate Clancy |
Campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es: four situated along The Boulevarde in Strathfield, and an outdoor education
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
campus at Tallong
Tallong, New South Wales
Tallong is a village of the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Goulburn-Mulwaree Council. Although officially not a part of the region, it considered geographically and historically part of the Southern Highlands...
in the Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands, New South Wales
The Southern Highlands, also locally referred to as the Highlands, is a geographical region and district in New South Wales, Australia and is 110 km south-west of Sydney. The entire region is under the local government area of the Wingecarribee Shire...
of New South Wales. The four city campuses are Mary Bailey House Early Education Centre (Pre-school), Santa Maria del Monte (Primary school), Martin de Porres (Middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
) and Santa Sabina (Senior school). Santa Maria del Monte also takes boy students from Kindergarten to Year 4, with most boys then continuing on to St. Patrick's College to complete their schooling.
The Strathfield campus includes a 33 m outdoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, six tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s, three ovals and a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. In 2002, a Middle School was established for students in Years 6 and 7. In 2005 the Aquinas Learning Centre was opened, featuring a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, lecture theatre and student services facility.
Crest
The backdrop of the College crestCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is a black and white shield of the Dominican Order of Preachers. At the base of the shield is the book of Gospels
Gospel Book
The Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament...
, containing the central motivation of the Order's existence. The rosary beads, held to be Dominican in origin since the 17th century are shown, as is a crown - signifying the joy of eternity. The dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
represents the traditional story of a dream which St Dominic's
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
mother had before his birth. She dreamt of a dog with a torch
Torch
A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts...
in its mouth, lighting up the world with the truth of the Gospel. The star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
signifies the compass points that the Gospel is to be brought to all corners of the earth. The lily and palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
symbolise a life lived with purity of intention and self-sacrifice that others might live.
Co-curricular activities
Debating
The College debating activities include: The Archdale Competition for Years 7 to 12, against twenty similar type independent girls' schools; the AHIGS Festival of Speech; the Catholic Schools' Debating competition; Schools' Speaking competition; the Catholic Schools' Speaking competition; the Junior Legacy Speaking competition; Senior Plain English Speaking competition; and the Rostrum Voice of Youth Competition.Middle and Secondary School students participate in social debates with schools such as St Gregory's College, Campbelltown
St Gregory's College, Campbelltown
St Gregory's College is a Catholic, secondary, day and boarding school for boys, located in Campbelltown, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and St Vincent's College, whilst the Primary and Middle School debate MLC School
MLC School
MLC School is an independent day school for girls, located in Burwood, Sydney. Founded in 1886, MLC admits students from pre-kinder age through to Year 12, and is a Uniting Church of Australia school.- History :...
and PLC Sydney
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
.
Debating and Public Speaking
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
is also offered through inter-house competitions.
Arts
Santa Sabina is seen as the sister school to St Patrick's CollegeSt Patrick's College, Strathfield
St Patrick's College is an independent, Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Strathfield in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. As such the two schools combine drama classes to stage shows, and musicals.
Sport
The sporting program at Santa Sabina includes: School sporting clubs, Saturday and midweek competitions, gala days, and representative opportunities up to national level. Each year the College takes about 2500 sports registrations for approximately 85 sports competitions and activities across 22 sports.Sports offered by the school include: Aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, Aquathon, Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Cross Country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, Dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, Diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, Equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, Indoor Soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
, Netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, Soccer, Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, Swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Touch Football
Touch football (rugby league)
Touch is a field sport also known as Touch Football, or in some countries as Touch Rugby. Touch is overseen worldwide by the Federation of International Touch . Touch has traditionally been played in Australia and New Zealand but the sport has expanded internationally and features many regional and...
, OzTag
Tag Rugby
Tag Rugby, also known as rippa rugby, flag rugby league or flag rugby, is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to touch rugby...
, Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and Waterpolo.
House system
As with most Australia schools, Santa Sabina utilises a house systemHouse system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
. In 1997, the College's original four houses (Murangaroo, Lakkari, Timbarra and Kuramin) were replaced by six houses. These six houses have been given the following Indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
names: Gunagulla (blue), Kurrawa (aqua), Mundawora (purple), Teangi (orange), Weelya (green) and Yetinga (red). In the Primary school, Santa Maria Del Monte, they have Fire (red), Earth (orange), Flora (purple), Fauna (green), Sky (blue), and Water (aqua) . The houses compete in swimming, athletics, Homerooms/KITE (kids in trusting environments) and public speaking.
Notable alumnae
Academic- Sr Judith Lawson - Dominican sister, educator and former Principal of Santa Sabina
Entertainment, media and the arts
- Monica AttardMonica AttardMonica Ann Attard OAM is an award-winning Australian journalist. She is of Maltese descent.-Education:Attard was educated at Bethlehem College in Sydney. She attended Sydney University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts...
, ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Senior Broadcaster; Media Watch host - Carmen DuncanCarmen DuncanCarmen Joan Duncan is an Australian actress.-Biography:Carmen Duncan is known to Australian audiences as a character actress in films and on television...
, actress - Paula DuncanPaula DuncanPaula Margaret Duncan is an Australian actress. She is prominent mainly in the genre of soap opera. Her sister is fellow soap actress Carmen Duncan....
, actress - Amelia Farrugia, opera singer
- Kerry Doyle, Miss AustraliaMiss AustraliaMiss Australia is the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest/Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named....
1975 - Julia MorrisJulia MorrisJulia Morris is an Australian writer, comedian, actress, television presenter and television producer who has worked extensively in Australian and British television and radio. She has toured widely with her solo stand-up comedy shows. In Australia, she is best known as one of the stars of the...
, actress/comedienne - Susie Park, musician/violinist
- Rahni Sadler, Channel SevenSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
news reporter and USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
foreign correspondent - Yvonne StrahovskiYvonne StrahovskiYvonne Strahovski is an Australian actress. Born in Australia to Polish immigrant parents, Strahovski speaks Polish and English...
, actress - Simone ThurtellSimone ThurtellSimone Thurtell is a presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Local Radio's Grandstand program.She formerly shared the hosting of the summer Grandstand program with Peter Walsh and is also the ABC's around-the-ground reporter during international cricket matches played at the SCG...
, ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Grandstand announcer - Justine Schofield, MasterChef AustraliaMasterchef AustraliaMasterChef Australia is a Logie award winning Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston serve as...
2009 Finalist - Terry Biviano [shoe designer]
Politics, public service and the law
- Margaret CunneenMargaret CunneenMargaret Cunneen SC is an Australian barrister and prosecutor. She was born Margaret Mary Cunneen on 15 January 1959 at St. Margaret's Hospital in Darlinghurst, Australia, the daughter of John and Catherine Cunneen. Cunneen lives in Sydney, New South Wales...
, Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor - Joanne Catalano, Ordained Minister, Officer of The Salvation Army
Sport
- Cynthia Mitchell, Paralympian (Skiing)