Principal's Message
This fortnight, I share with the community a wonderful experience I enjoyed last Friday afternoon, when I welcomed a number of visitors to our school; and they were not just any visitors. We have a student in Year 7 who is a fourth generation Sion student and on Friday afternoon, she and six women from her family came to the College to celebrate this achievement, to take photos and to reminisce about their time at our school. Year 7 student, Samantha O’Donnell, was accompanied by her mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin and two great aunts. If all Sion women in her family were able to join her, we would have recognised 13 women. Samantha is also the great, great niece of two Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, Sr Josiane and Sr Geraldine, who was the College Principal, from 1946 to 1951.
Their conversation was peppered with delight as they revisited classrooms where they had once sat and they shared their wonderings around how buildings have changed and how in their day, there were many more students in each classroom. They recalled their peers and their friendships, the teachers who taught them, and the honour boards that record their leadership roles. They are a strong and very proud Fatima family who boast two House Captains and a Sports Captain! Above all, they shared how strongly connected they feel to the College, the Sisters and their teachers, some of whom are part of our current school staff. We are also fortunate that Samantha’s cousin, Ms Alice Dawes, is also a member of our staff.
Our students and staff often speak about their sense of belonging to a community that supports and nurtures each member, and who feel a close affinity with the Sion family spirit. It is a real privilege to know that the College has provided this support to the family of Samantha O’Donnell. She has inherited such a wonderful legacy from the women who have come before her, women who have forged a variety of career pathways and remain strong advocates for other women. Samantha shared with me that she is now keen to develop her family tree! If there are other students in the College who have a history of women in their family who are also past students, we would love to hear from them so we can also celebrate this relationship.
Last Friday and Tuesday, the College also celebrated International Women’s Day and I invite you to read within this newsletter, Christine Kralj’s article on how the College not only marked the day but supported and celebrated the many gifts our young women bring to our College. Recent events within our country have pointed to the ongoing need for women to be heard and believed, for there to be increased dialogue around and respect for women and the issues that confront them. And to recognise the significant achievements women have made and continue to make in a world where the pursuit of equality is still a goal. The College has in place a range of opportunities for students to ask questions and learn about these issues so that they are empowered and encouraged to seek justice and truth. This is an integral part of our Sionian charism and is an imperative in our modern world where the truth has increasingly become relative. I thank Christine, our student leaders and all who contributed to the initiatives and celebrations they recently led in support of our students.
We recently farewelled Mrs Nga Hutchinson and welcomed Mr Anthony Lynikas who will teach Mathematics.
With every blessing for the fortnight ahead.
Tina Apostolopoulos
