The Importance of Community

In my address to our community at our Opening Mass I shared the following thoughts:

 A good education for our girls involves a partnership between students, teachers and very importantly our parents. As Helen Keller stated “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” The partnership between parents and the College is crucial for the success of our girls.

 In my first weeks as Principal I have been privileged to meet with the many parent groups who provide such outstanding partnership and support to our community. These groups include:

College Advisory Council – chaired by Libby Wilkes
Finance Committee – chaired by Lejo Ouwendyk
Parent Council – chaired by John Robertson
Parent Network – chaired by Audrey Hebiton
Men of Santa (Mozzies) – chaired by Cam Robinson
Santa Assist – chaired by Veronica O’Keefe & Marie Sadler
Old Girls’ Association – chaired by Gemma Verone

We are truly blessed to have so many parents who are such willing contributors to life at Santa Maria College. A wonderful example of community was our Parent Sundowner which enabled many of our new parents to make connections with other families. The support parents can provide for each other, is as important, as the support you can provide for the College. I thank all volunteers who assisted at the Sundowner, particularly the coordinator, Andrea von Bertouch for making the evening such a success.Academic Results

To conclude the sharing of the success of the Year 12 class of 2017 we are pleased to share with you a video representation of their WACE statistics. Congratulations to the class of 2017 and best wishes as you begin your new pathways for 2018. Thanks to Mrs Margo Bastow, Director of Community Relations for her creative ideas in new ways of presenting data.Boarders’ Long Weekend

We are very fortunate at Santa Maria College to have a Boarding Community which adds a very special dimension to our College. Our 150 Boarders join us from farms and country towns all over the state with several students from overseas. Our Year 7 and other new Boarders are to be congratulated on the way they have settled into Boarding and taken on the responsibilities of living away from home. I also thank the senior students who have shown great leadership in supporting our new boarders. In Terms 1-3 we have a Boarders’ Long Weekend which enables the girls to spend time with their families. The Boarders’ Long Weekend for Term 1 is from March 2-5 concluding on the Labour Day Public Holiday.

Friday 2 March is a student free day which provides an opportunity for a whole staff Professional Learning Day that focuses on improving teaching and learning. I am conscious of the impact this has on families and thank you in advance for your support.

I wish all families safe travels on the long weekend.

Jennifer Oaten, Principal