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Our Year 12 class of 2009 departed Siena College in a spirit of celebration and with great dignity. After a breakfast and a special College assembly, they emerged as a crowd of evin Rudd impersonators to enjoy a DJ, some lunch and a final farewell by staff and students who assembled at the front of the school to see them off. We gathered again in the evening at St Dominic’s Church for a moving Graduation Mass and to pay tribute to these exceptional young women. A Year 12 Formal is planned for the 19th November at Leonda by the Yarra, after the VCE Examinations have concluded and as the final Year 12 event for the year. Our thoughts and prayers go with our Year 12s as they commence their VCE written examinations at the end of this week.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING TEAMS:
INTERMEDIATE SOCCER TEAM– STATE CHAMPIONS!!!
JUNIOR SOCCER TEAM – STATE SEMI FINALISTS
We are very excited to report to you the successes experienced by our two soccer
teams (Junior and Intermediate) at the Victorian All Schools Championships.
This tournament brings together different sports association winners to battle
it out for the title of state champions. Our girls qualified for this prestigious
tournament by winning SCSA Division 1 Soccer in their respective divisions.
Their two days went as follows:
INTERMEDIATE TOURNAMENT
The Intermediate girls ventured out on Thursday 15th October to Darebin International
Sports Centre. Up against some stiff opposition our girls had their work cut
out for them. They were paired against St. Monica’s College, Epping in
the first match, a school who we have a very close connection with. Several
Siena staff members are former staff embers at St. Monica’s, including
Ms Robson-Garth, so our girls had a large amount of expectation on their shoulders!
The girls narrowly lost their first game to St. Monica’s, a school with
a lengthy Soccer tradition and one who invests a large degree of resources into
their Soccer program.
Not to be outdone our girls bounced back in style to win their next two games
and set up a Semi-Final showdown with Marion College. Our girls prevailed in
extra-time to set up a rematch with St. Monica’s in the state final. Defence
was the order of the day from both teams. There were no clear chances throughout
the match and the game moved to penalties.
In a pulsating climax to what was a grand day, our girl’s pulled off what
was a sensational victory winning the shoot out 3 goals to 2 to become state
champions. The jubilation was a sight to be seen with a pile of Siena girls
formed to celebrate what was a magnificent feat for our College.
These girls led by Lucy Watkin as captain, were truly remarkable in the way
in which they gracefully acknowledged their opponents after the game. Every
one of our girls was a credit to themselves and also to the College.
A very special feat that we should all be proud of. We will be defending the
title vigorously next year!
Results were as follows:
| Round Matches: St. Monica’s Epping 1 def Siena 0 |
Semi Final Siena 1 def Marion College 0 (in extra time) (Scorer: K. Lansdown) |
| Siena 1 def Christian College Geelong 0 (Scorer K. Lansdown) |
Grand Final Siena def St. Monicas Epping (3-2 on penalties) (Scorers: A. Humphris, L. Watkin, B. Mirabella) |
| Siena 1 def Rudolf Steiner 0 (Scorer: A .Piva) |
A huge thank you to Mr John Palomares and Mr Sean Weston for their coaching of these girls. Without your expertise this achievement would not have been possible.
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JUNIOR TOURNAMENT
The Junior team were dealt a tough draw, playing matches against Carey Grammar,
CRC and Overnewton College, however, they went through the group stage undefeated
scoring 8 goals in the process. Many of these goals were scored off the boot
of Natasha Lusi who had a tremendous day. The girls were then up against Firbank
Grammar in the Semi Final. In what was a tightly contested match the game finished
nil-all after extra time and went to penalties. Unfortunately the luck didn’t
go our girl’s way and they narrowly missed making the state final.
Again, many thanks to Mr. Sean Weston for all the work he did with this team.
Also, thanks to the parents who came and supported the girls on the day.
Results were as follows:
| Round Matches: Siena 2 def CRC North Keilor 1 (Scorer: N. Lusi 2 goals) |
Semi Final Firbank Grammar def Siena (4-2 on penalties) (Scorers: N. Lusi and S. Galjar) |
| Siena 1 def Carey Grammar 0 (Scorer: N. Lusi) |
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| Siena 5 def Overnewton College 1 (Scorers N. Lusi 4 goals and S.Galjar) |
At the Year 12 final school assembly the HOTY ‘House of the Year’
was announced. This announcement is preceded by a HOTY’s highlights
package and Year 10 students Anastasia Sarantis and Isabel Ross spent
a lot of their own time and talents collating this spectacular production
for which I am most grateful. The HOTY rewards participation and excellence
in a wide variety of school activities including all house events, representative
sports teams SCSA and SESG, bands, choirs, musical productions, debating,
can It was my great pleasure to announce Waratah as 2009’s worthy recipient of House of the Year. Congratulations to: Coordinator: Ms. Vanderzalm |
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On Monday October 12, 3 eager teams of Softballers made the trip to Geelong to compete in the Division 1 Softball Tournament.
The girls competed with spirit throughout the day despite playing against state level players from opposing schools. A special acknowledgment must be made to those Year 9 and 10 students who played in the Senior team to make up numbers, due to this tournament being played at this vital study period for senior students. A special thank you also to Ms Hodgson (nee Upton), Ms Heskett and Mr Weston for all there work on the day with the girls.
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It was the 12th of September, another cold, rainy day in Melbourne, when 12 girls from Siena and 12 from Sion arrived at Melbourne airport, ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime!
After a long 3-hour flight, we arrived at Alice Springs Airport. We definitely hadn’t bought the Melbourne weather with us…at this stage. After another flight, and a seemingly endless road trip through the Australian outback, we arrived at our first camp, Atal. We set up our swags (which would supposedly protect us from rain) but that same night, we realised this was not true. For five of the eight nights, it rained, which is quite ironic seeing as we were in the middle of the desert! Fortunately, the weather didn’t stop us from doing what we were there to accomplish.
We spent numerous hours sitting around the fire, chipping away, filing, sanding and engraving our clap sticks. They were really time consuming, but the end result is something that reminds us of our journey and takes us back to the red dust.
We spent a lot of our time listening to stories by the Anangu elders, Lee and Leah, and spending time with their families. Lee was such an inspiring person to listen to. We never thought that by embarking on this journey we would experience such unique stories by such interesting people.
A highlight for most of the girls was visiting the Primary School, Murputja. We got to spend the day with about twenty Aboriginal students; reading to them, building Lego towns, cooking, and playing footy. Much to their amusement we lost…badly.
Our friends have asked us about the shower situation and how we coped with the dirt. Surprisingly we were easily accustomed to living with the red dust, with some of us not even showering until the 6th day!
At the end of the trip, we went to Uluru, which was an amazing sight. On our arrival back home, people asked us (and continue to ask) why we didn’t climb the rock. We have all become so passionate in our understandings of Indigenous culture and the significance of their land, that climbing the rock would be the last thing we would want to do. The respect we gained for the Anagnu culture is something that you can’t get any other way.
By the end of the ninth day, it felt as though it wasn’t two schools on the trip but one group of girls, united by a central passion. We had become really close and shared the same feelings for Anagnu culture.
One thing that all the girls from the trip have agreed on is that we can’t put into words what we have taken out of this trip. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t shared our experience, the significance of what we did. We encourage all girls to take the challenge. It’s definitely the best experience we have ever had, and something we will never forget.
Alana Arfi and Steph Beckman
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While it already feels like a world away, we have lovely memories of our trip to Italy and homestay experience. G.Ruffini, our sister school in Imperia, Liguria, hosted us for a week with warm hospitality and huge numbers of willing families opening their homes to our 17 girls and the 32 Whitefriars boys on the trip. Going to class was a tiring experience, with largely spoken/oral lessons – all in Italian!
The beautiful beach and sunshine was a relaxing way to spend the afternoons, though, and they even treated us to an excursion over the border into France. The French Riviera, and perfume producing town of Eze, were stunning, and a fantastic day was had all together. The teachers and host families are sincerely thanked for their hospitality and efforts in looking after so many of us.
Another 2 weeks were spent touring Rome, Siena, Florence, Venice, Verona and Milan, and much Italian was used on the guided tours of the famous landmarks and historical sites of la bella Italia.
Ms Anita Galli
Head of LOTE
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On Thursday 17th September approximately 100 girls braved the wild weather to participate in Siena’s inaugural Interhouse Cross Country Carnival around the testing 2.7km circuit at Highfield Park.
The races were very hotly contested and it was so positive to see girls passionate about completing the race even in the rain. The results were as follows:
| Junior Race: | Inter Race: | Senior Race: | Overall Aggregate: |
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1st Stefanie Galjar 2nd Annie O’Brien 3rd Abbey Tanner |
1st Natalie Ambrose 2nd Courtney Goodwill 3rd Jess DeLuca |
1st Emily DeLuca 2nd Hayley Collins
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WINNERS: 2nd Kurrajong – 97 points 3rd Dianella – 95 points 4th Cassia – 47 points |
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As part of our celebrations of Book Week Day on Friday August 21st, our two Yr 9 Drama “Centrestage” elective classes were invited to perform for this occasion. The challenge was to present a selection of picture story book dramatisations from this year’s Best Picture Book Short List.
Our girls selected to dramatise:
“Sunday Chutney” by Aaron Blabey, “Nobody Owns the Moon”
by Tohby Riddle and “”Home and Away” by John Marsden and Matt
Ottley from this list.
Many weeks were spent in class brainstorming ideas, organising choreography, developing the staging of the performances, learning lines and organising props and costumes in anticipation of the big day.
The theme for this year’s Book Week was a safari theme. Ms. Sanciolo’s Drama class cleverly created a safari style dance to open our dramatisations, which were presented to a grade 1 and 2 class of junior primary students from St. Dominic’s Primary School.
The primary students were delighted with the antics Sunday Chutney, were saddened by the story of refugees in “Home and Away” and laughed along with the experiences of the character Clive Prendergast in “Nobody Owns the Moon”.
Parents and friends will have the opportunity to view these performances as part of our Open Evening on Friday September 4th.
A special thanks to Ms. Girolami for organising the day and Ms. Siapantas and
Ms. Sanciolo’s Drama classes for their interest and enthusiasm in making
it such a successful event.
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14 Siena girls travelled to Mt Buller on the weekend of Aug 23-24 for the Victorian Schools Snowsports Championships. The girls participated in a range of events including Downhill slalom and Skiier Cross. The conditions for the first two days were not conducive to enjoyable skiing and made life difficult for the girls. However, they pushed on and come Monday morning were greeted by 10cm of fresh snow to play in!
One of the best aspects of this program is the camaraderie demonstrated by the girls, no matter the year level. This was most evident at the opening ceremony when the girls all stood under the one Siena banner and enjoyed the fireworks display.
The girls were a credit to themselves in the way they conducted themselves
throughout the 4 days.
Our Snowsports captain for 2009, Hannah Shields was a true inspiration to the
younger girls. Her leadership and encouragement was excellent.
I would like to extend some very important thank you’s to members of
the support crew, who without their assistance a trip such as this doesn’t
happen.
Brian and Maria Byrnes and Heather Slade were truly sensational in the way they
managed the girls throughout the trip. Tania Vascon is also to be congratulated
on giving up her time to be out on the mountain with the girls. Finally, Michelle
and Merv Wilson, who have again led from the front with the coordination of
the team. To know that there are parents (and in this case a past parent) who
is passionate about this program and has the desire to see it grow from strength
to strength is a major positive for our College.
Chris Clark
Sports Coordinator
Our Music Concert – ‘Honour the Earth’ was a wonderful showcase of creativity and a celebration of music at Siena College. The beautiful cover on our Music Program, the photographic images of our planet and the music we heard, surely evoked a sense of wonder at God’s creation and of our ancient land.
There are many staff and students who contributed to this evening - our wonderful Music staff and sessional tutors, the students and staff who performed, those who supervised rehearsals, organised buses, set up the equipment or printed programs. Other members of our College community sold tickets, worked front of house, backstage or directed parking. I acknowledge the work of Andrew James in designing the beautiful program cover, and the photographers whose images were used on the program or on the night - Heather Davies, David James and Tim Moore.
The inspiration and organisation behind it all was our Director of Music - Pauline Sheehan and Wendy Christie. No school could ask for more wonderful staff. I thank them both for the joy they give us and the opportunities they offer our students to make music together. Plato wrote: ‘Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good and just and beautiful.’ May we continue to celebrate creativity through the Performing Arts at Siena College.
Mrs Gaynor Robson-Garth
Principal
Our Soccer teams ventured out to Darebin International Sports Centre on Tuesday 18th August for the Division 1 SCSA Soccer Day. Having only returned to Division 1 last year, our girls were hopeful of success. Not even the most optimistic of us could not have expected the level of success achieved.
The Junior Team began the day with a solid victory against Santa Maria and then were made to work very hard by Sacred Heart Geelong in the second game, before securing a late victory. The two wins put the girls in the Semi Final against Ave Maria, a team they easily accounted for with a 3-nil victory placing them in the final against Avila. The game was nailbiting throughout after an early Natasha Lusi goal was cancelled out by Avila the sides were locked at 1 all after extra time and destined for penalties. Some exceptionally fine goal keeping from star-shot-blocker, Laura Paladin (Best afield in the Grand Final) saw our girls victorious.
What a performance from the Intermediate Team! Poor Madeleine Psaila, the team’s goal keeper was not given much to do throughout the day – in fact she didn’t have to make a genuine save all day! These girls’ closest game came in the grand final, a 2-nil win over Sacred Heart, Geelong. Preceding this were 3 wins that accumulated 11 goals in total. An excellent all round effort from these girls, with Brianna Mirabella adjudged best on ground in the final.
Our senior girls need to be commended for their level of persistence and application all day. Following an early set back of an injury to Molly Bland and a draw against Santa Maria, a team that would prove to not be one of the strongest teams, the girls bounced back strongly. The highlight of the day was the super team effort against Sacred Heart, a team sporting two state players. The girls ran, pressured and harassed their opposition for the entirety of the game and were rewarded with a 2-nil victory. They then went on to defeat Avila in the final game to secure the trophy! A job well done!
Our girls conceded a total of 2 goals for the entire day across the three teams.
They have also become the first Siena sporting squad to secure a clean sweep
of 3 Division 1 championships on the same day! A truly remarkable effort and
one we are incredibly proud of!
I would like to acknowledge the leadership of our Soccer captain, Saskia Williams
and the support and expertise of Mr John Palomares and Mr Sean Weston. Photos
to come from this grand day!
Christopher Clark
Head of Sport
On Saturday 15th August 3 of our Aerobics teams competed in the state Aeroskools finals after qualifying from the preliminary day at Melbourne Girls College at the end of last month. The girls had again prepared meticulously under the tutelage of Melissa Morali, Siobhan Taylor, Monica Ludekins and Jennifer Chung. The results were again fantastic and a true credit to our Aerobics program. Our two senior teams have qualified for National Finals to be held in Melbourne on Tuesday 6th October, by finishing 2nd and 3rd. A great result again girls! Well done to all the girls and coaches and we wish them all the best with their preparations for these championships.
Christopher Clark
Head of Sport
We shared a moving celebration of St Dominic’s Day on the 6th August. We were honoured to have Sr Rosemary Lewins OP join us for this special day on the College calendar. Sr Rosemary is the Prioress of our Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands and a past Principal of Siena College from 1973 to 1978. The support of the Dominican sisters, Mr Anthony Levett, Principal of St Dominic’s Primary School and the parents and friends who joined us, was so much appreciated.
We were uplifted by the beautiful music produced by Mrs Sheehan
and the choir and instrumentalists, and our celebrant and Chaplain,
Fr Anthony Walsh OP, reminded us that the glory of God is the human person,
fully alive. I thank Mrs Olga Buttigieg and the Liturgy Committee and all who
contributed to this special celebration.
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On Friday the 31st of July 2009, after 5 months of intense training, the dedicated and super-fit Siena Aerobics Squad prepared for the main event on the Aerobics calendar – the 2009 Aeroskools Competition at Melbourne Girls College, Richmond.
After each of the four teams performed a spirited routine in front of Mrs Robson-Garth and Mrs Thompson, as well as proud Siena staff and coaches, it was time to board the bus. In the first session of the day our two senior teams performed two flawless routines. The outstanding results of our seniors were First and Second.
This means that both of our senior teams have qualified for the State finals, to be held at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Saturday the 15th of August. If they finish in the top 8 they will move on to compete in the Nationals in October. Good luck girls! (Stop Press: Our two senior teams have both qualified for the Nationals in October.
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On Tuesday the 28th of July 24 students across all year levels along with Mr Clark, Ms Upton and Ms Parkinson travelled to Springers Sports and Leisure Centre to compete in the Division 2 SCSA Volleyball tournament. It was a long day where the Juniors, Intermediate and Senior teams played a round-robin style tournament against 5 other girls schools. Siena did incredibly well with all teams reaching the Grand Finals. Congratulations to both Junior and Senior teams who managed to win the Grand Final and take home the cup. Also congratulations to Lauren Wenn and Kristyn Dye-Aguilella from both these teams who won best player on court in the Grand Final.
It was a very successful day for Siena and well done to all girls who competed
on the day, we look forward to competing in Division 1 next year.
Ema Hrncir, Volleyball Captain
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On the last day of term two, the Youth Mission Team (YMT) came to Siena College to run a reflection day for year twelve students. The team was captivating, relatable and inspiring. It was incredible to witness young people who were so confident and charismatic in what they had to share. Beginning in 1986, YMT is an Australian non profit charity that has evolved the concept of peer to peer youth ministry. It is widely recognised as one of the most experienced, successful Catholic youth evangelization organizations ever produced in this country.
Over the last 23 years, YMT has ministered to more than 150,000
young people and trained more than 250 individuals, comprising over 50 Teams.
The theme of the day was ‘Knowing God” and year twelve students
were encouraged to participate in a range of activities. These activities included
games, dramas, testimonies, reflection time, small groups and more! We were
presented with a rare opportunity to explore issues deeply relevant for us and
we were encouraged to reflect on the challenges in our lives and how we face
them. This was a truly memorable experience, as we learnt many new things about
ourselves and our faith that we can use as tools throughout our lives. It was
a truly awesome day, one we will never forget!
Clare Della and Anna Couch
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Our 38 strong team travelled to Albert Park fit with 3 months
training under their belts! The results were super impressive! The competition
is such that the girls compete in the same race with Division 1 schools and
we certainly took it up to some of these bigger schools and in the process will
now compete against these schools as we finished the day Division Two champions,
beating 11 other schools for this title! Our Junior Team finished in 3rd place,
our Intermediate and Senior Teams both won their division!
Of particular note were the ‘Top 10’ places achieved by Natalie
Ambrose (6th overall– 4th in Division 2), Courtney Goodwill (19th overall
– 6th in Division 2), Andrea Turner (21st overall – 7th in Division
2), Cassie Donald (2nd overall – 1st in Division 2), Emily De Luca (9th
overall – 3rd in Division 2), Hayley Collins (28th overall – 9th
in Division 2). A tremendous effort! Below is the report of the day from our
Cross Country Captain – Emily De Luca.
Braving the cold winter day at Albert Park on Thursday the 18th of June, the
Siena cross country team was ready to put their endless weeks of training before
and after school into practice!
The Junior race started off the day, a first time race for many of the girls.
Seeing the girls complete the 3km course with such determination and enthusiasm
was very encouraging for the rest of the team yet to race.
The Intermediate’s were the next race and all girls ran superbly, so much
so they came first in their division! A special congratulations to Nat Ambrose
who placed 6th in her race, as well as to Courtney Goodwill, Andrea Turner and
Hannah Ferguson who made up the top 4 of the Intermediate winning team.
The Seniors were sensational, proving to be excellent role models for the younger
members of the team, through their determination and persistence. The Senior
team were lead through the finish line by Cassie Donald who placed a magnificent
2nd in the race.
At the end of the day, the team was rewarded for their effort this season when Siena was awarded the trophy for winners of Division 2! Next year the girls will move up to Division 1, a deserved acknowledgment of their outstanding commitment this season. Also, a special thanks to the cross country coaches Mr Clark and Dr Vadala. The amount of effort and support they exhibited was tremendous and they certainly contributed significantly to our win!
I was very proud to lead such a group of committed and enthusiastic girls this
season! I wish all the girls the very best for next season as they compete against
the top schools in the association!
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On Wednesday 24th June, the Siena St Vincent de Paul committee
ran their second cakestall for 2009. Cakes and money were kindly donated by
girls from Kurrajong, with over 50 cakes being donated. The cakestall raised
over $250 which will be donated to the St Vincent de Paul winter appeal to support
those who are struggling to find shelter and food this winter.
Congratulations to everyone who was involved in planning, organising and contributing
to the cakestall, especially some Siena Staff who went out of their way to make
the cakestall successful.
Louise Taylor
St Vincent de Paul president
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On the 18th of May the SCSA Siena basketball teams competed in a tournament held at MSAC. We competed in division 1 after being promoted from division 2 following our success in 2008. The Junior and Inter teams were strong and competitive throughout the tournament and when a loss occurred it was by a very narrow margin. The Junior team made the Semi Final which was a sensational effort. The Senior girls had a fantastic tournament, finishing up undefeated and winning the grand final! To all the girls credit, sportsmanship, teamwork and respect was shown throughout the day and was great to see. Everyone gave their absolute all and the day was a huge success. I would also like to say a special thanks to all of the coaches for giving up their time in the training and games and for there support and encouragement throughout the day, it was greatly appreciated.
Final Results: Juniors 4th, Inters 5th and Seniors - Champions.
Caitlin Murphy
Basketball Captain
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Crêpes, gelati, caffè, dim sum and fried rice made up the delicious days that were LOTE Week at Siena. Food was the way to everyone’s heart, as we enjoyed the specialities of each language partly through their cuisine! The tuckshop supported our week with themed food for three days, and we thank all the catering staff for their work and enthusiastic contribution.
The Crêpe Man was also a returning favourite, especially on such wintry days. A Gelato van was still popular, though, despite the cold, and was a new addition this year. Staff enjoyed a multicultural morning tea, as did the Year 8s and 9s in Italian. Year 8 French girls had a crêpe-making class as well.
Mr Wen-Liang Tao and two friends played traditional Chinese music in the Undercroft, and we appreciated his time and talents.
A highlight from an academic perspective was the Senior Pathways talk. Years 10, 11 and 12 who study a language gathered to hear Mrs Carolyn Scriven introduce three speakers. As bright, involved and multi-lingual, they were inspiring and honest in their reflection on studying a language at VCE and University level; as well as reflecting on where their study has taken them in the world of work and travel.
A guest, Freddy O’Meara, spoke to us about combining Chinese and Law
as a University student.
Our own Italian Language Assistant, Serena Rossi, spoke to girls about her reasons
and hopes for travelling across the globe to work and immersing herself in a
foreign language. Both speakers were motivational in their encouragement to
maintain and use a second language.
Katerina Forrester, a 2005 leaver, returned to show us how truly beneficial being multi-lingual can be. Having studied French at Siena, she then continued to University level, and lived and worked in France. She relayed the strong desire to keep her French going into the future, in order to maintain her friendships that she developed while living there. She is now studying Chinese medicine, and so involving herself in the culture and traditions of that language; as well as discovering her Italian family heritage! A truly inspiring and vibrant example of a Siena student achieving so much in the world of languages.
Ms Anita Galli
Head of LOTE
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The Siena Whitefriars musical has been a highlight of our combined schools’ calendars for many years.Over this time we have challenged our students with many well-known and difficult musicals; including Les Ms., Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story and we have been delighted in their ability to rise to the challenges presented.
Last year was our first performance in the Karralyka Centre and this year we returned with a new production “Big” This musical was full of great songs, lots of dance numbers and a light hearted story. Our combined schools practiced every Monday and Tuesday and quite a number of Sundays throughout terms one and two to bring this story alive to over fourteen hundred parents and friends.
Of course none of this would be possible without the help of all those who have so generously offered their talents and assistance. I would like to thank the supervision staff, backstage crew, sound and lighting crew, the costume and makeup teams, the front of house personnel and all those without whose help a production would be impossible.
I particularly wish to thank Trish Carr, the Director, Kim Annette the chorographer,
Sue Ferriman the costume designer and all who have contributed endless time
and energy to bringing this musical alive for you. Bravo!
The musical was over on Saturday evening and was followed immediately on Monday
and Tuesday afternoons with our Afternoon Soiree programme. It was an absolute
delight to hear the Junior Band in their very first performance playing “Hit
the Spot” and “Kool Blues” and the Junior Choir whose voices
rang out with songs from Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof.
We also heard performances also from the Guitar Ensemble, Groove Train, the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Sisters of Swing, the Stage Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, the Senior String Ensemble, Galway Flutes and the Wind Orchestra. Phew!
Our students are learning great performance skills and presented themselves very musically and professionally. We are privileged to have such a fine music teaching staff whose hard work and dedication shine out in the quality of the music heard on such occasions.
Our next event in July is the Music Camp to be held at Lady Northcote Camp in Rowley, a very exciting few days of music making focussed on building the skills of our younger bands in the lead up to our Major School Concert in the Crossways Centre in August. Place August 19th in your diaries immediately.
Well done girls
Mrs Pauline Sheehan
Director of Music
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On Wednesday, May 20, Siena Year 12 students Suzanne Smith and Isobell Vescovi took part in a regional final of the VCAA Plain English Speaking Competition at Fintona Girls’ School. Suzanne presented a clever and witty speech on the topic of ‘Smoking’ which reminded the audience that although other issues may have pushed smoking aside in the public arena, it is still an issue of great importance with smoking-related diseases still taking an enormous toll on people worldwide. Isobell’s speech, ‘Gossip’ gave a light-hearted but also insightful and meaningful l view into this pervasive social phenomenon. The topic for the impromptu speech on this day was ‘A time to shine’ and both Isobell and Suzanne spoke in an intelligent and composed manner on this deceptively challenging topic. Amongst competition from Fintona, Strathcona and Caulfield Grammar School both Isobell and Suzanne acquitted themselves most impressively and were a great credit to Siena College. Of the eight speakers in this round, Suzanne was judged the best and she will proceed to the State Semi-final, to be held in the last week of this term. Suzanne and Isobell both put a great deal of work into developing their respective speeches and they are to be congratulated for so successfully taking on this challenge during Year 12. Mr Simon Conlan |
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A challenging but happy time was had by the Siena Year 7 students at their Myrtelford camp.
The article below and the accompanying photos convey something of the adventure,
joy and friendship that the girls experienced.
“All the girls were chatting excitedly as the coaches drove out of the
all-too familiar Siena College gates. We were off to Valley Homestead for our
first camp with Siena. Four hours later we sped up the steep hill to Valley
Homestead, where we would spend the next four days. There were mixed reactions
as we stepped off the coaches with sore legs and high expectations.
Over the next four days, most of the 140 year 7’s had jumped off the 10m or 7m power pole, abseiled down the 10m wall, flew over the bushland on the flying fox, made a fire in the tiring survival day and most importantly, made heaps of new friends.
Year 7 camp was an experience I will never forget. When I look back I think
of how many people expanded their friendship groups and smile to myself because
where would we be without those friends?”
Johanna Gogos
Mrs Ann Sanciolo
Director of Programmes
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St Catherine's Day and Fiesta was held on April 29 and was again a wonderful day of celebration and fund raising.
After a prayerful and beautiful liturgy in the morning, we moved
on to a range of fund raising ventures and then to the Fiesta.
Our students, sang, danced and acted to loud applause and much affirmation.
It was a happy and enjoyable way to end our special day and the students deserve
much praise for their part in celebrating mass so prayerfully and respectfully
and for the great effort they made in putting together the performances for
the afternoon. It was particularly pleasing to see the wonderful way in which
the Year 12 students worked with the Year 7s as they rehearsed and prepared
for the big day.
Overall, the staff and students raised $6151.42 that will go to support the Kopanang Community in South Africa and the Dominican Sisters in the Solomon Islands. I thank all families for supporting the students’ efforts on the day.
Congratulations Cassia for winning The St Catherine's Cup.
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On Friday, April 24, we commemorated those who, in times of conflict, have given their lives in the service of their country.
Staff and students were invited to wear a sprig of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance and the Year 10 Your Rights, Your Vote class led the college community in prayer and reflection. We remembered those who have been killed in war and those who have and continue to serve their nation around the world. In particular, we remembered the role of peacekeepers especially those who served in East Timor as part of the International Force for East Timor [INTERFET].
Our college captains, Isobelle Vescovi and Ella Olsen laid a wreath in honour of the fallen and Monica Di Genova played The Last Post in a moving finale to the commemoration.
Ms Catherine Judd
Head of Humanities
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The Year Nine students set off excitedly for a four day camp on Monday 30th March. One group headed to Point Leo, another to Angelsea and the third to Lake Tyers. News of a toxic bloom situation on the Murray River meant that the Lake Tyers camp had to be secured at the last minute, but teachers and staff headed off resolutely to make it the best camp ever. News from camp reports that students are luxuriating in warm sunshine and throwing themselves into activities with alacrity. A more detailed article will soon be published but here are some photos from the Angelsea camp.
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Classes 8B and 8D are studying food webs and food chains and went on an excursion to the Melbourne Aquarium to explore the subject further. On reaching our destination, we sat by the Yarra River and enjoyed our lunches, with a view of the city’s most beautiful architecture, while the seagulls seemed to enjoy the food scraps that students threw to shoo them away.After lunch, we were introduced to Emily, our tour guide and set off on our aquatic adventure.Emily sat us down and talked to us about the penguin lifestyle. She explained how the aquarium didn’t steal them from their homes but rather bought them from New Zealand for $2000 each! We then moved to a large room filled with the oddest underwater creatures. Then we moved to the “River” section. Here we got to play and touch sea stars, sea urchins and shark egg shells.We moved through the “Coral Reef” and jellyfish sections and watched a documentary called “Sharkwater.” Emily told us about sharks and their impact on humans. Here’s a fun fact; there are more deaths by vending machines falling on people in America than there are fatal shark bites in the world. There are also more deaths by hippopotamus, elephants, donkeys or coconuts. We rushed to see the end of the shark-feeding. A turtles was so ridiculously hungry he tried to eat the diver’s finger when he couldn’t get hold of a fish. As we came back to Siena, our heads were filled with great memories and
new information from a fantastic excursion. Thank you to Mr Baker and
Mr Bunn for coming along and helping us have such a great day. |
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The Year 12 Physics students ventured to
Luna Park for the Physics Day. The organised event with over 500 students
from various schools provided an important opportunity to physically experience
the physics concepts that we had studied in the Motion and Gravity. The
rides allowed us to feel the effects and sensations of freefalling, change
in momentum, acceleration and apparent weight. We had a fantastic day. Phoebe Navin |
The Jewish Christian and Muslim association (JCMA) facilitated an interfaith dialogue at Siena College on March 13th for our Year 10 RE students. Paul Randle, Shifra Joseph and Ian Ben Mansour were keynote speakers and shared their personal stories relating to their Faith Tradition.
Paul Randle spoke about an experience that occurred when he was fifteen years old that made him reflect on the Jesus’ life, his own spirituality and this appreciation of the beauty of Creation, leading to a deepening of his own Christian Faith.
Iman Ben Mansour spoke of Islam as a complete way of life. She also spoke of personal spiritual experiences and belief in an afterlife, where each person will be accountable for their actions. Iman explained to our student that she wears a hijab as an outwardly sign of her identity and inner values.
We welcome Shifra Joseph back to Siena. Shifra retold her story to our Year 10 students beginning with her birth in India. There are only 5000 Indian Jews and she was the only Jewish girl at her secondary school. Shifra said that religion is about people, emphasising that Shabbat celebration and festivals. She shared her own story about dietary laws and prayers and her image of God.
At the beginning of the workshop all Year 10 RE students viewed a short video
that focussed on questions relating to religion. The three speakers then stood
up and spoke about the similarities in the Abrahamic religions and then told
their own stories. Students were invited to ask questions and dialogue with
each other and the speakers.
At the end of the workshop the three speakers shared kosher and halal sweets
with all students as a symbol of hospitality.
I wish to thank Paul, Shifra and Iman for sharing their stories and enriching our understanding of the importance of interfaith dialogue.
Mrs. Olga Buttigieg
Director of Faith and Religious Education
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At our second assembly of the year last Thursday we acknowledged our newly appointed sports captains for 2009. This year these students have been appointed at the beginning of the year by the PE/Sports faculty to allow them to begin working with me to plan our inaugural Siena College Celebration of Sport evening on Wednesday 9th December. The girls were very excited to receive T-Shirts acknowledging the level of achievement, participation and “sportswomanship” which they have displayed over a number of years at the College. The following girls have been appointed Sports Captains for 2009.
Chris Clark
Head of Sport
We were reminded this week of how God calls each of us when we listened to Anne McDonald, a past student of Siena College and current Principal of Nazareth College, speak about her sense of God calling her to this role. It was a privilege to listen to Anne’s story of the women who have inspired and challenged her, - her mother and grandmother, Sister Rosemary Lewins- past Principal of Siena, who taught Anne, and in more recent times, her daughter and her students. We shared a very special breakfast and I thank Mrs Ann Sanciolo and the SRC for setting up this special event.
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The Siena Swim team was invited back to Genazzano again this year
to participate in the Annual Swim meet. On Friday the 20th of February, Siena
swim stars from all levels came together to do our College proud in Genazzano's
21st Centenary Swim Meet. In preparation for the meet, the team travelled to
Harold Holt pool for several training sessions. Every girl was raring to go
and ready to show both Avila College and Genazzano what our 2009 swim team was
capable of!
Once we arrived, the girls were eager to jump in the pool, ready to make a splash.
Every girl on the Siena Swim Team was as always, ready to race to the best of
their ability and participate with great enthusiasm! In the end, it was a very
tight race between Genazzano and Siena with only one point separating 1st and
2nd place!
For the fourth year in a row Siena overcame Genazzano, to take home the cup!
We would like to say an immense thank you to Mr Clark and Ms Peggie for their
organisation in putting together our wonderful swimming team, and for organising
our trainings and the meet. Another thank you goes out to all the staff and
parents who came to watch us swim that evening, your support provided much encouragement
and is very much appreciated.
We are looking forward to the SCSA meet in a month’s time and hopefully our successes will be rewarded then also.
Eliza Brookes & Gabi Serragli
(Co-Swim Captains 2009)
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Siena has a long tradition of strong student leadership. We commissioned our student leaders and welcomed the 2009 Year 7s and their families at our Opening Mass on Thursday the 19th February. Our Director of Music – Mrs Sheehan, choir and soloists and Mrs Olga Buttigieg and the Liturgy Team deserve special thanks for their contribution to a prayerful and beautiful celebration that focused on our 2009 theme of ‘Caring for God’s Creation’.
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Friday 27th February saw the completion of another very successful House Swimming and Diving Carnival at Ringwood Aquatic Centre. The levels of enthusiasm and participation were again overwhelming with events filled across both the 50m pool and the outdoor 25m pool.
The vibrant red, yellow, blue and green costumes filled both grandstands. Combining this with the energy of the chants led by the House Captains, helped produce some sensational efforts throughout the day.
There were some highlights on the day worth noting:
• The synchronised diving efforts from Georgia O’Grady, Emily O’Grady,
Emma Rovatti and Lucy Renehan were truly sensational.
• The tremendous determination displayed by Jessica Diamond in the 50m
pool, cheered on by students from all Houses.
• Rachel King in Year 12, setting a new 50m Breastroke record
• The Michelle Timms Open 50m Final was won in a new record of 30.06 seconds
by Rachel Frame in Year 11 – beating the old mark by a mere 1/100th of
a second!
• The Open 50m Final also had two sisters in the race. Molly Youren in
Year 7 and her sister Lucy in Year 11 – a big effort by the Youren household!
A special mention also to Annelise Robinson, another Year 7 student who also
made the final.
A big thank you must go to all parents who came and supported the girls, the staff for making the day run so smoothly, the student leaders for their support and assistance and all students for the spirit in which they participated in throughout the day.
Bring on the Athletics Carnival!!!!
Mr Chris Clark
Head of Sport
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The Year 7 students were given a rousing welcome as they entered the Latingata Morrom Centre – our gym, for the first College Assembly for the year. It was lovely to hear Virginia Stapleton and Eliza Sharp talk about their first days at Siena. Our Year 7s have settled in well and we are also so pleased at the benefits being reaped at VCE level from the Transition Programme of last year. Our first assembly provided an opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate the 2008 VCE students on their excellent results and also the students who received special awards at the 2008 College Awards Evening. The assembly was followed with a very pleasant morning tea for our returning ‘Class of 2008’ and their parents.
Cassia House Captain
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Dianella House Captain
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Kurrajonh House Captain
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Waratah House Captain
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Year 7s
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School Dux Claire Peoples with Principal Gaynor Robson-Garth
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2008 High Academic Achievers
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School Dux Claire Peoples with her parents
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2008 High Academic Achievers with |
Click here to see what happened in 2008.
A School for Girls in the Dominican Tradition
815 Riversdale Road Camberwell Vic 3124 Telephone (03) 9835 0200 Facsimile (03)
9836 3561
Copyright Siena College 2007
