ISSUE 1 | Week 1, Term 1 - Wednesday 31 January

PRINCIPAL'S WELCOME

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Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2024 school year – a time of celebrating 140 years of St Dominic’s Priory College.  The College will adopt the theme ‘In the Light of Truth’ as our inspiration for acknowledging our past and looking to our future with great anticipation.  On Tuesday morning, as the girls returned from holidays, they were greeted by the Student Leadership Team and presented with a St Dominic’s Priory College inscribed ribbon to wear as part of the College Uniform for this year.  There will be events to mark this important milestone throughout the year, beginning with our Family Mass on Sunday 18 February which will be followed by a BYO brunch picnic on the College playing field. More information about this event will be sent home via SEQTA this week.

I warmly welcome our many new families to the College. We hope that your daughter/s’ transition to St Dominic’s is a positive and engaging time, and we look forward to meeting parents in the coming weeks.  

As the school year begins, I take this opportunity to welcome our new staff and provide an update on staffing. We warmly welcome:

• Melissa Fiacchi – Year 12 Coordinator
• Jessica O’Connor (Year 5, Term 1)
• Ellen Daniels (Year 4G)
• Savannah Gargiulo (Year 3)
• Natasha Carson and Huaisha Teng (Secondary Teachers)
• Victoria Renney (ESO Curriculum Primary)
• Vivian Mattei (Lab Assistant, Term 1)

Additionally, for the 2024 school year, Dolores Heggs will move to the role of Assistant to the Leadership Team, and Loretta Lighezzolo will move to the role of Primary School Administration and Support Officer.  As such, we are very pleased to welcome Megan Harpain as the College Receptionist for 2024.  Per the announcement at the End of Year Liturgy, I am most pleased that Belinda Baker has accepted the acting role of Director of the Junior School for Term 1.  Finally, in January I received the resignation of School Counsellor, Eva Gardener.  Eva provided excellence in her work with our staff and students over the past two years and we wish her well as she undertakes a new role.

On Monday 18 December, the College was pleased to celebrate with our Year 12 graduates following another year of excellent results.  Congratulations to Dux of the College Isabella Jovel (ATAR 99.65) and Proxime Accessit Livia Truong (ATAR 99.20), followed very close behind by Anya Arikepudi (99.05).  I congratulate the Class of 2023 on 100% SACE completion, along with some outstanding personal bests.  Additionally, a number 2023 Year 11 students excelled in their studies of Stage 2 subjects.  The following is a snapshot of the 2023 results:

We will acknowledge these students at a celebratory Assembly on Thursday 15 February.

In other news to begin the school year, I ask parents to take the time to fill in their family calendar with the important events taking place in 2024.  You can access the College Calendar HERE. I draw your attention to the following dates in weeks 1, 2 and 3:

I ask for your prayers for teacher and Science Learning Area Leader, Denise Kennedy, whose mother, Caroline Kennedy, died recently – may she rest in peace.  Additionally, we pray for Sr Rosemary Campbell who is in palliative care.  Rosemary joined the Dominican Sisters of North Adelaide in 1952 and is a much-loved Sister in our community.  Let us hold Denise and the Dominican Sisters of North Adelaide close in our hearts at this time.

I look forward to seeing families as they drop off and collect their daughters from the College.  I take this opportunity to thank you for entrusting her to this wonderful community of welcome, trust, possibilities, and protection.  

Dr Helen Steele
COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

2024 STUDENT LEADERSHIP

FINANCE OFFICE NOTICE

SCHOOL FEES

School Fee Accounts and information have been emailed to all families in early January.  Please advise the Finance Office if you have not received this information.

Please note, all fees must be paid in full by 31 October 2024. (Unless prior arrangements have been approved.)

The College can process regular payments on your behalf.  Please complete the Payment Authority Form and return to the Finance Office.

School Card Forms are now available [FORM A | FORM B].  Please note a new Form must be completed for each year, and for each school your children attend.

Mrs Tania Rogers
BUSINESS MANAGER

TUCKSHOP NOTICES

The St Dominic's Priory College Tuckshop is centrally located on the College campus and is open each Recess and Lunch for all year levels.  A limited selection of freshly prepared hot and cold food is available for purchase from the display cases, or else families may wish to pre-order lunch from the full menu either online, or via lunch order bags in classrooms (Primary) or at the counter before 9am. 

To view the Term 1 Tuckshop Menu CLICK HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: In accordance with the College's Mobile Phone Policy, students are not permitted to use a smart phone/smart watch to pay for purchases during school hours.  EFTPOS is available for conventional debit/credit card payment only.

ONLINE ORDERS

St Dominic’s Priory College has an online ordering system for the Tuckshop called My Student Account (MSA).  MSA allows families to place Tuckshop orders online at any time of the day, up to 8:00 am on the day the order is required. 

You will be able to; view the school lunch menu, pay, and manage special dietary requirements and allergies through this easy-to-use online platform.

The process is as follows:

1. Go to https://msa.stdominics.sa.edu.au/
2. Sign In. Enter your St Dominic’s email address and click ‘Forgot Password’. You will be sent a link which will take you to a page to set your own password.
3. Once logged in, you will see your account listed under your profile.
4. You’re all set. Now you can start placing online orders by following the prompts.

If you have any technical questions, please contact MSA Support/Service Team at 1300 369 783.

UNIFORM REMINDER

Is your daughter wearing her uniform correctly? In Terms 1 and 4, students wear their Summer Uniform, and it is expected that some girls have grown taller over the break. We therefore draw your attention to the length of the Summer Dress needing to be below the knee. There is a generous hem that may need to be taken down over the coming weekend.

SOME GENERAL REMINDERS

School Jumpers: are not to be worn in the street without a blazer on top and hats are a must.
Shoes / Sandals: laces and buckles must be tied up
Sports Shoes: sandshoes worn for sport should be predominantly white in colour.
Fawn Socks: socks must be kept pulled up.
Hair Styles: simple and neat. If hair is long it should be tied back with black or navy ribbons. White or patterned hair accessories are not permitted. Girls are also asked not to wear coloured hair or coloured hair extensions that are not of natural colour.
Earrings: a stud may be worn only in each ear lobe. No other piercings are permitted.
Jewellery, Cosmetics, and Acrylic Nails: not permitted, with the exception of a watch and signet ring.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

Headphones/earbuds may only be worn if students have been given explicit permission by the teacher to do so.  

Thank you for your support in helping us uphold these College Policies, which seek to provide a safe, inclusive and supportive environment that our students are proud to be a part of. 

ROAD SAFETY INFORMATION

KEEPING KIDS SAFE AROUND SCHOOLS - A MESSAGE FROM THE CITY OF ADELAIDE

With of the resumption of learning for all students, we wish to remind families of the road safety measures that help keep all members of our Community safe.

Parking Zones around the school are put in place to ensure pedestrian safety. Children
are in particular danger near schools because:

• Their small size makes it hard for drivers to see them between traffic, parked cars, stobie poles and other
  obstacles.
• They are easily distracted and may not be aware of traffic.
• They may suddenly run onto the road - e.g. to meet a parent.

Some road rules you particularly need to be aware of are:

• You must not stop in a No Stopping Zone, even for a few seconds to pick up your child.
• You may stop in a No Parking Zone / Kiss & Drop Zone for a few seconds only to pick up a child who is already waiting nearby. You must not linger in this zone in wait, park, or leave the vehicle.
• You must not Double Park, or stop in the line of traffic, to pick up or drop off a child.
• You must not stop in a Bicycle Lane.
• You must not stop within 20 metres before a crossing or 10 metres after a crossing.
• You must not stop within 10 metres of an intersection or junction without traffic lights.
• If you have an enquiries regarding this information, please contact City of Adelaide on 8203 7203.

City of Adelaide Parking and Information Officers and SAPOL are aware of these issues and will monitor the situation and deal with breaches accordingly, to ensure children’s safety. Expiations will be issued to vehicles contravening these rules.

In addition to the information above, as provided by City of Adelaide, the College would further wish to request that
drivers please be mindful of our neighbours in:

• Not pulling into, or parking across driveways or no standing zones.
• Not making U Turns at busy pick up/drop off times. This obstructs the flow of traffic and may endanger children
  crossing the road. Please drive around the block.

Please be mindful of your own behaviour around schools, whether in relation to where you park or the respect shown to those trying to ensure pedestrian safety - you are our children’s greatest role model.

ADELAIDE METRO BUS SERVICES

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO SCHOOL WITH ADELAIDE METRO

The nearest bus stop to St Dominic's is HILL STREET STOP 5A.  It is serviced by two student-only School Bus services:

477 Elizabeth Station to St Dominic’s
985 St Dominic’s to City (afternoons only)

For current timetables for these routes, as well as other (general public) services that are within the vicinity of the College, visit: www.adelaidemetro.com.au

COMMUNITY NOTICES