Dear Delany community,
Welcome back to all our returning families and a very warm welcome to those that have just joined our Delany College community. It was great to see the arrival of so many eager Year 7 students last week and the enthusiasm of students as they started the school year.
As a new member of the community myself, I have felt very welcome and together with staff and students, look forward to an exciting and productive year in 2020. Our college theme for 2020 is in fact ‘Welcome’ and we will be working unpack how we ‘live’ this as a community as the term progresses. The priority at the start of this year has been to ensure that students settle into good routines, focus on their learning goals and arrive at school each day ready to work and participate as responsible learners.
Students have worked with their Stage Coordinators and Mentor teachers to understand expectations and plan for a successful year of learning. We have high expectations for each learner and the work has started from Day 1 – there is no warm up period! Your support as parent or caregiver is vital in assisting your daughter or son to meet expectations and achieve their desired learning outcomes.
On Tuesday evening we welcomed families with children in Years 7 and 8 to the Stage 4 Parent Information evening.The evening commenced with a barbecue before sharing with parents and students some important information about how we work together to build successful learners at Delany. The evening was a fantastic opportunity for families to meet one another – thank you to those families and staff who attended and volunteered to cook.
A reminder that the Parent Information Evening for families with students in Stage 5 and 6 is next Tuesday evening, 11 February 2020, with a barbecue commencing from 5.45 pm.
On Wednesday we celebrated the success of our 2019 students at the Scholars’ Assembly. Assemblies play an important role in the life of the college as they provide opportunities to share the success of students within our community. Our Scholars’ Assembly allows us to celebrate the academic success of our students and for them to share their stories.
Congratulations to Mary Ghribian,Tavishi Pieris, Leonard Dagher, Yara Fakoua, Marie Peralta, Brenda Karam, Paul Trad, Anthony Huynh and Irene Juru.
This Friday we are celebrating our first full College mass. It has already been a busy start to the year and the opportunity to come together in Eucharist is an important expression of our faith tradition. It is also an time for us to pause, acknowledge and remember those that have lost, gravely suffered and faced adversity over the Christmas and New Year period. Having said that, as a richly diverse community at Delany, we also have much to celebrate. As we acknowledge 200 years of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Parramatta this year, we, as theDelany College community, take a place of pride in that history. Granville is as old as Sydney itself. The first foundation for a church in Granville was laid in 1835 by Fr Therry. The first church was built in 1881 and the Parish of the Holy Trinity established in 1886. Patrician Brothers Granville opened its doors on 1 February 1942 with 101 students. In 1997, the college took the first coeducational enrolments. Throughout its history our college has always been called to be innovative and meet the challenges of the changing nature of the times. It has always thrived in doing this due to the generosity and spirit of a diverse multi-cultural community willing to work together.
In 2020 we face many of the same challenges as our founding fathers. While our students will graduate into a world of work much different than those students faced in 1942, the touchstones of Pride, Passion and Persistence will support us as we continue to adapt and prepare our learners for their future roles in our communities.
I look forward to working with you throughout 2020 and your continued support.
God Bless
Mr Paul Easton
Acting Principal