Delany College - Granville

Dear Delany Community,

We say farewell to Miss Rodrigues at the end of this term as she peruses her future endeavours. We thank her for her contribution to the Maths team and wish her every success. I would also like to congratulate Mrs Renee McCarren on being appointed Stage 6 Student Learning Leader while Mrs Simone Pratelli is on maternity leave. I take this opportunity to also thank the staff for all their hard work over the term. Term 2 is generally the busiest Term and the Teaching and Support staff have worked tirelessly to provide a high quality Catholic education for our young people.

We celebrated our multicultural day last Friday and as in previous years it was a huge success. A big thanks goes to our Student Leaders who had planned and coordinated the events and stalls. It is always wonderful to see happy faces proud of their cultural heritage enjoying the experience of being in one community. The spirit of Delany was alive and well with many visitors, parents and friends of the College commenting on how they felt welcomed and included in the festivities.

I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable break. May we all return refreshed with a renewed energy to learn.

God Bless 

Mr Robert Muscat

Principal

We now head towards the school holidays with two weeks of rest. Congratulations to students who have performed consistently throughout the semester, and also to our staff who have worked to promote learning and engaging classes throughout. I wish all families a safe and peaceful break.

The Delany community

If you weren’t at the College last Friday you should have been! Our annual Multicultural Day was the best yet - please have a look at the photos on the following pages of our newsletter. It was a pleasure to have about 20 students from Granville Public school as guests of our opening assembly, as well as the many, many family members and past students who visited the College during the afternoon.

There was a fantastic array of cultural clothing worn by both students and staff. Some highlights included saris, a Leprechaun, various Pacific Island and African clothes. These outfits and many more were modelled on the Multicultural Catwalk during the fashion parade. 

Throughout the afternoon we were entertained by a host of students who performed and sang, played instruments and danced. Many students had spent the past few weeks working hard on their performances - and it paid off! It was a pleasure and thrill to see the pride that each of the performers showed - even though it was matched by nervousness. 

I’d like to thank every family who contributed to the afternoon by providing food. The generosity shown by so many is the factor that makes the day such a success. My menu for the afternoon included paella, crostini, butter chicken and African jallof rice. Needless to say I was well fed during the afternoon, as was everyone else.

Finally, the day was such a success due to the hours of planning and work that was largely led by the Year 12 planning team. There were regular meetings, design and production of the posters, organisation of the performances, finding many local businesses that provided goods for the raffle, and many other behind-the-scenes jobs. Congratulations to this team - each one of you should be proud of the result.

There’s only 360 days until the next Multicultural Day!

The academic community 

Year 12 students are the only students for whom this holiday break is not ‘just’ a holiday. These students will return to face Trial HSC examinations in week 3 of term 3. The next two weeks do not have to be completely full of study, because rest is a part of effective personal care. The Trials, however, hold significant weighting towards the HSC results so I encourage all students to have a study plan in place. Further, I would like to acknowledge those staff who have offered to run extra workshops during the holidays.

Semester One reports will be mailed home this week to all families of students in Years 7, 8 and 9.

The Patrician community 

Today, Wednesday 3 July, we are hosting the annual Delany Day. This day brings together a representation of Year 10 students from each of the Patrician schools to talk about their plans for the next two years. It is part reflection day, part networking day, part formation day and part leadership day. After all, these are the students who, in just over twelve months, might be selected to be College leaders of their respective schools.

St Patrick, pray for us.

Mr Anthony Blomfield

Assistant Principal

On the evening of Tuesday 25 June, Paul Trad, Vincent Tuala, Nicholas Faddoul and Dylan Boatswain all took part in volunteering for Vinnies Van along with Miss Katrib, Miss Whitfield and Mrs Findlay. The experience was very humbling as our team were able to engage in conversation and provide sustenance to those in need. There were many laughs shared and karaoke sessions had on the way to and from our designated sites in Mount Druitt and Parramatta. Thank you to our students and staff for giving your time to help the less fortunate.

Mrs Misty Findlay

Vinnes Van Co-ordinator

On 20 of June,  students of Year 10 were taken to Riverside Theatre to watch a randition of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Students were transported back to Elizabethan England as they listened to Shakespearean language and watched the results of greed and guilt unfold in Macbeth's eventual demise.

 The students were thrilled with this opportunity as the actors brought to life the text they will study in depth next term and watching the play has given them the insight of stage positioning and dramatic effects to create meaning.

Assistant Communication Leader 

Mrs Greenberry 

For the past few weeks the Delany Girls Junior and Intermediate Netball teams have been training for their upcoming Gala Day in term 3.

Students have been getting special coaching from Nick Kelly, GA for the Mens NSW Netball team. 

 The girls were given the opportunity to train in their brand new Delany team uniforms which they were all really excited about. The girls have progressed so much since last year and we are looking forward to the challenge of the Gala Day. 

Intermediate Netball coach 

Mrs Greenberry 

Every year Delany College holds its Multicultural Day to celebrate the cultural diversity in the College. This day encourages students, teachers and the wider community to celebrate their culture with food, rides, and performances. In light of international injustices and current affairs, we are all called to remember the importance of tolerating and embracing our cultural differences to form an accepting and vibrant community and nation. We also acknowledge the nation on which we are united and gather, a nation whose traditional custodians are the Darug people, and we give respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of the past, present and emerging. 

Most importantly, the day not only encourages us to recognise the cultural differences within Australia but rejoice in our ability to live in a country free from religious and cultural persecution with safety at the forefront. Therefore, the notion of Multiculturalism within Australia is today reflected by the multicultural composition of its people, its immigration policies, its prohibition on discrimination, equality before the law of all persons, as well as various cultural policies which promote diversity and unity.Thank you so much for attending our Multicultural Day 2019. We are proud to have brought together such an amazing group of stall leaders, event organisers, performers, guests and community members.

Thank you again for being part of such a wonderful experience. We look forward to working with you all for future events.

Mary Ghribian 

College Captain

(There was traditional dancing, singing and a smorgasbord of food at Delany’s Multicultural Day)

Delany College Granville went all out when it celebrated its Multicultural Festival. There was singing, dancing, jumping castles, a smorgasbord of traditional food and a multicultural fashion parade. 

The Multicultural Festival has become a highlight event on the Delany College calender with a lot of work put in by students and the school community to make sure the afternoon event goes without a hitch.

Delany Assistant Principal Anthony Blomfield said Multicultural Day is the school’s major fundraising event for the Patrician Delany Foundation. “Students have really been the driving force behind this event, coming up with ideas on the entertainment, fashion parade and coordinating the fundraising activities,’’ Mr Blomfield said.

Multicultural Day was launched in 2016 with the purpose of giving students the opportunity to have a ``taste of the world’’. It has grown from these humble beginnings to an annual whole school and community event.

(Delany senior English Teacher Misty Findlay, with colleagues Sharon McManus and Cheryl Sahyoun, dressed up in their traditional outfits to help celebrate the special day)

The Day has gained such momentum that this year featured a Multicultural Fashion Parade with every culture represented in a flurry of colour and design! It also featured the largest number of visitors to the school, along with food stalls galore and activities which kept visitors fed and entertained.

“The Year 12 leaders played a big part of the day’s success. They worked behind the scenes to plan and prepare many of the activities, and continued on the day to coordinate and run stalls, serve food, perform and clean up at the end of the day,’’ Mr Blomfield said.

Year 11 students Izabel Anae, Tiana Moungatonga, Touila Liutai said that Multicultural Day is a great way to celebrate the diversity of cultures at their school. “It gives us all a chance to show off the best parts of our culture and celebrate it with our friends and family,’’ they said.

“Multicultural Day represents our community in all its richness, diversity, energy and generosity! Thank you to everyone for your support,” Mr Blomfield said.

(There was something for everyone at Delany’s Multicultural Day with family and friends having a ball on the jumping castles)