1997

14th August 1997
St Dominic's Celebrates 125 Years of Deaf Education
Students, staff, parents and friends of St Dominic's Centre for Hearing Impaired Children at Mayfield will be celebrating in a big way during the week 17-23 August. August 17 marks the beginning of the nationally-celebrated Deaf Festival Week, but St Dominic's will also be commemorating 125 years since they enrolled their first student with a hearing impairment.

Highlights of the week-long celebration of Deaf Festival include: an official opening and welcome on Wednesday 20 August (from 9.30am), an inservice on "Glue Ear" - a condition occurring in young children which can cause temporary hearing loss, and a panel discussion on the personal issues facing people with hearing impairments and their families.

St Dominic's will also unveil an archival display (hung from the ceiling) and a "Memory Quilt", featuring photos of past and present staff and students (Wednesday 20 August).

Guests at the official opening and welcome will include the Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, the Most Rev Michael Malone; Director of Catholic Schools, Mr Michael Bowman; former Prioress of the Dominican Community, Sr Margaret Cameron OP; Lord Mayor, Cr Greg Heys; and His Eminence Edward Cardinal Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

"For us it's a celebration! It's an opportunity for us to have people come to the school, meet the children, see the wonderful things that they do, and celebrate as a community the work that we do together", says Ms Maree Martin, Principal of St Dominic's.

Founded in 1875 by the Dominican Sisters, St Dominic's is a non-denominational school providing a full range of special education programs to cater for children with a hearing impairment from the time of diagnosis to the completion of high school. The aim is to educate the whole child, embracing the social, spiritual, academic, emotional, cognitive and physical aspects of development. The school is funded by the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and the Commonwealth and State Governments.

The program for the week's celebrations includes:

• Monday 18 August: A day of fun activities for primary and infants students with St Columban's PS Mayfield.
• Tuesday 19 August, 2-4pm: Inservice for teachers and parents "Trouble Hearing,
  Trouble Learning": How glue ear can affect children's learning.
• Wednesday 20 August, 9.30-11am: Official opening, address by Sr Margaret Cameron OP, student performance, presentation of student awards, and panel discussion on the personal issues facing people with hearing impairments and their families.
• Thursday 21 August, 10-2pm: Workshop for parents "Crisis: The Big Events in Life".
• Friday 22 August: Picnic Day at Centennial Park for students, staff, families and friends.

Please note: The official opening on Wednesday 20 August at 9.30am will take place at St Columban's Church, 58 Church Street Mayfield. Refreshments and open classrooms will follow at St Dominic's (approx. 11.15am). St Dominic's is located at 76 Havelock Street Mayfield.

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