It is with pleasure that I welcome you to Siena College. If you are a first time visitor, to our website, I hope the experience gives you a sense of our beautiful setting and our Dominican tradition, and that you will be encouraged to visit us in Camberwell to meet our students and experience the College in operation.

Siena College was established in 1940 as an independent, Catholic school for girls in Years 7 to 12. The Dominican Sisters who founded the College built a school where young women could be inspired by the human person of Jesus Christ, follow their academic and cultural interests, believe in their potential and become passionate learners for life. Siena is a place where the diversity and unique gifts of the young women in our care are acknowledged and celebrated, and where we aim to empower young women to go out and bring good to the world.

The College motto, Veritas, connects us to our 800 year Dominican tradition and to Dominican communities across Australia and around the world. Our Truth searching is grounded in four pillars: prayer and contemplation; a commitment to study; the relationships and strong sense of community that has long been a part of Siena’s heritage; and a commitment to justice that is inspired by Gospel values. We encourage our students to engage in critical reflection on the world, develop a love of learning, an appreciation of culture and beauty and a spirit of freedom and responsibility.

St Catherine of Siena is the College patron and role model: a woman who responded to the needs of her time with courage and conviction. She was both passionate and courageous, a revolutionary, a peacemaker, a champion of the poor and a prophetic teacher and Truth seeker. A Siena education has always been based on a deep respect for the unique qualities and gifts of each member of the community with an emphasis on service and personal excellence in all endeavours.

Since it first opened in 1940, Siena College has demonstrated the capacity to meet evolving educational expectations of society and Church, staff, students and parents. We welcome you as we engage in educating and inspiring generations of young women, now and into the future.

Elizabeth Hanney
Principal

Elizabeth finds it a privilege and a pleasure to be the Principal at Siena College. For her, each day gives witness to a thriving community of learning and growth for students, underpinned by Dominican values and exercised by extraordinary staff. As Principal, Elizabeth is honoured to contribute to the education and formation of young people for our world.

“A Dominican education is a liberating one; enabling young women to know their gifts, live into their promise, and daring them to do more and be more for our world.”