St Patrick's College | |
---|---|
Location | |
Australia | |
Coordinates | 34°04′37″S150°49′25″E / 34.0769359°S 150.8234829°E |
Information | |
Type | Independent single-sex secondary day school |
Motto | The Lord is My Light |
Religious affiliation(s) | Sisters of the Good Samaritan |
Denomination | Roman Catholicism |
Established | 1840 |
Educational authority | New South Wales Department of Education |
Principal | Mary Leask |
Years | 7–12 |
Gender | Girls |
Enrolment | c. 850 [1] (2011) |
Campus type | Suburban |
Colour(s) | Navy blue, red, white |
Nickname | St Pat's, SPC |
Affiliations | Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools |
Brother school | St Gregory's College, Campbelltown |
Website | www |
Saint Patrick's College is an Australian independent Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for girls located in Campbelltown in south-western Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1840, it was the first school built by private enterprises in New South Wales and provides a religious and comprehensive education for approximately 850 students from Year 7 to Year 12, in the traditions of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
St Patrick's College was established in 1840. [2] It was the first school built by private enterprise in the colony of New South Wales [3] and was the result of the initiative of the Catholic people of the Campbelltown area in association with the priest responsible for the district, Fr Gould. [4]
This original school was built on three acres of land donated by Mary Sheil, wife of Dennis Sheil and daughter of local pioneer, William Bradbury and named St Patrick's. [4] The original building still stands today and is now known as ‘Quandong’, which houses the Campbelltown Historic Exhibition, Tourist Information Centre and the St Patrick's museum. [5]
Teachers from the general community staffed the college [6] until 1887 when the Sisters of the Good Samaritan assumed responsibility for the school. [2] In 1888, after the completion of the new St John's church in Cordeaux Street, a convent and school was established at the 'old’ St John's ‘on the hill’ building and took its name from the original St Patrick's at ‘Quandong’. [7] [5]
The final change in location came in 1970 when St Patrick's moved from ‘old’ St John's to its present location. [8] This site was originally a Preparatory School for Boys named St John's or "Westview" and was also conducted by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, a Catholic order. [9] It is considered a 'congregational school' as it is an independent Catholic, operated by the order. [10] [11] As of 2024 the school reports to have an enrolment of 720 students. [12]
In a 2023 report by the Sydney Morning Herald the school argued girls had a better academic performance because the school is single sex. [13] While sport remains single sex, some student activities are co-ed. The school's annual activities have included: [14] [15] [16] [17]
Yearly co-curricular activities: aerobics, circuit, pump, spin and body combat fitness classes, indoor rock climbing, yoga, dance, ten-pin bowling, tennis, competitive aerobics, martial arts and gymnastics. [18] The school supports public speaking competitions. [19] It is also a compulsory part of activities that all Year 10 students participate in a self-defence course.
Many activities at the school emanate from the social justice teaching of the Vatican, including that of Pope Francis: [20] [21] [22] [23]
The students compete with many other schools in the region, largely through the Woolongong Diocesan Sports Council, including: [24]
There are four houses, each named after a significant female figures to Australia: [25]
House | Colour | Name origin |
---|---|---|
Chisholm | Yellow
| Named after Caroline Chisholm, known for her involvement with female immigrant welfare in Australia. |
Gilmore | Red
| Red House, Named after Dame Mary Gilmore, known for being an Australian socialist poet and journalist. |
Kenny | Green
| Named after Elizabeth Kenny, known for being a unaccredited nurse who promoted a controversial new approach to the treatment of poliomyelitis. |
Lyons | Blue
| Named after Dame Enid Lyons, known for being the first women to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives and being the first women appointed to the federal Cabinet. |
The College is a sister school to other Good Samaritan schools in Australia and overseas [26] – St Marys Star of the Sea College (Wollongong NSW), Mater Dei School (Camden, NSW), Mount St. Benedict College (Pennant Hills NSW), Stella Maris College (Manly NSW), Rosebank College (Five Dock NSW), St. Scholasticas College (Glebe NSW), Mater Christi College (Belgrave VIC), Santa Maria College (Northcote VIC), Lourdes Hill College (Hawthorne QLD), Seiwa Junior and Senior High School (Sasebo Japan), and Kinder School (Bacolod, Philippines).
Campbelltown is a suburb located on the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney 53 kilometres (33 mi) south-west of the Sydney central business district by road. Campbelltown is the administrative seat of the local government area of the City of Campbelltown. It is also acknowledged on the register of the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales as one of only four cities within the Sydney metropolitan area.
The Australian Catholic Church or Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grown to be the largest Christian denomination in Australia, with a culturally diverse membership of around 5,075,907 people, representing about 20% of the overall population of Australia according to the 2021 ABS Census data.
St Gregory's College Campbelltown is an independent Catholic single-sex and co-educational comprehensive and specialist primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Gregory Hills, near Campbelltown, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With specialist expertise as an agricultural school, St Gregory's College provides a co-educational environment for students in the Kindergarten to Year 6 primary school; and a boys-only environment for students in the Year 7 to Year 12 secondary schools.
Santa Sabina College is a multi-campus independent Roman Catholic, single-sex, early learning, primary and secondary day school for girls from Year 5 to Year 12; and a co-educational day school from early learning years through Prep to Year 4. Located on eight hectares in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney; and on 97 hectares in Tallong, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia; students are educated in the Dominican tradition. Established in 1894, Santa Sabina has a non-selective enrolment policy and as of 2007 catered to approximately 1,400 students.
St John the Evangelist Catholic High School, or the colloquial St John's, is an independent co-educational secondary day school, located in Nowra, New South Wales, Australia. The school provides a religious and general education to Catholic and non-Catholic families. Administered by the Catholic Education Office of the Diocese of Wollongong, the Catholic systemic school caters for students from Year 7 to Year 12 and serves the Shoalhaven and surrounding regions.
St Monica's College is a Catholic co-educational secondary school which was established in 1964. Located across two main campuses, it is situated just north of Melbourne, Australia in the suburb of Epping. The College also includes a small country campus in Strath Creek which is used as a retreat and by visiting class groups. The College is a member of the Sports Association of Catholic Co-educational Secondary Schools (SACCSS).
Trinity Catholic College Auburn is a dual-campus independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the inner western suburbs of Auburn and Regents Park, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Students in Years 7 and 8 are located at the Regents Park campus, and students from Years 9 to 12 are located at the Auburn campus. The college follows the religious tradition of the Marist Brothers, founded in 1817 by French priest and saint Marcellin Champagnat.
The Diocese of Wollongong is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. Established in 1951, the diocese covers the Illawarra and Southern Highlands regions of New South Wales. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney
Mount Carmel Catholic College is a systemic Catholic co-educational secondary school of the Marist tradition located in Varroville, a suburb 46 kilometres south-west of Sydney. It is situated within the city of Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia. The current principal is Stephen Lo Cascio.
Stella Maris College is an independent Roman Catholic high school for girls, located on the northern end of Manly Beach in Manly, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1931 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, the College provides a religious and general education in the Benedictine tradition for approximately 950 girls from Year 7 to Year 12 from the surrounding area and from overseas. Stella Maris is a day school so international students board with homestay families in the local area. In recent years governance of the College has passed to Good Samaritan Education, established by the Sisters for the continued canonical oversight of all the Congregation's schools.
Mater Maria Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in Warriewood, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1962 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay.
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, colloquially known as the "Good Sams", is a Roman Catholic congregation of religious women commenced by Bede Polding, OSB, Australia’s first Catholic bishop, in Sydney in 1857. The congregation was the first religious congregation to be founded in Australia. The sisters form an apostolic institute that follows the Rule of Saint Benedict. They take their name from the well-known gospel parable of the Good Samaritan.
St Ursula's College, Kingsgrove, founded in 1957, is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for girls, located in Kingsgrove, a southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The College is a member of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia.
Mount St Benedict College is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for girls, located in Pennant Hills, a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The college provides a religious and comprehensive education in the Good Samaritan tradition to approximately 1,000 girls from Year 7 to Year 12.
The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia is a non-profit organisation that promotes the education of girls in single-sex girls' schools, and promotes the image of, and support the development of, girls' schools in Australasia.
Mater Dei School is an independent Good Samaritan Education co-educational inclusive day school located in the outer south-western Macarthur region of Sydney, in the rural town of Camden, in New South Wales, Australia. The school is part of a broader organisation of the same name, Mater Dei, and provides early intervention and early childhood education for babies and children with a developmental delay, and education and therapy services for children and young people with an intellectual disability.
St John's Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery is a heritage-listed former school and now Roman Catholic church building located in George Street in Campbelltown. It was designed by John Joseph Therry and built from 1824 to 1841. It is also known as St Johns Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery (former), Saint Johns Roman Catholic Church and Old St John's Church. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The current church, called St John the Evangelist Catholic Church was built in 1886 and is located at Cordeaux Street, Campbelltown in the City of Campbelltown local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Wollongong.
Clara Jane McLaughlin (1856-1931), known by her religious name as Mary Berchmans, was an Australian nun who became superior general for the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
Bernice Moore is an Australian educator and former Sister of the Good Samaritan from Sydney. She is known for her significant contributions to the fields of education, feminist theology and social justice. Moore was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1997.