St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School

Summary

St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School[1] is an Independent co-educational primary and secondary day school, located in Carnarvon, a coastal town located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, approximately 900 kilometres (560 mi) north of Perth.

St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic School
Location
Map

Australia
Coordinates24°53′08″S 113°39′32″E / 24.88556°S 113.65889°E / -24.88556; 113.65889
Information
TypeIndependent co-educational primary and secondary day school
MottoTo Jesus through Mary
Religious affiliation(s)Presentation Sisters
DenominationRoman Catholicism
Established1906; 118 years ago (1906)
Educational authorityWA Department of Education
PrincipalSteve O'Halloran
Employees~40
Enrolment~300
Colour(s)Maroon, blue and white    
Websitewww.smsc.wa.edu.au
Map

St Mary's has a current enrolment of approximately 300 students from Year K to Year 10. The school's students come from Carnarvon itself or the surrounding areas and the school involves itself in many of the sporting and community activities in Carnarvon. There are approximately forty staff members at the school. Subsidised accommodation and other financial incentives are offered through the Catholic Education Office's Remote Area Package for Teachers.

History edit

 
Presentation Convent students in 1927 or 1928.

St Mary's Catholic School was founded in 1906 by Mother Joseph O'Connell of the Presentation Sisters. The last remaining Presentation Sisters to live at the school were Sister Delores and Sister Evangelist; they left the school on its centenary on 17 March 2006.

Primary school edit

St Mary Star of the Sea Primary School is co-educational and caters for approximately 300 students from Kindergarten through to Year 7. The school has strong links to the Parish and wider communities and their involvement and support are essential.

The Curriculum reflects the values of both the Catholic Church and those outlined in the Curriculum Framework. The school believes it develops the "whole child" (spiritually, intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically) in an environment rich in the Catholic tradition.

Early childhood education edit

Kindy, Pre-Primary and Year 1 are educated in the Junior Learning Centre, located across the oval from the main school buildings.[2] Inside, there are three separate classrooms, with two large ‘wet' areas and a modern kitchen facility. Kindy students attend four sessions a week. Pre-Primary builds upon the knowledge and skills introduced in the previous year. Students attend full time. Each student is individually monitored and assessed and a report is written twice a year.[3]

Year 2–7 edit

The curriculum is more formal and the focus on literacy and numeracy strengthens. The school offers educational programs for individual differences, interests, needs and levels of ability. The school offers its students access to a range of specialist learning areas such as Science, Art, Music, Computing and Physical Education. Students have access to a computer laboratory whilst having computers in each classroom.[4]

RAISe (Literacy Initiative) edit

In 2006, St Mary's Primary School continued with its implementation of the RAISe literacy initiative. RAISe stands for Raising Achievement in Schools and this is the school's second year of operation. "We here at St Mary's continue to endeavour to provide a better and more rounded education for our students."[5]

Middle school edit

The Middle School of St Mary's Carnarvon was established in 2001.[6]

House system edit

Colour Name Namesake
Grey Named after George Edward Grey who explored the northern coastline and Gascoyne River area and Kalbarri
Forrest Named after John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia
Stirling Named after Captain James Stirling, the founding father and first Governor of Western Australia

Principals edit

The following individuals has served as principal of St Mary's Star of the Sea School:

Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 Sister Aquinas 1977 0
2 Sister Lelia 1982 0
3 Sister Goretti 1983 1996 12–13 years
4 Anne Cullender 1996 2000 3–4 years
5 Chris Cully 2001 2004 2–3 years
6 John Twomey 2005 2005 0 years Acting
(5) Chris Cully 2006 2006 0 years Acting
7 Carmel Costin 2006 2009 2–3 years
8 Darren McDonald 2010 2014 3–4 years
9 Steve O’Halloran 2014 incumbent 9–10 years

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "St. Mary Star of the Sea School Faith • Academics • Service". stmarystars.com. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  2. ^ "prince 2016". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  3. ^ "10/10^". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  4. ^ "Primary School Description". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  5. ^ "RAISe Description". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  6. ^ "Middle School". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
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