St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School

St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School 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
Carnarvon, Gascoyne region, Western Australia

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

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
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

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

Kindy, Pre-Primary and Year 1 are educated in the Junior Learning Centre, located across the oval from the main school buildings.[1] Inside, there are three separate classrooms, with two large ‘wet' areas and a modern kitchen facility. The play area is fully fenced and the whole centre is fully resourced. Kindy students attend four sessions a week. Pre-Primary builds upon the knowledge and skills introduced in the previous year. Students attend full time and are actively involved in investigating, exploring, thinking and communicating. Each student is individually monitored and assessed and a report is written twice a year. Year One is a fundamental stage in the young students' learning career. It is the beginning of their formal schooling environment.[2] Year One, therefore, immerses the students in experiences that are meaningful, whole and based on real situations that the students can relate to. Such experiences promote language enhancement, cognitive development, social interaction, physical activity and creativity. Literacy, numeracy and effective communication become a focus.

Year 2-7

The curriculum is more formal and the focus on literacy and numeracy strengthens, while developing the "whole student". The school offers educational programs for individual differences, interests, needs and levels of ability, which it believes sets the student up for future success. 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 state of the art computer laboratory whilst having computers in each classroom.[3]

RAISe (Literacy Initiative)

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."[4]

Middle school

The Middle School of St Mary's Carnarvon was established in 2001 and is dedicated to providing students in Years 8 - 10 with the necessary skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century with faith and hope. The philosophy behind Middle Schooling at St Mary's is to recognise the challenges associated with the transition that young people experience as they move from being young children to becoming adolescents. At St Mary's, middle schooling methodologies are adopted to ease this period transition, and to ensure that St Mary's maximises the learning opportunities for all students.

Both the academic and Religious Education programs promote the development of reflection, personal commitment, self-respect and individual achievement within, and outside the school. Programs such as Christian Service Learning, Young Achievement Australia, musical performances, drama productions and a multitude of other activities contribute to the development of each student.

Middle School at St Mary's focuses on meeting student needs, in an environment that provides mutual respect and support, for both the community and the individual within the community. Positive affirming classrooms are developed in conjunction with all members of the school community.[5]

House system
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

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

OrdinalOfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
1Sister Aquinas1977−
2Sister Lelia1982−
3Sister Goretti1983199612–13 years
4Anne Cullender199620003–4 years
5Chris Cully200120042–3 years
6John Twomey20052005 yearsActing
(5)Chris Cully20062006 yearsActing
7Carmel Costin200620092–3 years
8Darren McDonald201020143–4 years
9Steve O’Halloran2014incumbent6–7 years

See also

References
  1. "prince 2016". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  2. "10/10^". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  3. "Primary School Description". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  4. "RAISe Description". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
  5. "Middle School". St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School.
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