Religious Education 

Building Our Future: Shaping Our New House System

Following our recent vision and mission renewal process, our school community identified four core values - Dignity, Belonging, Compassion, and Service - that will guide our learning, faith, and culture moving forward. To bring these values to life and strengthen our school identity, we are introducing a brand-new house system.

A house system is more than just Sports Day teams - it creates a deep sense of belonging across all year levels, fosters positive peer relationships, and builds a vibrant, supportive culture where every student is known and valued.

An important insight from our community consultation was that our Catholic identity is lived most powerfully through our relationships and daily interactions. Staff and families naturally spoke about dignity, belonging, compassion, inclusion, and service as the heart of who we are. Introducing these saints as house patrons makes our already strong and present Catholic identity visible - giving human faces, concrete stories, and shared purpose to the values our students already experience in our school culture every single day.

To anchor this system in our faith tradition, Year 6 student leaders researched potential saint patrons who model what it means to live out these values in daily life. After investigating a wide range of inspiring figures, our students compiled presentations on six outstanding candidates. Now, we invite our entire family community to partner with us in narrowing our selection from six saints down to our final four house patrons.

Below is a brief summary of the six saint candidates researched by our students:

• St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop: Australia’s first saint, who showed us how to serve rural communities and ensure every child had access to an education.

• St. Francis of Assisi: A gentle patron of ecology who lived out deep compassion for the poor, the sick, and all of God's creation.

• St. Carlo Acutis: A modern 15-year-old gamer and 'cyber-apostle' who used digital tools to show how everyone belongs in God's family.

• St. Josephine Bakhita: A courageous woman who overcame severe hardship to teach us that every person possesses sacred, unbreakable dignity.

• St. Kateri Tekakwitha: The "Lily of the Mohawks" and first Native American saint, who found God’s presence in nature and welcomed all into faith.

• St. Maximilian Kolbe: A selfless priest who stood up for others in the most difficult circumstances, demonstrating ultimate love and sacrifice.

Please take a few minutes to read the student research presentations attached on Compass and cast your vote.

🗳️ Have Your Say: Please click the link below to cast your family vote and share your feedback on our six house candidates.

Click Here to Cast Your Vote for Our House Saints

Voting closes on Monday 7th September.