St Bernadette's Primary School is a Catholic school under the pastoral care of the Paulist Missionaries. It is located on Willey Street at the rear of our Church. The school motto 'God Loves Us, Let Us Love God' speaks of the school community’s commitment to one another and to living as Christians.
The students of St Bernadette's come from the local parish and community and it prides itself on its multicultural diversity and encourages respect and acceptance of all.
It is a diverse and rich school community, with most students speaking English as an additional language. The students are encouraged to have a voice in the life of the school- in learning, in playing and in building community and relationships.
School History
Throughout the 64 years of its history, St Bernadette’s School has established for itself a respected name and has become an ideal school not only for the local catholic community, but also for other religious denominations.
The Parishioners of St Bernadette’s have always given priority to Catholic Education and supported its Primary School even before having their own Church, Hall and Presbytery; and this they did through sacrifice and substantial financial commitment. Over the years the enrolment has fluctuated to meet the needs of the local families and better facilities have been built as the need arose and the money was raised. Refurbishing and upgrading buildings has been a key part of the story and will continue to be as we strive to honour and build on the great work done every year since it’s inception.
The School was founded in 1956 by Father Leonard Egan who was the first Parish Priest of St Bernadette’s and in those early days the school even became the church on the weekends! The beginning enrolment was 241 students from Prep to Grade 3. In September of that year several Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary came from Malta to lead the school and provide staff and the Sisters continue to be active in both the school and parish community today.
Mr Brendan Gill is now Principal of our school and leads a staff that brings expertise, experience and enthusiasm to learning and to the life of the school. Professional learning has been a priority in recent years and the opportunities to learn with a whole school approach has been embraced by all.
Currently there are 352 students enrolled at the school and 46 staff members. For more information about the school visit www.stbsunshinenth.catholic.edu.au.