Catholic Education’s newest school welcomed its first cohort of students today.
The new McAuley Community School at Hove - a Catholic school in the Mercy tradition – opened with 345 students from Reception to Year 6.
“McAuley is a place for children to thrive,” says principal Amanda Parslow.
“It’s my mission to lead a community of capable learners with endless learning opportunities. We have flexible ‘learning neighbourhoods’ designed to meet the needs of the children as they collaborate on a project or work individually with their educator. It’s a contemporary approach to learning.
“I think the children are most excited about the green screens and makerspaces for their STEM work in each neighbourhood.”
It is the first new Catholic School built in South Australia in over a decade and represents a $22.3 million investment by Catholic Education SA.
The contemporary design of the school was influenced by the local environment and the close proximity to the Brighton coastline. The building’s design references the motion of soft waves, shapes of sand movement and coastal birds in flight.
The school has opened with a coveted 6-star green rating issued by the Green Building Council Australia.
It is the highest green rated school in the State.
The school’s design and environmental focus is attracting national interest - with innovations such as school bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, carpets produced from recycled fishing nets and state of the art energy efficiency measures.
Students from the former St Teresa’s at Brighton are among the first enrolments at McAuley Community School, with others drawn from around Adelaide and regional areas.
The school is expected to grow to 530 students, with another 90 pre-schoolers in the co-located Alive Catholic Early Learning Centre.
St Thomas More School in Elizabeth Park, St Mary Magdalene’s School in Elizabeth Grove, and Catherine McAuley School in Craigmore recently announced that their school fees will reduce.
