Latest News

Catholic Education South Australia has announced that it will expand Galilee Catholic School in Aldinga. Galilee will become a Reception to Year 9 Campus of Cardijn College.

The school, which has over 280 students, will extend to offer middle years learning with Year 8 commencing in 2022 and Year 9 from 2023.

“We are excited to be strengthening Catholic schooling in the Aldinga precinct,” says Dr Neil McGoran, Director, Catholic Education South Australia.

“The school will provide a high quality academic pathway into senior secondary at Cardijn College. Students will also be able to pursue SACE vocational programs at Cardijn’s Marcellin Campus.”

The co-principals at Galilee Catholic School, Jodie Higgins and Sharon Doyle, have welcomed the announcement that follows significant consultation with existing school families and the wider community.

“Our school motto is ‘together we grow’ and when Galilee opened in 2007 our aspiration was always to expand to offer middle schooling. It is exciting to see this come to fruition,” said Jodie Higgins.

The site will include specialist Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEaM) facilities, new teaching spaces and staged upgrades to the school’s facilities. 

Construction of the new facilities and upgrades will commence in late 2020.

The school will become part of Cardijn College from Term 1 2021 as the school prepares to open its doors to additional students in 2022.

“We believe that this collaborative approach – across three campuses of one school – will strengthen our Reception to Year 12 educational offerings and will further improve student learning and wellbeing across the region,” says Dr Paul Rijken, Principal at Cardijn College. 

Cardijn College will continue to offer Years 7 – 12 at its Noarlunga Downs location as well as Years 10 – 12 vocational and trade training at Marcellin Campus, Christie Downs.

The $3.2 million expansion is in addition to existing plans to develop an $18.5 million Senior School and Innovation Centre at the Noarlunga Downs school.

In a letter sent to the school communities, Dr McGoran said “I acknowledge the leadership of Dr Paul Rijken, Principal of Cardijn College, and the Galilee Co-Principals Mrs Jodie Higgins and Mrs Sharon Doyle for their vision and initiation of this significant expansion.”

“The Reception to Year 9 Education Plan for Galilee is centred on enhancing Catholic Identity and improving student learning and wellbeing through a unified and collaborative approach across three campuses of Cardijn.”

A consultative transition committee comprising members of the Galilee and Cardijn communities will be established to inform the new developments and transition arrangements.

The news follows a similar announcement by Catholic Education South Australia in October 2019 that it will expand St Joseph’s School at Murray Bridge. That school will soon offer a secondary education, with Year 8 commencing in 2022 and Year 9 from 2023.