St Josephine Bakhita Catholic Primary School opening in January 2025
Excitement is building as St Josephine Bakhita Catholic Primary School prepares to open its doors in January 2025.
Situated in the new Five Farms community in Clyde North, the school will provide families in the eastern area of the St Thomas the Apostle Parish with access to quality Catholic education.
Three State Members of Parliament - Ms Pauline Richards, State Member for Cranbourne, Mr Lee Tarlamis OAM, and Mr Michael Galea, State Members for the South Eastern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council recently visited the school for an exclusive tour of the Stage 1 site.
Construction of the school building is complete and features an administration building and a teaching and learning centre comprising eight general learning areas. Landscaping is currently underway. The initial enrolment projection for 2025 is 120 students, with a long-term goal of accommodating up to 700 students as the school grows.
During the visit, the MPs met with Fr Denis O’Bryan – Parish Priest of St Thomas the Apostle Parish, Mr Paul Velten - Director of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Sale, Mr Dermot Cannon - General Manager Infrastructure and Support Services, the school’s Foundation Principal, Mrs Kathryn Pepper and school support staff.
Mr Paul Velten said the new St Josephine Bakhita Catholic Primary School represented a pivotal moment for Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL), as it becomes the 39th Catholic primary school in the Diocese and the second in the St Thomas the Apostle Parish.
“It underlines DOSCEL’s commitment to providing accessible Catholic education to families in the rapidly growing Clyde North area, seeking a faith filled learning environment for their children,” Mr Velten said.
The school is named after St Josephine Bakhita, the first saint from Sudan, who overcame a harrowing past of slavery to find peace and purpose through her faith.
Foundation Principal Mrs Kathryn Pepper said St Josephine Bakhita's journey serves as an inspiration for our school community, reinforcing our motto of Courage, Humility, and Forgiveness.
“Recently we welcomed Foundation (Prep) enrolled students to visit the school and look forward to welcoming all our students and their families and creating a nurturing environment where they can thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.”
The Stage 1 building of the St Josephine Bakhita Catholic Primary School project was supported by a $5million grant from the Victorian Government’s Non-Government Schools Capital Fund.
In an announcement in July this year, the Victorian Government confirmed a further grant of $6 million towards the construction of Stage 2 of the school which will add a further eight general learning areas, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) facility, an oval, more playground space, undercover hard court, and an extended car park. Construction on Stage 2 is expected to begin mid-2025.
Children growing up at Five Farms will have access to some of the very best schools. These include St Josephine Bakhita Primary School and a public secondary college proposed for Five Farms itself. Add to these, 100 childcare places and everyone living here can expect a great start in life. Access our Education page to learn more about all the education options available.
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