Sacred Heart Girls' College

For similarly named schools, see Sacred Heart College (disambiguation).
Sacred Heart Girls' College

Semper Superne Nitens
Always Striving Upwards
Address
113 Warrigal Road
Oakleigh, Victoria, 3166
Australia
Coordinates 37°54′6″S 145°5′10″E / 37.90167°S 145.08611°E / -37.90167; 145.08611Coordinates: 37°54′6″S 145°5′10″E / 37.90167°S 145.08611°E / -37.90167; 145.08611
Information
School type Private, Day
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Opened 1957
Founder Euphrasie Barbier
Principal Christopher Dalton
Years offered 7–12
Gender Girls
Enrolment 1000
Houses Bede, Paul, Trinity, Xavier
Website web.shcoakleigh.catholic.edu.au

Sacred Heart Girls' College (SHGC) is an Independent, Catholic & Day school for girls from years 7 to 12 located in the Melbourne south-eastern suburb of Oakleigh. It was opened in 1957 by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM). The College houses approximately 1000 students of many different nationalities, and continues to grow. It provides many extra-curricular activities for its students, and is known for its successes in sporting, academics, public speaking and debating.

The school is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), as well as the South Eastern Sporting Group (SESG) & Secondary Catholic Sporting Association (SCSA).

The school offers the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), and has become renown for their high levels of academic achievement in the area, having consistently ranked in the Top 100 schools in Victoria for VCE, as well as in the Top 10 Catholic schools in Victoria for VCE in recent and past years.

In 2007, the school celebrated 50 years of educating young women at their current Warrigal Road campus.

History

Sacred Heart Girls' College was founded by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDMs) in 1957, built on the wonderful traditions of their founder, Euphrasie Barbier. It was she who had a dream "that all people would be loved, honoured and respected for the wonderful gifts of their difference and the amazing gifts of our oneness".

Crest

Crown

The crown symbolises a reward for excellence. It is mentioned several times in the Christian Scriptures as a reward for those who have persevered in doing right. (1 Peter 5:4; 2 Tim 4: 6–8; Revelations 2: 10)

The palm/laurel branches

The palm or laurel branches symbolize victory. In ancient times the winner of a race was given a laurel wreath in recognition of their victory; at Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem, the crowds waved palm branches as a sign of his coming victory over death. We are reminded that our lives can be seen as a struggle to win the prize of victory given to us when we uphold our Christian faith. The leaves of our crest are symbolic of reward and victory. St. Paul reminds us that we should not make material rewards our only goal but strive towards eternal and spiritual rewards.

Shield

The shield signifies protection. The training and ideals imparted to us during our College life will act as armour and be a source of strength in our future lives. (Eph 6:10–23; Ps, 5: 13.) The letters V and K stand for Virtue and Knowledge which reminds us that learning is important but even more important is our living out of our Christian ideals. The letters S and H stand for the Sacred Heart, symbolising the great love that Jesus has for us all, and that we should strive to spread that love to others.

Scroll

In ancient times, any important document was written on a scroll. Hence our motto and the name of our College are written on scrolls to emphasise their importance. The College motto is "Semper Superne Nitens" which means 'Always Striving Upwards'. Every student is encouraged to strive towards higher standards – in spiritual development and a closer familiarity with God, in personal behaviour and character development, and in pursuit of higher academic standards.

House teams

Interhouse competitions remain an integral part of the College's ethos. The four Houses with their associated colours are:

The names for the Houses were derived from the traditions and heritage of the RNDM. The students are placed into one of the Houses upon starting at the College. The House teams participate in sporting events, such as annual swimming carnivals, athletics carnivals and house netball & cross country competitions. The Houses also participate in a House arts festival, in which each House exhibits performances relating to song, dance and acting for the College.

Bede

The Bede House colour is red. Bede House was named in honour of Mother Mary St. Bede. She was a pioneer member of the congregation in England and a great educator who gave constant encouragement to the Sisters during their difficult years when establishing a school in Western Australia.

Paul

The Paul House colour is gold. Paul House was named in honour of Paul the Apostle. He was fired with great missionary spirit and used sporting examples as a picture of the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 9:24–26, he challenges us not just to race, but to race to win, saying, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air."

Trinity

The Trinity House colour is blue. Trinity House is named in honour to the Trinity; the existence of God as three divine persons: the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Although they operate according to their own unique properties, at the same time, they commonly operate grace and creation; a symbol for harmony and teamwork.

Xavier

The Xavier House colour is emerald green. Xavier House was named in honour of Francis Xavier by Sister Mary Clement who was a sports mistress. The missionary Francis Xavier had three virtues: a great desire to bring souls to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an heroic obedience, and a great spirit of sacrifice. He is the patron of missionaries in foreign lands, and of Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan.

Sport

There are a wide range of sporting opportunities available at the college for students to partake in throughout the year, with a few being:

Students also have the opportunity to partake in inter school tournaments and carnivals in association with the Secondary Catholic Schools Association and the South Eastern Sporting Group.

Music

Music plays a big role in College life. Participation in the schools many music groups such as the choirs, orchestral groups and ensembles is highly encouraged to students throughout all year levels. Students who partake in music groups also have the opportunity to perform at College celebrations, such as the Annual Music Concert & Awards Night. Those who partake in the choir perform regularly at school assemblies and masses. They also perform in Local Carol shows around Christmas time.

In conjunction with the Music program, the College offers private instrumental tuition. The instruments taught are:

Singing lessons are also apart of the private music tuition program. All instruments are offered in group or individual lessons, with the exception of piano, keyboard & singing, which are only offered as individual lessons.

Co-curricular

Aside from sporting and musical groups, the College offers many other co-curricular activities that mainly revolved around social justice, faith and skill boosting. A few of these groups include:

Daily program

Every school day comprises five periods of sixty-five minutes, a recess break, a morning and an afternoon homeroom, and a lunch break. The school operates on a fortnightly timetable. As of 2013, a largely student-fought initiative led to all students being allocated a well-being session one period a fortnight. School commences at 8:30 am every day and concludes at 3:15 pm.

School uniform

Students are required to wear school uniform, which consists of a navy blue college blazer, navy blue pullover (red for VCE students), grey college dress and white socks for terms 1 and 4, light grey blouse and navy and grey poly wool lined skirt and navy tights and red embroidered scarf for terms 2 and 3, black polished lace-up shoes, and the SHGC backpack. The blazer features a red, light grey and navy trim which extends to the collar-region. The College logo (the shield) is emblazoned on the left-chest-pocket. The school blazer must be worn when travelling to and from school. In school grounds, the pullover may be worn as the outer garment.

Students have access to various sports uniforms which cater for the many different sports and events students undertake. However, there is a particular set of sports uniform which is required by all students. In years 7 to 10, this sports uniform must be worn to compulsory Physical Education. The compulsory sports uniform consists of a white polo shirt, with the College logo featured, navy sports shorts or track pants, white sports socks, and the appropriate runners. Extras include the navy school cap, navy school spray jacket and College rugby top.

Uniform shape and fit changes were made at the beginning of the 2015 school year.

As of 2016 all new students are required to wear the newly designed uniform and are not permitted to wear any of the older designed uniforms from older students.

Notable alumni

See also

References

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