Loreto Normanhurst

Infobox Aust school private
name = Loreto Normanhurst


motto = "Cruci Dum Spiro Fido"
"Whilst I have breath I have faith in the cross"
established = 1897
type = Private, Single-sex, Day and Boarding
denomination = Roman Catholic
slogan = "Growing Individuals and Communities"
key_people = Ms Barbara Watkins (Principal)
Mrs. Josephine Lonergan AM (Chairman)
Rev. Fr. James Calder (Chaplain)
fees = AU$11,850–13,416 p.a (Day)
AU$25,431–26,997 p.a (Boarding) [http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/Registrar/2005/Fees_2006.htm Loreto Normanhurst Day & Boarding Fees 2007] (accessed:26-05-2007)]
city = Normanhurst
state = New South Wales
country = Australia flagicon|Australia
coordinates = coord|33|43|38|S|151|5|51|E|display=inline,title
enrolment = ~900 (7–12) [http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/about/index.html Loreto Normanhurst- About] (accessed:26-05-2007)]
num_employ = ~92 [http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/Leadership_team/Annual%20Report%202006.pdf Loreto Normanhurst Annual Report 2006] (accessed:15-08-2007)]
revenue =
colours = Blue and Gold color box|#4169E1color box|#FFCC00
homepage = [http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au]

Loreto Normanhurst is a private, Roman Catholic, day and boarding school for girls, located in Normanhurst, a suburb on the upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Established in 1897, Loreto has a current enrolment of approximately 900 students from Year 7 to Year 12, including 180 boarders, and is the second largest girls' boarding school in New South Wales. [http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/Principalship/Principal%20-%20Loreto%20Normanhurst.pdf Loreto Normanhurst- Information Booklet] (accessed:16-06-2007)] In 2006, the school was named among the top ten innovative schools in Australia.

Loreto is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),cite web |url=http://www.ahisa.com.au/Display.aspx?tabid=2230 |title=AHISA Schools|accessdate=2007-12-19 |year =2007 |month =November |work=New South Wales|publisher=Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia] the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AISNSW),cite web|url = http://portals.studentnet.edu.au/studentnet/DeskTopDefault.aspx?tabid=98 |title = Metro North North West|accessdate = 2008-01-28 |work = NSW Independent Schools by Region |publisher = The Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),cite web |url=http://www.boarding.org.au/site/school_detail.cfm?schID=15 |title=Loreto Normanhurst |accessdate=2007-12-19 |year =2007 |work=Schools|publisher=Australian Boarding Schools' Association] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),cite web|url = http://www.agsa.org.au/members.php?PageID=11&Alpha=L|title = Member Schools|accessdate = 2007-12-19 |last = Butler|first = Jan|year = 2006|work = Members|publisher = The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia] and is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).

The school is one of many around the world established by the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Loreto Sisters, founded some 400 years ago by Mary Ward, and its Sydney sister school is Loreto Kirribilli. There are five other Loreto schools across Australia, in Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.

History

Mother Gonzaga Barry led the Loreto nuns to Sydney from Ballarat, Victoria in 1892, establishing a school in rented premises at Randwick. Within five years, the school had grown significantly, and a separate school for the boarders was deemed necessary. Mother Gonzaga's prayers for an appropriate site were answered during a visit to Sydney in 1896, as Mother Oliver explained:

This land was purchased, and the foundation stone for the new convent was laid on 28 February 1897 by Cardinal Moran.cite web|url = http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/archives/images/Eucalyptus_Blossoms_1901.pdf|title = Institute of the B.V.M: Loreto Convent, Hornsby, N.S.W|accessdate = 2007-12-01 |year = 1901|format = PDF|work = Curriculum|publisher = Loreto Normanhurst Archives] The school opened late in 1897 as "Loreto Convent, Hornsby" with 15 boarders, many of them girls who had come from Randwick.

Although primarily a boarding school at this time, Loreto did accept a small number of day students from the local Hornsby area, including some young boys. Enrolments grew over the following decades, however the wars and depression proved difficult times. Following World War II, the surrounding shire developed and day girl numbers began to equal that of boarders, gradually overtaking them to the present situation where there are many more day girls than boarders.

Principals

House system

As with most Australian schools, Loreto Normanhurst utilises a house system. The school currently has eight houses, which play an important role in the pastoral programme at the school. They are:;Aston Named after Aston Lodge which became the first Loreto school in Sydney in 1892. Built in 1865 by John Watkins, and designed by Edmund Blacket, it is now part of the Emanuel School in Stanley Street, Randwick. Colour: Purple.cite web |url= http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/archives/Houses.htm |title= Houses|accessdate=2007-12-01 |work=Archives |publisher=Loreto Normanhurst] ;Barry Named after Mother Gonzaga Barry who led the first group of Loreto sisters to Australia from Ireland in 1875. She began the first Loreto school in Ballarat, Victoria, and soon after followed that with schools in other states. Colour: Yellow.;Kendall Named after Mother Evangeline Kendall IBVM, a teacher and art critic, who contributed profoundly to Loreto Normanhurst from 1948 until her death in 1996. Mother Evangeline is buried in the school's bush cemetery. Colour: Aqua.;Kuring-gai Named after the Kuring-gai people who first cared for the land on which the school is located. Colour: Orange.;Maye Named after Sister Kevin Maye, who came from Ireland to Ballarat in 1920, and shortly after to Normanhurst. She is buried in the school's cemetery. Colour: Maroon/Pink.;MornaneNamed after Mother Stanislaus Mornane who began at Loreto Ballarat in 1876. Here she met Mother Gonzaga Barry and other pioneering Loreto nuns who had come from Ireland the year before, and subsequently, in 1879, she joined them as the first Australian to become a member of the order. In 1916 became Superior at Loreto Normanhurst, moving in 1924 to Loreto Kirribilli as Superior. Her last years were spent in the Normanhurst community, and upon her death in 1943 she was buried in the Loreto Normanhurst cemetery. Colour: Green.;MulhallNamed after Mother Stanislaus Mulhall, one of the women who laid the foundations of the Loreto tradition in Australia. Mulhall worked as the Mistress of Novices for 30 years, and was largely hidden from most people. Colour: Red.;WardNamed after Mary Ward, foundress of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM). Born in England in 1585, she travelled across the continent founding schools in many countries. Colour: Blue.

Notable alumni

* Jenny Brockie – Broadcaster
* Catherine Livingstone – Former CEO of Cochlear
* Clare Martin – Northern Territory Chief Minister
* Zoe Naylor – Actress
* Kimberley Starr – Novelist
* Monica Trapaga – Singer and TV presenter

References

Further reading

* Meagher, F. 1997. "Loreto Normanhurst: A Century of Memories 1897-1997". Allen & Unwin: St. Leonards, NSW. ISBN 1-8644835-3-9.
* Emilsen, S. and Callaghan, M. 2006. "A School With Spirit: Loreto Kirribilli". Alliance Distribution Service. ISBN 9781741149227.

See also

* List of non-government schools in New South Wales
* List of boarding schools

External links

* [http://www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au/ Loreto Normanhurst website]