Gilroy College

Infobox Secondary school
name= Gilroy Catholic College

motto= "Christ is my light"
established= 1980
type= Roman Catholic co-educational, Private, Secondary, Day School
affiliations = Roman Catholic, Norman Cardinal Gilroy
headmaster = Br Damien Harvey
January 1980-December 1985
Mr Peter White
January 1986-December 1998

Mr Anthony Bracken (Acting)
January 1999-April 1999
Mr Robert Wilson
April 1999-December 2006
Mr Brad Campbell
January 2007-(Current)
Future
enrolment = 1030
grades = 7–12
colours = Blue and Gold color box|#15317Ecolor box|#FBB917
city = Castle Hill
state = NSW
country = Australia flagicon|Australia
website = [http://www.gilroy.parra.catholic.edu.au/home/Welcome.htm]

Gilroy Catholic College is a co-educational Roman Catholic secondary school for students from Year 7 through to Year 12 located in Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney.

History

Gilroy Catholic College began as a school with 137 Year 7 students and 2 staff in 1980. This was after strong parish and local support for a local catholic co-educational secondary school. It was decided that the College would be built on the land formerly belonging to St Gabriel's School for the Hearing Impaired, as its large property and pre-existing buildings would be able to cater for the new school.

The school was originally intended to offer only junior secondary education for students in Year 7 through to Year 10. However, in 1982 it was decided that Gilroy would also include senior education (Year 11 and Year 12) for its students.

The school, with continuing support from the CEO and St Gabriel's School for the Hearing Impaired hosts a learning support centre for secondary students with hearing impairment.

Cardinal Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy

Gilroy College was named after Cardinal Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy, the first Cardinal born in Australia. As well as adopting his name, the College also made Cardinal Gilroy's personal motto "Christ is my light" the college's official motto. In 2004, Gilroy College celebrated its Silver Jubilee (25th anniversary) as a school and a community.

Each year, the College celebrates its patron with a formal Gilroy day mass in the morning, while also including celebration activities during the afternoons. This was recently changed from March 17, the anniversary of Cardinal Gilroy's elevation to becoming a Bishop, to May 4, the day on which the school was officially opened.

Faith and religion in the College

Gilroy College has a mission statement which emphasises the primacy of its role as a Catholic school. Gilroy is actively involved in local and international causes where all students, parents and staff are brought together through a spirit of service and the practice of justice and charity.

Gilroy College offers reflection days for its junior grades and three day retreats for its senior students.

Extra Curricular

Gilroy College actively participates in sporting and extra curricular activities. The College engages in the Hills Zone and Parramatta Diocesan sporting competitions. Sports offered at Gilroy College include rugby league, netball, indoor & outdoor soccer, indoor & outdoor cricket, basketball, hockey, AFL, tennis and swimming.The school's rival is Oakhill College.

The College offers Instrumental and choral programs and usually has a major production each year, such as a musical or cabaret show. The College is involved in CSDA (Catholic Schools Debating Association) competitions and runs internal, after-school Toastmaster courses for Year 10 students as well as other various public speaking competitions for all years. The College also has Chess teams running in the NSW Junior Chess League.

Gilroy is also very proud of its continuing exchange program with its sister school in Japan, Toyota Otani High School. Exchanges involving approximately 10 days' homestay occur in alternate years, with 25 students from Gilroy College travelling to Japan in October 2007. Students who take part in this significant cultural experience invariably speak about the major impact it has on their lives.

The College also offers its French students the opportunity to travel to New Caledonia as part of its program. Students are able to practise their French outside the classroom and gain an understanding of the cultural aspects of the French speaking world.

There is also an annual Ski Trip during the July holidays.

Computer Network

Gilroy College has an extensive computer network incorporating four computer rooms with PCs, a class set of laptops running Windows and a section of the library with fifteen Windows computers. There are also computers and laptops scattered throughout the school running in both Windows and Mac environments.

The school's Intranet software is impressive and allows easy access for staff, students and parents to the information in which they are interested. Student files, reports, absence data, merit and discipline information and so on is accessible from school and home. The software has been written and is maintained by staff at the College.

It is anticipated that a one-to-one laptop program will be introduced into Year 7 in 2009. The platform is yet to be determined.

Government funding

On February 9 2008, "The Sydney Morning Herald" revealed that a Greens analysis of government figures showed that, over four years, Gilroy received $12.2 million more in federal government funding than it is entitled to under the Socioeconomic status (SES) formula. [cite news |first=Patty |last=Anna |title=How private schools owe taxpayer $2b |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media |location=Sydney, Australia |page=1 |date=2008-02-09 |accessdate=2008-02-09 ]

References

ources

* [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/22/1066631507603.html?from=storyrhs Sydney Morning Herald: "English is peanuts with Homer Simpson joining The Club" By Linda Doherty, October 23, 2003] Interviews students and teachers at Gilroy College in Castle Hill about the Higher School Certificate English examination.
* [http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/03/nov/2/25.html New deal for deaf high school students]

External links

* [http://www.baulkhamhills.nsw.gov.au/council_meetings/mediaview.aspx?media_id=489 Baulkham Hills Shire Council: Japanese sister school visits during Australia-Japan Year of Exchange] Discusses sister school links between Gilroy College and a school in Japan.
* [http://ieu.asn.au/resources/salaries_ross.html New South Wales Independent Education Union - Statement of Ross] Learning Technology Co-ordinator at Gilroy College discusses technology issues

ee also

*Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta