Aquinas College, Sydney

Infobox Secondary school
name = Aquinas College Menai
established = 1993
type = Independent Co-Educational Secondary
affiliations = Roman Catholic, Systemic,
principal = Jane Donovan
founder = Peter Turner
chaplain = Father Phillip Zadro
enrolment = 975 students
grades = 7–12
city = Menai, New South Wales
state = NSW
country = Australia
website = http://www.aquinas.menai.syd.catholic.edu.au

Aquinas College, Menai is a Roman Catholic Systemic Co-Educational day school for students of Years 7 to 12. The school is situated in Menai in Sydney's Sutherland Shire, adjacent to Roman Catholic feeder Primary School Holy Family, Menai, and to Holy Family church, of the Roman Catholic parish of Holy Family, Menai serving the residents of Bangor, Menai, Alfords Point, Illawong, Barden Ridge, Lucas Heights and Woronora.

Founded in 1993 by Peter Turner the school is not associated with any particular Roman Catholic religious order, and is run solely by Catholic lay staff. The schools namesake Saint Thomas Aquinas is rather a source of inspiration and guidance to all pupils and staff.

The school is under the authority of the Catholic Education Office of Sydney, and is situated in the Archdiocese of Sydney.

History

Named after the learned Doctor of the Church Saint Thomas Aquinas, Aquinas College, Menai was opened by Cardinal Edward Clancy in 1993. This was to be a secondary school for the rapidly growing residential area of Menai which had formerly belonged to the parish of Sutherland. It had only been in 1986 that Holy Family Parish, Menai was established, with Fr Denis Foley as parish priest. Holy Family Catholic Primary School was also started in 1986 and within five years had 400 students.

These students would soon require secondary schooling, and so in 1990 the Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Board recommended that a secondary school be established at Menai. The next two years were spent in planning. A five-stage building program was envisaged, with use of demountable classrooms during construction.

Aquinas College opened in 1993 with 47 boys and girls in Year 7, seven teachers and two ancillary staff, all under the leadership of the founding principal, Mr Peter Turner. Stages Two and Three of the building program were blessed on November 1996 by Bishop Geoffrey Robinson . New facilities then included a library, science laboratories, some classrooms and a staff area, at a cost of $5.6 million, of which $4.5 million was contributed by the local community. The final stage of the building program, a multi purpose hall and a four classroom block, was completed in 2006.

The College has continued to grow with the first Year 12 class completing their HSC in 1998. In 2005 the College had 975 students and 88 staff. [http://aquinas.menai.syd.catholic.edu.au/About_Aquinas.htm#History]

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Motto and Mission

The school motto "Enlivened by the Spirit" aims to convey to students the significance of the Catholic faith to their everyday lives, and the importance of taking on board the Catholic ethos of the school in a practical sense.

Tuition

Subjects offered for the Higher School Certificate include English Standard, English Advanced, English Extension 1, English Extension 2, General Mathematics, Mathematics, Mathematics Extension 1, Mathematics Extension 2, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Senior Science, Studies of Religion 1, Studies of Religion 2, Geography, Legal Studies, Modern History, Ancient History, History Extension, Economics, Business Studies, Dance, Drama, earth and eniromental science, Music 1, Music 2, Visual Arts, PDHPE, Industrial Technology, Design and Technology, Community and Family Studies, Food Technology, Information Processes and Technology, Software Design and Development. For students not interested in Studies of Religion, a non-UAI subject, Catholic Studies, is available.

In addition, the college offers several Vocational Education courses including construction, hospitality and retail operations.

For Years nine and ten the school offers a variety of elective courses to students, including Music, Drama, Visual Arts, Commerce, Design and Technology, Information Software Technology (IST) , Wood Technology, Food Technology, Sport Science, Italian, Indonesian and Japanese.

The school charge fees in accordance with the policies of the Catholic Education Office of Sydney, as can be viewed on their website.

1st Child 2nd Child 3rd Child

Years 7 & 8 $368 per Term $276 per Term $184 per Term

Years 9 & 10 $404 per Term $303 per Term $202 per Term

Years 11 & 12 $544 per Term $408 per Term $272 per Term

chool Song

Closer to the Flame

Through the Spirit we come to be, in the Spirit we live,

Given life by the one whose Kingdom we proclaim.