Strength through gentleness

St Bernadette's is proud to be part of Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese’s system of 80 Catholic primary and secondary schools operating across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains providing more than 43,500 students with a high-quality, low fee Catholic education.

At St Bernadette's Primary School we provide a strong foundation for educational success for students K-6 in a nurturing, modern and faith-filled environment.

Our Mission and Vision

St Bernadette's Primary school is a dynamic Catholic school committed to teaching and modelling Gospel values, incorporating a spirit of community.

Our motto is 'Strength through Gentleness' which guides us in all our endeavours both at school and at home.

Our vision is to be an inclusive, Christian community which affirms the dignity of each individual, fosters a love of learning, and demonstrates a commitment to action to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Our mission is to:

  1. acknowledge the uniqueness of each individual
  2. encourage optimal learning for every student
  3. instil in the citizens of tomorrow an ongoing appreciation of the environment.

We work towards our vision through the following important values:

Dynamic Learning

We demonstrate our commitment to quality teaching and learning by encouraging creativity and innovation in learning while challenging our educators to become co-learners, providing a varied, balanced and challenged program of learning that caters to the individual needs of each student.

We work to ensure ongoing assessment of children's learning and evaluation of our own teaching practice, fostering in children a love of learning and a sense of 'learning in action' as we promote learning as a lifelong process.

Our teachers create opportunities for children to develop critical thinking skills, utilising curriculum practices which promote quality personalised learning. We regularly provide opportunities for students to develop the skills to work both cooperatively and independently, embedding technology across the key learning areas while we continue to renew and update resources.

Authentically Catholic

At St Bernadette's, we are committed to and value our Catholic identity. We provide a distinctively Catholic education where Christ's Gospel message is witnessed, acknowledging our faith identity as part of St Bernadette's Parish, the Diocese of Parramatta and the Global Catholic Church. This is accompanied by our knowledge and teaching of Catholic history, traditions and rituals which make up elements of our comprehensive Religious Education program.

Our staff and students work collaboratively to enrich the spirituality of the school's faith community through prayer and liturgy, living out our faith through action and taking part in social justice initiatives. Together as a community, we foster the spiritual growth of both students and staff.

Valuing Each Individual

We take a holistic approach to education, focusing on the development of the whole child by providing pastoral care for staff and students, ensuring that our student management procedures are fair and just while reflecting Gospel values, and affirming and developing the gifts and talents of each student.

We believe it is important to acknowledge significant events and milestones of community members while meeting the individual needs of each member of the school community; everyone learns differently, and we know that!

Inclusive Community

We value every member of our school community by promoting justice, equality, respect and compassion. We promote and maintain an effective communication network within our school community, as well as a welcoming environment through individual and community celebrations and activities.

We foster positive relationships with our students’ parents as important partners in education while maintaining links with the parish and wider community. We place a high priority on the professional development of our staff so as to provide up-to-date and quality teaching for all of our students. Our inclusive community also offers opportunities for educational, spiritual and social involvement in the school.

Environmental Appreciation

We believe it's important to take pride in our environment by nurturing our school, addressing safety issues as they arise and encouraging a positive, caring attitude towards the environment.

St Bernadette's provides opportunities for individualised learning spaces that support multiple information and communication technologies, maintaining and enhancing the local physical environment and developing an awareness of wider global issues related to the students' physical environment.

Our History

St Bernadette's Primary was opened by the Sisters of Mercy on 31st January, 1956, in a building that also served as a church for the Castle Hill parish.

Two Sisters of Mercy taught the children, the first Principal being Sister Mary Dunstan. The Sisters of Mercy continued to provide the school with teachers and principals from their order until the early 1980s.

From the 1960s through to the 1980s, the school grew rapidly, reflecting the growth of Castle Hill and nearby suburbs. In 1997, major renovations of the school were completed and the school was officially blessed and opened on August 27, 1997.

New buildings included a new administration block and library, and two classroom blocks with six and four classrooms respectively. A new canteen, additional toilets and extensive renovation of the former administration and library block were also completed.

Our learning spaces have continued to evolve over the years, and we look forward to continuing our tradition of delivering faith-filled learning in a modern, well-equipped school that is always thinking of the future.

Our Policies and Procedures

St Bernadette's has a number of policies and procedures that govern various aspects of our school life.

School Annual Report

Providing parents, carers and the wider community with information about various aspects of school performance and development.

We invite you to join our vibrant learning community

Contact us today to find out how to enrol.

WHAT WE OFFER

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TOURS & EVENTS

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HOW TO ENROL

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CONTACT US

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