The Cathedral School, Townsville

The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James
Latin: Talium Dei Regnum
Children represent the kingdom of God
Location
Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Information
Type Independent, Co-educational, Day & Boarding
Denomination Anglican
Established 1917
Principal Ian Gamack
Staff ~86[1]
Enrolment ~920 (Prep-12)[1]
Colour(s) Navy, Brown & White
              
Slogan "Educating for life-long success"
Website

The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James is an Australian Anglican school for boys and girls from six weeks of age (Early Learning Centre on The Cathedral School campus) to Year 12, including boarding students from Year 7 to Year 12.

The school is situated in the Townsville suburb of Mundingburra, Queensland and is open to students of all denominations.

Contents

History

The School was established in 1917 as St Anne's, a girls' school operated by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent. The original school operated in the Synod Hall adjacent to St James Cathedral, but soon moved to its own premises on the site which is now occupied by the Townsville City Council (Walker Street)

During World War II the school was acquired by the Australian Military for use as barracks accommodation for the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF)of No. 3 Fighter Sector RAAF. The school's students were evacuated to Ravenswood, Queensland until the WAAAF finished using the premises in 1944/45.

The school moved to its current premises in Mundingburra in 1958. Over the next 20 years the school settled into its new site and built a number of new buildings to service both boarders and day students. In 1979 the school became co-educational and the school's first male principal was appointed.

In 1985 the new Music and Drama center was opened while a year later the new Technical Art's building was finished. Two years later, In 1988 the new Akins boy's dormitory was opened. In 2001 a major works project was undertaken and resulted in the redevelopment of the senior school precinct and the building of the Nancy Armati Quadrangle and SSA (Sisters of the Sacred Advent) Block consisting of ten new air conditioned classrooms and computer laboratories. These buildings were opened in 2002.

In 2006 work started on a purpose built facility for young children, now known as the Early Learning Center (ELC) the building was finished in 2007 and accommodates all pre-prep students. Soon after the completion of the ELC work began on an expansion of Akins dormitory to replace the two other aging boys dormitories. This work was completed shortly before the commencement of the 2008 year and has allowed all boys to be housed in a single dormitory.

School Motto

The School Motto, "Talium Dei Regnum" is based on a phrase taken from Matthew 19:14, "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The motto translates to "Children represent the kingdom of God".[2]

Middle School (Grades 7-9)

Housed in its own building the Middle School was opened in 2006 and accommodates grades 7 through 9 in purpose-built classrooms. The building contains only five classrooms for the use of all three grades as many middle school classes are held in senior school classrooms. The entire middle school building is covered by a wifi network and laptops are easily available for flexible use within classrooms.

Senior School (Grades 10-12)

The Senior School is set around the Nancy Armati Quadrangle which lies in the shadow of a 100+ year old rain tree. Within the senior school there are 6 science laboratories, 11 general purpose classrooms, three computer laboratories and a number of other subject specific rooms including Hospitality, Art and Graphics rooms. All the schools rooms are fully air-conditioned and many are equipped with smartboards, projectors and multimedia systems.

The senior school is the home of the Feetham Information Services Centre (ISC) which services the Middle and Senior schools. The ISC houses a complete range of text and reference books for the school's curriculum and also houses large fiction and non-fiction sections. The ISC also keeps a collection of local newspapers for a period of three to four months after publishing and has a vertical file storage system for articles of importance or are related to the schools curriculum. The ISC also has access to hundreds of Australian and international newspapers stored in a digital format and articles can be retrieved on request. The Information services center also has a large computer section which students can use to access the school's network in their free time or during some classes. A multimedia computer is also available for use and is configured for use with the schools digital cameras, a scanner and camcorders.

The senior school also houses the schools drama and music centre. The Green Hall, formerly the boarders' dining hall, is now used as the drama hall and has been fitted with a stage, seating and the appropriate lighting and sound equipment. The center also includes a number of rooms of varying sizes used for rehearsal and practise for various music groups and individuals. The main music room, the fishbowl (as it is affectionately known due to its large glass double-glazed windows), is a sound insulated room which allows for performance groups and individuals to practise within school hours without disturbing other students.

The Sisters of the Sacred Advent block (The SSA building) is the main teaching block in the senior school and is used for a variety of classes from English and maths to geography and graphics. The building, built in 2002 houses 10 purpose built classrooms as well as a number of staff offices. Three of the rooms in the SSA building are fully equipped computer laboratories which can be used by classes that require computer usage.

The senior school is also the planned location for a combined lecture theatre and teaching block which will take the place of the aging single story science block (SC Block).

Boarding

The Cathedral School houses approximately 150 boarding students from different backgrounds, including those from rural families, coastal and island communities and overseas. Boys and girls from Year 7 to Year 12 are accommodated in separate dormitories. Male Boarders are housed in Akins House, located in the Northeastern corner of the campus, while female boarders are housed in two dormitories in the center of the campus. Boarding students are supervided by 'house parents' who live on school campus, often in the boarding house which they supervise. Many of these house parents are also full time administrative or teaching staff.

Outdoor education

All grades between 2 and 10 participate in the school's outdoor education program. The outdoor education program aim to develop skills in survival as well as be a practical application for many subjects including Biology, Geography, History, Mathematics and English. Outdoor Education "Camps" start at 2 days and go up to 10 days for Year 10. Students in Year 10 may learn to sail on the Queensland Sail Training Ship the South Passage.

House system

Similar to most Australian Schools, The Cathedral School employs a House System. Every Student is assigned a house upon enrolment with siblings assigned to the same house. There are four houses which not only compete in inter-house sporting and theatrical activities but also offer pastoral care services to each member of a student's respective house through the House Dean and other support staff. Houses compete against each other weekly in informal sporting events held during semester and at other organised carnivals including a Cross Country, Swimming Carnival and Athletics Carnival. There are also theatrical and various other activities in which houses compete. These include a Dramatic Play, Debating Competition, Choir and Instrumental Presentations and a Student-choreographed musical presentation. Over the period of an academic year points are awarded to each house based on their performance in all these events. The house with the most points at the end of the academic year in the Middle and Senior Schools receives the House Cup while the winning house in the Junior School receives a similar trophy.

Bede House

Motto: Judge us by our actions
Colours: Blue and Red         
Mascot: Bear[3]

Chatham House

Motto: I know that I can do it
Colours: Yellow and Black         
Mascot: Cheetah[3]

Langton House

Motto: To serve is to reign
Colours: Maroon and Yellow         
Mascot: Lion
Langton House is named after, Stephen Langton who was a central figure in the 11th century dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III, which ultimately led to the issuing of Magna Carta in 1215. It is one of the school's original houses.[3]

More House

Motto: On the wings of an Eagle
Colours: Green and Black         
Mascot: Eagle
One of the founding houses, More House, is named after the lawyer and scholar, Thomas More, who was beheaded in 1535 after he refused to sign an Act of Supremacy declaring King Henry VIII Royal Supremacy to the Church of England.[3]

The Cathedral School Leo Club

The Cathedral School Leo Club is a community service group, part of Lions International's youth organization, Leos. The club participates in a number of community service activities and performs fundraising for charity organizations. The Cathedral School Leo Club also has close ties to Twin Cities Leo Club and Northern Suburbs Lions Club, the club's sponsoring lion club. Many past members of the club are now members of the Twin Cities Leo Club.

Academic results

Year 12 Cohort Overall Position (OP) Results

  QCS Mean OP 1 (% of students) OP 1-5 (% of students) OP 1-9 (% of students)
The Cathedral School 2004 136.2 4.87 28.01 51.14
State Average 2004 128.3 2.3 15.18 38.41
The Cathedral School 2006 Unknown Unknown 31.8[4] 57.97[4]
State Average 2006 Unknown Unknown 12[4] 34[4]
The Cathedral School 2007 Unknown 7.58[5] 28.79[5] Unknown
State Average 2007 Unknown 2.54[5] 17.03[5] Unknown

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "School Annual Report 2009". The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James. 2009. http://www.cathedral.qld.edu.au/assets/files/ISQ%20report%202009%20_2008%20data_%20-%20Sept%2009.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-27. 
  2. ^ The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James - Senior School Diary 2007. Townsville, Australia: The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James. 2007. p. 1. 
  3. ^ a b c d "The Cathedral School - House System". The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James. 2008. http://www.cathedral.qld.edu.au/?page=113. Retrieved 2008-11-24. 
  4. ^ a b c d "The Cathedral School - School Report 2006". The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James. 2006. http://www.cathedral.qld.edu.au/?page=236. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
  5. ^ a b c d "The Cathedral School - School Report 2007". The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James. 2007. http://www.cathedral.qld.edu.au/?page=342. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 

External links