Why Catholic education?
When you send your child to a Catholic school there is a sense of belonging: being in a community. At Our Lady of Lourdes, we value the tradition, scripture, religious education, celebration and Sacraments that are part of being in a Catholic School. We are passionate in the mission of teaching the knowledge component of our faith, as well as being part of students’, and their families’, faith formation in today’s social climate.
At Our lady of Lourdes, we aim to educate the ‘whole child’. Our school beautifully integrates spirituality into the everyday life of our students, and we do so in subtle ways across all areas of the curriculum: on the sporting fields, in our disciplinary policies, in our social justice programs, in school liturgies, and in daily prayers and meditation time. Children are given time and space to reflect on what Christ’s message means to them. This culture in our school reinforces our values: compassion, respect, love, humility and forgiveness. Jesus’ message of love is lived out in a Catholic school in many ways.
The school is an integral part of the Beresfield Parish and Chisholm Pastoral region’s program of outreach to Catholic families. Enrolment in a Catholic school enables the local Catholic community to offer support to parents in the faith education of their children.
The sense of community that is evident in our school enriches our lives. Teachers, administrators, parents and students share a special bond and commitment. Each family within our school, experiences the love and support from our school community. Not everyone in our school community is Catholic, but the universal message of Christ’s love binds us to each other.
Does my child need to be Catholic to attend Our Lady of Lourdes?
Our Lady of Lourdes is open to all who want to share its educational goal, inspired by Christian principles. In accordance with the diocesan enrolment policy, preference is given to students who are baptised Catholic and who live in the local parish. However, our school is open to all who wish to be educated within our Catholic community. We teach because we are Catholic, not because the students are Catholic. This is reflected in the manner in which we educate your children.
All families and their children, Catholic or non-Catholic, are invited to have a Catholic education but must be willing to participate in the religious life of the school.
Overseas Students
A small number of places in schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle may be available to students on visas who share our Catholic faith and ethos. At the present time, no students with a visa subclass 500 are able to be enrolled into diocesan Catholic schools.
For more information, please see the Enrolment of Students on Visas Policy.
Provider name: Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
CRICOS provider code: 03339D
Enrolment Process and Policy
In recent years the Catholic Diocese has received unprecedented demand for school entry across our Diocesan Schools. This demand, combined with the desire to offer families a pathway for their children from kindergarten through to Year 12, has led to the Diocese revising and adjusting the Enrolment Policy.
The policy sets out the prioritisation for enrolment in schools and applies to all students seeking enrolment at a Catholic School in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle (CDMN).
For more information on the enrolment prioritisation criteria please visit the link below: