Santa Sophia Catholic College open for Kindergarten 2019

After careful consideration and in response to sustained demand from local families, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta has made the decision to offer Kindergarten enrolments at Santa Sophia Catholic College in 2019.

Currently, the Secondary students who make up the foundation cohort of Santa Sophia, are accommodated at St John Paul II College, Schofields. This is a temporary arrangement while planning takes place for the construction of the school’s permanent home at Box Hill. While consideration was given to also locating the first Kindergarten classes on the same site at Schofields, it has been decided instead to temporarily establish the first Santa Sophia Kindergarten class on the grounds of Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) Primary Rouse Hill. At this stage, the expectation is that there will be a single class in 2019.

There are a number of reasons for temporarily accommodating the inaugural Santa Sophia Kindergarten class at OLA:

• Firstly, OLA is an established, fully functioning Primary school community with excellent infrastructure and facilities. The Santa Sophia foundation Kindergarten class will be able to tap into these existing facilities (including play spaces, the library and the Church) to ensure a wonderful start to learning for the students
• Secondly, locating a Kindergarten class on an existing Primary site, rather than a Secondary site, is something that will be appealing to many parents
• Thirdly, I am aware how important before and after school care is for working families. Parents of Santa Sophia Kindergarten students will have access to the before and after school care facility that is located on site. The centre will have the capacity to accommodate the Santa Sophia Kindergarten students
• Fourthly, OLA has well established transport and drop-off/pick-up processes. It is expected that times for the start and finish of the school day for Santa Sophia Kindergarten will mirror that of OLA
• Finally, these arrangements make it easier for the children beginning at Santa Sophia to take part in the parish sacramental program.

The Santa Sophia Kindergarten class will be located in a large temporary building within the OLA school property (next to the covered outdoor learning area). It will be a bright, dynamic and engaging learning space that will provide the children with a wonderful start to their school learning journey. I also want to make the point that while Santa Sophia will be temporarily co-located at OLA, it will continue to build its own identity and distinctiveness. The temporary arrangements outlined above will commence in 2019. It is expected that Stage 1 of Santa Sophia Catholic College Box Hill will be ready for students at the start of 2021.

An FAQ section on the Santa Sophia website at www.santasophiaboxhill.catholic.edu.au is currently being created to explain how some aspects of these temporary arrangements will work. This information will be up before the end of the week (Friday 22 June). The website also contains information about how to enrol at Santa Sophia Catholic College. You may also contact Santa Sophia directly on 8801 6201.

Further communications will be distributed in the weeks ahead. There will also be opportunities for parents to come together to ask questions and learn about the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for the Diocese of Parramatta’s newest school.

With demand for places in Catholic schools in north-western Sydney continuing to soar, this is an opportunity to give more families the gift of a high-quality Catholic education for their children.