01 Feb 2020
Southern Cross February 2020
The Southern Cross | February 2020
The Matthews family couldn’t be happier with the new McAuley Community School at Hove.
Not only are their children attending the “greenest” school in the State, they also are relishing the opportunity to have their 18-month-old daughter Ava cared for on the same site at the Alive Catholic Early Learning Centre.
Joshua, 6, couldn’t wait to join his friends from his old school, St Teresa’s, at the new school while his younger brother Hudson, 5, was among the first Reception intake.
Josh said he was looking forward to the “big oval” and visiting Ava.
Mum Andrea said it was “lovely to know our children will all be together” and she was excited for them to be part of a new way of learning while dad Wade said it was definitely an advantage to be able to drop them all off at the same place on the way to work.
A Catholic school in the Mercy tradition, McAuley has been issued with a coveted 6-star green rating by the Green Building Council Australia, making it the highest green-rated school in South Australia.
The school’s design and environmental focus is attracting national interest with innovations such as school bags made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, carpets produced from recycled fishing nets and state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures.
IIt is the first Catholic school built in South Australia in 10 years and represents a $22.3 million investment by Catholic Education SA.
The school has 345 students from Reception to Year 6. It is expected to grow to cater for up to 530 students, with another 90 pre-schoolers in the co-located Alive Catholic Early Learning Centre.
“McAuley is a special place designed for children to thrive,” said principal Amanda Parslow.
“Every element of the school has been designed to facilitate contemporary teaching and learning.
“We have flexible learning neighbourhoods where children can collaborate on a project or work individually with their educator.”
Students from the former St Teresa’s School at Brighton were among the first enrolments at McAuley Community School, with others drawn from around Adelaide and regional areas.