St Catherine's School, Germiston
26°14′20″S 28°10′52″E / 26.23889°S 28.18111°E / -26.23889; 28.18111
St Catherine's School, Germiston | |
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Address | |
Piercy Avenue, Parkhill Gardens Catholic | |
Established | 1908; 116 years ago (1908) |
Founder | Mother Rose Niland |
School number | 011 827 4102 |
Headmaster | Dennis Maritz[1] |
Exam board | IEB |
Teaching staff | 65 |
Grades | 000-12 |
Gender | Co-educational |
Age | 4 to 18 |
Number of students | 601(2024) |
Language | English |
Campus | Metropolitan |
Campus type | Suburban |
Houses | St Catherine's St Dominic's St Patrick's |
Colour(s) | Black White Sky blue |
Nickname | STC |
Accreditation | UMALUSI OISESA IEB |
Yearbook | St. Catherine's Chronicle |
Affiliations | ISASA CIE |
Website | stcatherines |
St Catherine's School is an independent, co-educational school in Germiston, Gauteng named after Saint Catherine of Siena. A combined school, St Catherine's consists of a pre-school, a preparatory school and a senior school and is the oldest school in Germiston.
History
St Catherine's School was founded in 1908 by the
By the 1940s, the school's environs in the Germiston
Toward the end of 1968 the school decided, in conjunction with its sister school St Dominic's in Boksburg, to cater for primary school pupils only: girls up to standard 5 (grade 7) and boys up to standard 1 (grade 3). Additionally, in 1970 the Transvaal Education Department recognised and registered the St Catherine's pre-primary school.
The first reported ghost sighting at St Catherine's occurred on 17 August 1972, when a janitor cleaning the school hall after hours claimed to have been chased into the quad by an amorphous grey apparition or "spook" with "glowing red eyes".[5] From the beginning of 1977, a wave of sightings followed of a "grey, hooded figure swaddled in flowing robes", often accompanied by a "'wailing' sound". The ghost, said to haunt the school hall, the chapel, the basement and a number of classrooms in the eastern wing, was soon dubbed Patrick, after one of the school's houses, St Patrick's.[5] After 1977, ghost sightings at St Catherine's mostly ceased, although stories of paranormal happenings at the school persist to the present.[2]
In 1985, the school extended its education of boys to standard 5 again. This was followed in 1991 by the Sisters of St Catherine's moving into a private house, opening up more room in the school for classrooms.[2]
In 2001 the
In December 2015, Mrs V. Johnson became head of school.[citation needed] The new preparatory school principal, Mrs S. Rodrigues, began her term in January 2016. With the retirement of the pre-school principal, Mrs T. Henry, the new pre-school principal, Mrs C. Stewart, began her term in January 2016.
In May 2016, the head of school, Mrs Johnson, announced that she would be retiring in December of the same year. She was succeeded by Dennis Maritz, formerly of Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria in 2017. The primary school is now known as the preparatory school and the high school is now known as the senior school.
The Aelred O'Donovan wing was completed at the end of 2018. [6] The wing consists of six classrooms which were built to accommodate pupils in Grades one and two. The wing bears the name of Sister Aelred O'Donovan who was the last Newcastle Dominican Sister to hold the post of head of school.
In 2022 the school opened and dedicated a STEAM Centre. The facility was blessed by the Archbishop of Johannesburg, Buti Tlhagale, and unveiled by Sister Stephany Thiel, the regional prioress. The STEAM Centre consists of an art studio and exhibition area, two laboratories, a computer centre and a robotics and coding venue. The Rose Niland Bell Tower, which forms an integral part of the centre, was erected to honour the school's founder, Mother Rose Niland.[7]
Heritage status
The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation has recognised the historical and architectural significance of the St Catherine's School buildings, conferring a blue plaque on the school in 2021.[3]
Academics
St Catherine's matriculants and grade 9 pupils write exams set by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). The IEB is an organisation whose examinations are written by independent schools throughout South Africa. These examinations conform to the requirements of the National Senior Certificate and are recognised both internationally and by all South African universities.
The subjects taken from grades 1 to 3 (junior phase) are:
- English
- Afrikaans
- Zulu
- Mathematics
- Religious education
- Life orientation
- Physical education
- Music
- Computer studies
- Coding and Robotics
The compulsory subjects for Grade 4 to 6 (intermediate phase) and Grade 7 (senior phase) are:
- English
- Afrikaans (first additional language)
- isiZulu (second additional language)
- Mathematics
- Natural sciences
- Geography
- History
- Technology
- Life orientation
- Religious education
- Music
- Drama
- Art
- Computer studies
- Economic and management science (Grade 7 Only)
- Physical education
- Coding and Robotics
The subjects offered from grade 8 to Matric at St Catherine's are:
- Accounting
- Afrikaans (second language)
- Business studies
- CAT(Grade 10 – 12)
- English (compulsory)
- Geography
- History
- Creative arts (grades 8–9) and Visual arts(grades 10–12)
- isiZulu (second language)
- Life orientation (compulsory)
- Mathematical literacy
- Life sciences
- Physical science
- Religious education (compulsory)
- Coding and Robotics (Gr.8 &9)
Sport
St Catherine's pupils also participate in a wide variety of sports. Sports at the school include
References
- ^ "100% pass for St Catherine's School matrics". Germiston City News. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "History – St Catherine's School". stcatherines.org.za. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ a b "St Catherine's School, Germiston". www.theheritageportal.co.za. TheHeritagePortal. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "CLINCH, Brendan Joseph". www.artefacts.co.za. South African Institute of Architects. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ ISBN 9780792708.
- ^ "St Catherine's grows from strength to strength". germistoncitynews.com. Germiston City News. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ^ "St Catherine's School opens STEAM Centre". germistoncitynews.com. Germiston City News. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
External links
- St. Catherine's official site
- Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA)
- Catholic Schools Office (CSO)
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