COMMUNITY spirit is a major strength for Warwick’s only Catholic secondary school Assumption College, and a legacy Year 12 leader Greg Hoffman is proud to continue in 2015.
Greg was one of almost 60 Year 12 students commissioned during a school Mass at St Mary’s Church, Warwick, on Monday, February 9.
The school leader said Assumption College was “like a big family” and his job would be maintaining the “tight-knit community” with the incoming of 90 Year 7 students.
“I want to try to get everyone to come closer together and make sure we’re a tight-knit community, so that everyone knows each other, and we are more welcoming,” he said.
Help from the school leaders will be crucial for Assumption College principal Peter Moloney, who said the school was already feeling the strain of additional students on campus.
“Our staff room is not big enough, the assembly hall doesn’t hold our students, and the tuckshop was already busy at 400 students,” Mr Moloney said.
“The school has plans to build more classrooms for students, increase the staffroom and renovate the assembly hall over the next two years.”
The school has also introduced a new pastoral care group, Romero house, to accommodate for almost double the number of new students.
Romero House leader Sophie Grayson said being one of the first people to lead the new school’s pastoral house was “an amazing opportunity”.
Mr Moloney said Year 11 and 12 students were crucial in keeping anxiety levels low among the incoming Year 7 students starting secondary education for the first time.
“There’s a lot of anxieties about coming into the secondary school, not just children but parents as well,” he said.
“So we’ve spent a fair bit of time just building up relationships with the teachers and students.
“Our Year 7s went away with Year 11 students, the Year 8s with Year 12s last Monday, just to have a day and get to familiarise themselves with pastoral houses, and get the big-brother feel, build relationships and bring down the anxiety levels.
“I’d like to think the anxiety is not there quite so much.”
Mr Moloney hoped the school’s pastoral plan would help the 150 new students to “be part of the furniture”.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video:
