Croagh Patrick - Year 9

Unique Educational Experience

Croagh Patrick is a smaller learning community adjacent to the main campus and is a unique educational setting designed specifically for the adolescent needs of our Year 9 students.

Croagh Patrick - The Meaning

Croagh Patrick is the holy mountain of St Patrick in County Mayo, Ireland.  History links St Patrick with this mountain - in particular 40 days and nights spent there as he sought clarity, meaning and purpose for his mission in bringing Christianity to the people in Ireland. 

Our Croagh Patrick campus and its unique Crest, are symbolic in the following ways:
• We want our students to keep ascending; keep striving to reach great heights. 
• Our students’ year at Croagh Patrick is an important step in their journey to becoming fully alive young adults.
• St Patrick spent time away on the mountain to clarify what he was called to be.  This time away for our 14 and 15 year olds gives them the space to explore this same theme.

The Whole Person

The Croagh Patrick campus continues to develop the whole person and provide a unique educational experience for our students.  Academic rigour is important, as is acknowledging that we can't pigeonhole our students due to the natural developmental processes and societal shifts.  As a result, we need to be aware that students at Croagh Patrick will be:

• Searching for their own identity.
• Questioning concepts, structures, adults and themselves.
• Desiring acceptance from their peers.
• Interacting with significant adult members that help them form their own sense of self.
• More likely to be taking risks.
• Looking for positive outlets for energy.
• Wanting to be trusted and treated as the young adults that they are.

The Rite Journey

The Rite Journey is a unique educational program designed to support the development of self-aware, vital, responsible and resilient adults. Given the current lack of rites of passage in Western societies, young people are left to invent their own, which are often unhealthy and unsafe. The Rite Journey provides our young people with opportunities to experience positive rites of passage, guided by the Croagh Patrick team. It also provides opportunities for students to explore a range of adolescent issues and to be challenged in varied ways.

Unique Programs

The Croagh Patrick experience offers many programs specific to the Year 9 experience, such as Mind and Body and Silent reading.  Students are also encouraged to step out of their comfort zone through our camps program, participating in outreach activities, engaging in our Year 9 sport program, or joining one of our many student led committees.

Our Core subjects are derived from the Australian Curriculum.  Big Ideas is made up of English and History.

- Big Ideas
- Health and Physical Education
- The Rite Journey
- Mathematics
- Science
- Studies of Spirituality and Religion

The remainder of the student time table is selected from 35 option subjects in which students can select from three year long to six semester based subjects.

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