30 August 2022

From humble beginnings in 1904, St Patrick’s School, Mentone, has been completed with the opening of a new junior wing.

The new building was blessed by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli and officially opened by Tim Richardson, Member for Mordialloc and Parliamentary Secretary for Schools. Members of the school’s parent community joined special guests Brad Rowswell, Member for Sandringham, Jacinta Collins, Executive Director of the National Catholic Education Commission, and representatives from the local parish and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).

‘Our aim was to create a building that allowed access for everyone, catered for the continued growth of the school and provided state-of-the-art facilities that would enhance the education we provide our students’, said Principal Tim Noonan. ‘Four years ago, after we completed our wonderful lift, we wanted to continue to build and cater for the amazing growth in our school community. We needed a second storey, we needed to re-do the junior building, we needed to join the second storey to the existing building, and [architect] Sam Harding’s design allowed for inclusivity for all students to be able to access all learning areas in the school.’

The new junior wing has been funded in partnership with the Victorian Government which provided $1.7 million, with the school contributing $1.7 million supported by MACS and Catholic Development Fund. ‘This building finishes off our school’, said Tim, ‘and ensures we can offer state-of-the-art facilities to our community for many generations to come’.