History:
St. Mary’s is a Catholic primary school, situated at Whittlesea, but attached to the Epping Parish, north of Melbourne. Whittlesea is approximately thirty kilometres from St. Peter’s, the Parish Church. Whittlesea is a rural town although many of the people in the community are city workers. The school was founded in 1983 to serve the Catholic families at the extremities of the Parish.
Description:
The school comprises three core buildings, built on about seven acres of land. There are two hundred children enrolled at the school. A large number of these, about one hundred, travel into the school each day from surrounding areas. They come from as far away as Kinglake, twenty kilometres to the North east, from Wandong twenty kilometres to the North, Beveridge to the West and Mill Park to the South. The school offers a focus for the families coming from such a wide area. Parents are welcomed into the school, they have much to offer and the staff of the school are eager to share their experiences and talents with parents in the educating of the children of the area. The school has a strong commitment to Catholic teachings and values. Parish Priest and teachers work very hard to help parents realise the importance they, the parents play in the academic and spiritual education of their children.
Features:
St. Mary’s makes a strong commitment to families as members of the school community. At any time there are large numbers of parents in the school, assisting children, parents and each other. St. Mary’s school is very much a community school.