A Brief History Of The College Bunbury Catholic College opened in February 1973 as a co-educational institution resulting from amalgamation of St Francis Xavier’s College (Rodsted Street) for boys and St Joseph’s College (Wittenoom Street) for girls. The Bunbury Catholic Schools’ Board which had already rationalised Primary Education in Bunbury, was requested to do a similar service for Secondary Education. Previously, St Francis Xavier’s College (Marist Brothers), had classes as far as Year 10, and Catholic boys who wished to go as far as Leaving Certificate had to complete their education at a State High School. Though St Joseph’s College, under the care of the Sisters of Mercy, offered classes as far as Leaving Certificate, enrolments in Years 11 and 12 were low, and the subject choice was limited. So, to offer a wider range of subjects and to utilise available staff to the best advantage, a co-educational Bunbury Catholic College was established. The College’s aim was to develop each student’s potential in a meaningful way for both the individual and the community by stimulating interest, enabling students to develop academically and acquire Christian values.
Crest Philosophy The crest is designed to convey the centrality of Christ and Church to our College in Bunbury. In a very real sense we are the Church in Bunbury and the rising red and green spires reflect the presence of the Church and our own aspiration for the higher good in life. The ‘M’s making the spires remind us of the two great teaching orders involved in the formation of the College, the Sisters of Mercy and the Marist Brothers. Finally, the simplicity of design reflects, we hope, the Gospel call to simplicity and unadorned truth, which should characterise our College.
College Motto Our motto was developed in 2005 and comes from the challenging words of Micah 6:8:
‘This is what Yahweh asks of you: only this, To act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God’. Micah’s readings date back to early 700BC where he would be considered a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. He was from south-western Judah and was preoccupied with social justice. His verse embraces the essence of faithfulness. Each element is dependent on the other two. When we live justly and love tenderly, we will walk humbly with our God. And as we walk humbly with God we must live with love and justice for all God’s people. Thus, these are not three separate commands. They are unity. A right relationship with God requires justice, love and humility. Or, to sum it up in another way, God expects from us a faith that involves justice tempered with love and humility and nothing else will do. The challenge for the students and staff of Bunbury Catholic College is to make this statement real rather than just something that adorns our letterheads and classroom walls.
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Chapel We strive to be a school community which has God as the centre of our lives. We are fortunate to have our own chapel situated in the centre of our school grounds. We welcome people of all faith traditions and ask everyone to recognise that our chapel is a holy place. It is sacred space. This is so because central to our faith is our belief in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We show our awareness of being in the presence of God by all that we do and say. This includes entering and leaving the chapel in a quiet and orderly manner. In a chapel there are appropriate ways of behaving and we have rituals which express our Catholic beliefs. Some of these unique religious customs, as well as objects which indicate our beliefs, include: • The holy water fonts just inside the chapel are used to bless ourselves when we enter. • Genuflecting (touching the right knee to the floor) in recognition and worship of the real presence of Christ in the tabernacle. • Making the Sign of the Cross which is an act of faith in the Blessed Trinity. Inappropriate behaviour in the Bunbury Catholic College Chapel includes the following: • Eating and drinking (other than when receiving Holy Communion). • Chewing. • Leaving litter. • Any noisy presence such as yelling, running etc. • Using the chapel as an extra meeting space. All of us are encouraged to use the chapel for private, individual prayer. That it belongs to us and is actively used by us was the intention of our Parents and Friends Association who were responsible for this chapel being built.
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Uniform Requirements
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Our College uniform consists of:
BOYS: Summer Uniform 1. College shirt. 2. Grey College shorts. 3. Grey College socks. 4. Black lace-up leather school shoes.
BOYS: Winter Uniform 1. College shirt. 2. Grey College trousers. 3. College tie. 4. Green College V-neck jumper. 5. Grey College socks. 6. Black lace-up leather school shoes.
BOYS: Physical Education Uniform 1. College House and white sports shirts. 2. College sports shorts. 3. College sports socks and PE jogging shoes.
GIRLS: Summer Uniform 1. Green College uniform skirt. 2. College shirt. 3. College ankle socks. 4. Black lace-up leather school shoes.
GIRLS: Winter Uniform 1. Green College uniform skirt. 2. College shirt. 3. College tie. 4. Green College V-neck jumper. 5. College ankle socks or College tights. 6. Black lace-up leather school shoes.
GIRLS: Physical Education Uniform 1. College House and white sports shirts. 2. College sports shorts. 3. College sports socks and PE jogging shoes.
BOYS AND GIRLS: Optional Uniform 1. College blazer for winter. 2. Green College tracksuit. 3. Scarf: must have the College logo. No other styles may be worn.
Please Note: All College uniform items are available only through the Uniform Shop. UNIFORM SHOP HOURS The Uniform Shop is located along side the College Office on Petherick Street. Hours of operation are Monday and Friday mornings 8.00 am - 11.30 am.
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Pastoral Care The pastoral care system at Bunbury Catholic College is based on a year group model. Students belong to a Homeroom along with other students from their own year group. Each Homeroom has a Homeroom Teacher, who is the ‘school parent’. Parents are encouraged to make the Homeroom Teacher the first point of contact for any concerns, questions or information. Each year group is led by a staff member called a Year Coordinator. The Year Coordinator, along with the Homeroom teacher, attends to the pastoral needs of students in a year group. It is important for parents to be aware of their child’s Homeroom Teacher and Year Coordinator.
Homeroom Time Each school day has time set aside for Homeroom which commences at 8.30 am. During this time, students are with other students in their Homeroom and their teacher to attend to the general business of the day and to engage in activities to build relationships within the group. This is also the time when students should approach the Homeroom Teacher for advice or assistance. Once a week, Homeroom teachers in Years 8 – 10 will check each student’s Homework Book.
House System As well as the year group based pastoral system, the College community is organised around four separate Houses – Xavier, Marcellin, McAuley and Valentine. Every student and staff member belongs to one of these Houses. During the course of the year, students can earn points for their House in a variety of ways including sporting involvement, academic excellence, effort, participation in co-curricular events, support of service clubs, carnivals and merit certificates.
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House System Every student and staff member at Bunbury Catholic College belongs to a House for the duration of their time at the College. There are four separate Houses and their names are derived from significant people in the history of Bunbury Catholic College. The Houses provide a sense of identity for students and staff, particularly during the many sporting competitions and cultural events held over the year. Students can also earn points for their House in a variety of ways including sporting involvement, academic excellence, effort, participation in co-curricular events, support of service clubs, carnivals and merit certificates.
MCAULEY (GREEN): ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’ Irish born Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. Her simple works of extending help to the poor and needy of Dublin spread rapidly throughout the world with the growth of the Mercy Sisters Order. The Mercy Sisters arrived in Bunbury to open St Joseph’s school for girls in 1883 (on the current site of the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries). The amalgamation of St Francis Xavier’s and St Joseph’s into Bunbury Catholic College in 1973 brought the Marist Brothers and Mercy Sisters together on one site, when they began teaching in Bunbury’s only coeducational Catholic high school. The symbolic cross in the McAuley crest is worn today as a brooch by the Sisters, symbolising their service to the Catholic faith through the Sisters Of Mercy Order.
XAVIER (RED): ‘Striving For Excellence’ In 1954 the Marist Brothers opened a school for boys on the current site of Bunbury Catholic College. The school was named after Saint Francis Xavier (1506 – 1551), the patron Saint of Australia. As a university student, Francis Xavier had the ambition that made him a good athlete and teacher with leadership qualities, generosity and pride. He was a committed missionary worker and was known for his joyful spirit. The Xavier crest portrays a dove, symbolising Francis Xavier’s joyful spirit. The dove is moving in an upward direction through the ‘X’ depicting his athletic prowess and leadership qualities.
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House System
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MARCELLIN (YELLOW): ‘Dare To Dream’ Marcellin Champagnet was the founder of the Marist Brothers Order. The original name of the Order, founded in 1817 in France, was called the Mar(y)ists, as they held Mary in the highest regard as the one who could lead them most surely to her Son, Jesus. The Marist Brothers first opened a Catholic school for boys (St Francis Xavier’s) on the current site of Bunbury Catholic College in 1954. In the centre of the Marcellin crest the superimposed ‘AM’ signifies Ave Maria (Hail Mary) while, the twelve circulating stars apply the imagery in Relevations 12:1 to Our Lady.
VALENTINE (BLUE): ‘Victory Is Our Destiny’
Valentine Flynn (February 9, 1913 – September 6, 1958) was a member of the Marist Brothers Order. He was the founding Principal of St Francis Xavier’s boys school that opened in 1954 on the current site of Bunbury Catholic College. Brother Valentine possessed great qualities as an organiser, being able to lead and enlist cooperation by the force of his example, particularly in the field of sport. The cross in the Valentine crest is symbolic of the Marist Brothers Order where Valentine Flynn served as an exemplary religious Brother thus the central ‘V’ for Valentine.
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