The Catholic Schools Office (CSO), Newcastle is responsible for the leadership, efficient operation and management of systemic schools which educate approximately 17,000 students in 56 schools in the Diocese of Maitland and Newcastle. The CSO employs over 1000 teachers and around 330 non-teaching staff. The CSO’s main focus is providing support for schools and helping to ensure that every student receives a quality Catholic education.
What is the Catholic Schools Office - Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle doing to help the environment?
School Students Sow the Seeds of Success
Across the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle teachers and students at Catholic schools are excelling in environmental stewardship.
Holy Family Primary School Merewether Beach has been involved in many local, national and internationally recognized environmental initiatives. These include the Garden Grubs native plant nursery, the cultivation of “forests of biodiversity” and the Merewether Beach Coastal Dune Management Program.
The school has radically improved its physical surroundings by the introduction of a water-watch program and the construction of a dynamic on-site wetland learnscape. They’ve adopted the vulnerable Lilly Pilly plant, and their innovative “Aircare” program has seen the school grow 17 trees for every car in the school’s car population. Holy Family was chosen as the Australian winner of the Volvo Adventure Environmental Award which operates under the auspices of the United Nations.
Two years ago, the grounds at St Mary’s Gateshead were a dustbowl. After becoming involved in their own student Landcare group in 2005, the students planted over 1000 trees and participated in the regeneration of remnant bushland and creek.
This regeneration work earned the school the Lake Macquarie City Council’s High Schools Environment Award last year. According to Brendan, a Year 10 student, “The Landcare program has really changed the aura of St Mary’s. Not having loose dirt fly in your eyes is a bonus!”
This year St Joseph’s Primary School Charlestown was the winner of both the Senior and Junior Primary Environmental Awards for the City of Lake Macquarie.
Students at St Catherine’s College Singleton are becoming stewards of the environment, and through the Edible School Yard project they are developing their capacity to understand how the natural world sustains our lives. Cassie, a student at St Catherine’s College said she enjoyed participating in the program.
“It’s all about learning how to lessen our impact on the environment. It’s great because we can get outside and actually apply what we learn in the classroom,” Cassie said.
