History

Holy Rosary Catholic School first opened its doors in 1961, with 37 children and two staff members. The school facilities consisted of two classrooms and a staff area. We currently house 447 students and 51 staff with over 10 main buildings, with growth and changes occurring every year.

The school’s mission was to provide a Catholic education to the children of St. Bernard's Parish. The Parishioners gathered together and prayed to the Rosary trusting in their Faith that financial provision would be made for a new Catholic school in Claremont. It is this history that has bound the school to the Parish of St Bernard’s. The Dominican sisters were asked to take charge of the new school in Claremont. 

Founded on the traditions of the Dominican Sisters we continue to strive to live out the charism and ethos of our founding order in the context of the world our students are living in. We believe that we are called to care for all in our community and support the concept of social justice through our promotion of Gospel values. We value the rich cultural and social diversity that exists in our society and encourage students' greater understanding, tolerance and acceptance of others.

In the past 5 years the learning spaces both inside and outside have been extensively renovated and adapted as part of the strategic plan and also a devastating fire in 2020.  The classrooms are designed to be flexible for collaborative learning between classes and grades.  In 2020 planning commenced for a partnership with Catholic Care for the provision of Early Learning and Care for children from the age of 3 to commence in 2021. The redeveloped Early Learning Centre is purpose-built for children aged three to five. This area is separate from the school, it is fenced and provides an environment inside and outside for the needs of our youngest children. It is in this area that the  Set up for Success Program (Birth to 5) operates.  The recently completed Wellbeing Wing has provision for learning support, allied health rooms, a flexible learning hub, a sensory space and a Canteen.

Following the Australian Curriculum, an extensive and inclusive learning program is offered. As a learning community, we continually strive to improve the opportunities for our students and promote lifelong learning by providing a student-centred curriculum.  

We value and support partnerships with parents/carers in the daily education of their children and believe that this should be founded on a spirit of mutual respect, cooperation, communication and involvement.