St Catherine's Convent School

[EduCativ]

In 1956 there was a growing demand for quality Catholic education within the West Rand. St Catherine’s Convent, whose patron saint is St Catherine of Sienna, was founded in 1957 by the Order of the Dominican Sisters, who have a tradition of over 700 years of commitment to education. The school first opened to one hundred and eighty girls and boys from grade one to grade four. A year later, the school had grown to 254 learners and continued to grow in the years following its inception.

St Catherine’s Convent is proud of its facilities and offers the learner many opportunities to learn in a comfortable and soothing, yet modern environment.

The majority of our classes are fully equipped with all the audio-visual requirements necessary for facilitating learning, such as Data Projectors, White Boards, televisions, and DVD players. Learners each have their desk and locker as we strive to create a home-from-home environment for all our learners.

We also have a state-of-the-art Auditorium for functions. This use of technology may also be found in our fully equipped Computer Room and Physical Science Laboratory.

To create a well-rounded learner, St Catherine’s Convent also has a purpose-built dancing studio, where learners may receive lessons in Modern, Tap, and Hip-Hop Dancing.

Our sporting facilities include a large swimming pool, tennis courts, and sports field. For the more culturally inclined learner, we have a well-equipped hall with modern sound and lighting equipment that will enhance any dramatic performance.

Our school seeks to care for and develop the whole person to develop young people who can reach their full potential in all areas of their life.

The objectives of St Catherine’s Convent, arising out of our vision and mission are:

• To develop the whole person of our learners – spiritually, emotionally, academically, culturally, and physically – so that they may make a meaningful contribution to society.
• To instill in learners the key values of a love for learning, commitment to truth, love, respect, and service to their fellow human beings.
• To provide a high-quality yet affordable academic education to our learners.
• To provide a rewarding and fulfilling working environment to our educators where they are encouraged to use their creativity and initiative.
• To foster respect for the culture and religious values of all people.
• To foster a willingness to serve in a spirit of healing and reconciliation, flowing from an appreciation of the Word of God and a deep commitment to Christ.

St Catherine’s Convent offers an after-care service that has been successfully operating for almost 30 years. Our main aim is to create a safe and nurturing environment for those girls who are unable to be collected straight after school ends.

The girls are divided into groups for optimal individual attention and structured supervision. These groups are: Grade 0 to Grade 3 and Grade 4 to Grade 6

Our program begins with a light lunch in the dining room at 13h00 for Grades 0-2 and 13h30 for Grades 3-6. Homework begins at 14h00 for the juniors.

Homework is supervised and the children are encouraged to work on their homework individually at their own pace and are assisted wherever necessary by a qualified teacher. Whilst we endeavor to complete homework activities each day, projects and assignments need extra attention and are to be completed at home. Parents are required to sign homework books every day.

When homework has been completed, the girls are encouraged to participate in other activities and games such as tennis, swimming on Fridays, DVDs (these may be watched only if the girls wish), and other activities.

Extra reading and homework-related problem solving are done on a Friday afternoon. The girls are encouraged to be independent and interact with each other respectably and lovingly. After Care ends at 17h00. In the event of a parent not being able to collect their child by the said time, arrangements may be made by contacting the Aftercare Supervisor before 17:00.

St Catherine’s Convent offers a free service for the high school learners by which girls who cannot be collected directly after school attend High School Study. It is a safe and nurturing environment where the girls are encouraged to complete homework or consult with a teacher on specific days for extra assistance.

Should you wish your daughter to have lunch, lunches can be arranged. Whilst we endeavor to complete homework activities each day, projects and assignments need extra attention and are to be completed at home. Girls are discouraged from waiting outside the gate to be fetched and there is always someone on duty until 17h00 on the school grounds.

Educators regularly attend both regional and national subject conferences to ensure that their knowledge is up to date and to enable every educator to deliver quality education.

St Catherine’s Convent also participates in the IEB Cluster groups, which are regular meetings where groups of educators from different schools come together to standardize their assessment levels and to share resources. This ensures that all the academic work done, particularly in Grade 12 is of the correct standard.

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