St Dominic’s Catholic College was founded by the Dominican Sisters at Northcote in 1952 and later transferred to our present Henderson site in 1967. It continues the Dominicans’ proud 800+-year-old tradition of service to education. Our Catholic Christian outlook on life and belief in the Gospel values underpin the spirit of our school, reflected in the caring attitudes of members of our community as they live their faith and in the formal religious and educational experiences offered.
Our Religious Education classes emphasize the ethos of the Dominican Order and while being fun and informative, also ensure that our girls will make informed decisions in their future lives and become mature Catholic women whose lives reflect their faith. Weekly Eucharistic celebrations and regular retreats for all levels involve everyone in the school, and students are welcome to use the chapel before and after school.
St Dominic’s College will challenge students to achieve excellence by delivering a holistic education based on the living values of the Catholic Dominican tradition.
Subject choices in the senior years are broad. Students are encouraged to take a balanced range of courses and then to further refine their interests and strengths as they move through the College. We are NZQA Accredited and students are prepared for the full range of National Qualifications and Certificates. Special courses leading to National Certificates are offered through the Work & Community Skills, Pathways, and Gateway Programmes.
The Junior College curriculum, for Years 7-10 (ages 11-14 years) is broad, allowing studying a wide range of subjects.
The core subjects of the curriculum are English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Physical Education, the Arts, Health, and Religious Education – with additional preliminary study in languages other than English, such as French, Japanese, Chinese, and Te Reo Maori. The College also offers learning support for students who require extra help, particularly in literacy and numeracy, whilst Extension classes challenge and extend our high achieving students and students may also be invited to begin NCEA Level 1 in Year 10.
St Dominic's offers a wide range of subjects within its senior curriculum covering NCEA Levels 1, 2, 3, and Scholarship Level 4. Students choose their subjects in consultation with their form teacher, academic coach, and their dean to ensure that they are following appropriate qualification pathways.
The Senior College curriculum option choices for Years 11 to 13 are broad. Students are encouraged to take a balanced course at Year 11 and then to further refine their interests and strengths as they move up through the College.
St Dominic’s College is a Catholic girls’ school situated in West Auckland, for girls from Years 7-13. We provide a holistic education, based on the Gospel values of the Catholic Dominican tradition, which emphasizes excellence in academic learning, personal development, and involvement in the community. St Dominic’s is committed to creating a caring and supportive environment where each student can feel special, loved, understood, and appreciated. This is the home of St Dominic’s Sports! It should have all you need to know about the sports we offer, our vision, dates, fees, uniform and more. If you are needing more information, email sports@stdoms.ac.nz and we will get back to you ASAP.
St Dominic’s offers a guidance network that is geared to providing the best possible assistance to our students and their families, with help on personal matters, educational issues, and career planning. Each student not only has a Form Teacher who will be primarily responsible for their development and wellbeing, but she will also have access to a Careers Advisor and an Academic Advisor, who can provide vocational and academic advice.
In addition, assistance with personal concerns is readily available from our College counselors and a Public Health Nurse, and the College is in contact with Maori and Pacific Island community groups.
Celebrating your daughter's achievement is what we like to best at St Dominic’s Catholic College in Henderson. We encourage your daughter to foster her talents while striving to make a difference with her talent and skills. Our vision is to develop confident young women to contribute positively to society and live through the values of the Catholic Dominican tradition.
Our school is set in spacious grounds with first-class facilities, including a new chapel, swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis and netball courts, IT center, music suite, an international students center, a comprehensive library, fully-equipped science laboratories, and purpose-built performing arts facilities.
Modern teaching resources and specialist rooms, in conjunction with highly motivated teaching staff, create an environment that fosters a love and enjoyment of learning which is reflected in our students' consistently high standard of academic achievement in all levels of NCEA.
With a roll restricted to 1000 students, St Dominic’s offers a happy and safe environment, with a sense of community and identity that encourages learning in its fullest sense - in the classrooms, in the chapel, and the wide range of co-curricular sporting and cultural activities.
Our students enjoy a high rate of success in national examinations and, later, at tertiary institutions. They also gain leadership opportunities through a variety of programs, such as Sports Captains, Catholic Youth Leaders, Student Councils, Peer Mentoring, Body Image Leaders, and The Duke of Edinburgh Schemes.
