Type Independent, Day Established 1891 Principal Mr Adam Taylor Phone +61 2 9808 1033 Founded 1891 | Denomination Roman Catholic Founder Br Alphonsus Delany Staff ~66 Motto In cruce salus (Latin) Gender Single-sex education | |
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Address 517 Victoria Rd, Ryde NSW 2112, Australia Similar Marist Sisters College, Ryde Secondary College, Christian Brothers’ High Sch, Rosebank College, Epping Boys High School Profiles | ||
Holy Cross College is a Catholic high school for boys located in the suburb of Ryde in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia established in the tradition of the Patrician Brothers.
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History and Tradition
In 1808 Bishop Daniel Delany established in Ireland the Congregation of the Brothers of St Patrick and sought to have the youth of his native land instructed in the principles and lifestyle of the Gospels.
The Patrician Brothers arrived in New South Wales in 1883, opening a Boarding College at Ryde in 1891. The College moved to its present site in 1896. The great sandstone edifice which is now a landmark of the district gradually rose on the heights above the Parramatta River. It celebrates its 125 years of educating young men in 2016.
Motto and Crest
The Crest was designed in the early 1900s, and was installed in a stained glass window of the Oratory in the Monastery building. In 1959, a larger replica was installed in the new College Chapel.
The Crest features the Waratah and Shamrock entwined, symbolising the shared Patrician Apostolate of Australia and Ireland. In one adaptation, the Harp is replaced by the Southern Cross.
The overall design of the Crest is technically termed "Quarterly per Cross" and "Cross Fillet". The stars indicate the Southern Cross. Clockwise, from top left, the Quarters symbolise:
Middle Schooling Program
Students entering the College in Year 7 have a core teacher who works with them in at least three subject areas. The team of core teachers work together to meld the curriculum outcomes across the several subjects they teach, thus 'buying back' class time and providing greater opportunity to engage in project-based learning, using notebook computers especially reserved for the Year 7 cohort. This approach to junior secondary schooling allows teachers to know students and their needs well and thus better cater for them. This approach to learning also encourages boys to 'learn how to learn', equipping them better for the greater independence and autonomy that come in the later high school years.
Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Higher School Certificate results in ICT have in recent years been up to ten points above State average. The College possesses extensive computer facilities, including a new state-of-the-art Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) complex. Notebook computers are widely used by students throughout the school, with the option of a purchase/lease program to assist families who with their sons to have a personal notebook for home and school.