House System
In 2011, ̨ž³UUApp proudly established a vibrant House system, featuring eight unique House patrons who embody our collective ethos. This inclusive system brought together students from Year 7 - Year 12, fostering a sense of unity and belonging from the very start of their educational journey.
Excitingly, in 2023, we extended this tradition to our Junior School, seamlessly integrating the House system as part of our college-wide amalgamation. This pivotal step has further united our community, ensuring that every student, regardless of age, is part of a supportive and spirited family.
Our students are allocated a House upon commencement and in our Senior School, this assists in defining a students Homeroom.
The House system:
Provides pastoral care, guidance and support
Builds community and identity
Encourages unity, teamwork and communication
Enriches student life through a range of faith-based, cultural and sporting activities
Allows students to interact within and across year levels
Raises funds for Catholic charities through the celebration of House Patron Days
Each year, Houses compete for the House Cup, which includes events such as:
Athletics, Swimming and Cross Country carnivals
Inter-house sports
Inter-house play competition
Subject-based competitions
The system is an essential component to student life at the College, facilitating a sense of connectedness that serves to enhance their overall learning experience. Students wear their House shirts with the College sports uniform on Fridays, and participate in activities year-round.
CHISHOLM HOUSE
Motto: ‘Open Hands, Open Hearts’
House Colour: Dark Blue
Patron: Caroline Chisholm (United Kingdom; 1808-1877)
Known for:
Helping establish better living conditions for immigrants to Australia in the 19th century
Opening the Female Immigrants’ Home in Sydney
Assisting unemployed young women migrants in finding jobs
Placing over 11,000 people in homes and jobs
Birthday: 30 May
DE VIALAR HOUSE
Motto: ‘Devotion and Compassion’
House Colour: Yellow
Saint: St Emilie de Vialar (France; 1797-1856)
Known for:
Founding the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition in France
Helping the poor and pursuing ‘all works of charity’
Caring for the sick in hospitals and in prisons
Teaching children, and caring for children neglected by their parents
Feast Day: 17 June
MACKILLOP HOUSE
Motto: ‘See Need, Evoke Change’
House Colour: Sky Blue
Saint: St Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop) (Australia; 1842-1909)
Known for:
Establishing the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in Australia
Running schools, refuge centres and orphanages with the Sisters
Serving the children of the poor, and many who were suffering and neglected
Kindness, encouragement to others, and for always seeking unity
Feast Day: 8 August
MERICI HOUSE
Motto: ‘Act, Strive, Believe’
House Colour: Red
Saint: St Angela Merici (Italy; 1474-1540)
Known for:
Establishing the group that would later become the Institute of Saint Ursula
(the Ursuline Sisters)Advocating for the education of girls
Working to improve living conditions by being among the people and understanding their needs
Being the patron saint of disabled and sick people
Feast Day: 27 January
PALLOTTI HOUSE
Motto: ‘Serve and Do’
House Colour: Silver
Saint: St Vincent Pallotti (Italy; 1795-1850)
Known for:
Founding the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (SAC)
Encouraging people, including lay people, to actively participate in the Church’s mission of living and spreading the Good News
Pallottine Brothers and Priests – who have ministered to Aboriginal people in Western Australia since 1901
The Pallottines’ Rossmoyne and Riverton communities have assisted the faith life of the College since 1983, including providing boarding facilities for students from Kimberley region in the College’s early years
Feast Day: 22 January
ROMERO HOUSE
Motto: ‘Aspire to be More’
House Colour: Purple
Patron: Archbishop Oscar Romero (El Salvador; 1917-1980)
Known for:
Serving as the Catholic Archbishop in El Salvador during the 1960s and 1970s
Speaking out on behalf of the poor and the victims of his country’s civil war after witnessing human rights violations
Heroic faithfulness to his vocation, and the idea that ‘faith and justice’ go hand in hand
Being the ‘Servant of God’, a title bestowed upon him by Pope John Paul II in 1997
Birthday: 15 August
SALVADO HOUSE
Motto: ‘Perseverance and Stewardship’
House Colour: Green
Patron: Bishop Rosendo Salvado (Spain; 1814-1900)
Known for:
Arriving in Australia from Spain in 1846 as a Benedictine Monk and developing the Mission at New Norcia; consecrated Bishop in 1849
His unwavering commitment to helping Aboriginal people, including providing education
Physical endurance, courage and considerable resourcefulness – on one occasion he walked 130km to Perth by himself, eating whatever he could find (lizards, worms, opossums) to petition Bishop Brady for funds for the Mission, and upon being turned down, then organised and performed a piano recital to raise the necessary money!
Birthday: 1 March
XAVIER HOUSE
Motto: ‘Empowered to Achieve’
House Colour: Black
Saint: St Francis Xavier (Spain; 1506-1552)
Known for:
Founding the religious order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
His work as a priest and devoted disciple of St Ignatius Loyola, helping the church flourish wherever he went
His mission work in India, and later in the Far East as far as the Moluccas and Japan
Is the patron saint of all spiritual retreats, as declared by Pope Pius XI in 1922
Feast Day: 3 December