Welcome to the Sacred Heart College Middle School (SHCMS) website. Whatever your reason for visiting these pages I hope you find the information and images relevant to your needs. Through this site, we aim to provide students, parents, carers, friends of SHCMS and prospective families an insight into life at the School.

SHCMS is a Catholic School in the Marist tradition providing education for boys from Year 6 to 9 in the South West Region of Adelaide South Australia. The School also caters for up to twelve boarders who reside at the boarding house at Somerton Park.

Secondary education commences in Year 8 in South Australia, so this range of students provides us with a unique middle school environment. It also means that we attract a dynamic mix of teachers from primary, secondary and middle schooling backgrounds. Along with Sacred Heart College Senior and Marymount College, SHCMS is a partner in the Tri-Schools Community that currently educates approximately 2200 students, both male and female, from Year 6 to Year 12 in this region.

Founded in 1967 as St Joseph’s College, the College retained this name until 1977 when there was a restructure of Catholic schooling across the region. The Middle School maintains close links with the Brothers at Somerton Park and is very thankful for the ongoing care and work of Br Patrick McInerney. SHCMS is also blessed by the support of the Sacred Heart College and Marymount College Foundation and a growing Old Collegians network, many of whom choose to send their children to Sacred Heart. Their ongoing patronage of the School and generous financial support has been a vital element in maintaining the wonderful culture and facilities.

Curriculum offerings at SHCMS are specifically designed to promote a high level of engagement in learning from all boys. It is based on the South Australian Curriculum Standard Framework (SACSA) which itself is grounded in the theory of constructivism. Across the School, this means that boys participate in an extensive array of learning activities including English, Mathematics, Design & Technology, Health & Physical Education, Languages, Science, Society & Environment, Visual Arts, Music and Religious Education. At SHCMS we embrace the philosophy that learning is a relational activity and we believe that boys learn best when they enjoy authentic relationships with each of their teachers. Such relationships are enhanced by the extensive program of extracurricular activities available at the College where boys have many opportunities to get to know their teachers beyond the classroom.

As a community of educators, we are committed to the ongoing formation of boys as good Christians and virtuous citizens. Through the provision of contemporary and relevant learning experiences in an atmosphere that is characterised by its family spirit we seek to prepare them for adult life in the twenty first century.

Andrew Balkwill
Principal
Sacred Heart College Middle School

We are called on to exercise professional and pastoral leadership in our role as educators.

We participate in programs of
in-service to improve our personal competence in these domains, to seek together the most appropriate methods and strategies for educating contemporary youth, and to deepen our understanding of the specific character of Marist Catholic education and spirituality.

In The Footsteps of
Marcellin Champagnat, 163

© Sacred Heart College Middle School, 2010
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