School Profile

Holy Family Primary School was opened in 1985 and is situated in Castleton Crescent Gowrie, in the Parish of Corpus Christi. There are three primary schools within the parish, inlcuding St Francis of Assisi, located in Calwell and St Clare of Assisi, Conder. St Mary MacKillop College (Years 7-12) in Waniassa and Isabella Plains enables parents a Catholic high school pathway for their children. The Parish of Corpus Christi was formed in 2005 when the parishes of Holy Family Gowrie and St Francis of Assisi Calwell were amalgamated. In 2009, the first Catholic pre-school began operation - the Holy Family Early Learning & Care Centre. We have grown to 4 classes in 2018 with 100 children.

Students from Pre-school to Year 6, who attend the school, primarily come from the suburbs of Chisholm, Fadden, Gilmore, Gowrie, Isabella Plains, Macarthur and Richardson. Students also live in Jerrabomberra NSW and the rural estate of Burra and Googong. The school has a multicultural population of approximately 660 students (K - Yr 6) and 90 pre-school students.

The Presentation Sisters from Wagga Wagga established the school under the dedicated leadership of Sister Audrey Pigrim. Holy Family quickly fostered a sense of strong community with close relationships developed between parish and school, The school motto, ‘Open the Doors to the Redeemer,’ epitomises the ideals of the school and parish communities, and their approach towards making Jesus Christ accessible and relevant to the students who attend the school. The image of the Holy Family represents the notion of community, which is fostered by the members of the school and parish.

With this close collaboration between school, family and parish, Holy Family has developed a cooperative approach towards the education of the students who attend the school. The teachers teach in teams and promote cooperative learning. The school is administered by a Principal, Assistant Principal, Religious Education Coordinator, ICT Coordinator, Numeracy Coordinator, Literacy Coordinator, Early Learning Centre Director, full-time and part-time teachers and assistants, a Teacher Librarian, and Librarian Assistant, Learning Support Coordinator and assistants, Admin Secretary, Finance Secretary, visiting counsellor, Canteen Manager, Kids Biz Operations Manager, Junior & Senior Coordinators, Team leaders & Junior staff and other associated support and care staff. The total staff numbers approximately 80.

Holy Family boasts eight teaching blocks (A, B, E, F, G, H, I and Early Learning & Care Centre), comprising 28 classrooms that host regular classroom activities. The Administration Building (C Block) contains our School Reception, Meeting Room, Staff Room, and offices for the Principal and Assistant Principal. The School Counsellors' office is located at the end of E block.

Our Canteen is fully accredited as a Healthy Canteen and serves nutritional food and drinks. We also have an extensive student Library and the Hall is conveniently located near major buildings and is regularly used by the entire school community.

Kids Biz Before and After School Care provides affordable, high quality and inclusive childcare, incorporating sports coaching and creative group learning activities for all children. Kids Biz provides a diverse range of sporting and creative activities that have been specifically designed for primary school-aged children.

Holy Family has play areas - not only extensively supervised by our staff but full of age-appropriate play equipment and vast ground space for larger group activities. Holy Family is a Sun-Smart school and adopts a vigilant approach to student safety.