Sutherland Shire Christian School
Encyclopedia
Sutherland Shire Christian School is a non-denominational
, Protestant, parent-controlled private school
for co-educational students located in Sydney
, Australia
. It was founded in 1977 (Association founded in 1969) by a group of people who felt a calling to provide their children with an environment in which to gain an education taught from a Christian perspective. They believed that these features were not to be seen in a public state school; because of this the school upholds a strong Christian ethos that influences most parts of school life. In 2011 this school was ranked 114th out of New South Wales schools from the HSC results.
The school primarily consists of one large campus
in the southern suburb of Barden Ridge
in Sydney, and this campus the two sections of the school:
School classes were housed in several locations (such as local church halls) before the purchase of several hectares of farm land in the southern New South Wales
of Barden Ridge
, in 1981, where the school has continued to develop since.
Student enrolment summary http://www.sscs.nsw.edu.au/history.htm
The school has an abundance of facilities on its campus to cater for all types of students needs and interests including a gym
nasium, tennis
and basketball court
s and cricket nets. A woodwork and metalwork room exists for students along with a textiles room, a home economics
room and several music rooms with recording studio
rooms and an array of musical instruments. Two large libraries cater to both the primary and secondary schools. A more recent addition is the TLC (Tiered Learning Centre) and refurbished science laboratories.
for junior students.
Sutherland Shire Christian School is a competitor in many inter-school competitions and participates strongly in Swimming, Athletic and Cross-Country competitions. They also compete annually against local rival school Inaburra in both rugby
, cricket
and soccer for various trophies.
Each year the school runs an annual drama performance made up of predominantly senior students and several members of drama classes throughout the school grades. 2008 saw two productions being produced - Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare and Nick Enright's The Venetian Twins
. In 2009, the school produced Annie
the musical. These productions are supported by the entire school community through involvement in costuming, lighting, set design and direction.
The Music Department also stages several smaller performance evenings as part of the peripatetic program alongside the two major musical evenings - the Primary Infants Performance Evening (PIPE) and For One Night Only (High School).
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
, Protestant, parent-controlled private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
for co-educational students located in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was founded in 1977 (Association founded in 1969) by a group of people who felt a calling to provide their children with an environment in which to gain an education taught from a Christian perspective. They believed that these features were not to be seen in a public state school; because of this the school upholds a strong Christian ethos that influences most parts of school life. In 2011 this school was ranked 114th out of New South Wales schools from the HSC results.
The school primarily consists of one large campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
in the southern suburb of Barden Ridge
Barden Ridge, New South Wales
Barden Ridge is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Barden Ridge is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire...
in Sydney, and this campus the two sections of the school:
- A High SchoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(Years 7 to 12) and - A Junior School (Pre-School to Year 6).
Establishment
The School Association was formally founded in 1969 by several Christian families who wished to have a Christian environment for their children to grow and mature in. The school officially began in 1977 under the name Sutherland Shire Christian School and the Sutherland Shire Christian School Association Ltd was created two years later in 1979.School classes were housed in several locations (such as local church halls) before the purchase of several hectares of farm land in the southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
of Barden Ridge
Barden Ridge, New South Wales
Barden Ridge is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Barden Ridge is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire...
, in 1981, where the school has continued to develop since.
Student enrolment summary http://www.sscs.nsw.edu.au/history.htm
| Year | 1977 | 1982 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2005 |
| Students | 11 | 263 | 564 | 722 | 752 | 804 |
Junior School
The junior school's curriculum is based around six main subjects:- English
- Mathematics
- Science and TechnologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
- Human SocietySocietyA society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
& Its Environment - Creative & Practical ArtsARtsaRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
- Physical Education, Health & Personal Development
Facilities
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, tennis
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
and basketball court
Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
s and cricket nets. A woodwork and metalwork room exists for students along with a textiles room, a home economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
room and several music rooms with recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
rooms and an array of musical instruments. Two large libraries cater to both the primary and secondary schools. A more recent addition is the TLC (Tiered Learning Centre) and refurbished science laboratories.
Location
The school is located in the suburban area of Barden Ridge on Allies Road near Lucas Heights Public School. The school has a scenic bushland setting providing not only shade for students but also a bush playgroundPlayground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
for junior students.
Sport
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and soccer for various trophies.
The arts
The Venetian Twins
The Venetian Twins is a 1747 play by Carlo Goldoni, based on Plautus's Menaechmi. Recent productions include one at the Watermill Theatre and a 1993 production directed by Michael Bogdanov for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play has also been adapted and staged as a 1979 Australian two-act...
. In 2009, the school produced Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
the musical. These productions are supported by the entire school community through involvement in costuming, lighting, set design and direction.
The Music Department also stages several smaller performance evenings as part of the peripatetic program alongside the two major musical evenings - the Primary Infants Performance Evening (PIPE) and For One Night Only (High School).
Extracurricular
There are several extracurricular clubs run throughout the school each year. These include a sound and lighting team, debating team, a public speaking team, a concert band, junior and senior choirs, junior and senior guitar ensembles and the VIBE string ensemble.Principals
- Geoffrey Lainson (1977–2001)
- Stephen Renn (2001–2003)
- John Myer [acting] (2003)
- Mark Lewis (2004–2005)
- David Stonestreet (2005–2008)
- Nicola Taylor and Andrew Middleton (2009)
- Nicola Taylor (2010-current)
Notable alumni
- Rebecca Breeds (actress)
- Chris Graffiti (musician)