New Cohorts Begin Academic Journeys

Two Lasallian schools are excited to welcome new cohorts in 2024. De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah and St Aloysius College Cronulla (formally De La Salle College, Cronulla) are both opening their doors to new groups of students. This development is part of a Sutherland Shire project for developing local learning institutions. It’s also a vibrant reflection of the Lasallian commitment to education throughout the region.

Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) has recently focused on expanding educational options in its Sutherland Shire precinct. De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah and St Aloysius College Cronulla are each moving towards a more robust Year 7-12 model. 

De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah is now home to its first class of Year 11 students. Meanwhile, St Aloysius College Cronulla has welcomed its first Year 7 learners. Previously, De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah offered Year 7-10 and St Aloysius College Cronulla taught Year 11-12. 

Families in the Shire can now choose the best school for their children while still staying within the network of excellent Lasallian colleges. The recent Sutherland Shire expansions exemplify the Lasallian  mission of “providing a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor.”

De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah has prepared for its expansion by welcoming experts to its ranks. The school has hired more than twenty new teachers and staff over six years through a holistic recruiting campaign. 

“We have been busy recruiting specialised staff and preparing the college to be able to expertly support our new students, and we’re confident that they will be given every opportunity that they need to succeed,” says Peter Bruxton, De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah’s principal.

He encourages his staff to connect with each student and be active in the community. “The response to the transition from the wider community has been overwhelmingly positive and we are well positioned to provide families with an education pathway that wasn’t previously available,” Mr Bruxton says.

De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah opened in 1958 when 4 teachers taught 65 boys in a church basement. The school grew alongside the region’s Catholic community. Secondary classes were offered beginning in 1961 and the facilities have been expanded multiple times since then. The school’s vision involves offering a quality education in an environment that celebrates excellence and the Gospel values. 

It remains the only single-sex schooling option in the area and boasts small class sizes. By offering Year 11 and Year 12 instruction, De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah now offers a comprehensive education to young men throughout the Shire.

St Aloysius College Cronulla is also celebrating its growth as it becomes a full Years 7-12 co-educational college—notably, the first school of its kind in the Shire.

“With our new identity and our expansion to a 7-12 college, our entire school community is feeling energised about the possibilities that lie ahead,” says Stephen Mahoney, the St Aloysius College Cronulla principal. 

“We are giving parents in the Sutherland Shire the option of a full Catholic Lasallian co-educational experience, and we are committed to extending our long history dating back to 1936 of fostering excellence to more families.”  

St Aloysius College Cronulla was previously known as the De La Salle Catholic College Cronulla. The name change reflects the school’s focus on the St Aloysius of Gonzaga parish community and does not imply any break from the Lasallian tradition. The college was founded as a Lasallian school in 1936 and remained dedicated to enriching minds through comprehensive, Gospel-based education ever since. 

The school has transformed several times since its founding in 1936. The college initially accepted boarding students, a practice that continued until 1957. The college also taught students from primary years until leaving certificate level until the late 1960s. De La Salle Catholic College Cronulla moved to exclusively Year 11-12 in 1967. Expanding to welcome Year 7-12 is simply the next step in St Aloysius College Cronulla’s journey of service.

These changes mark an exciting time for the Sutherland Shire. 

Image: Sydney Catholic Schools