St Mary’s College Broome shone brightly alongside four of our Catholic Kimberley schools at this year’s Catholic Education WA (CEWA) Awards celebration, taking home several prestigious awards that recognise excellence, dedication, and innovation in Catholic education. The annual awards ceremony, held in Perth, brings together Catholic schools from across Western Australia, highlighting achievements that make a lasting impact on students, staff, and the wider community.
This year, St Mary’s College was honoured in the Quality Catholic Education Award area of Community for `Fun School’. The award recognizes the school’s exceptional commitment to staff wellbeing, empowering all staff to be able to grow and focus on professional learning needs whilst their own children are supported and nurtured. SMC Fun School was created as a wellbeing initiative for St Mary’s College staff and children. Fun School supports staff to attend Professional Learning days without the stress and anxiety of organising care for their children who are students of our college. Many staff are unable to access care for their children during PL days due to a childcare shortage in Broome and living away from extended family limits other options. Fun School allows staff to be fully present at professional learning days with the knowledge that their children are being cared for in a fun, creative and safe environment.
St Mary’s College also received the Runner Up Quality Catholic Education Award area of Stewardship for our Mamalyjuran Nilabarri – St Mary’s Middle Leaders Program. A bespoke Middle Leaders Program that has been thoughtfully developed as a leasdership growth initiative to ensure access to high-quality leadership learning. Designed in collaboration with cultural advisors, the Parish Priest, CEWA consultants, and the Leadership team, with a primary focus on building self by guiding their leaders. Derived from the verb “+malyjura+,” meaning to guide, and the concept of growing in knowledge with “Nilabarri,” their Mamalyjuran Nilaburri bespoke Leaders program was established. Mamalyjuran Nilaburri aims to equip leaders with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities to effectively lead others in a Christ-centred, child-focused educational vision within the Kimberley College context.
We are very proud that both of these initiatives were recognised at the Quality Catholic Education Awards. Both of these demonstrate our commitment at our college to our staff and in turn our students and families who benefit when our staff have the most appropriate learning.
We are so very proud of our CEWA Kimberley schools and would take this opportunity to celebrate and congratulate them all.
Christ the King, Djarindjin Lombadina | Primary Education | COMMUNITY AWARD https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15Rq9sTcKQ/?mibextid=YlDasU
St Mary’s College, Broome | Secondary Education | COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS https://www.facebook.com/share/v/155PZDbb2o/?mibextid=YlDasU
Sacred Heart, Beagle Bay | Secondary Education | EDUCATION AWARD WINNERS https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EAeXMtv6i/?mibextid=YlDasU
John Pujajangka-Piyirn School Primary Education | STUDENT LED AWARD WINNERS https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Tmy2r9r4Q/?mibextid=YlDasU
St Marys College, BROOME | Secondary Education | MERIT (Runner Up) STEWARDSHIP
Please visit the following link to see wall award winners and video links https://awards.cewa.edu.au/2024-winners/
The Catholic Education WA Awards not only highlight the achievements of individual schools but also celebrate the spirit of Catholic education across the state, which seeks to develop students, staff and communities who are academically accomplished, morally grounded, and socially responsible. The breakfast was a proud moment for the St Mary’s College Broome community, reaffirming its commitment to excellence, academic success, professional learning, wellbeing and service.
As the celebrations concluded, St Mary’s staff returned home to our community with renewed energy and inspiration to continue building on the successes that have made the school a leader in Catholic education across Western Australia.
