History:
St Robert's School began in Newtown in 1943 and Sister Roberta Rainsford took charge as the first Principal of the school. The Sisters of Mercy ended their association with the school in 1977 when Sister Bernadette Briggs, the last Mercy Sister to be principal, handed control of the school to its first lay principal, Mrs Noelene Colwill. The association with the Sisters had lasted 34 years and the subsequent lay staff have built upon the firm foundation that the Sisters had established.
In 1942 the school consisted of one classroom, an entrance hall and a cloakroom. In 1943 a second classroom was added and in 1948 four more were established. It was not until 1970 that an additional classroom and staffroom were added, making St Robert's a one-stream school with a classroom for each grade level from Prep to Year 6. The modernisation and refurbishment of the original building was completed in 1986. In 2001 architects were engaged to draw up a master plan for major capital works. These included the demolition of existing toilets and construction of new toilets, the construction of new classrooms, the relocation of the library and an upgrade of administration and staff facilities. Work began on the project in November 2005 and was completed in July 2006. In 2010 the school refurbished its multipurpose facility through the Federal Government's Building the Education Revolution (BER) project.
Description:
St Robert's has a current enrolment of 375 students and caters for children from Prep through to Year 6. It is one of four primary schools of the Parish of St Mary's of the Angels, Geelong. Located in the suburb of Newtown, St Robert's is close to two major Catholic secondary colleges, Sacred Heart College for girls and St Joseph's College for boys. The school continues to enjoy a strong relationship with both.
Our grounds are safe and secure. We have a substantial synthetic oval, a large asphalt playing area and junior, middle and senior adventure playground areas. There are currently 14 classrooms and thanks to the BER project the school has a built a multipurpose area to include a Library and ICT room, a Food Tech/Science/ Art space, Assembly area and a Community and Worship Centre.
Features:
Visitors to St Robert's School often comment on the atmosphere of welcome that greets them as they first enter. Staff and students at St Robert's value an environment that encourages all children to do their best, with the belief that learning is best achieved in surroundings where children feel safe and happy, know that they are special and have the support of their teachers, family and friends.
As a Catholic school we are called to demonstrate our commitment to our faith and provide living examples of God's loving care for all people as Jesus teaches us through the Gospels. Parents and family members share a unique partnership with our school and are always welcome to visit and contribute whenever and in whatever way they can.