The school community is immensely proud of Stuartholme’s many achievements over the years. Our students have excelled academically, in the arts, and in sport. Many have represented their state and country, or gone on to forge impressive careers. Others have made their way quietly in the world, no less exceptional, always true to themselves thanks largely to a life-forming, holistic education.
The qualities that we instil in our students reflect the founding principles of the Society of the Sacred Heart. While these principles are over 200 years old, they remain as relevant today as they were when Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society in postrevolutionary France. Our international school ‘family’ recognises the importance of educated women and their positive influence on society. Our goals foster the personal development and social awareness of each of our students; respect for intellectual and community building values; and education of young women to a faith that is meaningful in today’s modern world.
At Stuartholme, we provide a caring, open-hearted school environment in which every girl is allowed to shine and grow as an individual. The calibre of our graduates clearly demonstrates the school’s high standards and its success in building women of character and self-discipline. Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat once said: “For the sake of a single child I would have founded the Society of the Sacred Heart.” .
Fortunately, many thousands of girls from across the world have benefited over the years from her extraordinary educational vision. Since the doors of this school opened in 1920, Stuartholme has gone from strength to strength. Our ongoing commitment to modern education in the Sacred Heart tradition will ensure that our school continues to enrich the lives of all our students, today and well into the future.
The Goals of Sacred Heart Education
Sacred Heart education was inspired by the desire to show forth the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. While certain specifics have been adapted to the changing need of different cultures and times, the constant values inherent in the original thoughts of the Foundress, St Madeleine Sophie Barat, have been retained.
The Goals of Sacred Heart Education provide the foundation on which Stuartholme and other Sacred Heart Schools build their educational framework. The Goals are:
Faith Which is Relevant in Today's World
A Deep Respect for Intellectual Values
Building Community as a Christian Value
A Social Awareness that Impels to Action
Personal Growth in an Atmosphere of Wise Freedom
As a school of the Sacred Heart we are committed to St Madeleine Sophie's example of challenging both the mind and the heart to instil in our young women a generosity of spirit and a strong desire to act for the betterment of our society in light of the Gospel.
With this in mind religious education in schools and colleges of the Sacred Heart is characterised by:
an experience of life lived in a community where that life is celebrated sacramentally, and in prayer and reflection;
a structured presentation of the Catholic faith;
and, finally, an educative process whereby the students are led to an awareness of the influences shaping their attitudes and lifestyles, being constructively critical of those aspects of the culture which promote unjust structures.
Sporting
Being only 6 km from the central business district, it is unusual to find a girl’s school with such a comprehensive range of sporting facilities on site. The grassed oval and the 25m short-course swimming pool are adjacent to the classrooms and teaching areas, with five tennis courts (some being marked for netball and basketball) also being on the same site. The Brisbane River also offers a superb training site for rowing.
As part of the School’s Master Plan, the refurbishment and upgrade of the school’s swimming pool will commence in the near future. A New Gymnasium and Multi-Purpose Facility are in the planning stages.
Fine and Performing Arts
The Joigny facility, completed in 2003, has second-to-none facilities for music, art, theatre and information systems. The music facilities include three large classrooms, six rehearsal rooms and a recording studio. Art classrooms are complemented by a sculpture courtyard and kiln and are supported by a long tradition in the school of creating, acquiring and displaying works of fine art. The Stuartholme-Behan collection of Australian art works is on loan to the University of Queensland but many other pieces adorn the halls and elegant rooms of the gracious old building. Performances, too, are very well catered for with the 500-seat, air-conditioned theatre having a tree-top level green room and spacious foyer attached. The main theatre can also be divided by means of operable walls into two smaller theatres, each seating 150, and a performance area comprising the stage and floor area. This facility is often hired to external groups. This is organised through our Development Office.
Boarding
Boarding facilities are provided for approximately 150 girls on site in the extensive grounds of Stuartholme School. Students are able to utilise all the school’s facilities including the library, pool and other sporting facilities. In recent years, the common rooms have been completely refurbished and a new television room added. One of the main bathrooms was completely refurbished during the 2010-2011 Summer Holidays.
School Bus
In 2010, the Stuartholme P&F generously donated a 21 seater School Bus.
The bus is extensively used by both the Day and Boarding School, taking girls on excursions, sporting commitments and boarding outings.
Library
As part of the Joigny facility, the School Library features 3 spacious teaching areas with 2 adjoining multimedia classrooms each with wireless data projectors. A key feature of the library is the reading couch which stretches the full length of the library, and through wide glass windows, looks out into the bush of Mt Coot-tha. There are also other break out areas such as study carrels, extra tables and 3 tutorial rooms. The Stuartholme Library houses an expansive collection of fiction, non-fiction, audio and video resources. The library space has full wireless access, as does the whole campus, making a multitude of on-line resources accessible 24/7. In the evening, the library provides the ideal location for boarder study.
Technology
Stuartholme School is one of Brisbane’s pioneering 1:1 computer schools using Toshiba TabletPCs to facilitate teaching and learning through the iLearn Programme. In order to provide the best learning experiences possible, the campus has full wireless coverage, with networked data projectors in every teaching space. High speed internet access and a secure intranet provide 24/7 access to school information and learning resources.
Application Fee (non-refundable) $100
Enrolment Bond (50% non-refundable) $10,470
Tuition Fee per year $25,480
# Boarding Fee per year $16,400
Moderation Fee per year (Years 11,12)$280
