Catholic Education, Diocese of Cairns
Queensland, Australia
Motto | Walk in the Path of Justice |
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Address | 177 Abbott Street, CAIRNS QLD 4870 | |
Postal Address | 177 Abbott Street, CAIRNS QLD 4870 | |
Phone Number | (07) 4042 4800 | |
Fax Number | (07) 4031 5087 | |
Email Address | office@stmonicas.qld.edu.au | |
Web Site | http://www.stmonicas.qld.edu.au | |
Total Enrolments | 677 | ![]() |
Year Levels Offered | 7-12 | |
Student Population | All Girls | |
Principal | Edna Galvin | |
Parish Priest | The Rev Martin Kenny | |
Parish Number | (07) 4054 1171 |
About our School As a Catholic Secondary College for young women, St Monica's is a faith community where belief in the dignity of the human person underlies our educational philosophy, structures and processes. We aim to provide an environment where relationships reflect the example and teachings of Christ, a true sense of partnership between the home, the school and the Church is actively promoted and that learning and teaching promote the education of the whole person. At St Monica's, each student participates to achieve personal and community goals and develop skills to assist them to face the challenges of life. Our students are encouraged to take risks in an academically challenging context which is highly supportive. Our girls participate in a diverse range of programs whose purpose is to establish integrity, self-belief and courage. Support is given to those with different needs and students from other faiths and cultures contribute to our multifaceted community. It is a welcoming, happy environment where the girls feel that they belong. The College is situated in the central business district of Cairns, one block from the Cairns Esplanade. St Monica's is the oldest school in the region, with rich heritage and Mercy traditions. The College is undertaking a significant building plan to complement its two heritage buildings. We are the only all girls' school in the Cairns region with an enrolment of over 670 students. Year levels 7 to 12 are offered, with both day and boarding options.
Characteristics of Student Body
All female, Years 7-12, day and boarding students. Excellent academic, sporting and cultural results. Active involvement in social justice initiatives and community service.
School Annual Improvement
There are several major focus areas for annual improvement in 2019 including the new building project, Visible Learning, Development of literacy and problem solving skills.
Distinctive Curriculum Offerings St Monica`s College has a long tradition of academic excellence. The curriculum caters for students of different abilities and emphasizes the individual in the environment of a small school. The College offers a full range of Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority subjects as well as Vocational Education Training. Teaching and learning strategies focus on girls` learning styles to ensure the development of self belief and courage. A learning enrichment program is offered to assist students to achieve their potential.
Extra Curricular Activities As part of our vision to integrate faith and life, the College has a strong commitment to social justice. The College motto, 'Walk in the Path of Justice' reflects our Mercy heritage and is a constant reminder of our challenge to make the Good News real in the world. As a community we have an ongoing commitment to key Catholic social justice organisations and charities including Caritas, Project Compassion Appeal, Catholic Mission, the St Vincent de Paul Society, Mercy Works (the social action arm of the Sisters of Mercy) and Rosies. Students are encouraged to work to support these, along with a number of other charities and appeals. It is hoped that all students would come to appreciate that free and generous giving of one's time, energy and money to others in need, is a normal part of life. St Monica`s students are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of extra curricular activities. These include sport, outdoor activities, performing and visual arts with emphasis on music, art, dance, drama, debating and public speaking, community service, camps and retreats and language exchange programs. An instrumental music program is available at the College. Opportunities for performances include biennial College musicals with St Augustine`s College, bands and ensembles, College choirs and the yearly St Monica`s 'Live'. In our rich sporting programs, students from St Monica`s have the opportunity to compete in interschool, district, regional and state competitions in swimming, cross country, athletics and a wide variety of team games. St Monica`s offers language exchange programs with tours to Japan and Italy every two years. St Monica's also has a World War 1 tour to Europe every two years.
Social Climate All girls are welcome to enrol at the college. St Monica's is a very inclusive environment founded in the Mercy traditions of Catherine McAuley.
Parent Engagement St Monica`s College has an active Parents & Friends Association which provides an effective mechanism for parents to be involved in the school and participate in discussions about all aspects of education. Families of the College contribute an annual levy to St Monica`s Parents & Friends Association, therefore the primary functions of the P & F are consultative and community building, not fundraising. Similarly, the College Board which is a pastoral advisory Board, is involved in all aspects of policy making at the College. During each school year, there are Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews and nights of information giving/dialogue with parents regarding curriculum and pastoral issues. Parents also see a snapshot of activities at the College by their attendance at the annual Awards Evening, `St Monica's Live' which focuses on performances and displays of curricular and co-curricular work.
Parent Satisfaction Parents agree:
Data Last Updated Wed 22 May 2019
Qualification Highest level of attainment | Doctoral / Post-doctoral | Masters | Bachelor degree | Diploma | Certificate |
Number of staff with this qualification | 0 | 6 | 28 | 23 | 0 |
Workforce composition |
Headcount | FTE (Full-time equivalent) |
Teaching Staff | 67 | 62.6 |
Non-Teaching Staff | 40 | 25.12 |
Indigenous | 2 | 0.74 |
Total funds expended on teacher professional development$37044
Teaching Staff Involved in Professional Development100%
Major Professional Development Initiatives
Average staff attendance rate for the school year, based on unplanned absences of sick and emergency leave for periods up to 5 days97%
Percentage of teaching staff retained from the previous school year96.00%
Staff Satisfaction Low staff turn-over, highly experienced teachers who actively engage in continuing professional development and many offers of application when positions are advertised
Data Last Updated Wed May 22 2019
YR 7 | YR 8 | YR 9 | YR 10 | YR 11 | YR 12 |
97.59% | 96.76% | 95.15% | 95.47% | 95.37% | 97.43% |
St Monica's College has a School Refusal Policy.
This is a summary of the post-school destinations of students from St Monica's College who completed Year 12 and gained a Senior Statement in 2018. The results are from the Year 12 Completers Survey, which is conducted approximately six months after students completed Year 12.
97 out of 105 (92.4% response rate) Year 12 completers from this school responded to the 2019 survey.
In 2019, 95.9% of Year 12 completers from St Monica's College were engaged in education, training or employment in the year after they completed school.
Of the 97 respondents, 67.0% continued in some recognised form of education and training. The most common study destination was bachelor degree.
A further 28.9% transitioned directly into paid employment and no further study.
Catholic Education Services conducted a School Results Survey with students of St Monica's College (Cairns) in 2018.
St Monica's College provides educational services to students from 582 families.
Survey responses were received from 141 out of a total of 197 eligible respondents. This equates to a response rate of 71.6%.
St Monica's College recorded an overall satisfaction score of 72% (3.6 out of 5).
Data Last Updated Tue Nov 19 2019
Reading | Average Score for the school | 560.3 |
Average Score for Queensland | 549.4 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 100% | |
Writing | Average Score for the school | 527 |
Average Score for Queensland | 506.4 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 99.1% | |
Spelling | Average Score for the school | 564 |
Average Score for Queensland | 554.7 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 100% | |
Grammar and Punctuation | Average Score for the school | 549.3 |
Average Score for Queensland | 553.8 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 100% | |
Numeracy | Average Score for the school | 554.5 |
Average Score for Queensland | 549 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 97.4% |
Data Last Updated Thu May 30 2019
Reading | Average Score for the school | 600.4 |
Average Score for Queensland | 590.1 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 96.4% | |
Writing | Average Score for the school | 578.7 |
Average Score for Queensland | 543.4 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 92% | |
Spelling | Average Score for the school | 606.7 |
Average Score for Queensland | 590.4 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 100% | |
Grammar and Punctuation | Average Score for the school | 603.5 |
Average Score for Queensland | 598.3 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 98.2% | |
Numeracy | Average Score for the school | 611.5 |
Average Score for Queensland | 587.5 | |
% students at or above the national benchmark | 96.5% |
Data Last Updated Thu May 30 2019
No Naplan Data AvailableAustralian Government recurrent funding$5,089,304
State/Territory Government recurrent funding$1,716,791
Fees, charges and parent contributions$1,482,305
Other private sources$130,269
Total gross income (excluding income from government capital grants)$8,418,669
Income allocated to current capital projects$143,460
Income allocated to future capital projects and diocesan capital funds$0
Income allocated to debt servicing (including principal repayments and interest on loans)$801,670
Subtotal$900,319
Total net recurrent income$900,319
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Cairns meet their annual reporting requirements under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (the Act) Section 423 (1) by updating their information on this section of the Cairns Catholic Education website. Information contained in each section of the report relates to the previous calendar year. The required information is published by 30 June each year, excepting post-school destinations data for Year 12 completers which is published by 30 September.