Sancta Maria College, Auckland

Sancta Maria College
Address
319 Te Irirangi Drive Howick South
Coordinates	36.9600°S 174.9054°E / -36.9600; 174.9054
Information
Type	State integrated co-ed secondary, years 7-13
Motto	Faith is our compass
Established	2004
Ministry of Education Institution no.	491
Principal	Paul Daley
School roll	854
Socio-economic decile	8
Website	http://www.sanctamaria.school.nz

Sancta Maria College is a co-ed Catholic School in Auckland, New Zealand. It is named after the schooner on which Bishop Pompallier travelled around New Zealand.

The Name

The College is named after the mission schooner Sancta Maria on which Bishop Jean Baptist Pompallier sailed around New Zealand. The name Sancta Maria is a Latin title for Mary the mother of God. It means Holy Mary. 　

Bishop Pompallier, who is a specially honoured pioneer of the New Zealand Catholic Church, arrived in the Hokianga from France in 1838 with a group of Marist Priests and Brothers. With this group, he sailed around New Zealand converting settlers to Catholicism in the early 1840s.

Fathers Garin and Viard who accompanied Bishop Pompallier established Churches in Howick and Panmure. Bishop Pompallier devised his own flag for the vessel - a bunting version of the Miraculous Modal, It consisted of a blue cross surmounting a large M and surrounded by twelve stars. The background was white. These twelve stars have been incorporated into the school logo along with the Sancta Maria and the school's motto 'FAITH IS OUR COMPASS'.

The College’s name commemorates the historic arrival and work of Bishop Pompallier. There is a comparison between the vessel Sancta Maria being used to spread the Word and our College being a vessel for furthering the Religious Education of young people in the area.

History

Sancta Maria College was built in 2004 and was used as a 'transfer' school from St Mark's and Star of the Sea Primary schools in Howick and Pakuranga, New Zealand. Not much has happened since building, as the school is five years old, but there has been a notable increase in the population of students and the school has also been expanded.

When it was first built, Sancta Maria College only supported students from years 7-9, the same as Botany Downs Secondary College, as there weren't enough teachers, but now it is a years 7-13 school.

Classrooms

The school's construction of grouped classrooms has been divided up into 'blocks', named after Saints.

Saint Anne Block is a three-story block with approximately 12 classrooms, which are used for the main social sciences, English and mathematics.

Saint Benedict Block is a two story block, with the top three classrooms being used for music and the H.O.D. of Sport's office on that level, and the bottom level for the temporary library, the Dean of Year Level's offices and a small meeting room.

The next block is the Saint Catherine Block. The Saint Catherine Block, along with the Saint Benedict Block, were the first two blocks of classrooms in the foundation year. The Saint Catherine Block's top level is mainly for the sciences with (so far) 4 classrooms equipped for experiments and of the other five, three of which are being used for theory lessons and the other two temporarily used for religious education. The Bottom 10 classrooms are devoted to the technologies, with the first being information communication technology, with 30 flat screen computers into which students login using their own user id, the next adjoining classroom is for fabric technology, such as sewing and designing. Then is the temporary cafeteria, and next is food technology, which is used for cooking and baking etc. Next is design technology which is graphics, construction design, which in the future may incorporate CADD. After that is the building technology, with woodwork and metalwork and electronics classrooms.

The fourth block is Saint Dominic Block, which houses the year 7s and 8s. Between every two classrooms is a 'pod' with approximately 10-15 computers for the classes to use if needed. The only exception is the last half of the bottom level which splits between art and languages, and the last third of the top level which is for 'Business Studies', or economics and accounting.

Education

Sancta Maria College offers NCEA as its national qualifications standard. They have a system of 'impositions' for misbehaviour which can lead up to a detention. Such strict rules are considered bad by pupils but parents love the strict sense.

Houses

The houses of Sancta Maria College are named after ports or harbours in New Zealand at which Bishop Pompallier's schooner landed. The four houses are:

• Akaroa - Yellow/gold
• Waitemata - Green
• Kororareka - Red
• Hokianga - Blue