Chevalier College is a heart-centred community
Welcome
We are a 7-12 coeducational Catholic school with around 900 students, owned and conducted by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC).
At Chevalier College everyone is welcomed and valued. We are an inclusive, safe environment where you will be nurtured, challenged and supported to find and pursue your passion.
Chevalier is a heart-centred community embodying the MSC values of love, honesty, reliability, trustworthiness and adaptability in an ever-changing world. We are a community which is compassionate,
educated and wanting to contribute to the development of the world we live in and will live in. Chevalier graduates are self-motivated young adults who are resilient, reliable, outward looking and eager to embrace life after school. They have a strong educational basis, strong Christian values, are happy and curious, and look at the world in a positive way.
The values and ethos of an MSC education
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are a religious congregation of the Catholic Church founded in the 19th century by Jules Chevalier in France. Jules’s vision was that the Catholic Church should represent the core values of the heart of Jesus, namely, kindness, compassion, inclusivity, and hospitality. His mission was that he and his fellow Catholics would strive to ‘be on earth the heart of God’. We are all called to live these core values in our daily lives whether in our ordinary interactions with others or in the big decisions that humans make at various times in their lives. Jules devoted his life to this mission and encouraged all people to bring this vision to the world. All people are called to be Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
This MSC ethos underpins everything we do at Chevalier College; it is who we are. Families of all religious traditions and those who do not identify with a religious tradition are welcome at Chevalier College.
MSC VALUES:
• Kindness and understanding
• Compassion
• Forgiveness
• Humi lity
• Sense of humour
• Hospitality
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’It is by the heart that we are something’ – Jules Chevalier
Principal’s welcome
It is a privilege to be the Principal of this wonderful College.
The people make a place, and I can reassure you that the people of Chevalier are committed to making this community the best learning environment it can be through their tireless efforts as educators, administrators, and in numerous support roles. Along with our valued and engaged community members, Chevalier offers each student the opportunity to flourish. Most importantly, our students - your childrenare at the heart of everything we do, as we provide every student with opportunities to fulfill their potential.
Set on our beautiful 100-acre site, students can experience the diverse offerings of a large school, whilst feeling they are in a very secure and comfortable small school environment.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) charism is one that focuses on love for one another. This charism allows a student to empathise with the compassionate heart of Jesus and ‘to be on earth the heart of God’, something central to the mission of Father Jules Chevalier. It is through this charism, known as ‘Spirituality of the Heart’, that the school has a very calm, peaceful and respectful feel about it, and students are encouraged and supported to be the best people they can be academically, physically, emotionally and spiritually, and to be the best carers of others they can be.
As an educational community, we place high value on providing quality learning opportunities for all students. We value the wide range of capabilities within each student and are committed to broadening measures of success so that our students can better understand who they are and what they can do, thereby ensuring they find a meaningful place in the world. When students actively engage and pursue deeper knowledge about themselves and apply their strengths, they can flourish as active contributors towards a better world.
Through our wellbeing structures, we aim to provide students with the support they require to achieve to the best of their ability. We trust all students feel valued and safe in our school and that they participate fully in all aspects of school life. Our extensive extracurricular program complements the academic curriculum and is seen as an integral and important part of their balanced education.
I invite you to get in touch if you would like to explore in depth and witness for yourself the very special nature of the Chevalier College family and experience something of its heart.
GREG MILLER
Learning and Teaching
We use a highly student-focused agenda to foster a culture of academic excellence, founded on the belief that every one of our students has the capacity to become a lifelong learner.
Our goal is that every student can achieve their academic potential. We offer a wide and varied curriculum that effectively allows the Chevalier student to build their own pathway. We are not an academically selective school, though we have students achieving at the very highest level.
We nurture the six attributes which form the definition of a learner, and guide our students to achieve their best, not only academically but also on their life journey.
1.Curious – always wondering how and why; want to get below the surface; ask questions.
2.Resilient – able to pick myself up and try again; be flexible in my thinking and my approach to learning.
3.Creative – able to use my imagination; approach problems from different perspectives.
4.Self-motivated – loving to do my best; setting goals and working towards them.
5.Courageous – not fearful of making mistakes; admit what I don’t know; take risks in learning; critically reflect.
6.Collaborative – know how to work with others; know how to listen and contribute productively to a team; value and recognise the input of others.
The breadth of our academic offering is extensive. We are fortunate to have state-ofthe-art facilities and a wealth of resources, and can therefore provide students with a uniquely balanced education which encompasses not just the core learning areas, but a much more diverse range of skills.
We focus on numerous areas to ensure the best outcomes for all students, including:
• Enrichment Programs
• Diverse Learning Programs
• Accelerated Learning Programs
VET
Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses enable students to study courses that are relevant to industry needs and have clear links to postschool destinations. These courses allow students to gain both HSC qualifications, counting towards the ATAR and accreditation with industry and the workplace as part of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Vocational Education and Training courses currently being offered at the college include:
• Business Services – Certificate II in Business
• Cons truction – Certificate II in Construction Pathways
• Hospitality – Food and Beverage –Certificate II in Hospitality
• Hospitality – Kitchen Operations –
Certificate II in Kitchen Operations
• Primary Industries – Certificate II in Agriculture
College curriculum
We offer a wide choice of subjects across all year groups, with the hope that each student can reach their personal best by selecting academic subjects according to their own individual needs and interests.
STAGE 4YEAR 7 AND YEAR 8
All students in Years 7 and 8 have subjects that they are required to complete by NESA.
• English
• Geography
• His tory
• Lang uages
• Math ematics
• Music
• Pers onal Development, Health and Physical Education
• Religious Education
• Scie nce
• STEM
• Tec hnologies
• Visual Arts
STAGE 5YEAR 9 AND YEAR 10
The subject options become even broader for students in Years 9 and 10, with an extensive range of electives that allow students to develop their own interests and strengths. In addition to core subjects, options include:
• Agr icultural Technology
• Comm erce
• Design and Technology
• Dra ma
• Foo d Technology
• History Elective
• Indu strial Technology – Engineering, Metal or Timber
• iStem (Integrated – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
• Japanese
• Music
• Photography and Digital Media
• Phy sical Activity and Sports Studies
• Tex tiles Technology
• Vis ual Arts
• Wilderness Studies
Where only a small number of students select a subject, the subject may not be viable to run that year.
STAGE 6 - YEAR 11 AND YEAR 12
Our wide range of HSC subjects for Years 11 and 12 include many extension options.
• Agriculture
• Anc ient History
• Biolog y
• Business Studies
• Cer amics
• Chemi stry
• Com munity and Family Studies
• Compu ting Applications
• Design and Technology
• Dra ma
• Eart h and Environmental Science
• Eco nomics
• Eng ineering Studies
• Eng lish Advanced
• Eng lish Extension 1
• Eng lish Extension 2 (Year 12 only)
• Eng lish Standard
• English Studies
• Geography
• His tory Extension (Year 12 only)
• Ind ustrial Technology – Timber Products and Furniture Technologies
• Information Processes and Technology
• Investigating Science
• Japanese
• Leg al Studies
• Mat hematics Advanced
• Math ematics Extension 1
• Mat hematics Extension 2 (Year 12 only)
• Mat hematics Standard
• Modern History
• Music 1
• Music 2
• Music Extension (Year 12 only)
• Per sonal Development, Health and Physical Education
• Photography, Video and Digital Imaging
• Phy sical Education Bushcraft (Wilderness)
• Phy sics
• Society and Culture
• Soft ware Design and Development
• Spo rt, Lifestyle and Recreation
• Stu dies in Catholic Thought – 1 unit
• Stu dies of Religion 1
• Stu dies of Religion 2
• Tex tiles and Design
• Visual Arts
Subjects only run if there are sufficient students to make them viable and trends do change from year to year.
A highly individualised educational experience
Wellbeing
At Chevalier College the wellbeing of our students is paramount. When we refer to wellbeing we are referring to nurturing five elements: social, spiritual, emotional, academic and physical wellbeing. We focus on the whole person, not just their academic potential.
We believe that academic and personal success is hard to achieve if a student’s wellbeing is not in balance. Combining pastoral support with academic attention results in students who whole-heartedly embrace their life choices and, importantly, enjoy their time at high school.
We aim to:
• Foster values of mutual respect, care, compassion, responsibility and service within our community.
• Provid e the opportunity for every student to value themselves, experience wellbeing and self-fulfilment.
• Allow students to become competent, confident and independent learners within a safe and caring environment, where they will feel empowered to take healthy risks.
• Support optimal learning and development outcomes through a holistic and school-wide approach that assists each student’s personal growth in spiritual, emotional, social, physical and academic terms.
VERTICAL HOME ROOMS
The wellbeing structure is based on a family support system. Every student is placed in a Home Room group with students from Years 7-12.
The bene fi ts of the Vertical Home Room system:
• A home room creates a safe, supportive home environment to support students to achieve their best academically.
• The st ructure creates a connected family vibe with a mix of ages, and encourages students to form friendships with others in different year groups, and this in turn creates a web of positive interactions throughout the wider school.
• Knowledge of and relationships with students and their families is retained by Home Room teachers.
• Senior students become role models providing support for younger students.
• Leader ship opportunities are created for all students.
Extra Curriculum
At Chevalier College, we want our students to feel they are activated in all their abilities whether academic, creative, sporting, spiritual or emotional; we are committed to educating the whole person.
Extracurricular activities are not compulsory but we have a large uptake with around 70% of students taking part. With our whole-person philosophy in mind, we encourage our students to get involved and find something which sparks their interest among the huge array of opportunities available to them.
Choices include summer and winter sports, performing arts, visual arts, agriculture, social justice, cultural tours, and more academically-oriented activities such as debating, mock trial and public speaking.
Extracurricular choices include:
SPORTS AND ISA REPRESENTATION
As a larger school we usually have enough students to field strong teams. We are members of the Independent Sporting Association (ISA) and have teams competing in: athletics, basketball, cricket, cross country, hockey, mountain biking, netball, rugby, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and touch football.
MUSIC
Extracurricular music offers students an opportunity to extend their musical abilities through various bands, choirs and orchestral ensembles, including: the Chev Boys Vocal Group, the Chev Girls Vocal Group, Stage Band, Chamber Ensemble, Drumline, Reeds Ensemble, Jazz/Rock Band, Classic Rock Band, String Ensemble, Concert Band, Guitar Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Orchestra and Junior Band. Students have many opportunities to perform including: music concerts each term, attending extension music festivals, playing in the musical orchestra, and playing at Anzac parades and local events.
SHOW TEAM
Our onsite working farm is home to cattle, sheep, alpaca and chickens, as well as a bountiful vegetable garden. Our popular Show Team is responsible for caring for and presenting the animals at agricultural shows, frequently bringing home multiple awards from local events and further afield such as the Royal Easter Show.
DANCE ENSEMBLE
The dance troupe meet weekly allowing dance students to put their skills to good use. They perform group routines, self-choreographed duets and solo dance routines. The troupe performs at numerous community and college events through the year.
DRAMA
Chevalier is well-known for our annual productions which alternate between a musical and a drama or comedy play. All students have the opportunity to get involved, whether it’s for fun, personal development or to develop skills. There are roles for actors, singers and dancers, opportunities for musicians in the orchestra, or behind the scenes in the technical team including hair and makeup, costumes, set design, sound and lighting, and stage crew. Our state-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre provides a professional environment for our students to perform in and over the years, Chevalier has won numerous awards at the Canberra Area Theatre Awards.
TOURS
Over recent years Chevalier has participated in cultural, mission, social justice and sporting tours, offering enriching educational and cultural experiences for students. The number of tours and the destinations vary from year to year.
MOCK TRIAL
Mock Trial introduces students to the judicial system by providing practical experience in the running of a court case in a true-to-life
adversarial setting. Students can take part in numerous roles including: barrister, solicitor, witness, magistrate’s clerk, court officer, or assisting with preparations. Students work as a team towards a common goal, and learn skills including advocacy, debating, problem-solving and professionalism. The Chevalier Mock Trial teams have been very successful, being state champions in 2013 and 2015!
DEBATING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
Debating and Public Speaking give students the opportunity to develop invaluable skills including: researching, preparing and delivering speeches; debating; and negotiation. Chevalier students are very successful participants in both the Catholic Schools Debating Competition and the Southern Highlands Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA). We had so much interest in MUNA in 2019 that we sought special permission to enter three teams, where most other schools entered one.
VISUAL ARTS ENRICHMENT
Our Visual Arts Enrichment program mentors our most talented young artists and provides them with a range of extension and enrichment experiences beyond normal classes. Students participate in exhibitions within the college and also in the wider community, such as the outdoor art exhibit next to our local Empire Cinema in Bowral. Chevalier’s young artists are frequently selected to take part in the acclaimed ArtExpress exhibition, and we are extremely proud to provide the foundations for many creative careers.
Facilities and Campus
Giving hearts and minds the space to grow.
Chevalier College is located in the beautiful Southern Highlands region of New South Wales. Our extensive school campus is situated on 100 acres, in Burradoo. With sprawling playing fields, an onsite farm and stateof-the-art facilities, the sheer size and beauty of our campus truly sets us apart from other schools.
The college is well-equipped with excellent facilities that support the growth and wellbeing of our students, including:
• A st ate-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre, completed in 2019
• A new multipurpose sports hall, completed in 2019
• Tennis courts
• Ba sketball courts
• Si x large sports grounds that are used for rugby, cricket, hockey, softball and football
• A mountain biking track
• An extensive agriculture teaching area with cattle, sheep and poultry
• An extensively equipped hospitality area with a fully installed commercial kitchen and adjoining teaching café
11 Charlotte Street, Burradoo NSW 2576 | (02) 4861 1488 | of fice@chevalier.nsw.edu.au
PO Box 243 Bowral NSW 2576 | chevalier.nsw.edu.au
Chevalier College acknowledges and pays respect to the Gundungurra people who are the Traditional Custodians of Country and the First People of the land on which our college is located. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and are committed to honouring First Nations Peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connection to country.