St. Philip's Christian College
St. Philip's Christian College is a multi-campus independent non-denominational Christian co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day school, located in the Central Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia.
| St. Philip's Christian College | |
|---|---|
 High Street entrance, Waratah Campus | |
| Location | |
| |
Australia | |
| Coordinates | 32°54′15″S 151°43′23″E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent co-educational early learning, primary and secondary specialist and comprehensive day school |
| Motto | The Way, The Truth, and The Life |
| Denomination | Non-denominational Christian |
| Patron saint(s) | Saint Philip the Evangelist |
| Established | 1982 |
| Educational authority | NSW Department of Education |
| Specialists | |
| Principal | Pam O'Dea |
| Executive Principal | Graeme Irwin |
| Staff | 150+ |
| Years | Early learning; K-12 |
| Campuses |
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| Colour(s) | Gold, olive, white and black |
| Website | www |
| |
There are 4,000 students across all campuses that are located in Cessnock, Gosford, Newcastle, Port Stephens, plus a campus in Waratah which houses the DALE (Dynamic Alternative Learning Environment) program for students with an autism spectrum disorder, or who struggle with their schooling (students are also able to access this program at the Cessnock and Gosford campuses). A Young Parents program is delivered from campuses in Waratah and Wyong.
History
The school was founded in 1982 by St Philip's Anglican Church Waratah, with the aim of 'whole child' education – to assist the intellectual, social, physical and spiritual skills of students. The school's motto is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life". As of 2012, St Philip's Christian College Newcastle had over 2900 students enrolled from Year K to Year 12.
St Philip's has a 500-seat theatre on site and purchased the old St Philip's Anglican church site. This site has been refurbished to be the Centre of Sports Education.
St Philip's Christian College Port Stephens, established in 1995, has an enrolment of over 700 students from Kindergarten to Year Twelve. In 1997, an alternative school for students at risk (Years 7–10) named D.A.L.E. (Dynamic Alternate Learning Environment) was established.
In October 1997 the College acquired Narnia Preschool. Narnia is a one unit preschool for children from three years old to school age. Recent developments have will see a newly expanded facility at 55 High Street Waratah that will cater for babies to school age children. A Narnia Preschool is also located at the Gosford campus.
In 2001, the Waratah campus was restructured into a Junior School (K-4), Middle School (5–8) and Senior School (9–12).
In 2005, the college acquired Cessnock Christian School which was renamed to St. Philip's Christian College – Cessnock Campus. The Cessnock school now has over 1000 students and is situated on a 100-acre site at Nulkaba near the vineyards. In 2007 Gosford Christian College in the Central Coast suburb of Narara was acquired. Renamed St Philip's Christian College Gosford, it has 530 students ranging from Kindergarten to Year 12.
St Philip's Christian College has international links with schools in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. It has an International Student Program which operates out of the Foundation Office.
Across all campuses students can access a range of academic, leadership, sporting and community opportunities. St Philip's Christian College students regularly participate in competitions such as The Da Vinci Decathlon and the NSW Combined Independent School Sports events. Students also participate in community service projects. Students have annual year based camps which generally focus on outdoor education and team building exercises. Graduating Year 12 students can participate in an 'alternative schoolies week' in Vanuatu.
Community events such as Spring Fairs occur in September at the Cessnock and Gosford campuses.