Education in Murtoa

Murtoa has two fine schools – the Catholic OLHC Primary School and Murtoa F-12 College.

Murtoa F-12 College draws most if its 3-400 students from the immediate three townships of Murtoa, Minyip and Rupanyup. It also runs two buses daily for the many Horsham students who attend. Murtoa College has been at the forefront of Wimmera education for many years, and has implemented a large number of interesting and unusual projects to further enhance the school’s surrounds and the many courses on offer.

In recent times the school has built two state-of-the-art straw bale circular classrooms, which are fitted with the latest educational technology. These rooms employ fully efficient design with environmental temperature control and natural lighting used to its best advantage. The school’s most recent addition is a large wind generator which can supply all power requirements, via its connection to the main power supply grid.

The school surrounds feature many innovative attractions including colourful bollards, varied gardens and many mosaic sculptures. There is a History Hut project, a farmlet and a huge wetlands reserve on the school’s adjacent land, with specially designed, student-friendly treed surrounds and expansive sports grounds to suit all demands. The students have been involved in many of these projects, which all have ongoing development and produce very positive results for all.

This is an example of a progressive school which is in constant flux and endeavour – all for the education of our lucky local students. Murtoa College is also a great local employer and a wonderful asset for our town.

Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Primary School is no less progressive than its big brother, and is constantly improving its facilities and its surrounds with wonderful artworks. It is a school with a great reputation for both environment and education under the Catholic banner.  The school was established in 1963 and staffed by the Brigidine Order, it is now staffed by lay teachers and has a current enrolment of almost 40 students. The school’s core values are reverence, respect, relationships and responsibility and provides a caring, nurturing, stimulating environment where the individual child is the focus. Students are offered many opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities with a strong focus on Literacy and Numeracy. The School’s Advisory Council and Parents and Friends group are widely involved and supportive of all school activities.

Our Lady’s has also moved ahead with the times in technology, with our Senior classroom providing a one-on-one laptop program and the Junior room has a bank of i-Pads for student use. The Library and each classroom also contain an interactive Smart Screen Panel which acts as a TV, Computer Monitor with the use of a Compute Stick and an interactive panel.  All students access Google APPs for Education to enhance their learning.

The school has bright, up-to-date modern facilities which are situated on three hectares of land. The school has a multi-purpose room; new student and staff amenities, front foyer and Principal’s office, a vibrant and inviting library, a student’s kitchen and an art room. The land not required for school playgrounds is being developed into a community walking track and a Wetlands for Wildlife Project as the school prides itself on its sustainability and environmental practices.

The school nurtures students throughout their educational journey with a deep connection to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Working in partnership with parents, parish and the broader community providing an environment which enables all students to learn and flourish as a part of their human development.

In partnership with the Catholic Education Office in Ballarat, the school ensures they are adequately and equitably resourced through the provision of centralised services. The Curriculum and Student Services Teams provided by the Catholic Education Office, combine a service to the school in the pursuit of the provision of quality learning programs for all students, and aim for every student’s needs to be met; both in well-being and academic fields. The two arms of the Educational Services Group work both collaboratively and independently as required, utilizing the collective and individual knowledge and skills to assist the school in supporting student learning.

Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School encourages all to strive for personal and continual improvement, and endeavour to provide current, future-focused and practical supports to empower the students in their care to become the best they can be in order to thrive and contribute in our rapidly changing world.