Brigidine College is an independent Catholic secondary day school for girls located in St Ives, on the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1954 by the Brigidine Sisters, Brigidine has a non-selective enrolment policy and it caters for approximately 900 students from Year 7 to Year 12. The majority of students are drawn from the Northern Beaches, North Shore and Forest areas of Sydney. The school is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AIS NSW), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia, and is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).

History

The Brigidine Sisters opened Brigidine College, a secondary college for girls, on its current site in St Ives, on 9 February 1954, with nine foundation pupils. The site on which the college was built had previously been an orchard and dairy, and was still surrounded by semi-rural properties. The Brigidine Sisters remained the administrators and teachers of the college until 1995.

Motto

The Brigidine motto, Fortiter et Suaviter challenges students to be "Women of Strength, Women of Gentleness". These seemingly opposing virtues are in fact complementary notions of moral courage (fortiter) and consideration of others (suaviter). This motto originates from the foundation of the Brigidine Congregation in Ireland by Bishop Daniel Delany in 1807.

Principals

Campus

The current facilities of the college include:

Governance

In 1999 the college was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee and a board was appointed, with responsibility for governance and leading the college in pursuit of its mission. The board is appointed by the trustees of the Sisters of the Brigidine Congregation. Parents are represented on the college board, as are the Brigidine Sisters and other members of the Catholic educational community. The principal of the college is appointed by the board and is charged with the responsibility of administering the college.

Notable alumnae