God of welcome and spirit dreaming, we acknowledge that we are meeting on the Country which the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation and their Ancestors have been Custodians for many centuries, and on which they have and continue to practice age old traditions and ceremonies.

May we listen to Your deep heart whisper within this land, in our families and in our beings, calling us to be people of love and right relationship with our planet, other people and ourselves.

View our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)

Click to view

A Mercy School

Mercy Education Limited (Mercy Education) is an incorporated ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG), charged with operating all educational ministries for which the Institute has sole sponsorship. Mercy Education is one of the many works operated by the Institute throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Catherine McAuley wanted first and foremost for her schools to live and to teach the Good News revealed in Jesus Christ.

We will use the Charter to remind us of our commitment to Catherine’s vision and as a lens through which to embrace the Gospel message, to inspire our school to strive for excellence in learning and achieve student success. Please click below to view our Charter as a Mercy School.

View Our Charter as a Mercy School

Sacred Heart College is a Catholic secondary school for girls located in Newtown, Geelong. It has operated on the same 6.6 hectare site since it was established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1860.

In 2024, Sacred Heart has enrolments of 1,474 students drawn from all socio-economic areas of Geelong and its wider environs. The College is committed to the Mercy values of its founding Sisters and, in addition to comparatively low fees, provides equity scholarships for students whose families are experiencing financial hardship.

Our Beliefs

Our Catholic beliefs compel us to provide an education that:

  • honours the sacred dignity of each person
  • searches for truth - continuously critiquing, questioning, inquiring, imagining and reimagining our world in an ongoing engagement with Catholic beliefs and practices
  • embraces difference and diversity
  • builds a culture of learning together - through collaboration, partnerships and life giving relationships that enable all to flourish
  • engages with the deeper questions of life - constantly opening up spaces of meaning to connect with what matters most in the minds and hearts of our students
  • is committed to achieving the highest standards possible – based on reflective practice, using data, research and evidence to ensure progress and growth in learning.

Our Mercy tradition of education was born out of Catherine McAuley’s quest to address injustice and to empower young women and she did this by seeking the system of education that best reflected the signs of the time.

Strategy 2020 paved the way for significant change to Sacred Heart. Strategy 2021 and beyond acknowledges that we are living in a new, fast moving and disrupted world. It will enable us to continue to embrace our collective inner strength, our unapologetic perseverance, our unwavering determination and our relentless courage.

Governance

Mercy Education will operate at all times as part of the mission of the Catholic Church in conformity with canon law and in strict conformity with the ethical framework of the Institute as determined by the Institute Leader and Council from time to time.

ISMAPNG is involved with thirteen fully sponsored schools - nine in Victoria, three in Western Australia and one in South Australia. The governance role of the Board of Mercy Education is confined to the twelve ISMAPNG sponsored schools and sets policies, approves each school’s strategic plan, appoints Principals, approves senior leadership positions and fulfils due diligence in the area of finance and audit management, capital development, risk management and litigation.

Mercy Education is the Employer of the Principal and staff of the Mercy colleges. The existence of Mercy Education gives strength, support and solidarity to each of the member Mercy schools and its community.

Mercy Education Limited Governance Statement

College Advisory Council

    • Anna Negro, Principal
    • Jen Falco, Chair
    • Andrew Morgan
    • Andrea Hooper
    • Brendan Walsh
    • Catherine Middlemiss, Principal Nominee
    • Sr Joan Wilson, Mercy Education Representative

    For a list of our College Sub-committees and members, please click this link: 

    SHC Sub-Committees

    College Leadership Team

    Anna Negro

    College Principal

    Tanya Malley

    Deputy Principal - Staffing and Student Programs

    Jason Blackburn

    Deputy Principal - Student Engagement, Development and Empowerment

    Mel Riley

    Deputy Principal - Pedagogy, Learning Design and Innovation

    Emma Tyler

    Director of Development, Marketing and Communications

    Catherine Middlemiss

    Leader of Business Operations

    Mark Pleasance

    Director of E Learning

    What is Eduroam (education roaming)?

    eduroam is the secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. Having started in Europe, eduroam has gained momentum throughout the research and education community and is now available in 72 territories.

    eduroam allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity across campus and when visiting other participating institutions by simply opening their laptop.

    How eduroam works and how it is used at Sacred Heart College

    Eduroam Information

    College Map

    Please see below the map of the College, you can zoom in for greater detail.

    Contact us