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The History of St Columba's
St Columba’s Primary School has been part of the Elwood community for more than 100 years.
In 1914, the Parish of Sacred Heart, West St Kilda purchased the land where our school and church now stand. With the generous support of parishioners, funds were raised to build the first two brick classrooms.
On Sunday 28 April 1918, Archbishop Daniel Mannix officially blessed and opened the Church-School. The school was led by the Presentation Sisters, with Mother Anthony Patterson as the first principal.
As the community grew, so did the school. Additional classrooms were built in 1923, more land was purchased for playground space, and in 1929 the parish achieved its dream of building St Columba’s Church on the corner of Glen Huntly and Normandy Roads.
By 1937, a new brick hall had been built, complete with a stage and dressing rooms. The hall became an important gathering place for the local community, hosting popular Saturday night dances and parish events.
Over the years, St Columba’s continued to evolve. New classrooms, learning spaces, offices and facilities were added to support the needs of students and staff. The Presentation Sisters served the school community for 56 years before departing at the end of 1974. Since then, dedicated lay teachers have continued their important work, nurturing generations of St Columba’s students.
In more recent years, significant refurbishments have transformed the school’s learning environments. Flexible classrooms, open learning spaces, technology-rich rooms, library areas, playground improvements and nature play spaces now support contemporary learning.
Today, St Columba’s honours its rich history while looking confidently to the future. As an IB World School offering the Primary Years Programme, we continue to build on the strong foundations of faith, community, learning and care.
Our story reflects what has always made St Columba’s special: a vibrant parish school where students, families, staff and the wider community work together to help every child flourish.
