History of St Mary of the Cross Catholic Primary School

St Mary of the Cross Catholic Primary School is the fifth Catholic primary school in the Holy Trinity Parish, which encompasses the suburbs of Laverton, Altona Meadows and Point Cook. 

Our school began its journey in 2011 with the establishment of a working party to assist the Catholic Education Office Melbourne and the then parish priest, Fr Ian Ranson, to plan and develop a case for the development of a fifth school within the parish boundaries. Purchase of the current site in Carrick Street, Saltwater Coast occurred in 2012 and the construction of Stage One building commenced in March 2013.

Our school is dedicated to the first Australian saint, St. Mary MacKillop of the Cross, who championed education for the poor. Our logo is symbolic of Mary’s name and her commitment to the Cross of Jesus and her God. St. Mary MacKillop’s quotes are featured throughout our school grounds, reminding our staff and students of her legacy. 

‘SMOC’ is the abbreviation for St Mary of the Cross Catholic Primary School, well known within our school community.

Milestones of our School

Leon Colla was the founding Principal of St Mary of the Cross. He served the school community from 2011 until his retirement at the end of 2024. Simone Laurie is our second Principal who began in 2025.

The first cohort of 66 children enrolled at our school commenced in 2013 at two of the Point Cook Parish schools. Two Prep classes commenced at Stella Maris and one class of Prep at Lumen Christi. 

When the construction of Stage One was completed in December 2013, students and new staff were welcomed onto our current site in January 2014. The learning spaces were named Penola, the place where St. Mary MacKillop co-founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart and established her first school, and Fitzroy, St. Mary MacKillop’s birthplace.

As enrollments increased, construction of Stage Two of the school site began in 2015 and was completed in December of that year. The learning space was named Tenison Woods, after Father Julian Tenison Woods. St. Mary MacKillop and Fr. Woods established the Sisters of St. Joseph in Penola. He provided spiritual guidance and support to Mary MacKillop as she developed her vision for the Australian religious order dedicated to education, particularly for the poor.

The final stage of construction began in January 2018 and the MacKillop learning space was completed in January 2019. The learning space was named after the family name of St. Mary MacKillop. 

We acquired portables in 2020 and dedicated that space to STEM and Art. A second portable was purchased in 2022 for our school library.

SMOC celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2023. A brick pavement known as the ‘Pathway of Memories’ was built to commemorate the vibrant community spirit that defines our school. The Pathway links the Junior playground to the original SMOC building of Fitzroy, creating a lasting legacy for our community.