St James the Apostle Primary School is a Catholic Parish Primary School that strives to create an atmosphere that nurtures faith, creates a love of learning and builds an identity within the context of the Parish community.
The school first opened on the site of St Peter Apostle Primary School in early 1982 and later in the year moved to its current site on Derrimut Road. The first Principal was Sr Marlene Monahan. Although the school first opened in 1982, the parish of St James the Apostle was not established for another six years.
Hoppers Crossing North is part of a quickly developing area on the western outskirts of Melbourne. The school services Hoppers Crossing North, as well as the growing suburbs of Tarneit and Truganina. The area that St James the Apostle covers is now large and connected to metropolitan Melbourne, however the early parent community was concerned about the isolation and lack of facilities in the area.
Our children and their families come from a diverse range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. As is the case in many mortgage belt areas of Melbourne, families are often separated from their extended family by great distances.
The Parish of St James the Apostle was born in 1989 and our school became an important element of this new parish identity. The first Parish Priest was Fr Peter Ray.
Today our parish model reflects our on-going efforts to build a collaborative community for our families, where we share a common faith and belief in God, which is demonstrated in our daily lives. Parental involvement is an integral part of the partnership we build with families at St James the Apostle and their contributions are encouraged in all areas of school life.
We strive to create an atmosphere that nurtures our faith, creates a love of learning and builds our identity within the context of the parish community. We aim to build a community based on equality and respect to promote a sense of belonging, friendship and co-operation. We work in partnership together, striving to strengthen our communication through involvement of family members, students and staff in collaborative and co-operative decision-making, working towards common goals. All in our community are responsible for the achievement of this ideal.
The operation and governance of the school was transferred from the parish of St James the Apostle to Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) in January 2021.