Corpus Christi had its beginnings in the early 1980s, when Fr John Grady, parish priest at St Nicholas of Myra Penrith, purchased a parcel of land at Cranebrook.
In those days the area was thick bushland with only a few rural properties close by. Father Grady must have been a man of tremendous vision to foresee the possibilities that the area of Cranebrook held.
In November 1986, after many delays, the construction of Corpus Christi commenced on the site. Land was cleared, proposed areas marked out, framework erected, and bricks and mortar finally laid.
Official Opening
Bishop Bede Heather and Anne D. Clarke at Cranebrook, officially opened Corpus Christi Primary in June 1987. At that time the school was comprised of the Parish Centre and school hall and two classrooms. Eighty-one students were enrolled: two Kindergarten classes and a single Year One class.
School Upgrades
The School Library
Prior to April 1988, when the administration block was built, the secretary’s office and staffroom were located in the area that later housed the canteen. This area became even more versatile at the beginning of 1988, when the school library was established and the original collection of approximately 250 books was kept there. This library was made possible when a donation of $5,000 was made by the Parents and Friends Association (now known as the Parent Representative Group) to the school, towards its foundation. The office of the founding Principal of Corpus Christi, Sister Marie Lorraine, was located in the room that is now the Sacristy.
More Classrooms
In 1988, along with the construction of the administration block, four classrooms were added (the present Kindergarten/Year One area). This saw the completion of Stage Two of Corpus Christi. Construction of Stage Three in the school development process began in 1990, when the present Year Two, Three and Four areas were completed. The next stage of the building of the school began in 1994, when two final classrooms and a permanent library were constructed. By 1997, there were approximately 530 students attending Corpus Christi, in 20 classes from Kindergarten to Year 6.
Building the Education Revolution
The most recent building work has included a two-stage Capital Works Programme and the Building the Education Revolution (BER) project. Between 2008 and 2010, six new learning spaces were constructed along with new administration, staff room, canteen and student facilities, and all existing classrooms were renovated into modern, agile learning spaces. The school now has state-of-the-art permanent buildings (all demountables having been removed) with over 550 students in 21 class groups. In 2010, a $3 million BER project saw the school construct a multi-purpose hall, which includes a kitchen and multi-media room.
Learning for Today
In the last decade, as technology has improved and developed, Corpus Christi too has evaluated and changed the way we engage our students in learning. Corpus Christi is committed to providing learning that is motivating, engaging and empowering. Our students use laptops, iPads, iPods and computers to research, interpret, construct and share knowledge. By using Web 2.0 technologies as a learning tool in classrooms, our students are provided with skills that will prepare them for future learning.