Cultural Exchange
We live in a multi-cultural society, and our school community mirrors this reality. Through interaction with students from many different countries and cultures, true tolerance and understanding can be fostered, and friendships forged with people from all over the globe.
Cultural links are forged through:
- International student program - a small percentage of students come from overseas countries to gain their education at The Cathedral School. Students are drawn from a number of countries in Asia, PNG and the Pacific, Europe and America.
- Sister School relationships - we have 2 sister schools in Japan - Sakuragaoka Secondary School and Iwaki Gakuen (kindergarten) - and we have frequent visits between institutions. Each year we host students and staff from our sister schools, and groups of Cathedral students spend time with them during their visits to Japan.
- Exchange students - each year, we have a small number of students on cultural exchange or short term study programs. We have an ongoing year-long exchange program with our Japanese sister school, so that there is always one of our students at Sakuragaoka, and one of their students studying at Cathedral.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students bring their own unique culture to the school, and share the celebrations of NAIDOC Week with the whole school community.
- Home Stay Program
Host Families
Each year we host a number of international students on both short and long term study programs, and we rely on the friendly hospitality of our local community to provide home stay accommodation for many of them.
Overseas students come to Townsville to improve their English communication skills, experience the Australian lifestyle and to make new friends. Generally, they attend school every day, and use their weekends to visit the local attractions and enjoy some tropical recreational pursuits.
We have reciprocal home-hosting arrangements with our sister school inJapan , but also offer paid home-stay to a small number of fee-paying overseas students. In addition, our international boarding students are often in need of home stay accommodation in the school holiday periods, and also appreciate weekend leave with a friendly family.
If you have a spare bedroom in your house, and are interested in sharing your home with an international visitor - for a week, a month or a year - please contact the Registrar to have your details listed on the home stay register.
GAP Students
Across the world, many students embark on a GAP year after completing their secondary education.
Each year, two or three GAP students join the staff at The Cathedral School to enrich their life experience. Mostly, they assist with the Outdoor Education program and Physical Education classes (particularly swimming) for the younger primary school children.
The Outdoor Ed camps take them into some of North Queensland’s most beautiful environments – rainforest, reef and river systems – and they learn some true Australian ‘bush skills’.
The “Gappies” live in self-contained accommodation on campus, and use the holiday breaks to travel around Australia, to make the most of their year abroad.
Cathedral students also have the option of embarking on a GAP year overseas – two of the graduates from 2008 are currently working in boarding schools in England and Ireland.
