Ave Maria College (Melbourne, Victoria)

Ave Maria College
Ave Maria College
Location
	Roman Catholic (Franciscan Missionaries of Mary)
Established	1963; 61 years ago
Principal	Tanya Hutton
Grades	7–12
Gender	Girls
Website	www.avemaria.vic.edu.au

Ave Maria College is a Catholic secondary school for girls, established in 1963 by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM). The college is located in Aberfeldie, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

This school is near to other Catholic high schools including St Columba's College and St Bernard's College.

Renovations to the school property in the last ten years include the glass-roofed Piazza with a winter garden, canteen and classrooms, refurbishment of the science and technology departments and an upgrade to the school library, now known as the Helene Library. In 2019, the school finished its renovations of the Helene building which included a dedicated Year 12 area on the third level of the Helene building with views of the surrounding areas.

Houses

The four Houses are Mary, Helene, Francis, and Clare. They were previously named after great Australian women, though the names were later changed to connect more strongly with the school's religious foundations. The houses are now named in honour of the Virgin Mary, Helene de Chappotin (Founder of the FMM), St. Clare of Assisi and St. Francis of Assisi.

Curriculum

A broad core curriculum is offered to students in years 7 to 9.^[1] Year 10 students construct a program from a combination of core subjects and electives with opportunities to accelerate their learning with Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) subjects, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificate, or pathway subjects for the VCE Vocational Major.^[2]

School activities

Students attend camps in years 7 and 9 as well as a retreat in Year 12. The House swimming and athletics carnival are opportunities for students to represent their house across a wide variety of events and activities. Inter-school sporting activities are included as a part of the school's extracurricular program. Other activities across the School year include, Mission Action Day, Spectacular Spectacular at the College's Foundation Day (Ave Maria Day), College Production, College Choir, STEM and Interdisciplinary Days. The Arts and Technology Festival is a highlight of the College Calendar and showcases the artistic endeavours of students across the College in Visual Art, Textiles, Music, Drama and STEM.