Independent Schools Guide 2023: Ave Maria College charts a new way forward

Hundreds of voices have contributed to the new Charter for Education that is now the centrepiece of the student journey at Ave Maria College.

Students across all year levels, teachers and school staff shared their insights and thoughts on how the school can continue to improve and ensure its students are future-ready. Those consultations, combined with research on high-impact, best-practice teaching and learning, have created a comprehensive way forward.

“The Charter characterises education performing at its optimum – it’s a fusion of the best research and local knowledge, and it provides us with a strong foundation. It provides key ingredients for teaching, learning and student growth,” says Dane Calleja, Executive Deputy Principal.

“The Charter is used every day by the school leadership team for future planning, by teachers when they are planning lessons, and by students who use it to set goals and reflect on their learning.”

The Ave Maria College strapline is ‘She Who Belongs. She Who Thrives’ and the Charter supports this by focusing on building learner attributes such as critical thinking, confidence, respect, curiosity, independence and resilience.

Personal growth and wellbeing are fostered through enhancing awareness and emotional regulation, practising healthy habits, capitalising on individual strengths, and building positive relationships with others. Underpinning all these attributes and skills are Ave Maria’s Franciscan beliefs of always being loving, nurturing and compassionate.

“We are about learning, but not just about curriculum, and the Charter unites learning, wellbeing and faith,” explains Jo Hammer, Assistant Principal (Community and Growth).

“Learning isn’t just a percentage on a test – we want each student to leave our school with the tools and the belief that they can be successful in whatever they choose to do.”

During their years at Ave Maria College, students are exposed to a range of subjects, electives and cross-curricular subjects that build their knowledge and transferable skills. For example, in Year 10, students can choose from two electives – Design Thinking and CHAOS Lab. CHAOS Lab helps students explore how they think and learn best, while Design Thinking develops their entrepreneurial spirit.

“For Design Thinking, we have a coffee cart every semester, and students have to come up with a business name for that coffee cart. They have to develop a sales pitch and advertising, they have to think about ethics in managing that business, and they have to operate it,” says Hammer.

This year the school has also introduced new VCE pathway options, including the VCE Vocational Major, previously known as VCAL, and the Ave Tertiary Preparation Program. VCE with the Vocational Major is a non-scored option that allows senior students to complete some VCE units and meet tertiary entrance requirements.

“It mixes traditional VCE subjects with applied learning subjects and vocational education and training. Students can graduate with a VCE Vocational Major certificate, industry experience and a series of microcredentials,” says Calleja.

The Ave Tertiary Preparation Program is a joint offering with St Bernard’s College and RMIT University that offers students a guaranteed pathway into studies at RMIT. Each week, students spend three days at school and two days at RMIT.

Ave Maria is also increasing its focus on using data to analyse student performance. A new data dashboard monitors each student’s achievements in different subjects and can quickly identify where students are excelling and where more help may be needed.

“We celebrate the individuality of each student, help them develop their passion, capitalise on their strengths and enable them to go on their journey,” says Calleja.

“We want our students to pursue their pathway of choice and to have the confidence to break pre-existing boundaries.”

AVE MARIA COLLEGE

14-22 Vida St, Aberfeldie VIC 3040
Website: www.avemaria.vic.edu.au
Enquiries: 03 9331 9300 / registrar@avemaria.vic.edu.au
Years: Year 7 to 12
Denomination: Catholic
Gender: Girls
Fees: $8200 to $9600
Boarding: No
Scholarships: Yes
ATAR (median for 2022): 73.70

This article appeared in Domain’s 2023 Independent Schools Guide.