, motto_translation = Daughters of the Church , established = 1965 , type =

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, single-sex,

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

, denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, slogan = , principal = Michelle Cotter , city =

Mount Waverley Mount Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Mount Waverley recorded a population of 35,340 at the 2021 census. It ...

, state =

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, country = Australia , coordinates = , enrolment = 1400 , enrolment_as_of = 2017 , grades_label = Years , grades = 7–12 , num_employ = 170 , revenue = , colours =
Maroon, navy blue and white , homepage
www.avilacollege.vic.edu.au
Avila College is a

day school for girls which is located in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of

. The school was established in 1965 by the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

who accepted an invitation from the parishes in the Waverley area to establish a Catholic Girls' College. The school identifies

Saint Teresa of Avila In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

as its patron saint, from whom the Latin motto 'Filiae Ecclesiae' (Daughters of the Church) is derived.

History

Avila College commenced in 1965 in temporary classrooms on the grounds of St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Glen Waverley. The college was established by the parishes of Mount Waverley, Glen Waverley, Syndal, Mulgrave and Jordanville who invited the Presentation Sisters to administer a Catholic college to provide for families in the area. From an initial enrollment of 110 girls in Forms 1 and 2 – or years 7 and 8 – the college has grown to become one of the larger Catholic secondary schools for girls in the state with an enrollment of about 1100 students, and 150 staff. Avila moved to its current location in Charles Street, Mount Waverley, in 1966.

Principals

Sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

Patricia Carroll was the founding principal of the college. College principals: * Sr. Patricia Carroll dec. (1965–1970) * Sr. Raymonde Taylor (1971–1973) * Sr. Josepha Dunlop (1974–1979) * Patricia Ryan (1980–1986) * Maureen Thompson (1987–1995) * Filomena Salvatore dec. (1995–2005) * Liz Gleeson (2006–2010) * Louise Gunther (2011–2016) * Michelle Cotter (2017–present)

Extra-curricular activities

The college offers extra-curricular programs which includes a heritage group, extended mathematics,

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

, reconciliation and conservation groups, music ensembles, a book club, public speaking and debating, and immersion trips to the Santa Teresa community in Central Australia and overseas. The school also has a brother school, Mazenod College, with which they collaborate on events.

Notable Alumnae

* Shae Brown – Netballer *

Jill Hennessy Jillian Noel Hennessy (born November 25, 1968) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is most known for her roles on the American television series '' Law & Order'', on which she played prosecutor Claire Kincaid for three seasons, and ''Crossin ...

– Politician *Michelle Andrews – Co-host of Shameless *Jess Perkins – Co-host of Do Go On and

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

presenter

References

External links