independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Work ...
day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...
located in the
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
suburb of ,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
.
St Michael's was founded in 1895 by the
Community of the Sisters of the Church
The Community of the Sisters of the Church is a religious order of women in various Anglican provinces who live the vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience. In 2012 the order had 105 sisters living in community, together with an extensive ne ...
and remains in its original location on a single campus. The School is associated with the
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Victoria in the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese was founded from the Diocese of Australia by letters patent of 25 June 1847Association of Coeducational Schools (ACS) and the
Junior School Heads Association of Australia
The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia.
Officially established in Septem ...
.
The school educates students from 3-year-old
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
to the
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 10, 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria as well as in some international schools i ...
(VCE), which all
Year 12
Year 12 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is sometimes the twelfth or thirteenth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-comp ...
students at St Michael's complete.
History
Foundation
In 1870, Mother Emily Ayckbowm founded the Community of the Sisters of the Church, a new Anglican religious order. The order was invited to Australia to further educational work for girls, and St Michael's was one of six schools established in different parts of Australia. They also founded schools in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The schools, known as The Emily Group, share the same crest, patron saint and founding narrative, however, they all differ in significant ways, which enriches the group’s diversity. St Michael’s is the sole coeducational school in the group. On 23 April 1895, in Marlton Crescent, St Kilda, the Sisters opened an advanced primary school: The Church of England Day School (now St Michael's).
20th century
In 1972, St Michael’s Church of England Girls Grammar School Pty Ltd (later a company limited by guarantee) was established in 1972 to manage the School. The idea was put forward to make the school co-educational. In 1974 a coeducation subcommittee was established, and the School embarked on its coeducational journey. In 1980, with the appointment of a new Headmaster, Anthony Hewison, the decision was taken to admit boys to all levels of the school, thus making it fully
coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
, and to embark on modernising the school.
21st century
With the arrival of Headmaster Simon Gipson in the year 2000, the School administration adopted new approaches, including introducing modern terminology, a new
school uniform
A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary school, primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, O ...
, and a six-stage building plan, including the Sisters of the Church Learning Centre and the new playing surface for the oval.
On 6 December 2007, St Michael's purchased the Astor Theatre building in St Kilda."School snaps up historic theatre" ABC, 7 December 2007, retrieved 2 August 2012. The cinema continued to operate as usual, with films screening at nights and on weekends, while the building was often used by the school for assemblies and events on weekdays. On 24 August 2012 the school announced that it had sold the building to Ralph Taranto."Sale of The Astor building" St Michael's Grammar School, 24 August 2012, retrieved 24 August 2012."Cinema lover saves St Kilda's Astor Theatre" Stonnington Leader, 24 August 2012, retrieved 24 August 2012.
The sisters have retained their interest in the school but no longer play a part in its governance. The school is managed by a Head who is appointed by a board of directors.
Academics
St Michael's offers a wide range of subjects including core
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
,
science
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
arts
The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...
and
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
courses. At primary level, all students study basic subjects including mathematics, English, science, geography, history, Japanese, music and sport. The school is renowned for its Performing Arts program."Acting the part in St Kilda" ''The Port Phillip Leader'', 11 June 2011, retrieved 2 August 2012.
Drama has one of the highest voluntary participation numbers among students of any department of the school. Each year the school performs a large number of productions, including Years 10 to 12 senior musical; the Years 7 to 9 musical and play; Dance Project (a contemporary dance production); a student production; a house drama festival and three yearly senior productions (Year 6, Years 7–9, Years 10–12). In 2001, St Michael's was the first school to stage a production at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre with the performance of ''Les Misérables''. The 2010 senior musical, '' 13'', was the Australian premiere of the musical and won the best production award at the Victorian Musical Theatre Guild awards (the fourth St Michael's musical to do so).Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards Presentation 2010 ''Stage Whispers'', 5 December 2010, retrieved 3 August 2012.
St Michael's also conducts an annual house drama competition, and an annual house singing & aerobics competition, in which all five of the school houses perform a musical item. Many other musical ensembles perform regularly throughout the year, including the 7–12 Harrison Choir, which each year performs a large choral work, and the Grigoryan Orchestra (named for school alumnus, classical guitarist
Slava Grigoryan
Slava Grigoryan is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist. He frequently collaborates and performs with his younger brother, fellow guitarist Leonard Grigoryan, performing as the Grigoryan Brothers.
Career
Grigoryan signed with ...
).
School of Rock
St Michael's has a "School of Rock" program, where students in Years 7–12 are mentored by rock musicians, leading to public performances and recordings.
The program is notable for being the origin of the Cheeky Geezers, a local rock band.
Social service and charity work
The school is involved in social service, working to raise money for various charities.'Students lend a helping hand to Uganda' Herald Sun, 18 November 2011, retrieved 2 August 2012.
Once or twice a term, a Community Action Day is held, organised by the social service captains of each house, to raise money for a diverse number of charities. Every year in May, a prefect-organised program, the 'Merry Month of May', is held to raise money for social initiatives. Activities such as a 'Battle of the Bands', barbecues, dress-up days, movie viewings, novelty races, great debates and theatresport contests are held each day. Also in conjunction with the Merry Month of May, the school participates in the World's Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation, in which participants shave their heads to show solidarity for leukaemia sufferers, raising money through collecting donations. In 2016, the Merry Month of May raised a record sum of $30,678. The school leadership teams in both the senior and junior schools in 2011 also raised money for relief for the Christchurch earthquake, Japanese tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster and the bushfires in Victoria and Queensland.
House system
The Junior School Houses (Years K–6) are Moss, Woods, Marlton and Cintra.
The Senior School Houses (Years 7–12) are Mitre, Sarum, Hughes, Kilburn and Breen. Mitre, Sarum, Hughes and Kilburn are the four original school houses and were all created in 1922, all significant for their own reasons. When the school started to grow a fifth senior school house, Breen was created in 1987. The
pastoral care
''The Book of Pastoral Rule'' (Latin: ''Liber Regulae Pastoralis'', ''Regula Pastoralis'' or ''Cura Pastoralis'' — sometimes translated into English ''Pastoral Care'') is a treatise on the responsibilities of the clergy written by Pope Greg ...
system is based on a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
structure which deals with all matters relating to a student's wellbeing or
curriculum
In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...
needs. Each student is placed in a house tutorial group which is overseen by a house tutor. There are five houses and therefore five house tutorial groups at each year level. A house contains students from Years 7 to 12. Each house is led by two co-heads. The members of each house are led by co-house captains and co-vice-captains. The houses meet on a regular basis.
The house tutor and heads of house work as a team to monitor the academic and personal progress of each student in the house tutorial group and house. Generally, the house tutor is the first and main point of contact between the parent and the school.
School leaders
Principal
The following individuals have served as the school principal:
Head of the school
The following individuals have served as the head of the school or any previous title:
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland.
After Japan declared in ...
at Helsinki
*
Marie Breen
Dame Marie Freda Breen DBE (3 November 1902 – 17 June 1993) was an Australian politician who, following her election in 1961, became the second woman in the Australian Senate to represent the state of Victoria and the sixth female senator ...
, politician
*
Philip Dalidakis
Philip Dalidakis (born 25 February 1976) is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Victorian Legislative Council, representing Southern Metropolitan Region from 2014 until 2019.
Dalidakis was born in Melbourne. His father ...
, politician
*
Slava Grigoryan
Slava Grigoryan is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist. He frequently collaborates and performs with his younger brother, fellow guitarist Leonard Grigoryan, performing as the Grigoryan Brothers.
Career
Grigoryan signed with ...
, guitarist'Etude brother? Siblings slay them in the aisles' The Age, 12 September 2009, retrieved 2 August 2012.
*
Joy Hester
Joy St Clair Hester (21 August 1920 – 4 December 1960) was an Australian artist. She was a member of the Angry Penguins movement and the Heide Circle who played an integral role in the development of Australian Modernism. Hester is best known ...
, artist'Hester, Joy St Clair (1920–1960)' Australian Dictionary of Biography, retrieved 6 August 2012.
* Isabel Huntington, footballer and former
AFL Women's
AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...
No. 1 draft pick
*
Asher Keddie
Asher Keddie (born 31 July 1974) is an Australian actress. Beginning her career in the television series ''Five Mile Creek'' in the mid 1980s, Keddie received wide recognition for her role in the television series ''Offspring''. Her significant ...
, actress'From shy to shining' The Age, 22 February 2007, retrieved 2 August 2012.'The rise of Asher Keddie ' The Australian, 14 April 2012, retrieved 2 August 2012.
*
Samantha Lane
Samantha Lane is an Australian sports journalist. Specialising in the Australian Football League (AFL), she also wrote on a range of other sports for ''The Age'', and was a panellist on ''Before The Game'' (about AFL) on Network Ten for over a ...
, TV presenter
*
Faith Leech
Faith Yvonne Leech (31 March 1941 – 14 September 2013) was an Australian freestyle swimmer who won a gold medal in the 4×100–metre freestyle relay and bronze in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
A tall an ...
, Olympic swimmer, gold and bronze medalist at the 1956 Olympic Games in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia
*
Andrew MacLeod
Andrew Michael MacLeod is an Australian/British philanthropist, businessman, author, humanitarian lawyer, and former aid worker.
Since 2020 MacLeod has served as chairman of private equity firm Macson Investments, CEO and chair of British-bas ...
, former
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
humanitarian expert and former CEO of the
Committee for Melbourne
The Committee for Melbourne is an apolitical, non-profit, member-based organisation based in Melbourne, Australia, that works to benefit the city's long-term future.
History
The committee was founded in 1985 by Pamela M. Warrender, daughter of S ...
*
Eloise Mignon
Eloise Mignon (born 18 September 1986) is an Australian actress. She began her career starring in children's television shows '' Legacy of the Silver Shadow'' and ''Silversun'', before appearing in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. She ...
, actress
*
Radha Mitchell
Radha Rani Amber Indigo Ananda Mitchell (born 12 November 1973) is an Australian actress. She began her career on television, playing Catherine O'Brien on the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' (1996–1997), before transitioning to working i ...
, actress
* Frances Newson,
hockey
''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
player
*
Anna O'Byrne
Anna O'Byrne (born 20 September 1987 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian actress and soprano singer best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera'' and the original Australian product ...
, singer"Anna O’Byrne: A living doll" ''The Melbourne Times Weekly'', 25 April 2011, retrieved 2 August 2012.
*
Jan Skubiszewski
Jan Skubiszewski (pronounced ; born 1981) is an Australian composer, record producer, songwriter and sound engineer from Melbourne, Australia. He is also a professional multi-instrumentalist. His work as a record producer and composer for film and ...
, member of
Jackson Jackson
Jackson Jackson is a hip hop group from Melbourne, Australia consisting of Harry James Angus (vocals/trumpet; The Cat Empire, The Conglomerate) and Jan Skubiszewski (producer, phrase, and composer; APRA Award winner Two Hands, The Rage in Pla ...
*
Dan Spielman
Dan Spielman (born 1979) is an Australian actor. His career spans film, television and theatre. Early life
Spielman grew up with his younger sister in Beaumaris, Melbourne. Without formal acting training, Spielman has worked in theatre, televis ...
, actor
* Nora Sumberg, artist
* Brodie Summers, Olympic Mogul skier and World Cup silver medalist
*Winnie Laing, AFL Women's footballer
*
Sean Wroe
Sean Wroe (born 19 March 1985) is an Australian sprinter. He was born in Melbourne to a Japanese Australian mother and is a fluent Japanese speaker.
Wroe competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay. He placed 21st in ...
, Australian sprinter, silver medalist in the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Wroe also represented Australia at the
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...
,
2008 Olympic Games
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...
in Beijing.
* Tess Coady, Olympic snowboarder, bronze medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China
* Elena Galiabovitch, Australian shooter, Women's 10-metre air pistol bronze medalist at the
2018 Commonwealth Games
The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
. Galiabovitch has represented Australia in both the
2016 Rio Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
and the
2020 Tokyo Olympics
The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
. Elena was selected to be by the International Olympic Committee as one of six athletes to carry the Olympic flag at the Games opening ceremony in Tokyo.
*
Col Pearse
Col Pearse (born 10 July 2003) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he won the bronze medal in the 100 m butterfly S10. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, he won the silver medal Men's 200 m medley SM10.
Earl ...
, Paralympic Swimmer, bronze medalist at the 2021
Paralympics
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
See also
*
List of schools in Victoria
Below are lists of schools in Victoria, Australia:
* List of government schools in Victoria, Australia
* List of non-government schools in Victoria, Australia
Largest Victorian schools
Based on enrolment size, this is a list of 52 of the largest ...
*
List of high schools in Victoria
This is a list of high schools, also known as secondary colleges, in the state of Victoria, Australia. The list includes government, private, independent and Catholic schools.
A
* Academy of Mary Immaculate
* Aitken College
* Alamanda Colle ...
*
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 10, 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria as well as in some international schools i ...