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Our Ringwood Campus offers an integrated secondary education for deaf and hard of hearing students from Years 7 to 12. Students attending the Ringwood campus wear the Aquinas College uniform and are welcomed as members of all classes and extracurricular activities. Senior pathways available include VCE, VET and VCAL.
Our Ringwood Campus encourages students to see the world from multiple perspectives and take their place in a global environment. The Aquinas community encourages participation in sport and extra curricula activities and works tirelessly to support the more vulnerable people in our community.
Our Ringwood Campus offers an individualised deaf and hard of hearing program delivered by Teachers of the Deaf who are passionately committed to student growth and learning in a setting that stimulates and encourages six years of secondary school excellence.
Students negotiate their course of studies to fully participate in the school curriculum as offered through Aquinas College while accessing St Mary’s College Expanded Learning Program (EXP).
Students also have the opportunity of accessing a wide range of subjects and senior courses of study. Our goal is to ensure that students reach their potential as strong, capable contributors following their dreams. This is achieved through access to a comprehensive curriculum across Middle and Senior Years. Year 9 students are particularly challenged with an experiential education program incorporating outdoor education, personal development and the very popular Cafe program. Other activities include camps in years 7 to 9 and involvement in musicals, plays, choirs, bands, debating, robotics and study and cultural tours both interstate and overseas.
St Mary’s employs Speech Pathologists who work on developing individual language and listening skills.
St Mary’s has adopted a positive approach to student wellbeing which underpins the spiritual, emotional, social, academic and physical growth of all students. Activities offered to strengthen wellbeing include St Mary’s College Positive behaviour for Learning (PBL) program and Student Wellbeing programs.
Our students feel a sense of belonging, connection and ownership at our Ringwood Campus. It’s a place where they care and respect each other while reaching their potential.
St Mary’s students undertake EXP, a subject taken as part of each student’s timetable of year level subjects. The learning areas taught by the Teacher of the Deaf is decided with students and parents and based on the Expanded Core Curriculum for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, designed to support students in accessing and experiencing success in their core subjects. Areas taught may include literacy, expressive and receptive language, audition, speech or social-emotional learning. This subject offering is flexible and can vary from student to student and year to year, depending on subjects and wellbeing needs.
Program support group (PSG/SSG) meetings are held with parents each term as a way of monitoring student progress, receive feedback and planning for future teaching and learning. In between meetings, we maintain regular phone and email contact with parents.
The Victorian Deaf Education Network offers membership to educational professionals who lead programs that specialise in teaching children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples.
Contact the Chair of VDEN