Make a gift and make a difference.
At St Michael’s, we are proud of our innovative approach to teaching, learning and caring and we seek to provide the very best environment to enable our students to thrive. Our values of Dignity, Respect, Care and Compassion are based on the tradition of caring imbued by our founders, the Community of the Sisters of the Church.
When the Sisters of the Church embarked on their journey to Australia in 1895, it was thanks to the generosity of donors who agreed to support the ambitious undertaking. And when the Sisters purchased Marlton House, the first home of St Michael’s Grammar School and still an important part of our School today, the purchase was made possible through another generous donation.
Much later in the School’s history Sister Scholastica herself was a pioneer in leading campaigns to support the School’s expanding needs and to provide the best facilities for students.
Just as the values of the Sisters underpin our approach to education today, their tradition of philanthropy also continues. In 2019 the Board approved a new philanthropy strategy which has two main goals:
An opportunity exists for families to celebrate their relationship with St Michael’s by supporting the restoration of a stained-glass window or choose a seat to support in our wonderful new Performing Arts Centre, St George’s.
Our Performing Arts program both nurtures students of outstanding talent and encourages all students to discover the joy of creativity. The program also provides an opportunity for our students to better understand the potential for a career in the arts – as performers or creative practitioners.
The much-loved St George’s Church has now been beautifully restored as the Performing Arts Centre, St George’s. This state-of-the art rehearsal and performance facility is inspiring our students to develop their talents front and back of stage. It also provides a whole new experience for our audiences, both within the St Michael’s family and from the broader community.
The excellence of the restoration of this important heritage building was recognised at the Master Builders Victoria 2023 Excellence in Construction Awards where it was awarded the Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $10m-15m. The project was a major investment by the School, as part of our program to continually improve our facilities to provide the best learning environment for our students.
Since the opening of the Performing Arts Centre in May students, parents and staff have enjoyed the benefits of this wonderful new facility and the beautiful newly landscaped grounds. It has been the venue for iconic events such as the Virtuoso Concert and the Spring Concert along with the Years 7-9 Musical Newsies, and much more.
Members of the St Michael’s community can now celebrate their association with the School through recognition as a supporter of a window or a seat in the Centre.
An outstanding feature of the building are the beautiful stained-glass windows which bring the space alive with their vibrant colour and warm glow. All the windows, created by leading artisans of the day, have been expertly restored. Donors have already supported the restoration of many of the windows but there are a further 14 still available. Gifts to support a window are recognised with a plaque adjacent to the window ensuring that the donor’s connection to St Michael’s is forever remembered.
The magnificent new tiered seating block in the Janette Gordon-Clark Auditorium within the Performing Arts Centre has 204 fixed seats. You can also support St Michael’s by choosing a seat to dedicate to a family member or to mark your family’s association with the School. Your gift will be recognised with an engraved plaque attached to the seat, or seats, you choose enabling you to have an enduring presence in this iconic building.
To find out more about how you can contribute to St Michael’s by supporting a window or a seat in the Performing Arts Centre, St George’s go to https://takeyourseatorwindow.stmichaels.vic.edu.au/
To gain an insight into the importance of this project to St Michael’s watch this video.
For further information about this exciting opportunity contact Ros Casey at rcasey@stmichaels.vic.edu.au or phone 03 8530 3315.
Growing our Scholarship Fund so that we can expand the number of scholarships that we can offer each year is an important priority. Donations can be made at any time of year to support the Scholarships Fund.
If you would like to support Scholarships at St Michael’s, you can make a tax-deductible donation to the St Michael’s Grammar School Scholarship Fund here.
You can make a donation today by choosing one of the options below.
To find out more about our programs or to discuss how you can support St Michael’s contact Ros Casey, Director of Advancement, on 8530 3315 or rcasey@stmichaels.vic.edu.au.
Your generous support for St Michael’s is always appreciated.
