Aquinas College

Aquinas College is a Catholic day/boarding school for boys from Kindergarten to Year 12, in the Edmund Rice tradition. We are one of Australia’s oldest and most distinguished schools that specialises in the formation of young men and offers a liberating education, based on a gospel spirituality, within an inclusive community committed to justice, advocacy and service.

Importantly, in partnership with parents, Aquinas College aims through a Christ-centred curriculum, to develop young men of faith, good character, strong intellect and generous spirit, who will be able to move confidently into the world and who will use their talents and gifts to lead and serve others.

Our four tenets of scholarly attainment, spiritual awareness, character formation and solidarity with others, remain at the core of day-to-day activities.

Aquinas College is a strong academic school, with subjects, teaching styles and activities that are boy focussed. While subjects are important within themselves, their true value lies in helping each student discover and develop his inner spirit and strength of character – his heart and soul.

Creating a moral compass for life, learning about himself, and the difference he can make, is as important as what he learns inside the classroom. We believe success is not what he becomes, but who he becomes.

We are proud of our pupils’ successes. We are dedicated to celebrating achievement, creativity and effort across a vast range of academic and co-curricular pursuits. Our appeal as a school rests in our strong sense of faith community, the values we strive to maintain, our commitment to realising the potential of each and every young man in our care, and in providing a balanced education that addresses the academic, social, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of our pupils’ lives.

We have the highest expectations of all of our pupils. Our aim is for each to be the best he can be in all that he does. To demonstrate outstanding levels of attendance, appearance, courtesy, respect and work ethic throughout his time at the school.

As you browse through this site, and we hope that you will take the time to do so, you will discover that the spirit and atmosphere of the College at Mt Henry is unique. To be part of the Aquinas College family, either as a boy or Old Boy, is a life’s calling to be the best one can be and to accept the responsibility to not simply be successful personally but to ensure our giftedness and success enriches and benefits the lives of others.

We welcome all new students and their parents to become part of our school community and to share in the realisation of our vision for others and we commit to supporting your son in his journey from boyhood to young gentleman.

The heart of Aquinas College’s mission is to form leaders for tomorrow through a life of service based on Christ in the Gospel. Our five values of Faith, Justice, Service, Respect and Excellence underpin daily life at the College.

Aquinas College is a Catholic school for boys in the Edmund Rice tradition. It is a member of Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) which encompasses all schools with Christian Brothers’ heritage.

The College acknowledges the significant contribution Christian Brothers have made to Aquinas’ traditions since 1894.

In the tradition of Blessed Edmund Rice, Aquinas College is committed to fulfilling his vision providing a Catholic education based on four tenets of;

• Scholarly attainment
• Spiritual awareness
• Character formation
• Solidarity with others

Aquinas College aims to educate boys to be the best they can be… for others.

As a member of the EREA, Aquinas College is guided by its charter which identifies four touchstones linked with the charism of Blessed Edmund Rice and which underpin the ministry of the College.

Touchstones which offer a Liberating Education based on a Gospel Spirituality, within an Inclusive Community committed to Justice and Solidarity, guide College direction and define goals, following Blessed Edmund’s example. The Aquinas College motto – ‘Veritas Vincit’ (Truth Conquers) – is at the heart of the College. Respect is given to traditional indigenous owners of the land which is now the College campus.

Aquinas College sees itself not as a boys’ school but rather a school for boys.

As a school for boys Aquinas focuses on:

• Learning styles that are great for boys – boys learn well when they are able to do their learning visually or practically by doing.
• Understanding that boys usually like to be active and are able to move.
• Accepting that boys develop both language and fine motor skills later than girls and removing the unnecessary comparison between genders.
• Boys being able to engage in a breadth of subject offerings and interest areas that may not be so readily possible in coeducational environments such as the creative and performing arts domains.
• Providing an environment and culture that celebrates boys learning and character formation that is specifically targeted to boys’ development.
• Allowing boys to have great male role models in in the form of teachers, coaches and mentors that work with them in the classroom and beyond.
• Opportunities for boys to form critical friendship bases that serve them well into their lives beyond the campus.
• Offering a faith experience that is boy centric in its approach and outcomes.

Boys need to have clear, unambiguous boundaries in which they operate that do not inhibit their sense of creativity and inspire them to be good men for others.