Mater Christi College is an independent Roman Catholic secondary school for girls located in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Belgrave, Victoria, Australia.

History

Mother Mary Olivera, Superior General of the Good Samaritan Order of the Catholic Church declared in 1962, “Let’s build a boarding school on top of the hill in Belgrave". Subsequently, the school was founded by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan religious order in 1963 outside Belgrave, overlooking the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria. Six Good Samaritan Sisters initially instructed 62 female students, offering an academic education, "based on the principles of Benedictine values". The site chosen in 1962 consisted of grounds which contained Heathermont, a c. 1920s guest house. Sunny Siesta was on the 90 degree turn at the top of Bayview Road and was where the first sisters established their convent in May 1962. A new convent, chapel and classrooms were opened in 1964.

Although initially envisaged as a small day and boarding school, the rapidly growing population in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne saw Mater Christi College grow, and today there are more than 850 girls enrolled at the college, including students from several Asia-Pacific countries. In 1989, a boarding house was attached to the college. It closed in 2015. An international student program operates at the college, using homestay families to house the girls paired with an on-campus English and preparation program. Mater Christi offers a range of subjects to suit students and is designed so that students undertake studies from all areas of learning at Years 7 to 12. Students are then able to select from a wide range of VCE units.

Facilities

Facilities at Mater Christi College include:

• Full WiFi Campus
• MacBook Program
• Contemporary learning spaces
• Science Labs
• Library/Learning Commons
• Chapel
• Arts Studios / photography and ceramics
• Technology (textiles) centre
• One indoor halls with full sized basketball court
• An outdoor field training area
• Industry standard hospitality / food technology centres
• Outdoor tennis courts
• Dance Studio
• Cafe

Notable alumnae

• Renae Hallinan, an Australian and Melbourne Vixens netballer.
• Jane Flemming, former Olympian athlete and Commonwealth medallist, sports media commentator
• Candy Yuen Ka-man, Miss Photogenic of Miss Hong Kong 2009 pageant, Hong Kong actress, show host