St. Therese’s School is situated in Essendon, an established residential north western suburb of Melbourne.
Archbishop Mannix officially opened the Church on March 11th, 1923 and the school opened for 30 pupils on April 9th, 1923. The Parish was first named St Teresa’s after St Teresa of Avila, until St Therese, the Little Flower, was beatified on March 17th, 1925. After this, the Parish came under the patronage of St. Therese.
Our present student population, as at February census, was 543. The school currently comprises 21 classes and we are 3 stream across the school.
At present, there are approximately 64 staff (41 teaching and 13 non teaching staff) when all part and full time staff are considered. These include classroom teachers, specialists, learning support officers, administration staff and our school psychologist.
Parent involvement in the school is encouraged. Parents participate in the school in many ways, both formally, through representation on the Board and Committees, and informally, through assistance both inside and outside the classroom. The school operates a School Board, a Parents and Friends Association, parent Class Representatives, a Family Support Group, and an Out of School Hours Program (in partnership with OSHCLUB).
St. Therese’s Parish is a feeder for St. Bernard’s College (a secondary school for boys), St. Columba’s College and Ave Maria College (both secondary schools for girls). The majority of St. Therese’s School students apply to these schools, however, a small number of students seek other options.