Your daughter’s future will be shaped
by the school you select for her. The wisest choice will
be made when the school’s values are known and shared
by you.
The keystone of Shelford’s educational
philosophy is our commitment to meeting the needs of every
student. In order to realize this commitment, Shelford chooses
to be a relatively small school, with class sizes being smaller
at all levels. Here no-one is overlooked and no-one can get
lost, and a strong sense of community is created when students
work with others from all year levels.
Each student has considerable flexibility
to progress at a rate that challenges and extends her. Commencing
in the Early Learning Centre and extending through to Year
12, vertical structures, acceleration programmes, individually
designed courses, enhancement programmes and a differentiated
curriculum, broaden the intellectual and social groupings
so that students work with like minds. All administrative
structures support this educational commitment.
While a school’s first purpose is
the intellectual development of the student, at Shelford
we recognise that the quality of the relationships that exists
between all members of the community determines the quality
of learning and the educational outcomes. Consequently, we
place considerable emphasis on our uniquely effective pastoral
care programme. We are concerned not only with the mind of
the student, but also with her social, emotional, physical
and spiritual development.
Shelford offers a wide range of Victorian
Certificate of Education (VCE) and Vocational Education and
Training (VET) subjects and our smaller class sizes encourage
a tutorial approach and easy access to staff. Our co-curricular
programme, including music, sport, debating, drama and overseas
study tours, is deliberately designed to allow every student
to participate and each has a wealth of opportunities to
discover personal interests and talents. Information and
communication technologies are integrated into the entire
curriculum to complement and liberate individual learning
styles.
Students continue to excel when parents
are actively involved and interested in their progress, not
only in the ELC, Junior School and Senior School, but also
throughout their tertiary education and evolving careers.
Parents are encouraged, both formally and informally, to
support the staff in the teaching and learning programmes.
All students will become independent learners
who accept responsibility for their own learning and who
behave in a manner that enhances the learning of others.
Students are encouraged to be resilient and to have an optimistic
view of life. They develop confidence and self-esteem by
successfully grappling, either intellectually or physically,
with a range of tasks that challenge them to move beyond
the familiar and the comfortable. Every student is expected
to be passionate about her learning and to be excited by
the new and unknown.
Shelford students succeed because they want
to do well and they believe that they can achieve at the
highest level. Their teachers share this belief. Shelford
students will seek opportunities to create exciting futures
for themselves through learning experiences that promote
excellence, leadership and personal esteem.
In partnership with parents we seek to assist
our students to develop into women who will think clearly,
act with integrity, make decisions for themselves, be sensitive
to and accepting of the needs of others, be strong in their
service to the community and hold a global perspective. We
believe that these aims can best be achieved with the active
support of all members of our community and in an environment
that is dedicated to girls.
Pam Chessell |
