School of the Good Shepherd is a Catholic Parish Primary School located in Gladstone Park, a north-western suburb of Melbourne.
With its beginnings in the early 60’s, our school community has evolved over the years from a predominantly English speaking background to that of a multicultural one. We value, embrace and celebrate our religious and cultural traditions, fostering an environment of inclusivity and ‘oneness’ where all are truly ‘Known by our name.’
In the mid 1980’s School of the Good Shepherd was the largest Catholic Primary school in Victoria. Over time and with many changes to the demographic and surrounding suburbs those numbers have fluctuated. A constant for our school has been a well supported Parish. Our parish numbers are significant and provide a spiritual connectedness for our families.
Our current enrolment is 357 students. Our school is organised into 14 classrooms, all straight grades, with staff members delivering an engaging curriculum dedicated to the support of all students.
The Parish Priest, Father Dishan Candappa, teachers, parents and students acknowledge the school’s role in developing the children’s relationship with their Catholic faith. This is reflected through all aspects of school life. School of the Good Shepherd is a community minded school.
We welcome parent participation and recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents. As a community we have embraced the cultural diversity of our families and have provided many opportunities for participation and celebration.
School of the Good Shepherd is a school with a powerful student centred learning vision. We continue to strive towards a creative learning environment that is flexible, adaptable and underpinned by high expectations of achievement for each individual, so that they are prepared to face their future with confidence.
We ensure all learning is Visible, so students are the drivers of their own learning. The religious nature of our school permeates all aspects of our Parish school community life.
School of the Good Shepherd is a school which operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is operated and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS).
MACS governs and operates 292 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to continue the mission of Catholic education to proclaim the Good News and equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them.
Because the good work of educating the young is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community, School Advisory Councils have been established to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders.
This governance model was designed to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, allow parish priests to focus on the mission of education in the parish, enable greater collaboration between schools and ensure greater consistency in school policies and procedures.