SELWYN TIMES
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Tuesday May 9 2017
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Ellesmere College Te Kareti o Waihora Ellesmere College is a friendly, familyfocused school, with a caring, inclusive culture. Our aim is to have engaged students who are enabled to excel. We enjoy a strong learning partnership between students, parents, Whanau and staff and we are proud of the great support we have from our community. Learning innovation at the College is strengthened by the strong school values of respect, integrity, success and empathy and these qualities support our high academic achievement and personal excellence. Our courses develop the skills required by our community and give students the foundation for future success in this rapidly changing world.
Thirty kilometres from Christchurch, we benefit from easy access to urban facilities and from the community strengths of our rural environment. We have close links with primary and tertiary organisations, allowing positive transitions through all stages of education. Our facilities are an
integral part of community life. Located in the rural township of Leeston, Ellesmere College is a co-educational state funded Decile 8 school with almost 600 students from Years 7 to 13 and our three main contributing primary schools are Leeston Consolidated School, Southbridge Primary School and Dunsandel Primary School. The College has a proud sporting and cultural history and frequently produces results that are usually associated with much larger schools including national titles. Academic results are consistently high with many students gaining Excellence and Merit Endorsements and Scholarships. In 2016 we were the top Decile 8, state co-educational school for NCEA Level 2 achievement. The College has a strong pastoral support system that is based around four Whanau groups: Rata, Rimu, Kowhai and Totara. Class sizes in Years 7 to 10 are usually in the mid-twenties while senior classes are often much smaller. Ellesmere College occupies a spacious seven hectare site that includes facilities for cricket, athletics, tennis, netball, rugby and football. The buildings consist of numerous classrooms together with
specialist rooms for teaching science, agriculture, technology, art, music, drama, a full sized gymnasium, a modern library and we have currently embarked on an exciting Master Plan rebuild programme. Ellesmere College is an inclusive school and aims to meet the learning needs of all students.