AddressIntroduction
St. Albans Meadows P.S., which was established in 1980 is situated in the City of Brimbank, approximately fifteen kilometres to the west of Melbourne, just beyond the Western Ring Road. The community, which is somewhat isolated by the Ring Road and other major roads, is dominated by the Grantham Green housing estate which is now quite well established.
Many young families occupy houses in the estate and the majority of their children attend our school. Some students also attend the school from as far afield as Sydenham. St. Albans Meadows has a high reputation as a caring and progressive school and parents of students with gifted academic ability, learning difficulties and/or behavioural problems, in particular, choose the school because of the quality of its educational and welfare programs.
The school has enjoyed excellent relations with Sunshine Park Kindergarten from which most students enrolled in prep have come from. The school has a new on-site kindergarten opening in 2024.
Enrolment trends showed growth from 270 children in 1998 to 444 children in 2023. Enrolments are expected to remain fairly stable at the 400 plus students mark. 77% of the students are from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) and 40% of these students are of Vietnamese descent. The NESB students represent a wide range of nationalities, linguistic groups and cultures.
Guiding Principles
Underlying all aspects of the school program are the firm beliefs that:
* Every student has the ability to learn.
* This happens best in a flexible, happy, positive and caring environment where students are actively involved and where they see purpose in their learning.
* Programs must be designed to cater for different learning styles and learning rates.
* The achievement of high academic standards is important, but this should be balanced with the development of confidence, self-esteem, cooperation and tolerance.
* Students can and should accept responsibility for their own learning, behaviour and work completion.
* They should be constantly challenged to improve their knowledge, skills and understandings.
* Pride in performance should be encouraged.
* Involvement in school decision-making is valuable for children and can be fostered through such activities as membership of the Junior School Council and our Leadership incursions/excursions.
Teachers are dedicated to developing each child's potential. They strive to achieve best practice in their approaches to teaching and learning. Frequent participation in quality Professional Development activities is encouraged and a very strong emphasis is placed on a team approach to curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation.
Curriculum
A comprehensive curriculum has been developed around the Victorian Curriculum. Classroom curriculum programs are supported by specialist teachers in the areas of Art, P.E., Library, Lote, Kitchen Garden, Performing Arts & E.A.L. Programs are enriched through numerous activities including excursions, guest speakers and artists, a camping program and special event days.
The following enrichment programs are also provided: Swimming, Interschool Sports, Intraschool Sports, Perceptual Motor Program, School Concerts, State School Spectacular, Instrumental Programs and lessons for Keyboards, Drums, Guitar, School Band, School Choir, School Dance Group, Homework Club, Chess Club, Early Bird Readers, Breakfast Club, Mathematics Intervention, Mathematics Extension, Family Maths Night, Literature Extension Groups, Literacy Intervention and Oral Language.
The school is proud of its Special Needs Program and is committed to its further development. The program is led by a full time Special Needs Coordinator who liaises with an educational psychologist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, community welfare agencies, parents, teachers and over 20 program aides that work closely with our students. There are a range of services that are tailored and designed for the individual needs of our students and their families.
Our Kitchen Garden Program provides our students with exciting learning and development of lifelong skills. The students are directly involved in growing, caring, harvesting and sharing the cooked meals they produce using our own organic produce. The school has completed the construction of a purpose-built Kitchen Garden Centre where the students have access to state-of-the-art facilities to use as part of our program. Images of these facilities can be seen on our facilities gallery. Students have established a whole school composting initiative to further support our Kitchen Garden program.
Parent involvement in the school is both valued and encouraged. School Council Membership is strong and oversees the operation of the school gymnasium, hire of facilities, policy development and Fundraising.
St. Albans Meadows P.S. is proud of its achievements and optimistically looks to the future. Provision of quality programs continues to be of paramount importance to all members of the school community, giving our children the excellent educational opportunities, they are entitled to.
SC1 Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the ability to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated experience in responding to student learning needs.
SC2 Demonstrated experience in planning for and implementing high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluating the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth.
SC3 Demonstrated experience in monitoring and assessing student learning. Demonstrated experience in using data to inform teaching practice and providing feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.
SC4 Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.
SC5 Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated experience in reflecting upon practice and engaging in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.
The Classroom Teacher classification comprises two salary ranges- range 1 and range 2. The primary focus of the Classroom Teacher is on the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. The Classroom Teacher engages in critical reflection and inquiry in order to improve knowledge and skills to effectively engage students and improve their learning.
As the Classroom Teacher gains experience his or her contribution to the school program beyond the classroom increases. All Classroom Teachers may be required to undertake other duties in addition to their rostered teaching duties provided the responsibility is appropriate to the salary range, qualifications, training and experience of the teacher.
Classroom teacher Range 2
Range 2 Classroom Teachers play a significant role in assisting the school to improve student performance and educational outcomes determined by the school strategic plan and state-wide priorities and contributing to the development and implementation of school policies and priorities.
A critical component of this work will focus on increasing the knowledge base of staff within their school about student learning and high quality instruction to assist their school to define quality teacher practice.
Range 2 Classroom Teachers will be expected to:
- Have the content knowledge and pedagogical practice to meet the diverse needs of all students
- Model exemplary classroom practice and mentor/coach other teachers in the school to engage in critical reflection of their practice and to support staff to expand their capacity
- Provide expert advice about the content, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
- Supervise and train one or more student teachers
- Assist staff to use student data to inform teaching approaches that enable targets related to improving student learning outcomes to be achieved.
Classroom teacher Range 1
The primary focus of the range 1 Classroom Teacher is on further developing skills and competencies to become an effective classroom practitioner with structured support and guidance from teachers at higher levels and the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. These teachers teach a range of students/classes and are accountable for the effective delivery of their programs. Range 1 Classroom Teachers are skilled teachers who operate under general direction within clear guidelines following established work practices and documented priorities and may have responsibility for the supervision and training of one or more student teachers.
At range 1, teachers participate in the development of school policies and programs and assist in the implementation of school priorities.
The focus of a range 1 Classroom Teacher is on classroom management, subject content and teaching practice. New entrants to the teaching profession in their initial teaching years receive structured support, mentoring and guidance from teachers at higher levels.
Under guidance, new entrants to the teaching profession will plan and teach student groups in one or more subjects and are expected to participate in induction programs and other professional learning activities that are designed to ensure the integration of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy across the school.
Teachers at range 1 are responsible for teaching their own classes and may also assist and participate in policy development, project teams and the organisation of co-curricula activities.
The role of Classroom Teacher may include but is not limited to:
- Direct teaching of groups of students and individual students;
- Contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of a curriculum area or other curriculum program within the school;
- Undertaking other classroom teaching related and organisational duties as determined by the School Principal;
- Participating in activities such as parent/teacher meetings; staff meetings; camps and excursions;
- Undertaking other non-teaching supervisory duties.
Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.
Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.
The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via *******@education.vic.gov.au
Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy
The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview
- All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
- Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
- A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
- Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx
To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class a person must have provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In addition, from 3 August 2020, to be eligible for employment in the principal class or teacher class, a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education program after 1 July 2016, must demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements. This condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian Initial Teacher Education program completed by the person.
