Classroom Teacher - Family Leave

Guthridge Primary School is located in Sale, Gippsland, and is approximately 220 km east of Melbourne. 
Enrolments in 2024 will be approximately 280 with a Student Family Occupation and Education (SFOE) index of 0.5070. Our classes comprising of Foundation-support, Foundation, and a mix of composite classes from Grade 1 to Grade 6.

At Guthridge Primary School we have high expectations of all our students and aim to provide an opportunity for each of them to develop as learners, now and in the future.  All students have individual learning goals and targeted teaching at their point of need.

Guthridge has a Foundation-support class specifically designed to support the transition from kindergarten to school for children who need a settling year of school, after a year at kindergarten.

We have superior facilities to support all students in all domains.  Our purpose built Fitness Centre accommodates all forms of ball and racquet sports.  Our Swimming Program operates in our own enclosed, heated swimming pool with AustSwim qualified instructors. Our sporting facilities also include a synthetic sports field, complete with four lane running track and long jump pit. We have a football field and outdoor basketball, netball and down-ball courts for all ages.

At Guthridge, we promote positive and purposeful play to build healthy bodies and healthy brains. There are numerous research studies linking active play and academic success.

Students need to learn how to `play¿ just like academic aspects of education in order to develop in every way possible to be their best!

At Guthridge PS, we believe

¿Play allows children to develop their oral and functional language skills as well as expand their imagination and creativity,

¿Play helps children develop social skills, including conflict resolution skills and self-advocacy skills,

¿Play also helps children develop patience, a sense of belonging and essential communication skills.

At Guthridge Primary School, we positively promote positive play choices by offering many options and activities to choose from at recess and lunch play times. Our supervised Play is the Way activities include dance, lego, box construction, ball sports, skipping, bat tennis, board games, down ball, chess club.

Our students participate in Specialist classes in Art, Music, Physical Education, Auslan and Swimming. Additionally, our school provides Instrumental Tuition (for senior students) and annually, a group of students participate in the Victorian State School Spectacular.

Each year our Grade 6 students collaborate to create and perform a showstopper Musical Production filled with opportunities for the whole cohort to develop skills and shine through choreography, singing, dancing, acting, prop design, lighting, sound and film. 

Guthridge Primary School has a well-established Program for Students with Disabilities. We use our Equity funding to provide additional supports and intervention to identified students with a philosophy of full inclusion in the classroom.  Further to this, we have a well-established wellbeing team consisting of a Student Wellbeing Officer providing additional support to students and families three days a week, as well as highly experienced Education Support Staff providing Integration Aiding to identified students.

Additionally, the Department of Defence provide our school with funding to employ a Defence School Mentor to provide assistance and support to the children of Australian Defence Force members at our school. 

Our Core Values are embedded in the language of our school and are very much the basis of our aspirations as life-long learners ¿ Show Respect.  Have a Go.  Keep Trying.  Bounce Back and Work as a Team.  Ultimately we aim collectively to ¿Be Our Best¿. 

As part of our school-wide positive support approach to managing behaviour, we have also developed three expectations ¿ Be Respectful, Be Safe and Be Responsible; these make clear the behaviour choices and boundaries for students at Guthridge Primary School.

Guthridge Primary School is committed to promoting the safety, participation and empowerment of all children, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, vulnerable children and children with a disability.

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.

The Department of Education and Training 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.

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 http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/protect/Pages/childsafestandards.aspx

The Department’s employees commit to upholding DET’s Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. DET’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 DET values is available at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/workm/Pages/Public-Sector-Values.aspx

This vacancy is to replace an employee on parental absence and is for a period of seven years or until the employee absent on leave returns to duty at the school.

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.