AddressSchool Profile
Lalor Gardens is a vibrant, collaborative school in the northwest of Lalor, on Wurundjeri country.
With a current population of 382 students and 44 staff, we have a strong team and a supportive culture within the school. Our student population is expected to grow as new housing estates are established nearby.
Our community is diverse, and we embrace the wide range of cultures within our school. We pride ourselves on our inclusive and diverse culture, with a high proportion of students learning English as a Second Language and many families joining us from overseas. We welcome all new families into our school as part of our LGPS family and remain committed to giving them the best opportunities for success we can offer. We are proud to provide a first-language supported EAL program for our English Language Learners in our school.
Our staff team demonstrates the highest professional standards in all interactions with students, families and the wider community. We are all proud of our school, our community and our school achievements both academically and in relation to inclusion and wellbeing.
WELLBEING
Our motto of `Learn, Grow, Achieve; Together anything is possible¿ underpins our work. We aim to develop our students as active learners, respectful, responsible, empathetic, resilient young people. As a proud, `Gold¿ Standard School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support school, we live by the following values statements:
We are learners
We are respectful
We are responsible
We care for others and the environment
We are positive and we bounce back
We are a Trauma Informed school, following the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM). We see this represented daily, such as through our calm, predictable environments, Circle Time, Zones of Regulation, sensory and brain breaks, and restorative practices.
We have a strong investment in staff wellbeing. Positive Culture is pivotal to all of our successes, and we work on this through PERMAH, external consultants and in our day-to-day interactions.
TEACHING & LEARNING
At LGPS, our key priorities are in improving Literacy and Numeracy outcomes for all students. Our teachers participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to drive school improvement at the team level. We are committed to identifying and supporting students¿ needs at the individual, team and cohort level, and using our data to drive growth.
Our embedded collaborative planning model enables staff to work together to plan highly engaging teaching and learning opportunities at the point of need of their cohort.
Our specialist programs are Performing Arts, Physical Education, Visual Arts and Wellbeing. We are very fortunate to have dedicated and passionate staff in these curriculum areas. We teach Auslan within the classroom program. As an inclusive and diverse school, we remain committed to promoting Auslan as our community language.
Our open spaces support a team-teaching model, and teachers and classes to work together often.
Some key features of our curriculum model include:
· Common collaboration planning time for teaching teams
· An Oral Language program in P-2
· Language Experiences across P-4
· Daily Literacy and Numeracy
· Reading Conferencing
· Synthetic Phonics teaching across P-2 (with all teaching staff across the school trained in Little Learners Love Literacy) shifting towards a Science of Reading approach schoolwide
· Seesaw for Digital Portfolios
· Dedicated Auslan lesson partnered with Auslan Education Services
· Digital Technologies using iPads and Laptops
· LIFT (Literacy Intervention Program)
· EAL (English as an Additional Language Program)
· Buddies
· Student Leadership
· Special Event Days and Celebration Days
SUSTAINABILITY
Lalor Gardens has benefited from a recent installation of solar technology which has enabled us to decrease our financial and environmental footprint significantly. It has also allowed us to fully air-condition the school classrooms to ensure optimum learning conditions all year long.
We also have:
- Vegetable gardens
- Mini orchard
- Frog pond
- Rabbits and Chickens
- Indigenous Flora Garden (currently under development)
FACILITIES
We are extremely lucky to have modern, spacious buildings and grounds at Lalor Gardens.
We have beautiful and well-designed classroom, specialist, library and outdoor spaces for learning, as well as breakout rooms and meeting spaces for staff and the community. We are extremely lucky to have a full-sized indoor basketball court, performance stage and custom designed art room to ensure our Specialist programs run to their best capacity.
Each learning area contains Smartboard/Smart TVs technology and the most modern student furniture that allows for flexibility in delivering a range of learning activities. We are well equipped with a range of digital technology devices (laptops, iPads) that cater for the learning needs of students at each stage of schooling.
Other key features include:
- Kitchen for daily Breakfast Club and other school events
- BBQ area for school events
- Three playgrounds (P-2, 3/4 and 5/6)
- Covered Outdoor Learning Areas (COLAs)
- Extensive seating for more passive recreation.
- Designated areas for Soccer, basketball, bat tennis, volleyball, netball and down ball
- a range of fun learning line marking activities for the students to engage in
- fully fenced surroundings ensuring the safety of all students.
Please see our virtual tour on our website, (https://lalorgardensps.vic.edu.au/our-school/#tour) we know you will be impressed.
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH US?
If you have strong teamwork skills, a growth mindset, passion for education and dedication to inclusive practices, we encourage you to apply for this position.
Please call or email the school to arrange a tour with our Principal. Any questions about the position advertised can be directed to our Principal Frazer Thomas by calling the school on 9465 1351 or emailing ***************@education.vic.gov.au.
