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Form of workAitken Hill Primary School neighbours rapidly growing residential areas in the suburb of Craigieburn. The school is located at the intersection of Elevation Boulevard and Rhyolite Drive. The school will work in partnership with the community to provide authentic learning opportunities and best academic outcomes for all students.
Aitken Hill Primary School opened in 2019, with a current enrolment of 834 in 2024. The school truly presents as an innovative, unique and contemporary school. The curriculum, approach to pedagogy and culture that the new school develops will work in harmony with the design of the school buildings.
At Aitken Hill Primary School, architectural form and educational ethos align to emphasize creativity, collaboration, innovation, wellbeing and community engagement.
The Learning Communities have been carefully designed to allow for a flexible learning space incorporating a variety of different educational modes to take place in the one building. There are 2 Learning Community buildings which can each house up to 200 students. This P-6 Learning Community incorporates a rich array of educational activities including messy wet areas, quiet reflective areas, withdrawal spaces, some library spaces and small classroom spaces.
Each learning community building houses 8 groups of 25 students with the key focus on flexible spaces. Below is further information regarding the layout of the Learning Community buildings.
Focus on Teaching and Learning
The quality of classroom teaching at Aitken Hill PS will be a significant indicator of the school¿s effectiveness. Effective teachers know how students learn and build on the knowledge their students bring with them. Purposeful teaching will ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn in a classroom environment that has clear learning objectives, challenging learning goals and ongoing and systemic monitoring and feedback.
Curriculum links include:
- Science: wet and messy activities (freezing, melting) basic physics (dropping objects)
- Art: painting, drawing, sculpting etc.
- All learning areas: model-making, experiment and investigation.
High Expectations for All Learners
Aitken Hill PS has high expectations for all members of the school community. Teachers and students will be challenged to take advantage of all opportunities to learn and to persist when confronted with situations that require new learning. An explicit focus on effort rather than ability underpins learning interactions and the modelling of desired behaviours as there is a shared belief that all students can learn to high levels.
High expectations are also evident in the quality of the relationships between all members of the school community and their engagement and contribution to the wider community. A commitment to continuous improvement will be reflected in the way that the schools consistently communicate the importance of self-improvement and higher standards when initial targets and goals are met.
Accountability
The school is establishing a rigorous and intelligent system of accountability through which school, teacher and student performance can be monitored and evaluated. The school will use performance data to identify, support and monitor all students and plan professional learning activities for staff. Valid and reliable accountability measures will also allow the school leadership team to provide parents with meaningful information about the progress of the school and their children.
Learning Communities
Aitken Hill is aspiring to become a learning community that shares a common vision and goals, where all members work collaboratively to enhance the teaching and learning environment. Learning communities comprised of individuals with diverse expertise and knowledge which is valued, and through collaboration, drawn out, shared and used to solve school-based challenges. The learning community fosters openness, dialogue, inquiry, risk-taking and trust. In this environment, teachers feel they can make informed and responsibly decisions about innovative teaching strategies.
Stimulating and Secure Learning Environment
Aitken Hill PS understands that the nature and quality of the environment in which students and teachers work in has a significant impact on their learning. Effective schools are stimulating places to those learning, working and visiting. The design of the environment embodies the values and principles of the school and fosters creativity and a culture of learning. Quality relationships contribute to an environment where all members feel safe, secure and valued.
Staff will be expected to contribute to:
- Creating a professional learning community
- Developing a shared practice where all are engaged to continually improve
- Developing a pedagogy and curriculum reflective of 21stcentury learning which maximises the use of flexible spaces
- Developing safe and supportive learning communities based on School Wide Positive Behaviour Support
- Community engagement and involvement in the life of the school
School contact details: **************@education.vic.gov.au
Phone: 8377 1000
