Wooranna Park Primary School is located within Dandenong North, situated in the south-east corridor of Melbourne approximately 34 kilometres from the Melbourne Central Business District and close to the Monash Freeway.
We are proud of our community, catering for a wide range of social, economic and cultural backgrounds. The current school population is 256 students with a Student Family Occupation and Education (SFOE) index of 0.5105, putting us in the high band. We are proud to serve a large proportion of students with language background other than English with 156 students speaking a language other than English at home. This is 60.7% of the student body. 104 of these students were born in Australia, but speak a language other than English at home. They represent 40.47% of the student body. 62 students speak Dari at home, 39.74% of our EAL student population. Next we have 11 students who speak Serbian, followed by 9 students who speak Vietnamese and 9 who speak Hazaraghi.
In 2023 we collaborated as a community to update our school vision, mission and values. Our school¿s vision states that we are striving to create a bright future for every learner. As such we are here tobuild the foundations for life, in an inclusive and welcoming learning environment, as stated in our mission. All members of our school community are expected to follow our school values of being Safe, Respectful and Responsible. These values form the pillars of our wellbeing and school wide positive behaviour approach to all interactions, empowering us all to Dream, Believe and Achieve as stated in our school¿s motto.
The school features two main school buildings, accommodating several learning spaces with a Building the Education Revolution (BER) gymnasium. Our school¿s grounds embrace the beauty and benefits of natural settings, with spaces such as a cubby building area, a running track, various playgrounds and a boat integrated into the landscape to encourage imaginative play and a connection with nature. The school hosts a vegetable garden, connected to our strong focus on the sciences, the environment and sustainability, as part of our STEM program.
In 2023 the school moved to a multi-age class structure, for years one to six, enabling us to have 12 composite classes while also creating professional learning communities to cater for the individual learning and wellbeing needs of all students, through PLC improvement cycles, planning, assessment and implementation. Our specialist curriculum subjects include Japanese, Performing Arts, Physical Education, STEM and Visual Arts.
The Professional Learning Community process has provided us with a collective focus on continuous improvement across the whole school, helping to strengthen the importance of research-based frameworks and a documented curriculum that is cohesive and sequenced.
Our students are supported by additional programs such as the Tutor Learning Initiative that identifies students needing support in Literacy and Mathematics. We also have had students participate in the Victorian High Abilities program in response to their NAPLAN assessments, enabling them to work with other students to share learning and ideas.
Resources have also been mobilised to support students' wellbeing and mental health. The School Wide Positive Behaviour support (SWPBS) framework has helped to bring the school community together to promote a positive, safe, respectful, and responsible learning culture. In 2024 we have been excited to implement the URStrong program to foster a culture of kindness and empower students with essential friendship skills. To date this program has provided us with a common language to address friendship dynamics, helping to navigate conflicts and build stronger, healthier relationships. We are also guided by the Be You framework to support students' and families mental health and wellbeing.
In addition, students at Wooranna Park Primary School have opportunities to participate in athletics, swimming, cross country and gala days competing against other schools in our District Sports Association. Our school staff organise lunchtime clubs such as art, choir, games, dance, Koorie and chess just to name a few, enabling our students¿ opportunities to show their talents and passions.
Currently 19 students receive funding through the Program for Students with a Disability (PSD) and another 6 have recently received funding through the Disability Inclusion Profile process, with several other children having high inclusion needs. All our students are supported through our tiered model of intervention, and our team of Education Support staff, including an inclusion leader, school chaplain and occupational therapist, are second to none!
The teaching staff comprises a range of levels of experience from recently graduated teachers to highly experienced teaching practitioners who are ready to engage in school improvement. The school¿s middle leaders are developing their capacity to lead the school forward to ensure we are providing students with the best possible learning outcomes for every student.
All staff are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) and Educational Support Staff have relevant qualifications and Working with Children Checks (WWCC), as required by the Department of Education for employment.
The special school activities that engage our families are events such as our fortnightly assemblies, ANZAC day ceremony, arts show, Bunnings fundraising BBQ, book fair, book week parade, camps, easter parade, excursions, golden assemblies, 100 days of Prep, STEM expo, mothers and father¿s day events, storytelling afternoons, student led conferences, sporting events and clinics and our colour run, just to name a few! We also aim to promote and engage with our current and potential community through an active school Facebook page.
Village OSHC provides after hours school care in the Terry O¿Connor Centre (TOC) Monday to Fridays each afternoon.
There are plenty of opportunities for us to grow and develop this school together, creating a bright future for the children of the Dandenong North community. Please read about the aspirations we have for our community on our website: https://www.woorannaparkps.vic.edu.au/page/15/A-Message-from-the-Principal
SC1 Educational Leadership
Outstanding capacity for visionary and exemplary educational leadership of a primary school. Highly developed skills in leading and managing change including the leadership of others in the process of change. Deep understanding of explicit and inquiry learning pedagogy.
SC2 Financial, managerial and administrative ability
Outstanding financial, organisational and resource management skills.
SC3 Planning, policy and program development and review
Exemplary values appropriate to the development of student learning with a demonstrated capacity to achieve high-quality student outcomes. Demonstrated ability to implement Department policies and initiatives to a high level.
SC4 Leadership of staff and students
A highly developed capacity to motivate staff, develop their talents and build an effective team. A clear capacity to foster a learning environment that takes account of the individual needs of students.
SC5 Interpersonal and communication skills
Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills in individual, small group and community contexts. Exemplary values pertaining to personal qualities of objectivity, sensitivity and integrity. An ability to work with parents and the community to develop a strong learning environment.
SC6 Community Criteria
Demonstrated commitment to high-quality teaching and pedagogy that supports student learning growth within a culturally diverse learning community.
The assistant principal reports directly to the principal.
Assistant principals have a primary responsibility for the management of significant areas or functions within the school to ensure the effective development, provision and evaluation of the school's education program. In exercising the responsibility, assistant principals will have the authority to make all significant decisions relating to the program, budget and staff relating to their area of designated responsibility within the framework of the school's strategic plan, policies and budget. Assistant principals will contribute to the overall management of the school through involvement in policy formulation and decision making.
The management of significant school program or functional areas in schools involve assistant principals in the analysis of the needs of students and the translation of state educational policy and frameworks into appropriate education programs to meet the needs of all students.
Typically assistant principals will be responsible for the effective use of the teaching staff and program budget of a defined area of the school's operation and for the oversight and leadership of the educational programs provided utilising these resources.
Typically, assistant principals perform one or more of the following functions:
- supervision and coordination of the work of senior curriculum or level coordinators;
- allocation of budgets, positions of responsibility and other resources within the area of responsibility;
- supervision of the delivery of teaching programs;
- management of programs to improve the knowledge and experience of staff;
- responsibility for general discipline matters beyond the management of classroom teachers and year level coordinators;
- contribute to the overall management of the school;
Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, 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 safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via [email protected]
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.
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
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit our school website, where you can access a range of key school documents, including our School Reports and Plans. These documents provide an overview of our school¿s priorities, improvement journey and strategic direction and can be accessed here: School Reports & Plans
A school tour is scheduled for 4:00 pm on Monday 31 August, with additional tour times available upon request.
To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class:
- The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and
- if the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching program or course of study on or after 1 January 2024, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education program that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and
- a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program after 1 July 2016 must also 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 ITE program completed by the person).
Details of qualification requirements as updated from time to time can be found at Recruitment in Schools.
