SCHOOL PROFILE
Excellence in Education:
Gisborne Primary School is situated in the picturesque country town of Gisborne, 53km from Melbourne. The school has a current enrolment of approximately 546 pupils with approximately 50 staff. The school's facilities provide a stimulating and safe learning environment for children, where they are supported in their pursuit of excellence and in the realisation of their maximum potential. School facilities include a library, gymnasium, canteen, visual arts and music rooms and diverse play spaces.
The School's Philosophy:
The school's philosophy is based on the belief that every student has the ability to learn and that this occurs best in a safe, happy and positive environment. These values also tie in with our motto ‘caring’ and is featured on the school’s uniform. Our teachers differentiate the curriculum to suit the learning needs of all students.
Our Vision & Values:
Our school vision is to develop respectful, resilient, responsible and inquiring students who are inclusive, caring community members that embrace diversity. All students are empowered to learn and achieve their personal best, experiencing high quality teaching practice and the best conditions for learning which equip them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be lifelong learners. We value family input into their child’s education and encourage a positive and open home/school partnership.
We aim to support students to:
Our values:
Caring - We display kindness and concern for others.
Respect - We treat everyone in a considerate and courteous manner.
Resilience - We can recover quickly from difficulties.
Responsibility - We make good choices and can be trusted to do the right thing at all times.
Personal Best - We work hard and strive to achieve our best in everything we do.
Our motto:
Through collaboration with the school community, Gisborne Primary School has developed a motto to represent our school values and beliefs:
Caring Hearts, Caring Minds, Caring Actions
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS):
SWPBS is a framework that brings together school communities to develop positive, safe, supportive learning cultures. It assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for children and young people. When SWPBS is implemented well, teachers and students have more time to focus on relationships and classroom instruction. Benefits include increased respectful and positive behaviour amongst students and staff, improved social-emotional wellbeing, as well as a more predictable learning environment with improved perceptions of safety and increased attendance.
Wellbeing Program:
Gisborne Primary School incorporate many wellbeing initiatives across the school including the Respectful Relationships Curriculum. Promoting and modelling respect, positive attitudes and behaviors teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. This links with our school values of Caring, Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Personal Best. School Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) is a framework we use across the school with a focus on the expected behaviours of staff, students, families and visitors. Our main focus is to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn in a calm and engaging classroom. Bully Stoppers supports leadership, teachers, parents and students in working together to help put a stop to bullying including cyber safety.
The Assistant Principal and Principal oversee all wellbeing programs with the support of a qualified Wellbeing Officer. She supports groups and individual students as well as their teachers and links families with community allied health services as needed.
Home/School Partnership:
We really value the home school partnership and have an extensive wellbeing program. Research shows there is a very strong link between a family’s positive attitude to school and education and a child’s learning outcomes and feelings of social integration in school. Every class has weekly Personal and Social capability sessions. We teach children to be resilient and persistent, to manage their emotions, to have high aspirations and be responsible for their leaning and themselves. We highly value ‘Respect’ of each other and the school property and promote respectful relationships between parents and teachers. We want to work in partnership with parents to ensure you are providing positive messages to your children about school and the importance of their education. Any concerns should be raised with the school ASAP. We provide information about communication processes and ways you can assist your child at home during the enrolment process or at the transition sessions each November/December.
Purpose, Pedagogy and Curriculum:
High value is placed on minimal disruption to the daily two-hour Literacy and one-hour Numeracy sessions. Teacher learning is undertaken in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), with teachers learning from each other focusing on refinements using High Impact Teaching Strategies, goal setting based on student needs and monitoring of student learning. Click here for more information about our spelling and reading program.
The school culture nurtures creativity and imagination through Literature and the Arts. There are intervention and enhancement programs at all levels for Literacy and Numeracy as well as additional supports for Social and Emotional Learning. Our specialists programs include Physical Education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), LOTE (Italian) and The Arts (including Visual Arts, Music and Performing Arts). Other learning areas include Humanities and Health with the Victorian Curriculum Capabilities (Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural and Personal and Social) incorporated into key learning areas across the curriculum. Digital technologies enhance learning in all curriculum areas. A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) iPad program operates in Years 5 and 6. The school is committed to continually improving the technology infrastructure throughout the school.
Specialist Programs:
Extra-curricular programs in 2021/22 include our Kitchen Garden Program, Sustainability Program and lunch time activities such as gardening group and weekly choir. We have four visiting specialist music teachers (keyboard, guitar, piano and singing), as well as our Sporting Program. These programs, in addition to Physical Education/Health, Personal and Social Capabilities contribute to the school’s commitment to the ‘Healthy Schools Achievement Program’, which guides the health and well-being of students, increases engagement and decreases absences. Our current focus is on Healthy Eating, Oral Health, Mental Wellbeing and Physical Activity.
Primary Maths and Science Specialists initiative:
Gisborne Primary School is participating in this Department of Education (DET) initiative to upskill two of its teachers, Barb McRae and David McCall, to become mathematics education specialists. The broad aim is to develop teacher confidence and capability across the school, in order to increase student engagement and achievement. In 2021/22, the focus is on building students’ critical thinking skills through mathematical problem solving tasks and to facilitate their reasoning skills through targeted questioning. This will prepare and inspire our students as 21st Century learners and contributors to the all-important STEM disciplines.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) LINK Initiative:
Gisborne Primary School was identified as a PLC Link School in 2019, for our excellence in building Professional Learning Communities through a strong culture of collaboration and consistently using data to focus and drive improvement in student learning. This continued in 2020/21 and will continue in 2022. The principal and several teachers participated in Intake 2 of the PLC initiative in 2017 and it was a pivotal part of a collaborative distributive leadership model established at the school in 2018. As part of our role as a PLC Link school, we support various schools within our region to improve their practice, through observation of meetings, collaborative planning sessions, and Learning Walks and Talks focused on feedback, and questioning. We will also continue to improve how we use data at Gisborne Primary School to better target students at their individual point of need and to trial and improve our High Impact Teaching Strategies.
Student Leadership:
Students at Gisborne Primary School are encouraged to build agency and their ‘voice’ in their everyday learning and through the many leadership opportunities offered. Our School Captains lead school events, assemblies and school tours and represent the school at community events such as Anzac Day. Other leadership initiatives include: Junior School Council and House Captains. Each classroom is led by two Class Captains and Arts, Sustainability and Community Student Teams.
Our School Council sets high expectations for student learning and teaching practices. Our parents are shared partners in student learning; we value their input and encourage them to contribute through both formal and informal avenues.
Excellence in Education:
Gisborne Primary School is situated in the picturesque country town of Gisborne, 53km from Melbourne. The school has a current enrolment of approximately 546 pupils with approximately 50 staff. The school's facilities provide a stimulating and safe learning environment for children, where they are supported in their pursuit of excellence and in the realisation of their maximum potential. School facilities include a library, gymnasium, canteen, visual arts and music rooms and diverse play spaces.
The School's Philosophy:
The school's philosophy is based on the belief that every student has the ability to learn and that this occurs best in a safe, happy and positive environment. These values also tie in with our motto ‘caring’ and is featured on the school’s uniform. Our teachers differentiate the curriculum to suit the learning needs of all students.
Our Vision & Values:
Our school vision is to develop respectful, resilient, responsible and inquiring students who are inclusive, caring community members that embrace diversity. All students are empowered to learn and achieve their personal best, experiencing high quality teaching practice and the best conditions for learning which equip them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be lifelong learners. We value family input into their child’s education and encourage a positive and open home/school partnership.
We aim to support students to:
- develop a love of learning
- build and demonstrate positive relationships
- demonstrate the school ethos of ‘Caring’
- develop the use of their imagination and creative self-expression
- understand the important elements of physical and mental health and wellbeing
- build self-confidence, a sense of worth and respect and consideration for others
- embrace a set of personal and social values
- cultivate decision making and problem solving skills
- develop the ability to think reflectively, critically and creatively
Our values:
Caring - We display kindness and concern for others.
Respect - We treat everyone in a considerate and courteous manner.
Resilience - We can recover quickly from difficulties.
Responsibility - We make good choices and can be trusted to do the right thing at all times.
Personal Best - We work hard and strive to achieve our best in everything we do.
Our motto:
Through collaboration with the school community, Gisborne Primary School has developed a motto to represent our school values and beliefs:
Caring Hearts, Caring Minds, Caring Actions
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS):
SWPBS is a framework that brings together school communities to develop positive, safe, supportive learning cultures. It assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for children and young people. When SWPBS is implemented well, teachers and students have more time to focus on relationships and classroom instruction. Benefits include increased respectful and positive behaviour amongst students and staff, improved social-emotional wellbeing, as well as a more predictable learning environment with improved perceptions of safety and increased attendance.
Wellbeing Program:
Gisborne Primary School incorporate many wellbeing initiatives across the school including the Respectful Relationships Curriculum. Promoting and modelling respect, positive attitudes and behaviors teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. This links with our school values of Caring, Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Personal Best. School Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) is a framework we use across the school with a focus on the expected behaviours of staff, students, families and visitors. Our main focus is to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn in a calm and engaging classroom. Bully Stoppers supports leadership, teachers, parents and students in working together to help put a stop to bullying including cyber safety.
The Assistant Principal and Principal oversee all wellbeing programs with the support of a qualified Wellbeing Officer. She supports groups and individual students as well as their teachers and links families with community allied health services as needed.
Home/School Partnership:
We really value the home school partnership and have an extensive wellbeing program. Research shows there is a very strong link between a family’s positive attitude to school and education and a child’s learning outcomes and feelings of social integration in school. Every class has weekly Personal and Social capability sessions. We teach children to be resilient and persistent, to manage their emotions, to have high aspirations and be responsible for their leaning and themselves. We highly value ‘Respect’ of each other and the school property and promote respectful relationships between parents and teachers. We want to work in partnership with parents to ensure you are providing positive messages to your children about school and the importance of their education. Any concerns should be raised with the school ASAP. We provide information about communication processes and ways you can assist your child at home during the enrolment process or at the transition sessions each November/December.
Purpose, Pedagogy and Curriculum:
High value is placed on minimal disruption to the daily two-hour Literacy and one-hour Numeracy sessions. Teacher learning is undertaken in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), with teachers learning from each other focusing on refinements using High Impact Teaching Strategies, goal setting based on student needs and monitoring of student learning. Click here for more information about our spelling and reading program.
The school culture nurtures creativity and imagination through Literature and the Arts. There are intervention and enhancement programs at all levels for Literacy and Numeracy as well as additional supports for Social and Emotional Learning. Our specialists programs include Physical Education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), LOTE (Italian) and The Arts (including Visual Arts, Music and Performing Arts). Other learning areas include Humanities and Health with the Victorian Curriculum Capabilities (Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural and Personal and Social) incorporated into key learning areas across the curriculum. Digital technologies enhance learning in all curriculum areas. A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) iPad program operates in Years 5 and 6. The school is committed to continually improving the technology infrastructure throughout the school.
Specialist Programs:
Extra-curricular programs in 2021/22 include our Kitchen Garden Program, Sustainability Program and lunch time activities such as gardening group and weekly choir. We have four visiting specialist music teachers (keyboard, guitar, piano and singing), as well as our Sporting Program. These programs, in addition to Physical Education/Health, Personal and Social Capabilities contribute to the school’s commitment to the ‘Healthy Schools Achievement Program’, which guides the health and well-being of students, increases engagement and decreases absences. Our current focus is on Healthy Eating, Oral Health, Mental Wellbeing and Physical Activity.
Primary Maths and Science Specialists initiative:
Gisborne Primary School is participating in this Department of Education (DET) initiative to upskill two of its teachers, Barb McRae and David McCall, to become mathematics education specialists. The broad aim is to develop teacher confidence and capability across the school, in order to increase student engagement and achievement. In 2021/22, the focus is on building students’ critical thinking skills through mathematical problem solving tasks and to facilitate their reasoning skills through targeted questioning. This will prepare and inspire our students as 21st Century learners and contributors to the all-important STEM disciplines.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) LINK Initiative:
Gisborne Primary School was identified as a PLC Link School in 2019, for our excellence in building Professional Learning Communities through a strong culture of collaboration and consistently using data to focus and drive improvement in student learning. This continued in 2020/21 and will continue in 2022. The principal and several teachers participated in Intake 2 of the PLC initiative in 2017 and it was a pivotal part of a collaborative distributive leadership model established at the school in 2018. As part of our role as a PLC Link school, we support various schools within our region to improve their practice, through observation of meetings, collaborative planning sessions, and Learning Walks and Talks focused on feedback, and questioning. We will also continue to improve how we use data at Gisborne Primary School to better target students at their individual point of need and to trial and improve our High Impact Teaching Strategies.
Student Leadership:
Students at Gisborne Primary School are encouraged to build agency and their ‘voice’ in their everyday learning and through the many leadership opportunities offered. Our School Captains lead school events, assemblies and school tours and represent the school at community events such as Anzac Day. Other leadership initiatives include: Junior School Council and House Captains. Each classroom is led by two Class Captains and Arts, Sustainability and Community Student Teams.
Our School Council sets high expectations for student learning and teaching practices. Our parents are shared partners in student learning; we value their input and encourage them to contribute through both formal and informal avenues.
