Classroom Teacher Range 2

Job type: Part time / From 28/01/2025 - 23/01/2026
Organisation: Schools (Government)
Salary: Salary not specified
Occupation: Education and Training
Reference: 1437375
Selection CriteriaSC1 `Content of teaching and learning'. Demonstrated ability to inform and influence the work of others involved in the engagement, mental health, wellbeing or learning of children and young people.SC2 `Teaching practice'. Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies relating to mental health, wellbeing or learning.SC3 `Assessment and reporting of student learning'. Demonstrated ability to support a student's mental health, wellbeing or learning by developing and maintaining connection with external services.SC4 `Interaction with the school community'. Demonstrated high level interpersonal skills and communication skills. Demonstrated high level of capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, other employees and the broader school community to focus on student learning, wellbeing and engagement.SC5 `Professional requirements'. Demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate by gaining buy-in and ownership for ideas, gaining agreement to proposals, or involving experts or other third parties to strengthen a case.RoleThe Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System highlighted that primary schools provide opportunities to identify children with mental health and wellbeing challenges, who can then be referred to treatment, care and support.
The Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative is being expanded to every government and low-fee non-government primary school in Victoria. Scaling up across the state from 2023, by 2026 every primary school will be able to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader to implement a whole-school approach to wellbeing.
The Department of Education has been piloting the Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative in Victorian schools since 2020 in partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Evaluation of this pilot initiative has shown that 95 per cent of Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders consider the Mental Health in Primary Schools model has improved their school's capacity to support students' mental health and wellbeing needs.
Participating schools receive funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, a qualified teacher, to work across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.
The role of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader is to:
build capability of the whole school with regard to mental health and wellbeing (identification, promotion and prevention),provide support to staff to better identify and support students with mental health needs,establish clear pathways for referral for students requiring assessment and intervention, and monitor and evaluate student progress.The role provides a proactive focus for the promotion and prevention of mental health and wellbeing through assessment and implementation of context-relevant programs, approaches and initiatives based on a broad and extensive knowledge of the needs of the school.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader role is not a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention. The role is seen as a key conduit in creating referral pathways once a teacher or other staff member identifies a concern in the classroom.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders are provided training in mental health literacy, supporting emerging needs, and building school capacity and receive ongoing support and professional development through structured and regular Learning Communities Training is developed and facilitated by the Faculty of Education at University of Melbourne, supported by Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
ResponsibilitiesOperating in collaboration with their school, leadership and wellbeing team where relevant, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader will:
Promote a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing to students, staff and families.Support teachers and school staff to expand their capacity to embed evidence-based mental health strategies, interventions and programs and build mental health literacy to identify and support primary school students with mental health concerns.Collaborate with school staff to inform, influence and provide input into teaching and learning relating to mental health and wellbeing. Provide support to schools staff and classroom teachers to build their capabilities to embed mental health into the classroom.Work with school leadership and wellbeing teams to embed whole school approaches to mental health into school planning and strategic processes. Coordinate clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services) for students identified as requiring further assessment and intervention.Proactively work with and support regional staff, school wellbeing and leadership teams, teachers, parents/carers and other external agencies to coordinate targeted mental health support for primary school students.Contribute to the school's existing wellbeing team.Who May ApplyTeachers 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.
EEO AND OHS CommitmentApplicants 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.
The Department of Education 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. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability.
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via
Child Safe StandardsVictorian 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:
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:
All staff employed by the department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.Please ensure that your application includes:
A resume including relevant experience as well as personal details (name, address and contact numbers, business and home)A section addressing the selection criteria and the requirements for application under the Who May Apply sectionNames and contact numbers (telephone and email if possible) of two referees who are able to attest to the claims made in your application.Please note that the selection panel may seek additional referees beyond those you name. Consistent with policy, we shall advise you if we will take this action.
VIT LANTITETo 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.
Location ProfileOur school is certainly special. Families enjoy the fact that each child experiences programs and teaching practices that allow them to explore their talents and reach their potential. A sense of fun aligned with our emphasis on empathy, gratitude and mindfulness surrounds the importance we place on the wellbeing of all!
Teachers throughout the whole school pride themselves in using aligned practices so children are surrounded by consistent expectations that ensure they feel safe and secure.
Emphasis is placed on effective communication so that the foundation of child, teacher and family consistently supports the needs of all. An open-door approach ensures quick and effective sharing of both celebration and resolution, providing a solution focused positive way forward.
Families have every opportunity to celebrate the learning of their child and share in their progress. Occasions are planned regularly for families to attend the classroom to see and know what their child is learning.
Staff enjoy the opportunity to involve themselves in active play with students and ensure the balance of work and play keeps bodies and minds healthy.
As a team we all look after each other and are very proud of the positive community we have that ensures we raise happy, respectful and inclusive children.
A sense of community drives the way we operate at every level of the school.
Do your best, help others succeed and respect your environment are the guidelines that steer us each day. Belonging, acceptance and involvement act as our motivators to provide a place of connectedness to each other and to our school.
Developing the whole child is our focus; exploring new ideas, developing our curiosity of the world around us and making sense of wonderings.
Our staff are intent on developing respectful, caring and active human beings who are empathetic towards all and grateful for what they are fortunate to have. We aim to develop inquiring, engaged learners who develop skills and strategies to reach their potential.
Our Approach to Teaching Literacy
At Menzies Creek Primary School we believe an evidence-based approach, endorsed by the science of reading research, is the best method for supporting all students. We offer a whole-school approach that promotes skill development in reading and viewing, writing, and speaking and listening in a supportive and stimulating environment. Learning experiences are based on the Victorian Curriculum and are supported by best, evidence-based practices around literacy acquisition.
In the early years of school, students start every day with activities designed to support students' ability to hear, recognize, and play with the sounds in spoken language. This is followed by the Little Learners Love Literacy Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) program. This program is designed to teach children the 44 letter sounds and how we blend sounds to read and spell. We continue to invest in decodable readers for students of all ages. Children use decodable readers to practise the sound-spelling relationships and use the decoding skills taught in the Little Learners Love Literacy program to read these.
Students in Foundation – Year 2 are introduced to a small number of high-frequency words (HFW) that frequently appear in print. These words are words that children need to 'learn by heart' initially as they cannot decode them just yet (such as: of, the, is). Our early year's staff provide multi-sensory, explicit teaching instruction to assist students to automatically read a handful of tricky HFW (heart words).
In all year levels, we implement a knowledge-rich curriculum to build our students' depth and breadth of content knowledge by embedding history, geography, and civics in our lessons. Teachers share rich, authentic texts daily to support vocabulary growth, build our students' content knowledge about the world around them, and promote reading for pleasure and learning. We challenge children to read `at-level' books for 15 minutes a day in class, and nightly reading is also encouraged. Our students are encouraged to borrow multiple library books per week to support exposure to books at home.
At Menzies Creek Primary School, we have focused fluency instruction in all classrooms. Fluency pairs is a short, sharp activity where we pair students to read a text multiple times a week.
For writing at Menzies Creek Primary School, we have started implementing The Writing Revolution (TWR), also known as The Hochman Method, an explicit set of evidence-based strategies for teaching writing.
Literacy support at Menzies Creek Primary School is a priority. We follow the Response to Intervention (RTI) model, a multi-tiered approach to learning instruction. In Tier 2 or 3 intervention, we can differentiate instruction and target specific skills for struggling learners. Our team provides:
Tier 1 whole-class instruction using evidence-based instruction.Tier 2 support in small group sessions for students identified as at risk to supplement skill-building.Tier 3 individual intensive 1:1 targeted support for our struggling learners.We offer the same RTI model for literacy and numeracy.
We are proud of the amazing achievements each child makes and the enthusiasm they have for their school. As a team we are more than a school, we are a place where inclusivity creates a thriving community that is special and a privilege to be part of.
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