Executive Principal - Executive Class

School ContextBairnsdale West Primary School is located in Bairnsdale in East Gippsland, approximately 280km East of Melbourne CBD. Bairnsdale West Primary School stands on the traditional land of the Brabalung, one of the five major clan groups of the Gunaikurnai people. The school is strongly committed to the teaching and learning of language and cultural perspectives.Bairnsdale West has an SFOE index of 0.5690 and caters for a diverse student population. The school has a steady population, with currently 331 students enrolled with 69 students identified as Aboriginal.BWPS is a values-based school, requiring leaders and staff to uphold the BWPS Beliefs and Values and the commitment that students are the primary consideration in all decision making. The school is also guided by its motto 'A Caring, Learning Community', as both an expectation and motivation for all members of the school community to lead, support and develop behaviours that place equal emphasis on the academic and wellbeing achievements of students.BWPS is proactive in supporting and understanding 'difference', whilst working cooperatively to achieve success for all. The school community is comprised of students and families who come from diverse cultural, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. All staff are committed to providing differentiated teaching to ensure that students are respected and engaged in their learning at an appropriate level. Growth for individual and groups of students is robustly measured on an ongoing basis which is reflected in the individualised target-setting and weekly planning by classroom teachers, as well as the provision of weekly Academic and Specialist Extension Programs and small group intervention programs.Whole School Health & WellbeingBWPS is strongly supported and guided by the Respectful Relationships Statement of Commitment to 'implementing a whole-school approach to building respectful relationships to prevent family violence in the community'. BWPS effectively applies a research-based approach to improving the health and wellbeing of students through longstanding work with key personnel and resources from the Department's Respectful Relationships initiative and the not-for-profit organisation, Sexual Health Victoria (SHV). Key areas of focus for teaching and learning across the school are emotional literacy, consent, protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies with the bigger picture of creating happy, healthy and resilient students.InclusionBWPS believes that inclusion involves developing understanding of difference and using this knowledge to support an inclusive environment. This understanding is developed at both staff and student levels in many ways, including:Individual Learning Plans (for PSD-identified students, EAL students, Koorie Students and out-of-home-care students) supported by regular meetings with carers to discuss the child's learning and development.Targeted teaching programs developed by teachers to support differentiation of teaching and learning for the range of knowledge and ability across a grade.Listening and learning from school partners and parents who support the school's ambition to understand educationally disadvantaged groups within the school and make modifications to the school's environment where necessary.Upskilling staff knowledge of specific backgrounds that are relevant to the community and can affect learning (e.g. trauma and poverty) and supporting staff to implement strategies to cater for students.The Department of Education's Disability Inclusion Reforms commence in 2025 and the school is actively preparing for these changes.Gunaikurnai Language & CultureBWPS has a strong, whole school commitment to the teaching and learning of the real history of Australia, particularly in relation to Gunaikurnai country on which BWPS is located. The school has strong connections and mutually respectful relationships with the Gunaikurnai and broader Aboriginal community members, including students, parents, families, elders, community organisations (including Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation - GLaWAC and Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative Ltd - GEGAC) and other institutions such as Monash University. The school is proud of its ongoing commitment to a reconciled Australia based on the real history of Australia through the school's annual On Country Professional Development Days for staff and families, as well as lessons and excursions for Junior, Middle and Senior students that include the teaching of the Gunaikurnai language, stories and cultural practices.Reading Workshop ModelReading is a major focus for development at BWPS, particularly following the school review of 2022, with an emphasis on practices that support the development of children over their primary school years. As part of this, modifications have been made to pedagogy which has resulted in the implementation of the 'BWPS Instructional Reading Model' that takes into account the high level of knowledge of many teachers and supports the development of all teachers. The model has already resulted in increased engagement and improved comprehension skills in both fiction and non-fiction texts for students across the whole school.Mathematical ThinkingThe school continues to strongly implement the prior knowledge and learnings from the Department-led Primary Maths and Science Specialist Program and the Mathematics Association of Victoria's (MAV) Big Ideas Program and works closely with the MAV. At BWPS all children are encouraged to think mathematically and demonstrate understanding, rather than just follow processes and scripts. Bloom's Taxonomy, which illustrates a continuum of thinking from remembering to the higher-level thinking skills of creating, evaluating and analysing, has been relevant for staff when developing understandings of this belief. Teachers at BWPS utilise Big Ideas in Maths to complete in-depth preparation, identify teachable moments as they occur and monitor and assess student progression.Structure of Bairnsdale West Primary SchoolBWPS has a strong belief in providing flexibility in work arrangements, providing casual, part and full-time positions for staff.The school's structure is currently comprised of a Junior Team (Prep-2), Middle Team (Grades 3-4) and Senior Team (Grades 5-6). Two Leadership Team members support each team. The staffing profile includes the equivalent of 16 classroom teachers, specialist teachers in the areas of Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Science and Physical Education, 1 tutor and 20 education support and admin staff. The school has 2 Assistant Principals and 6 Leading Teachers/Learning Specialists.Leadership Team members are designated leaders in all academic and wellbeing programs and initiatives across the school and are important to building school culture and commitment to the school motto. They are active and responsible for developing and supporting the teaching and learning of all staff as is demonstrated in the areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Mathematical Thinking, Health and Humanities. The Leadership Team is comprised of Learning Specialists, Leading Teachers, two Assistant Principals and the Principal. The Leadership Team works cooperatively to support all students, staff and families to achieve success and to build trust and understanding.Classroom teachers at BWPS have a broad range of experience and demonstrate personal strengths daily to achieve positive outcomes for all students. The school has a variety of straight and composite grades providing flexibility to make the most suitable choice for class selections. The school has a large number of education support staff across the school in all classes to support the learning and development of all students.Parents/carers and community members are respected and encouraged to be active participants in the school. Survey results and behaviours strongly indicate positive relationships and connectedness between families, community and the school.For further information see the school's websitehttps://bwestps.vic.edu.au/
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