Department of Education - Victoria

Lynbrook Primary School is situated within the City of Casey and is part of the South East growth corridor. The school opened in 2005 and has a current enrollment of 780 students. It has an enrollment boundary in place to limit its overall enrollment which is predicted to be relatively stable.

The school and its local community are serviced by large open parks, a lake and a shopping/services precinct. The school's SFOE is 0.3868. In the majority of homes, both parents work. Before and after school care is outsourced and more than fifty children attend regularly.

The purpose of this school is for all children to experience success every day, assisted on their way by the development of core values: Growth mindset, Respect, Empathy, Attitude and Teamwork - our school GREAT values. The school seeks to engage students intellectually, socially and emotionally by providing a range of experiences designed to enable students to recognise and utilise their abilities and achieve the highest possible outcomes. An integrated inquiry approach is taken, where learning occurs in a real and worthwhile context, deeply connected to the world they live in, and acknowledges existing skills.

The school is culturally diverse with over 40 different languages being spoken at home; approximately 50% of our students have a Language Background Other Than English. The school celebrates diversity with pride and promotes tolerance, understanding and caring.  Students report that they feel welcome and safe at the school regardless of their home cultures.

Parents have a high regard for education.

The school has modern and well-resourced facilities including a Performing Arts Centre and full size gym. Facilities and grounds are well maintained and reflect the pride staff and students have in their learning environment. All classrooms are well equipped to enable the use of learning technologies. The play areas are large and the school has access to a large oval which is shared under a Joint Use Agreement with the City of Casey.

The staffing profile includes three Principal Class, two Leading Teachers, four Learning Specialists and fifty-seven teachers. Thirty-two Education Support Staff are deployed in various roles throughout the school including supporting the the inclusion of students with additional needs.

Staff work together as Professional Learning Teams guided by a Sub School Learning Specialist. There is a focus on data driven decision making fed by a well-established set of assessment tools.  Our teams have ownership of the whole cohort of students rather than just their own individual classes.

The students are organised into thirty-six grades. Specialist learning includes Music, Art, Physical Education and Library. Our Language Other Than English (LOTE) is Auslan - Australian Sign Language - which has been a feature of our school since it opened in 2005.  Outdoor Education is a strength of the school with a fleet of school-owned Stand Up Paddleboards, Bikes, and Tents.  A choir of nearly 100 rehearses each week as does a Year 6 Rock Band.  Children are guided to learn to play kazoo, recorder, ukulele, keyboard and african drums during their music lessons.  The school is an active participant in district sport competitions as well as providing opportunities for students to participate in performing opportunities through Rock Band, School Choir, Harmony Day and other school wide activities. 

The school provides a comprehensive curriculum drawn from the Victorian Curriculum with a strong focus on English and Maths. Curriculum initiatives include Read Write Inc for teaching Systematic Synthetic Phonics and early reading and writing skills, and the use of `Teaching Primary Mathematics' as the basis for all Maths planning. We follow the approach `Talk for Writing' which supports the development of writing fluency and sophistication while also enhancing vocabulary development in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing.  We use SMART Spelling as a structure for extending students' phonic and morphemic understanding of the written system of the English language.

In addition to the comprehensive classroom programs offered in English and Maths, an integrated classroom curriculum program addresses the other curriculum areas under Humanities, Technologies, Science and the Capabilities. These curriculum areas are also cross referenced with the literacy program to ensure sufficient time is allocated to address the content. Interdisciplinary, Personal and Social Learning are addressed within these curriculum areas and supported by a range of Outdoor Education opportunities, camps and excursion initiatives.

 

SC1    Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the capacity to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated capacity to respond to student learning needs.

SC2    Demonstrated capacity to implement high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth. 

SC3    Demonstrated capacity to monitor and assess student learning. Demonstrated capacity to use data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

SC4    Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, wellbeing and engagement.    

SC5    Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated capacity to reflect upon practice and engage in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.