Graduate Classroom Teacher (Montessori Approach)
Job Opening: Graduate Classroom Teacher (Montessori Approach) - Lower Plenty Primary School
Location: Lower Plenty, Victoria
Employment Type: Full-time
Start Date: 28 January 2025
Location Profile
About Us:
Lower Plenty Primary School is nestled in the picturesque suburb of Lower Plenty, a community known for its vibrant culture, rich history, and stunning natural surroundings. Located near the Yarra and Plenty Rivers, the school provides a nurturing, inclusive educational environment grounded in Montessori principles and dedicated to individualized learning. We are committed to empowering students to take ownership of their learning and fostering social and emotional growth.
Our school is deeply embedded within the local community and maintains strong ties to both Indigenous heritage and environmental conservation.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced teacher with a passion for Montessori education to join our dedicated team in 2025.
Programs & Initiatives:
- Montessori Education: The school has implemented Montessori principles, focusing on student-led learning and fostering independence.
- Respectful Relationships & Peaceful Kids: These programs are core to the school’s approach, ensuring students develop emotional regulation and social skills in a safe, respectful environment.
- Environmental Focus: Lower Plenty Primary School integrates environmental education into its curriculum, encouraging students to engage with their natural surroundings and appreciate local conservation efforts.
- Inclusive Education: With a strong commitment to inclusivity, the school supports neurodiverse students and those with disabilities, offering tailored learning opportunities and emotional support.
Selection Criteria - Graduates
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.
Program Benefits - Graduates
This position may attract an incentive payment of $5,650 (pre-tax) for the successful candidate who meets the eligibility criteria set out under conditions of employment
Role - Graduates
The primary focus of the range 1 classroom teacher is on further developing skills and competencies to become an effective classroom practitioner with structured support and guidance from teachers at higher levels and the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes.
These teachers teach a range of students/classes and are accountable for the effective delivery of their programs. Range 1 classroom teachers are skilled teachers who operate under general direction within clear guidelines following established work practices and documented priorities and may have responsibility for the supervision and training of one or more student teachers.
At range 1, teachers participate in the development of school policies and programs and assist in the implementation of school priorities.
The focus of a range 1 classroom teacher is on classroom management, subject content and teaching practice. New entrants to the teaching profession in their initial teaching years receive structured support, mentoring and guidance from teachers at higher levels.
Under guidance, new entrants to the teaching profession will plan and teach student groups in one or more subjects and are expected to participate in induction programs and other professional learning activities that are designed to ensure the integration of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy across the school.
Teachers at range 1 are responsible for teaching their own classes and may also assist and participate in policy development, project teams and the organisation of co-curricula activities.
Responsibilities - Graduates
Core responsibilities include:
- Planning and implementing a range of teaching programs or courses of study
- Teaching an area of the curriculum or a general curriculum to a year level
- Monitoring, evaluating and reporting student progress in key learning areas
- Implementing strategies to achieve targets related to student learning outcomes
- Maintaining records of class attendance and recording student progress
- Implementing effective student management consistent with the school charter.
- Working with a mentor to participate in professional development planning, implementation and reflection developing a professional portfolio
Who May Apply - Graduates
To be eligible to apply for a position advertised through the Teacher Graduate Recruitment program, a teacher must:
- have completed their course requirements and graduated in the last 4 years, and
- not be employed as a teacher by the department at the time the advertised position is to commence
Applicants must also be currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
EEO AND OHS Commitment
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.
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 (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via [email protected]
Child Safe Standards
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
DE Values
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
Other Information
No job description available
Conditions of Employment
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.
Eligibility for incentive payments:
- The successful candidate is committing to a minimum of 1 year employment at this school
- The successful candidate will not be a Graduate Teacher Incentive recipient from a previous vacancy
- The successful candidate must not be employed as a teacher by the Department at the time the advertised position is to commence
Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx
VIT LANTITE
To 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.