Classroom Teacher- Humanities

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the advertised position at Warrnambool College. At a time of exciting growth and continuous school improvement, this is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated, dynamic professional to be part of our team.

At Warrnambool College we achieve success through persistence, resilience and mutual respect.

The College values are:
Resilience, strength, mutual respect, courage, trust, global learners, honesty, accountability and persistence.

College Philosophy:
The primary aim of Warrnambool College is to prepare students for life as active, happy, healthy citizens. We provide opportunities to develop the academic, social and personal skills which will allow them to participate in and contribute to the community as competent and informed global citizens. Our College recognises and strives to meet the individual needs and educational requirements of all students.

We make a strong commitment to child safety and consider this the duty of all child related staff workers.
Warrnambool College offers an educational program which is diverse and interesting and allows students to experience success in an environment which is safe and supportive. We are innovative in curriculum development and always look to providing a contemporary, relevant program. Curriculum delivery and planning is developed using the Understanding by Design methodology. This practice is reflected across the College as a whole and all teaching staff take part in Professional Learning Teams. The daily structure of the school operates on a four period day; each period consists of 70 minutes.

Location :
Warrnambool College is a Years 7-12 secondary school situated within parkland in the eastern area of the city of Warrnambool. Students from the City of Warrnambool and the surrounding rural districts attend the school which has a stable student population of more than 1200 students with boys and girls in approximately equal numbers.

Student Welfare:
Warrnambool College has a student welfare structure which is based upon the organisation of students into six House Groupings. Each House has a House Leader supported by two Assistants. There is a strong focus on Pastoral Care. Our College Wellbeing centre encompasses our Wellbeing coordinator, Student Counsellors, ‘Big Life’ program coordinator and School Nurse who all play a vital role in caring for students at all year levels.Warrnambool College has a commitment to zero tolerance of child abuse and safety of children with a disability, from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and students with diverse sexual and/or gender identification.

Parent Involvement :
The College prioritises communication with all families through a range of mediums including the on line communication tool, Compass. Parents and guardians are encouraged to become involved in College activities and the education of their children in all areas of the curriculum. Opportunities exist for parents and guardians to contribute at the policy-making level via our College Council and its various sub-committees.

Education Programs:
In Years 7-10 students are able to participate in studies from all areas of AusVels and where applicable the Australian Curriculum. At Years 7 and 8 there is a common curriculum which aims to develop the students' competence in literacy, numeracy, the arts and technology as a foundation for success in future studies. In Year 9 students participate in PhoenIX which has student centered inquiry based learning at the heart of this innovative program. At Year 10 students enjoy an extensive program of semester units which provide diversity, challenge and the opportunity to pursue studies of particular individual interest. The VCE timetable aligns with Year 10 units allowing for advanced study if desired. Students are also able to participate in educational extension and enhancement programs in addition to their normal studies. The College is accredited to teach the SEAL program and is a founding member of the academy of accredited SEAL schools. Students who enter this gifted and talented program must complete testing in Year 6. A 10+ subject for later entry to the gifted and talented program was introduced in 2016. In Years 9 and 10 students are introduced to the broad range of services available from the Careers Centre and they are encouraged to use this facility in planning for future studies or in preparing for entry to the workforce.
Student achievement at the VCE level is outstanding at Warrnambool College. An extensive range of units are offered from mainstream academic studies through to Vocational Education and Training courses in areas such as Automotive, Building, Community Services, Engineering, Electro technology, Fashion Design, Make-up, Plumbing, Bricklaying and Hospitality. The College also offers the Victorian Certificate of Applied Education at the Intermediate and Senior level as well as the innovative program MiVCE. This program is focused on preparing students for the world of work and involves extensive structured workplace learning whilst allowing students to also complete the necessary requirements for their VCE. Our College recognises the diverse needs and aspirations of senior students and offers a curriculum that maximises their opportunity for entry into further studies, apprenticeships or career paths.
A thorough careers counselling process is a feature of our school’s program which is aimed at meeting the specific needs of each VCE student. Student success at the VCE level is a major objective of our College.

The School operates 10 specialist sporting and music academies for students to participate in. These academies train regularly and compete at both local and state level.
Students are encouraged to participate in additional College activities which include sport, instrumental music, Performing Arts, Duke of Edinburgh Award, public speaking and debating, academic competitions and student leadership amongst others. Opportunities are provided for students to participate in extension programs which include work experience, camps and international language and cultural tours. The achievements of our students in academic, sporting and cultural endeavours have been widely recognised at local, state and national levels.

SC1         Demonstrated understanding of initiatives in student learning including the Standards, the Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 and Assessment and Reporting Advice and the capacity to implement and evaluate learning and teaching programs in accordance with the Victorian curriculum.

SC2         Demonstrated high level classroom teaching skills and the capacity to work with colleagues to continually improve teaching and learning.

SC3         Demonstrated ability to monitor and assess student learning data and to use this data to inform teaching for improved student learning.

SC4         Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills and high level interpersonal skills including the capacity to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with parents, other employees and the broader school community to focus on student learning, wellbeing and engagement.

SC5         Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values, including a commitment and capacity to actively contribute to and manage major curriculum or student activities and a commitment to continually improving teaching quality and capacity through the application of knowledge, skills and expertise derived from ongoing professional development and learning.

SC6        Capacity to be a forward thinking and creative teacher who is committed to The Warrnambool College Way framework for teaching and learning.

The classroom teacher classification comprises two salary ranges- range 1 and range 2.  The primary focus of the classroom teacher is on the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes.  The classroom teacher engages in critical reflection and inquiry in order to improve knowledge and skills to effectively engage students and improve their learning. 

As the classroom teacher gains experience his or her contribution to the school program beyond the classroom increases. All classroom teachers may be required to undertake other duties in addition to their rostered teaching duties provided the responsibility is appropriate to the salary range, qualifications, training and experience of the teacher.

Classroom teacher Range 2
Range 2 classroom teachers play a significant role in assisting the school to improve student performance and educational outcomes determined by the school strategic plan and state-wide priorities and contributing to the development and implementation of school policies and priorities.

A critical component of this work will focus on increasing the knowledge base of staff within their school about student learning and high quality instruction to assist their school to define quality teacher practice.

Range 2 classroom teachers will be expected to:
- Have the content knowledge and pedagogical practice to meet the diverse needs of all students
- Model exemplary classroom practice and mentor/coach other teachers in the school to engage in critical reflection of their practice and to support staff to expand their capacity
- Provide expert advice about the content, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
- Supervise and train one or more student teachers
- Assist staff to use student data to inform teaching approaches that enable targets related to improving student learning outcomes to be achieved.

Classroom teacher Range 1
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.

The role of classroom teacher may include but is not limited to:

- Direct teaching of groups of students and individual students;

- Contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of a curriculum area or other curriculum program within the school;

- Undertaking other classroom teaching related and organisational duties as determined by the School Principal;

- Participating in activities such as parent/teacher meetings; staff meetings; camps and excursions;

- Undertaking other non-teaching supervisory duties.

Teachers 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.

The Department values diversity and is committed to workforce diversity and equal opportunity in schools and all education workplaces. 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.

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 http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/protect/Pages/childsafestandards.aspx

This position is 0.2 covering an Art class until the end date of this contract, though the additional 0.2 Humanities is covering a sick leave vacancy, therefore the time fraction may reduce if the incumbent is able to return to work.

• 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.