Department of Education - Victoria

Alamanda College is located in the growth corridor of Point Cook. Alamanda College strives to be internationally minded, and provides a supportive, nurturing and challenging learning environment, encouraging high expectations for student success. 

Alamanda College is currently involved in two building upgrade projects. Over the next 3-4 years the portable buildings will be replaced through a VSBA masterplan. This is an exciting time for the new designs fit for purpose for the next decade at Alamanda College.

The design of the permanent buildings in the school is open plan, the school has many relocatable classrooms. A strong focus is placed on collaborative teaching and learning. The schools design lends itself to flexible groupings of children with a differentiated focus on group and individual tasks. The classrooms are grouped in learning communities with shared learning spaces, the modern design requires a demonstrated ability to utilise pedagogical practices suited to these learning spaces. An emphasis will be placed on teachers and children working in home groups and breaking out into small focus groups within each community setting. 

McRel research in Balanced Leadership, Mentoring and Coaching, Creating High Performing School Cultures underpins the school¿s work. The school is aligned to FISO 2.0 through the Victorian teaching and learning model. 

Alamanda is a 1-to-1-iPad/MacBook school, and uses technology to engage students with their learning, as well as meet their individual needs. Staff must be confident and willing to engage in study of ¿Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works¿ research to support this strategy. The primary school is an accredited International Baccalaureate primary school. The PYP is offered for the Prep to Year 6 students, the secondary school is based on the Middle Years Program, which is offered for the Year 7 to Year 9 students. The PYP & MYP Learner Profile underpins the management of students and has helped to build a positive and engaging learning environment. 

The school will operate with the theory of action:

1. All children can learn.

2. High expectation for every child.

3. Continued effort and practise enables all children and young people to learn, to achieve and to improve their learning potential.

4. Personalised learning, goal setting and differentiation of curriculum tasks and teaching styles improves the capacity for students to learn.

5. All children can learn if given ongoing continued intervention, support and time to practise.

There is a strong focus on professional development for all staff, which includes an emphasis on building leadership capacity and implementation of best teaching practice. The 'Practice Principles for Excellence in Teaching and Learning' and Marzano research-based instructional strategies are utilised across the school to ensure that teaching practices are purposeful and are proven to have a high impact on student learning. 

The school motto is "Dare to be Wise" which underpins management of student engagement and teaching pedagogy. Leadership and the teaching staff strive to implement a guaranteed, viable and rigorous and differentiated curriculum that promotes lifelong learning and encourages students to become global citizens.

 

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.