Flemington Primary School was established in the current buildings and location 1922, and is situated in the quiet residential area of Travancore in inner Melbourne. The school is set back from Mount Alexander Road behind majestic, heritage cast iron gates and the school oval, and is bounded by the laneway, Flemington Street, Cashmere and Mangalore Streets and the Royal Children's Hospital Mental Health Unit. Our guiding philosophy is based on equity of access and high expectations that all children will learn and achieve their full potential. We anticipate that all children will leave Flemington Primary School with a love of learning, a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, independence, risk-taking skills and self-discipline. High expectations for learning and behaviour are linked to respect for the rights and responsibilities of all members of our community. Interwoven with this philosophy and aims are the school values of Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Respectful and Be Ready to Learn with the overarching goal of BE YOUR BEST! Every student at FPS is encouraged to reach their potential in a culture that supports 21st century skills of resilience, collaboration and teamwork and reflects our school values - be respectful, be safe, be kind and be ready to learn. [JP1] [DA2] [JP3]

Mount Alexander College or MAC is an inner-city school located in Flemington, 5 kms from Melbourne CBD. It has become the school of choice for families living in the Kensington, Flemington, Ascot Vale and Moonee Ponds Community, with enrolments doubling in the past 4 years. In 2016, MAC underwent significant change, transforming itself into an innovative and progressive school with a focus on student empowerment and student-centred learning. MAC’s approaches to curriculum provision and pedagogy, student engagement and wellbeing have gained national and international recognition.

At Mount Alexander College our vision is to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment that empowers students to direct their own learning. We endeavour to create a school that remains connected and engaged with the community and caters for all kinds of success. Finally, we aim to help students reach their full potential as global citizens who, with integrity, can positively contribute to the world.

Our Vision is …

Flemington Primary School

Students will realise their full potential, contributing to our school, our community and our world.

FPS staff are dedicated to lifelong learning and actively participate in ongoing professional learning and coaching to keep them abreast with current evidence based practices of teaching and learning. FPS staff are also highly committed to their students’ learning and focus on the learning needs of each individual student working with them to establish and achieve their learning goals. Our specialised programs such as Visual Arts, Chinese, an extensive Music program, Health and Physical Education and weekly visits to our Library, supports endeavour and encourages our students to explore, question and be curious learners and thinkers.[JP4]

Mount Alexander College

In fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for our students we must know them, their strengths and their areas for improvement. We use formative assessment to guide our instruction and empower students to direct our instructional choices. Learning at MAC is collaborative, both peer to peer but also students and teachers work together to negotiate the best learning pathway. Our students are connected to each other and the broader world, both through their use of digital technologies and in their access to a global perspective in all their classes. Our classes draw on local expertise and community engagement where possible to allow our students to see how the learning in the classroom relates to their everyday lives. Our students understand themselves as learners, they are informed about their progress, how they have improved and what they need to do further to continue to improve. Our school values are celebrated and embedded in our work in the classroom.

At Mount Alexander College we promote teaching and learning that is collaborative, technology rich, reflective, purposeful and personalised that prepares students for our rapidly changing world. Our common instructional model supports the development of a shared language about teaching practice and supports teacher reflection. Jane Pollock’s GANAG lesson planning schema and the effective implementation of the High Impact Teaching Strategies underpins the teaching and learning cycle at MAC. Staff participate regularly in cycles of inquiry within Professional Learning Teams and in doing so, strive to provide highly stimulating learning that is tailored made to meet the passion and needs of our students.

At Mount Alexander College, we strongly promote our values of Community, Engagement, Excellence and Respect.

Role:

The School Community Liaison Officer position is funded through the Strengthening School Engagement Grants (Place-Based Partnerships for School Engagement and Completion Initiative).

The position supports the Flemington Primary School and Mount Alexander College community and a cluster or neighbouring schools with high populations of African young people to increase school engagement and achievement outcomes, strengthen partnerships with families and community, as well as facilitating activities to increase retention and school completion.

Working alongside key professionals across these settings to identify individual needs, programs and interventions that could be utilised to support students, providing every opportunity to experience success and for positive engagement and wellbeing outcomes.

The successful candidate will also play a leading role in supporting African heritage students to be well-prepared, confident and excited about their transition to primary and secondary school.

The School Community Liaison Officer will work across the cluster of schools to:

promote student engagement and leadership opportunities to foster sense of value, leadership and identity and belonging

increase school engagement, strengthening partnerships with families and community and facilitating activities to increase engagement, participation and achievement

build links with African community organisations to access community guidance and knowledge and further levels of familial support

build cultural safety and inclusivity within school communities

support student achievement and successful transitions into and out of primary school for African-Australian students

work in partnership with school staff to increase student engagement, achievement outcomes and leadership opportunities through a range of tailored strategies including in-school and after-school programs.

While Flemington Primary School is the base location for the position, the successful applicant will be required to work two-days per week at Mount Alexander College as part of their work schedule.

The School Community Liaison Officer will also be required travel to other sites of delivery including Debney Meadows Primary, Ascot Vale West Primary and to the DE Central Office in Melbourne CBD.

East-African heritage applicants are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:

1. Create strong and respectful relationships between young people, their families and the school, maintaining accurate records of communication with parents and students on school database platforms

2. Engage with families to understand their needs and deliver targeted information sessions to increase understanding of the education system, school processes and improve family engagement with events such as parent-teacher nights, student activities and school community celebrations

3. Collaborate with key school staff to support student engagement and achievement including monitoring attendance, academic progress and student wellbeing to identify and implement appropriate individual or group interventions

4. Work directly with students and families to ensure ongoing engagement in education or career pathways

5. Establish partnerships with local businesses to create part-time employment opportunities

6. Provide opportunities for student voice and participation including leadership development and targeted activities to meet student needs

7. Attend and support participation in a range of afterschool programs including homework clubs and holiday programs, working with families to promote consistent attendance as required

8. Identify and facilitate a range of professional learning opportunities for students, school staff and the school community to support culturally safe learning environments across the settings and contribute to the development of inclusive teaching and learning practices

9. Provide regular updates, termly reports and strategic advice to management on progress, challenges and any opportunities for improvement related to the work area

10. Contribute to the development of termly priorities and evaluation processes to support continuous improvement of the targeted interventions, key programs and initiatives being implemented across settings

11. Participate in yard duty throughout the year and attend school organised excursions or camps with students, if required by the school leadership under the supervision of a teacher

12. Participate in a statewide community of practices and statewide planning days with other School Community Liaison Officers

13. Other suitable duties, consistent with the duties and responsibilities of the position as directed by the supervisor or nominated delegate.

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.

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

The successful candidate will be required to work some hours during the school holidays. Regular work hours will be 8-8:30am to 4-4:30pm on weekdays. This may be negotiated as appropriate.

The successful candidate will be eligible to claim time in lieu (TIL) where they are required to work in excess of their normal hours of duty.

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfil the specific requirements of the position

Selection Criteria:

1. Experience working with school communities, families and community organisations involving individuals of culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds.

2. Demonstrated experience and skills in coordinating a specific education support function to strengthen student engagement and achievement outcomes.

3. Demonstrated capacity to provide advice and support to management in respect to the work area.

4. Demonstrated high level oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop procedures and guidelines relating to the work area.

5. Possess the technical knowledge and expertise relevant to the position.

6. Demonstrated commitment to working as part of a team and to professional learning and growth for both self and others.

Who May Apply:

Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfil the specific requirements of the position

Other Information:

It is desirable that the successful applicant has a relevant tertiary qualification in community development, education, social work or equivalent

Fluent in East-African language highly desirable.

Base location is at Flemington PS with the successful applicant also working two-days per week on site at Mount Alexander College. Other locations including, Debney Meadows Primary School and Ascot Vale West Primary School will be on an as needs basis.

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

DET Values:

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/workm/Pages/Public-Sector-Values.aspx