Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Principal - Range 4
Occupation: Principal and assistant principal
Location: Barwon South West - Greater Geelong
Reference: 1483386
(a) Vision and values
Demonstrated capacity to create a shared vision, define and gain acceptance of school goals and set and communicate expectations for effective performance.
(b) Teaching and Learning
Demonstrated ability to manage the quality of teaching and create a positive culture of challenge, support and collaboration.
(c) Improvement, Innovation and Change
Demonstrated capacity to produce and implement clear, evidence-based improvement plans and policies and lead innovation and change.
(d) Management
Demonstrated capacity to ensure that the school's human, physical and financial resources are efficiently allocated and managed.
(e) Development
Demonstrated capacity to create a professional learning community that is focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning, supporting all staff to achieve high standards and commitment to their own learning and wellbeing.
(f) Engagement
Demonstrated capacity to develop positive relationships with students, parents/families and the local community and participate in and contribute to system-level activities.
(g) Community Criterion
Demonstrated capability to embrace the school's uniqueness, identifying strengths and opportunities, and building on these with the broader school community to meet the complex and diverse needs of students and families.
The role of the principal is to lead and manage the planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of the education of all students in a community through the deployment of resources provided by the Department and the school community.
At the same time, the principal, as executive officer of the school council, must ensure that adequate and appropriate advice is provided to the council on educational and other matters, that the decisions of the council are implemented and that adequate support and resources are provided for the conduct of council meetings.
The principal is accountable for the overall management and development of the school within statewide guidelines and Government policies. A clear set of accountabilities, which distinguish their work from other members of the Teaching Service and the education community are set out in detail in the contract of employment.
The core accountabilities of all principals are to:
Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
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]
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
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
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.
To be eligible for appointment as a principal a person must either:
MFG is a vibrant learning community that nurtures and serves the aspirations of girls. "We create lifelong learners who live the MFG traits as positive members of their communities."
In 2018 we consulted with the school community - students, staff, and parents/carers - to develop a set of eleven traits, behaviours, and dispositions that we, as a school community, believe are important to foster in our students. These 11 traits are:
Surrounded by a supportive `sisterhood,' our young people aim to achieve excellent learning outcomes and develop qualities of character that will enrich their own lives and impact positively on the lives of others.
Matthew Flinders Girls (MFG) has a long and proud history. The original foundation stone was laid in 1856 when there were few other schools in Geelong. We are one of eight girls-only state educational providers (since 1940) and the only girls-only provider outside of the metropolitan area.
A group of ex-students, currently aged in their 70s and 80s, meets twice a year. Some students in the school are third generation members of the school community. There is an ever-growing Facebook presence of past student groups, and a College Alumni Facebook Page has been established to reconnect alumni and allows them to share stories. Our alumni are important to our school and return to share their learnings and stories
Our school is centrally situated within the business, arts, and sporting precincts of Geelong. It has excellent access to public transport (buses and trains). A proportion of students are from the immediate locality, but a considerable number come from outside the City of Greater Geelong, from areas such as Colac, Barwon Heads, Indented Heads, Lara, Inverleigh, Bannockburn, Werribee, and Anakie. There are more than 50 feeder Primary schools from where the students have been drawn over the past 5 years.
Our student population incorporates a diverse range of cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and family blends.
In serving the aspirations of students, our curriculum provision and quality of teaching are fundamental. Curriculum in Years 7-10 is based on the Victorian Curriculum and is framed by challenging and provocative `essential questions.¿ A balance of explicit teaching and Inquiry Based Learning to Teaching and Learning is at the heart of learning in Years 7-9. Our Teaching and Learning Model underpins the work and learning of our teachers with a distinct emphasis on differentiation, high impact teaching strategies, the power of formative assessment and the development of intellectual character.
A wide range of options is made available to Later Years students, including the opportunity to accelerate into VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) studies. Our school offers a range of VCE units, access to some Vocational Education and Training Programs and Vocational Major.
MFG is an accredited member of The Academy of Select Entry Accelerated Learner Program (TAASS), the only one in the State which is in an all-girls' setting. This program gives students the opportunity to be selected at Year 7 according to academic and leadership potential to undertake an alternative curriculum for Years 7 to 9.
All students in Years 7-12 participate in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. Students are encouraged to purchase the technology which best suits their needs for learning. The school outlines minimum specifications and recommended devices to support parents when making decisions.
Instrumental Music is a key component of our school's co-curricular Program. Students can learn voice, percussion, drums, singing, woodwind, brass, guitar, and keyboard at school. MFG is also the educational home of the Sweethearts, an exceptionally talented and well-known neo-soul all-girls music group that performs frequently in professional contexts, nationally and internationally.
A community garden has been established and exemplifies our school's permaculture focus of "earth care, people care and fair share." A key component of the garden is the construction of an urban agricultural garden where students can grow healthy organic food and share this with people in our local community. It has also been the focus of a few environmental engineering. In addition, we have also started constructing tiny houses using recycled products.