Organisation: Lochinvar Public School
Job Title: Teacher
Location: Lochinvar Public School
Approval to teach K-6 with an emphasis on infants
I have approval to teach both primary and infants classes (K-6), and my current role is as a Teacher
for a cross-stage class of Kindergarten and Year 1 students at Gillieston Public School. I hold a
combined Bachelor of Teaching/Bachelor of Early Childhood and I am accredited with the NSW
Institute of Teachers at the level of professional competence. With over eight years of experience
providing high-quality education aimed at developing every aspect of each student, I glean a true
sense of satisfaction at planting the seed for a lifelong commitment to learning in my young pupils.
I have successfully delivered curriculum-based learning to students from a wide variety of
backgrounds and ability ranges using key elements of the NSW Quality Teaching framework. My
broad experience includes classroom teaching and relief teaching, as well as involvement in
Reading Recovery (RR), Gifted and Talented Students (GATS) and English as a Second Language
(ESL) programs. My approach to providing stimulating and engaging education to students in Years
K-2 includes:
Utilising Best Start Kindergarten Assessments and the Learning Continuums to inform my
planning, leading to the creation of appropriately differentiated and highly engaging
lessons that cater to the learning needs of students as individuals. I have attended a
number of Best Start training sessions and workshops, including Best Start Assessment and
Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Resource Package. My knowledge of the Best Start
program and associated teaching tools and resources ensures my teaching practices is well-
equipped to support the program, ensuring students the best possible outcomes in literacy
and numeracy in their early school years.
Undertaking on-going training, and applying these skills appropriately within the classroom
environment. I am trained in L3 (Language, Learning and Literacy) for Kindergarten, and am
currently completing the Year 1 course. By integrating L3 principles into my literacy
strategy at Gillieston Public School and Thornton Public School, I have been able to engage
and inspire a keen interest in literacy in my students, and drive exceptional student
outcomes, with 95% of my students reaching grade level, or above, last year. I have
completed professional development covering a wide range of topics, including Reading
Recovery, ICT and GATS.
Creating and maintaining an inclusive, motivating and highly productive classroom
environment which enables students, regardless of socio-economic and other factors, to
succeed. I aim to empower my students in their learning by ensuring each pupil is
respected as an individual and given a strong foundation from which to achieve their
potential.
Providing students with educational experiences that enhance their academic, social,
emotional and physical development. I integrate high-quality physical activities into my
teaching program, with a focus on fundamental movement skills to challenge and motivate
my young pupils.
Working in collaboration with colleagues, families and trained professionals to identify
students in need of additional support and implement appropriate interventions, such as
Reading Recovery.
As a teacher at Lochinvar Public School, I will provide an encouraging, safe and nurturing
environment where students can participate in all activities and strive to fulfil their full learning
potential. Students will feel valued, curiosity will be encouraged and positive relationships will be
fostered.
Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver high-quality differentiated teaching and learning
programs in literacy and numeracy with an emphasis on student engagement
A key aspect of my teaching philosophy is to provide a fun, engaging and highly educational
learning program which enables each student, regardless of their learning style or barriers to
education, to embrace the material effectively and meet core curriculum outcomes. With
significant experience in the identification and support of at-risk students, including extensive
training and experience in Reading Recovery, I am highly observant in my teaching, skilled in the
delivery of evidence-based interventions and creative in my planning.
My current position at Gillieston Primary School as Classroom Teacher for a cross-stage
Kindergarten and Year 1 class sees me managing the education of students at various levels of
development. As such, I am constantly assessing my students in order to match my programming
to their individual learning needs.
Recently, during a small-group reading lesson, a student in my class was having difficulty
breaking complex words into manageable parts and requested assistance. Taking the
student’s issue on board, I immediately changed her individual lesson focus to work on
clapping out single syllables, and finding familiar words within larger words.
The following day, students worked on clapping syllables of the names of animals. This task
was differentiated to engage students of all levels, with early learners being given the
animal’s picture, more advanced students were given the animal’s name in text, and
advanced learners were required to design their own card by drawing and labelling an
animal of their choice.
Over the coming days, the student participated in a range of independent learning
activities and small reading groups. She showed significant improvement each day,
demonstrating her improved understanding by identifying the word “to” as a part of “into”.
Through immediate action, I was able to implement an altered approach to teaching that
assisted this student in reaching a positive learning outcome. Her reading became more
fluent and her level increased.
I am committed to the ongoing delivery of high-quality, curriculum-driven programs across all
subject areas, and in particular Literacy and Numeracy. I maintain agility in my teaching practice to
ensure I can meet evolving student needs, and embrace opportunities to pursue professional
development and collaborate with colleagues to drive improved student outcomes.
I consistently integrate the National Professional Standards of Teachers and the NSW
Quality Teaching Framework into my teaching and learning experiences, and utilise my
extensive syllabus knowledge to ensure all activities are content rich and well scaffolded in
order to meet the learning needs of students.
I am proficient at plotting students on the Literacy and Numeracy Continuums and
recording student data using PLAN software. I regularly plot students' achievements to
inform my teaching program, enabling me to form fluid and flexible grouping and evaluate
student needs on an ongoing basis.
As a committed and creative educator at Lochinvar Public School, I will continue to deliver varied,
interesting and engaging Literacy and Numeracy teaching and learning programs designed to gain
positive outcomes for all students regardless of their barriers to education.
Highly developed and effective communication skills with the capacity to work collaboratively in
teams and build positive relationships with the whole school community
A confident communicator with a highly adaptable style, I am committed to building strong
partnerships with colleagues, parents and students through open, effective communication in
order to deliver positive learning experiences for every student. This enables me to work
successfully in collaboration with colleagues, as well as internal and external multidisciplinary
team members.
In my current position at Gillieston Public School, a Year 1 student in my class was unable to
engage socially within the classroom environment. He was finding the playground interactions
overwhelming and frustrating, and this was carrying into the classroom. In order to provide a calm
and stable environment for both the student and his peers, I:
Observed the disengaged student’s behaviours closely, documenting his triggers, at-risk
times of the day and any other pertinent information
Engaged the student’s parents in conversation about their son and his behaviour to create
a framework of open communication and collaboration in assisting the student to improve.
Liaised with the Learning Support Team regarding the student, including inviting the
Learning and Support Teacher (LAST) to attend my classroom and conduct her own
observations of the student in order to provide her professional opinion and strategies to
assist the student.
Sought feedback from the student himself as to what he felt could be done to effectively
support him and make him feel respected so he could achieve success in class.
In consultation with both the student’s parents and the LAST, I identified the student’s
interests and implemented suitable solutions to assist him in managing his behaviour
within the classroom environment. This drove a significant improvement in the student’s
in-class behaviour and ensured his learning and development could move forward.
I pride myself on my capacity to work in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team of
professionals to facilitate the best outcomes for my students. I readily identify those practitioners
that are most relevant to the situation of individual students, and engage with them, taking on-
board their advice, implementing their recommendations and sharing information as relevant to
continually improve teaching and learning in my classroom.
As a passionate teacher at Lochinvar Public School, I will continue to take a holistic approach to
education to ensure students are appropriately supported and collaborative partnerships are
formed through open communication.
Demonstrated ability to model and implement the innovative use of technology to enhance
quality teaching and learning
Acutely aware of the need to utilise a range of teaching resources to engage and inspire young
minds in their learning, I aim to incorporate 21 st Century learning techniques into my practice
wherever possible. I pride myself on my ability to understand the needs of each of my students
and research potential resources to enable them to maximise their learning outcomes. I am well
versed in a range of ICT resources, including use of the Interactive Whiteboard and iPad
applications, and look to embed these in each of my programs alongside other material to provide
a varied and well-rounded learning experience for my students.
Encouraging students to be active thinkers, effective communicators and confident collaborators
underpins my teaching and learning strategy. By creating highly engaging, content-rich tasks with
integrated ICT activities, I ensure that all my students have access to an exciting and interactive
education that supports the development of adaptability, resilience and independence. In my
previous role as a Classroom Teacher at Singleton Public School, my Year 4 class contained a
student who had a love of trivia and often inspired his peers with his humorous sharing of
information. In keeping with this student’s excellent ability to lead his peers in uncovering new
facts, I:
Created a small-group activity where students researched animal adaptations online
through a variety of sources, including videos, reading informative web pages and viewing
images. Using their research, the group presented their findings to the class.
Gave students the opportunity to select a specific adaptation which they could create a
video about. The group selected camouflage, and utilised props around the school to video
themselves trying to demonstrate effective camouflage techniques, which they then
presented to the class.
Devised an extension activity in which students were to create a new animal, before using
ICT tools to research the best environment for their animal to inhabit and creating a model
out of Play-Doh.
This group of activities was engaging and motivating for the students involved, and the group
performed each task with enthusiasm. They showed a proficiency for collaboration, excellent
curiosity and the capacity to understand and appropriately implement instructions in a creative
manner.
In a teaching position with Lochinvar Public School, I will continue to improve student outcomes
across all Key Learning Areas by using a range of resources to support teaching and learning,
including a range of technology tools that engage and inspire students.
Demonstrated experience in the development and delivery of PBL
With well-developed knowledge of the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) whole-school
approach, I am a strong advocate of implementation of the strategies to drive improved student
outcomes by addressing the core social and academic needs of the diverse student group. I am a
member of the PBL Committee at Gillieston Public School, where my involvement is vast and
varied. We are currently in the process of developing and implementing our PBL whole-school
focus, and as part of the committee, I am responsible for:
Actively contributing to PBL meetings, which occur twice each term, as well as attending
PBL workshops and meetings to facilitate networking with other local schools
implementing PBL and gaining greater knowledge of the approach.
Addressing staff at the school’s weekly staff meeting to update the team on PBL-related
developments, upcoming focus points and soliciting input and feedback on various aspects
of PBL.
Speaking to students at the weekly whole-school assembly to inform them of the weekly
PBL focus point, and share any other news or information.
Communicating with parents in Week 7 of every term to update them on the progress of
PBL’s development in the context of Gillieston Public School.
Facilitating school community involvement in the development and delivery of PBL. To this
end, I had every teacher personally invite two parents from their class to participate in a
collaborative evening where teachers and parents put together playground expectations.
This event was also published in the school newsletter as an open invitation for other
parents to attend if they wished.
The collaboration between teachers and parents was a success, with a set of strong playground
expectations and consequences being created and the parents involved gaining a deeper
understanding of PBL and our school’s focus on the approach. Additionally, students have adapted
well to PBL, as they understand the expectations and the management of situations is consistent
school-wide.
As a Classroom Teacher at Lochinvar Public School, I will show dedication to the success of the PBL
approach, and support the focus with my significant knowledge and experience in any way
possible.
Willingness to co-ordinate whole school dance programs
Education is a holistic process which incorporates not only the academic side of learning but also
the social and physical development of students. Throughout my career as a Teacher, I have
demonstrated enthusiasm in coordinating, supporting and contributing to extra- and co-curricular
activities, and see these learning opportunities as a vital part of the education process.
In my previous position with Muswellbrook Public School, I had significant involvement in the
dance committee. I was involved in sourcing costumes for performances, assisting during
rehearsals and facilitating the dance group’s participation in a variety of events, including the
Hunter Dance Festival and the Education and Community Awards Night at Muswellbrook High
School. My other contributions to the broad range of school activities have included:
The creation and running of a lunchtime drama club for Kindergarten to Year 3 students at
Gillieston Public School in 2015. Additionally, I assisted with the school drama program in
my previous position at Muswellbrook Primary School, across all year levels.
Collaboratively organising the junior school choir at Muswellbrook Primary School,
including organisation of a visit to the aged care facility at Muswellbrook Public Hospital.
This gave students an opportunity to perform in front of an audience, building greater self-
confidence and team spirit.
Planning and delivering K-2 sporting events, including the 2015 and 2016 Water Fun Days
at Gillieston Public School.
Led the Active After School sports program on a weekly basis at Singleton Public School,
involving planning and engaging a group of students in sporting activities once a week after
school.
Supported GATS students at Muswellbrook Public School in creating their entry for the
Muswellbrook Council Solar Boat Challenge, which earned them 3 rd place.
Assisting many students in their lunchtime preparations for eisteddfods at Muswellbrook
Primary School. Entrants were solo, pairs and whole-class groups, and I aided in developing
greater confidence in their performance by providing a platform from which they could
practice, receiving constructive feedback to improve their item.
I have a strong background of willingness to coordinate whole school programs across a range of
areas, including dance. I will bring to Lochinvar Public School experience, enthusiasm and
dedication in all areas of school life, including contributing to the success of co- and extra-
curricular activities.
