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It is a wonderful pleasure to be the Principal of Somerville Primary School and lead our school. Our school thrives on its high quality teaching, personalised learning, wellbeing and connections. We pride ourselves on having a strong balance with learning essential skills whilst interacting and learning with others.
Our mission is to provide a high quality, supportive and engaging learning program, which builds the academic, social and emotional capacity of every student. We aim to develop lifelong learners who care for themselves, others and the community around them, and actively contribute to a more sustainable and peaceful world. This is reflected in our mission statement ‘Inspiring Excellence in Education…Every Student Every Time’.
At Somerville Primary School we have a strong focus on building positive and supportive relationships between all members of our school community.
Our caring and committed staff provide a warm and challenging educational experience for your child with a focus on personalised student learning through inquiry, critical thinking and creativity. Our children learn in modern, flexible learning spaces, purpose-built for collaborative learning and teaching.
Our school culture has been built over many years and is very important to us. As a strong values-based school, our core values of Courage, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility and Trust guide how we teach, learn and interact around our school every day.
Our teachers are dedicated and talented professionals, who provide an outstanding teaching and learning program. Somerville Primary School is a thriving Professional Learning Community (PLC) and our staff work closely in highly effective teams with a strong focus on student learning growth; as well as using research and evidence based explicit teaching programs. This approach ensures that we cater for the needs of all of our students.
We value the assistance of parents and carers, who in partnership with staff, provide quality learning experiences that maximise student learning outcomes. Our intention is to stimulate and challenge students to enable them to reach their full potential as individuals, members of the Somerville community and as citizens of the world.
Somerville Primary Schools works collaboratively to ensure every student achieves success by engaging them in the curriculum at their point of need. Our school community creates meaningful relationships with strong values.
Mission:
Inspiring Excellence in Education… Every Student – Every Time.
Somerville Primary School or State School No. 2656 opened on the 1st January 1885 in a new timber building on a one acre site on the north west corner of Lower Somerville and Eramosa Roads. Marion Carter was the first Head Teacher with an average daily attendance of 33 students.
As the population of Somerville grew, the school population followed. New timber buildings were built in 1914 in the current location of the now Somerville Primary School.
A strength of our school is the value placed on community by students, staff, families, and local residents, alongside the high level of active parent involvement. Our shared purpose is ‘Learning Together’. We believe in and are committed to providing quality learning experiences that offer our students both support and challenge to enable them to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that are transferable and adaptable to whatever their future holds.
To achieve this, we have a shared understanding of effective learning and teaching. We blend strong, everlasting traditions and beliefs with innovative and contemporary practices. We work collaboratively with our local network schools and host tours for local, state, and interstate colleagues to share our professional knowledge, practices, and resources.
Our programs adhere to the prescribed curriculum for all government schools. Teachers differentiate the curriculum and personalise learning to meet the learning needs of our students. Specialist programs are offered in Physical Education, Visual Arts, Performing Arts and Auslan.
Our school has a strong focus on sustainability and is working towards five star accreditation through Resource Smart Victoria. We integrate sustainable practices into our daily operations and curriculum, teaching students the importance of caring for our planet. Classes from Years One to Year Six have an opportunity to elect a Somerville Environmental Education Crew (SEEC) leader for their class who helps to champion environmentally sustainable practices around the school.
By fostering an understanding and respect for the environment, we aim to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to make responsible choices and contribute to a sustainable future.
Somerville Primary School is committed to child safety, with zero tolerance for child abuse. We are committed to providing a child safe environment where all children and young people feel safe, secure and that their voices are heard when it comes to decisions that affect their lives. Our child safe policies, procedures, strategies and practices will be inclusive of the needs of all children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, children who are gender diverse, and all children who are vulnerable.
Every person involved in Somerville Primary School has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play both individually and collectively in our school. We strive to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all we do and every decision we make.
