Overview

Myrtleford P-12 College is a new school, beginning in 2009. It has been created by the merger of two schools: Myrtleford Primary School and Myrtleford Secondary College. It is located in the lovely rural town of Myrtleford in North East Victoria, some 290 kilometres from Melbourne. The schools were adjacent to each other, and creation of a merged physical environment has been straightforward. While the decision to merge was made in March 2008, following intensive investigation and school and community discussion and input, the P12 College will officially commence on January 1, 2009. The dominant factor for the decision was the advantages of a P-12 education for students and the community.

Myrtleford has a population of 3,000, but has the infrastructure of a much larger town (6,000). It is on the Great Alpine Road and it is a gateway to the beautiful Alpine National Park that incorporates Mt Buffalo, Mt Feathertop and Mt Bogong and extends into NSW. It is also the gateway to the large ski fields of Hotham/Dinner Plain and Falls Creek.

There have been challenging times for the rural community with the closing of the tobacco industry and other industrial and agricultural adjustments but the last census showed that the local population is continuing to increase, although the school-age population has declined in recent years. Myrtleford Primary School's enrolment is 160, down from 252 three years ago. Myrtleford Secondary College is 160 and has similarly declined. DEECD research suggests a decline in total student numbers in Myrtleford in the foreseeable future.

Education in Myrtleford is provided in collaboration with Marian College and St Mary's Primary school, and the Myrtleford Preschool. VCE is provided jointly with Marian College.

Myrtleford P-12 College has chosen the by-line inspirational and that should be the cornerstone of what we do-our smaller size should enable us to aim to present a cohesive, engaging and relevant curriculum in a pleasant physical environment, conducive to the growing and sharing of ideas and best practice. We should be encouraging children to set targets and follow individual pathways, not just meet the standards set before us. Our school needs to create its own sense of valued community and self worth.

Staff at Myrtleford P-12 has a responsibility to promote and implement standards of behaviour and dress that is expected in the workforce and society. Our job is to create employable citizens, which goes beyond general literacy and numeracy skills. The recent story of the fire-fighter who has been demoted due to bad language emphasises the growing expectation amongst the community of higher standards of behaviour in the workforce. I think our discipline policy should be very clear and set a high expectation among both staff and students. Our policy should also be underpinned by what is acceptable behaviour in society.

This includes (in no order of importance):

Language use. We need to be extremely clear on what language is acceptable in the workplace and expect the students to start practising now. Even condescending language such as telling someone to 'shut up' is unacceptable in many workplaces.
Respect towards teaching staff. In the workplace it is absolutely unacceptable to talk back to our employer or to be listening to our ipods in the middle of a meeting.
Image of the company/school. We are required to dress professionally at work, and if our employer expects us to wear a uniform we need to do so.
Fighting. Clearly not acceptable in the workforce!

I strongly believe that these guidelines can be positively enforced if we are clear to students why they are in school and what our role is. I think we need to have high expectations of our students because the staff strongly believe in the capabilities of our students. A large emphasis on what is acceptable behaviour at home compared to acceptable behaviour at school and in the workforce ensures a relevant link with our discipline policy.

Effort, understanding and empathy.

A place where:

A relationship is developed between students and staff that will enhance their learning and develop respect between students and the rest of the school community.
Student voice will be clearly heard giving students ownership over their learning.
Working in partnership with students, parents and school.

I believe that our school should stand for high expectations, and an environment that supports the achievement of those expectations.

I value the relationships teachers and students have and I believe that without this, students would find it difficult to respect their teachers. So the values I adhere to are trust and respect.

Our Values

Be Responsible
Be Respectful
Be a Responsible Community Member
Be Safe