From the Principal

Starting the Year!

It has been a very interesting start to 2022 for Upper Gully. We started with so many families, students and staff impacted by Covid that it only now feels like we are really up and running with only 3 weeks to go. 

Thank you for all of your understanding and support during that time and beyond. It has certainly been a strange year however we are all so incredibly happy that our students are at school learning.

Colour Fun Run Fundraising!

Thanks to all of the efforts of fundraising last year with the colour fun run we have been able to get some great new equipment for students. This includes an outdoor table tennis table, giant connect four, water play equipment and many many tools for the sand pit... these are an absolute hit.

We will also be installing a 3-6 sandpit near the senior playground as we have found the bigger kids are loving the digging and building as much as the little ones.

Beach Excursion

It was so great to get back to excursions and students having a great time together!

School Review

2022 is a review year for the school. The Department of Education (DET) conducts reviews of schools every 4-5 years. This rigorous process is conducted by the Victorian Registration & Qualifications Authority (VRQA) and the evaluation is completed with support from a DET appointed external reviewer. The school review supports each school to differentiate its improvement journey by building on current strengths and assisting it to respond to challenges. It emphasises continuous improvement and affirms that every student, no matter their background or circumstances, has a right to learn in a school committed to improvement. It maintains that every school can improve.  

The review:

• welcomes school community participation in the review
• embraces the input of experts from both within and beyond the school
• forges links between evidence, school review, and strategic and annual planning
• seeks multiple perspectives, engagement with the whole school community and openness to challenge for improvement
• celebrates strengths and achievements.

The result of this is the development of the School Strategic Plan (SSP). The SSP outlines the goals for the school over the next four years.

The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) is an evidence-based framework. It enables schools to focus their improvement efforts on practices that have the greatest impact on student outcomes.

FISO 2.0 (or simply, FISO) has been designed in reference to contemporary literature, professional publications, government reports and research conducted by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. It builds upon the in-depth research conducted for the original FISO.

This document includes the updated evidence-base for the FISO (Figure 1), including:

• its focus on learning and wellbeing outcomes
• the core elements and dimensions
• the improvement measures used to support schools in conducting self-evaluation.

The outcomes of the FISO are defined as follows:

• Learning is the ongoing acquisition by students of knowledge, skills and capabilities, including those defined by the Victorian Curriculum and senior secondary pathways. 
• Wellbeing is the development of the capabilities necessary to thrive, contribute and respond positively to the challenges and opportunities of life.

While learning has long been an established outcome of schooling, the current version of FISO elevates the importance of wellbeing, both as an enabler of learning outcomes and as an outcome in its own right. 

This focus is a direct response to:

• findings on the state of student wellbeing in Victoria
• the connection between student learning and wellbeing
• identified opportunities to enhance Victoria’s state schooling support for learning and wellbeing.