Our Gilgai

Principal’s Message

It is an absolute honour to be the Foundation Principal of Gilgai Plains Primary School. I have been an educator for over 30 years and am even more passionate today about my role, as I was when I first started teaching. I am looking forward to meeting you and your family and I warmly welcome you to the Gilgai Plains Primary School community.

Every person who walks through the doors of Gilgai Plains Primary School, whether they be a student, staff member or community member, is important. We all have the right to feel included, valued and treated with kindness and respect. We strongly believe that respectful relationships provide a solid foundation for life. We aim to foster and sustain positive and productive relationships between staff, students and families. Our school culture is built by living, working, learning and playing according to our school values, Respect, Kindness, Zest and Learning Together, which are promoted and modelled by our school community.

At Gilgai Plains Primary School, our number one aim is to develop critical foundational literacy and numeracy skills. It is in primary school that children learn the foundational skills that prepare them for life, give them choice in what they do in their future and lay the groundwork for active, compassionate citizenship. Quality education empowers children and young people and safeguards their health and well-being.

All Gilgai Plains Primary School staff are here for the same moral purpose, and that is to ensure that we offer the very best social, emotional and learning environment for our children. It is important that every student and teacher sustains a sense of joy and happiness for learning, develops the skills to take on any challenges they face and importantly, be able to play and learn in a safe environment.

I am a leader who cares for my staff and supports them to always put our student’s best interests at the centre of everything that we do and every decision we make. To achieve our vision, teachers have endured a rigorous selection process that identified them as lifelong learners and highly skilled, caring professionals who will ensure our school motto, “Sparking Joy in Learning and Compassion in Hearts,” is our reality.

I look forward to partnering with you, to provide the children in our community, the very best school with the very best staff and the very best educational opportunities.

Anthea Jamieson
Principal

Vision, Values, Mission & Motto

Our Vision

To develop confident, resilient and resourceful thinkers who strive to achieve their best and contribute to make the world a better place.

Our Values

Kindness, Respect, Zest and Learning Together

Our Mission

To ensure that every child at Gilgai Plains PS:
Is kind to self, others and our environment
Feels safe, happy and well
Is greeted with a smile and a hello and loves coming to school
Is seen
Is literate and numerate and experiences continual growth and success
Has diverse learning opportunities
Works hard and allows others to be their best
Has at least one good friend and knows how to make friends and keep friends
Has someone to go to when needed

Our Motto

Sparking joy in learning and compassion in hearts.

Kindness Values Gilgai Plains Primary School

We act with KINDNESS

Simply put, kindness is being nice to others. As you examine kindness further, a number of important dimensions begin to unfold. Kindness is being generous with others, giving your time and talent to support those who are in need. Kindness is being compassionate, which means to really be there for someone, listening intently to their suffering or just sitting with them and silently supporting them. Such compassion involves a deep concern for the welfare of others. Kindness is also being nurturing and caring to others — to enjoy doing favours for them, to take care of them, and to perform good deeds.

Respect Values Gilgai Plains Primary School

We behave with RESPECT

Respect means to build a bridge of understanding and appreciate our differences. We show deference to the uniqueness and value of another human being and extend this respect to our environment. People will often respond to respect in a similar manner and view those around them in a more positive light and assume best intentions. People display respect when they are taking the time to understand others, choosing to stay in that space as long as is necessary to help others feel understood.

Zest Values Gilgai Plains Primary School

We display ZEST

Zest means approaching a situation, or life in general, with excitement and energy, not approaching tasks or activities halfway or half-heartedly. People who are high in zest are excited to get up in the morning, and they live their lives like an adventure. Zest is a dynamic strength that is directly related to physical and psychological wellness. This strength has the strongest ties to overall life satisfaction and a life of engagement.

Learning Together Values Gilgai Plains Primary School

We love LEARNING TOGETHER

Learning together means a passion for learning, a desire to learn just for learning’s sake and embracing others on the learning journey. Learning together is when a group of people collaborate and share a passion of learning and strive to hold on to and deepen that information and expand their knowledge. Love of learning describes the way in which a person engages new information and skills, whilst being a reliable, dedicated and contributing member of a group. When we learn together, we are excited to learn from others and bring others and their knowledge along for the ride.

Our Name & Logo

Our Name

Gilgai Plains Primary School was chosen as the school name following community consultation and discussions with Geographic Names Victoria, taking into account factors including public interest, relevance to the local area, and local Indigenous languages. Gilgai (pronounced gihl-guy) is a Woi wurrung word of the Wurundjeri people meaning small watering hole.

Our Logo

The outer blue ring represents a circle of friendship and strength of community that surrounds the diamond that is our school. The four connecting bonds represent the Gilgai Plains Primary School values that will drive everything we do, Respect, Kindness, Zest and Learning Together. The yellow sun portrays the positivity, energy and warmth of the Kalkallo community shining over Gilgai Plains Primary School. The colours in our logo depict the warm and calm colours that are featured with our school walls and design.

House Patrons

Namatjira House (Red)

Named after Albert Namatjira, A celebrated watercolour artist, Albert Namatjira dedicated much of his life to raising awareness of the social injustices imposed on Indigenous communities. He was also the first Indigenous person to be granted Australian citizenship.

Mabo House (Green)

Named after Eddie Mabo, a Meriam man from the Torres Strait Islands. He is remembered for his efforts to secure Indigenous land rights. He led a 10-year battle through the Australian legal system, but sadly, passed away just months before the courts ruled in his favour in 1992, paving the way for the Native Title Act.

Freeman House (Yellow)

Named after Cathy Freeman, the first Australian Indigenous person to become a Commonwealth Games gold medalist at age 16 in 1990. Freeman also lit the torch in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Freeman won the Olympic title in a time of 49.11 seconds, becoming only the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic champion. Since retiring from athletics, Freeman has become involved in a range of community and charitable activities.

Goolagong House (Blue)

Named after Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE. She is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. Goolagong was one of the world’s leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s. Goolagong was named Australian of the Year in 1971. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1972 and as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982. Goolagong was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988.