About
Powlett River Primary School is in the growing town of Dalyston. Established over 100 years ago the school has a rich history. This history includes a passionate community who successfully keep the school open when many small schools were closing. Students from Dalyston and Dudley Primary Schools came together as Powlett River Primary School in 1996.
That history celebrates the importance of the school community and has helped to create the Powlett River Primary School we enjoy today. A school that is committed to improving outcomes for all students, creating a safe and secure learning environment where students can thrive. The school lives its values of community, growth, individuality, safety and respect. All members of the school community work together to improve outcomes for all children.
Learning
We are a small school with 44 enrolments. We value small class sizes. In 2023 we have 3 classrooms, a prep, year 1 and 2 classroom with 17 students, a 3/4 classroom with 15 students and a 5/6 classroom with 13 students. Our teaching staff believe strongly in teaching students and not grade levels, and so cater for students needs regardless of year level.
Powlett River Primary School staff implement evidence-based programs and practice in both Mathematics and English. We teach reading based on the Science of Reading. From this we use the Simple View of Reading and Scarboughs Reading Rope in planning and teaching reading. Sounds-Write and UFLI are used in teaching phonics. The Big Ideas of Maths are explicitly taught with opportunities for practice in open ended and problem-solving tasks each week. The school is starting its journey with Talk for Writing to increase student writing skills, as well as using the Syntax Project to support writing development.
Our specialist subjects are Music, Auslan, Sport and MARC Library (Mobile Resource Centre). Visual Art and Science are taught by our classroom teachers. Visiting teachers and coaches take students for performing arts including dance and drama.
Learning
Our teachers know the benefits of taking learning beyond the classroom. We aim to provide varied experiences outside of the school. Some of the experiences students have enjoyed in 2023 include, learning to skateboard with Y Action Sports, excursions to Melbourne to see a performance at the Arts Centre Melbourne and exhibition at the NGV, to Botanic Gardens Cranbourne for Education Week’s Wellbeing in Nature, and to Kugerungmome (Powlett River) with West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Bunurong Land Council and Landcare to learn about the history and significance of the Powlett River.
And they have developed visual arts skills and knowledge through incursions from the Gippsland Gallery, and A Blanck Canvas where students created shadow puppets.
Students in grade 5/6 participate in the Kids as Catalysts program through Kids Thrive and the generous support of the Bass Coast Community Foundation.
