About Us

We Acknowledge the Bunurong People as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we at Powlett River Primary School learn, work and play. We pay our respects to Bunurong Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Powlett River Primary School is on Bunurong Country. Located in Dalyston, 9 kilometres from the township of Wonthaggi, and 90km from Melbourne. Set in large grounds the school boasts historic and modern classrooms and facilities. The school has a dedicated music room, a library, large hall and an art room. As well as a building for OSHC and playgroup. The grounds feature three playgrounds, large sheltered sandpit, vegetable gardens, bush track, and outdoor learning areas.

As a small school with 48 students, we value the personalized attention that comes with small class sizes. In 2025, we have four classrooms:

Prep with 9 students

Grade 1/2 with 10 students

Grade 3/4 with 14 students

Grade 5/6 with 15 students

Our teachers prioritize the needs of each individual student, tailoring lessons to meet the learning requirements of all, regardless of their year level.

Our approach to education is grounded in evidence-based practices. In Mathematics and English, we follow rigorous, research-backed methods. For reading, we adhere to the Science of Reading framework, using the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope to guide instruction. Programs like Sounds-Write and UFLI are integral to our phonics instruction. In Mathematics, we emphasize the "Big Ideas of Maths" and provide students with weekly opportunities to engage in open-ended and problem-solving tasks. We are also excited to continue our journey with The Writing Revolution and The Writing Rope alongside the Syntax Project, to enhance our students' writing skills.

Our curriculum extends beyond the core subjects. Specialist programs include Music, Auslan, Sport, and the MARC Library (Mobile Resource Centre), while Visual Art, Cooking and Science are taught by our classroom teachers. Students also have access to visiting teachers and coaches for Performing Arts, including dance and drama.

We believe in enriching students' learning through experiences outside the classroom. Students participate in a wide range of activities some recent activities include; skateboarding lessons with Y Action Sports, excursions to Melbourne to see performances at the Arts Centre and exhibitions at the NGV, and visits to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens for Education Week’s “Wellbeing in Nature” program. Our students also explored the cultural and environmental significance of the Powlett River (Kugerungmome) with West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Bunurong Land Council, and Landcare. Additionally, they honed their visual arts skills through workshops with the Gippsland Gallery and A Blanck Canvas, where they created shadow puppets.

We value being in nature and play as integral parts of child development and in 2025 we will launch our OUTSIDE (Outdoors, Understanding, Teamwork, Immersion, Discovery, Exploration). OUTSIDE will increase from two days each term in 2025, to one day a week in 2026.