P-4 INFORMATION GUIDE

8 Gilmore Street, Yarrawonga, 3730
5744 1751 | yarrawonga.p12@education.vic.gov.au
www.yarrawonga.vic.edu.au

WELCOME
Our College provides access to an education that is seamless from Prep through to
Year 12. We provide education of the highest quality for all students in Yarrawonga and
surrounding districts. The curriculum and teaching strategies are aimed at encouraging
our students to have high expectations of themselves and their work, and to produce
their best. We seek to provide our students with a positive attitude to learning,
encouraging them to contribute to their life and the wider community.
We strive to foster our students with a high level of self-worth, independence and a
sense of community, while at the same time instilling the College values of Integrity,
Cooperation, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. These five values underpin all
that we teach and do. We pride ourselves on providing an environment that is conducive
to achieving these aims. Our College uniform is an important part of our positive
environment, and is worn with pride by our students.
Our College is a student-centred facility that offers exciting pathways into learning. Our
staff are caring, well qualified and talented. They value highly the success of every
individual student. We enjoy very strong partnerships with local groups and businesses
and are supported by a wonderful range of community volunteers who come into the
College to support our programs. We are also increasingly becoming a community
facility, with the Yarrawonga Neighbourhood House on-site, a Community Workshop
Program and an Out of School Hours Care Program currently run at our P-4 Campus.
Out of hours, our facilities are used by local sporting, theatre, cooking and other
community groups.
If you have any queries after reading this document please do not hesitate to contact
us on 5744 1751 or yarrawonga.p12@edumail.vic.gov.au.
College Principal
Damien Keel

PROFILE & OVERVIEW
Yarrawonga College P-12 boasts approximately 940 students in the Murray River town
of Yarrawonga in Northeast Victoria. Reflecting the stages of learning, students are
situated at the Prep to Year 4 Campus and the Years 5 - 8 Campus at Gilmore Street
and the Years 9 - 12 Campus adjacent at Pinniger Street.
The College exists to provide access to an education of the highest quality for the young
people of Yarrawonga and surrounding districts. We aim to provide a safe and
stimulating learning environment for all students, allowing them to reach their maximum
potential
YCP - 12 has exemplary programs and is seen as a prominent school in the areas of
student leadership, literacy and numeracy, together with visual arts, music performance,
technology, sport and the sciences.
The underpinning philosophy of the College is a restorative one, with relationships at
the core of all we do. We actively teach, model, correct and acknowledge positive
behaviour.
Yarrawonga College P-12 is registered as a Sunsmart School, Epilepsy Smart School
an Asthma Friendly School and as an eSmart School.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The educational program of the school is focused on providing purposeful learning
opportunities for all students by offering a wide range of experiences which will
develop competency in literacy and numeracy, as well as:
A love of learning and desire for excellence
A positive self-image
Initiative, self-discipline and respect for the rights of others to learn and play
safely
The ability to adapt to change
Social awareness and social responsibility
A Positive Education approach, bringing together the science of Positive
Psychology with best practice teaching to encourage and support individuals,
schools and communities to flourish.
As a school community we value the close teacher-student relationships that develop,
and support this through an assertive approach to whole school welfare and discipline.

Aims, Mission and Values
Aims for students
YCP12 promotes high achievement by developing the learning capacities of all
students, enabling them to be:
Motivated lifelong learners striving to achieve excellence
Students who demonstrate respect, compassion, honesty and tolerance for others
Innovative and resilient learners, inquisitive of the world around them
Students competent in the essential skills of literacy and numeracy, allowing all to
reach their full potential
Technologically capable students who can adapt to a rapidly advancing world
Socially responsible students who contribute positively to the community
Mission for staff
Staff will assist students to succeed by providing:
A broad, challenging, innovative and authentic learning environment
An ethos of respect, tolerance, compassion and acknowledgement of success
A differentiated curriculum based on best teaching practice
Access to the latest technology and ensuring their own skills are updated regularly
A supportive framework focused on mentoring and coaching through teamwork
A safe learning environment based on the principles of restorative justice
Quality opportunities for each student to develop a range of leadership capabilities
Values for YCP-12 Community
Integrity - acting ethically and fairly at all times, ensuring
consistency between words and actions, upholding the College
values in everything we do
Co-operation - working together, communicating effectively
and supporting each other in a positive manner
Honesty - always being truthful, fair and true to oneself and
others
Respect - treating others with consideration, being courteous
at all times and acknowledging the beliefs and rights of others
Responsibility - taking ownership of our behaviour and actions and setting a positive
example to others

Engagement & Wellbeing at the P-4 Campus
Bringing our Values to Life:
Students are explicitly taught the Values of our College with the support of our Values
Characters and planned classroom lessons. Students from each class are recognised
weekly for displaying the chosen value and are presented with a colour matched Values
wrist band.
House Points & Tokens:
All students are placed in one of our Sporting Houses – Hume, Hovell, Mitchell & Sturt
– upon enrolment and they will compete in sporting events as part of their House Colour
Team. At the P-4 Campus, we also use these Sporting Houses to run a House
Challenge Program.
When students do something that fits in with our expected behaviours and school values
they will receive a token that they can place in their house jar. These tokens are added
up each week and tallied at our assembly on Monday afternoons. At the end of term the
winning house participates in a whole house celebration. You can support your child by
discussing our school values and house tokens at home.

Zones of Regulation:
At our campus use the Zones of Regulation to ensure we are ‘Ready to Learn’. The
Zones of Regulation are directly linked to our emotions and the reactions that these can
cause to our bodies and our behaviour. Every emotion can fit into either the RED,
YELLOW, BLUE or GREEN zone. Each class across the campus has a ‘Ready to
Learn’ chart and the students are be taught strategies so that they are independently
able to manage their behaviour throughout the school day and stay in the GREEN
zone.
Well Being Practices:
Our staff recognise the importance of well-being, and the impact this can have on an
students’ abilities to manage themselves and to be active learners. A number of
practices are incorporated into the school program, including:
- A designated well-being hour each week
- The use of Wellbeing Journals & mindfulness activities to support your child’s ability
to manage their emotions, develop resilience, build their social skills and reflect
- Circle Time activities to build class community and to build a sense of belonging
- Sensory tools and use of visual cues as required
- Daily ‘check-ins’ to support identified students
- Break time programs to build social skills and provide safe space for children.
Our campus has an Engagement & Wellbeing Leading Teacher who works with staff
and parents to monitor and support the wellbeing of all students, and is able to work
individually or in small groups with identified students where required.
All of these programs and practices are integrated with our Positive Education
approach, the Respectful Relationships Curriculum, and the Victorian Curriculum
capabilities of Personal & Social, Ethical and Intercultural.

A – Z Guide
Absence(s)
All absences for part of the day, or for one or more days, must be covered by an
explanation from the parent or guardian. Absences can be explained by phone, written
note supplied to the General office, email or online via the parent portal of Compass.
Assemblies
School assemblies are held every Monday afternoon at 2.20pm in the Multi-Purpose
Room. Parents warmly invited and encouraged to attend.
Bell Times
9.00 am – 11.00 am Block 1
11.00 am – 11.30 am Recess
11.30 am – 1.30 pm Block 2
1.30 pm – 2.15 pm Lunch
2.15 pm – 3.15 pm Block 3
Yard supervision begins at 8.45 am. We discourage children arriving earlier than
8.45 am. Children are supervised in the school grounds at recess and lunchtime. Yard
supervision also continues after school. Staff monitor students arriving and departing
on buses, and actively encourage the use of the school crossing, including bike riders.
Bike Ed
At Yarrawonga College the Bike Ed program is offered to the Year 3 and 4 students in
Term 2. Bike Ed is a Vic Roads approved resource of Traffic Safety Education. It was
first introduced in 1996 for the Federal Office of Road Safety for primary schools. Bike
Ed fits well into the Physical, Personal and Social Learning Strand at Levels 3 and 4
and in particular the Health and Physical Education Domain.
Bike Ed aims to increase rider competency, confidence, promote safe strategies for
riding in traffic, familiarise children with relevant road laws and provide safe methods to
negotiate common traffic situations

Breakfast Program
The breakfast program at the P-4 Campus continues to expand thanks to our loyal
volunteers. All educators and nutritionists agree that breakfast is the most important
meal of the day and many students miss the opportunity to eat a healthy breakfast in
the rush to catch the bus or get to school. The most important session of the day,
between 9.00am and 11.00am, focuses on literacy in all year levels of our school.
Our Breakfast Program for the P-4 and 5-8 Campuses is offered on Wednesday and
Friday mornings from 8:30 until 8:50am from the Canteen windows.
Change of personal information
In order to keep school records up to date, please advise the school immediately of any
changes in the following:
Address or phone number
Medical condition affecting your child
Person who can be contacted in an emergency
Camps & Excursions
Our Camps and Excursions program offers a range of fun, educational activities while
encouraging independent behaviours. Our current program at the P-4 Campus includes
excursions to:
Prep – Yarrawonga Library, Lake and Foreshore, Veterinary Clinic and
Shepparton Museum
Year 1 – Mini-Beast Incursion, Chinaman’s Island, Dinner at school
Year 2 – Kyabram Fauna Park, Sleep-over at school
Year 3 – Wonga Wetlands
Year 4 – Wonga Wetlands
Prep – Year 4 End of Year celebrations at various venues including: Yarrawonga
Splash Park, Movies & lunch at Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort,
Tunzafun & lunch at La Porchetta, Wangaratta YMCA
Years Prep - 4 also enjoy visits from Wildlife Rescue, Indigenous performers, Healthy
Harold, Musical Performers, theatrical groups and a one week Artist in Residence
Program every year.
Camps start in Year 3 with a one night/2 day visit to Beechworth and Year 4 enjoy a 2
night/3 day camp to Phillip Island.

Camps Sports Excursions Fund (CSEF)
This may be claimed by parents/guardians and foster parents of students up to 16 years
of age. To be eligible for this allowance claimants must hold a Commonwealth Health
Care Card valid on the first day of Term 1 and the first day of Term 2 and be in receipt
of an eligible Centrelink benefit. The current allowance for Prep – 6 students will be
$125 and $225 for students in years 7-12. State Schools Relief also offers all prep
students in receipt of CSEF a Uniform Pack comprising a windcheater, shoes and polo
top which is generally applied for and distributed in early April.
Chess Club
Students can attend Chess Club every Monday at recess at our P – 4 and 5 – 8
Campus and also have the opportunity to attend a one hour tuition program each
week within class time.
Yarrawonga College recognises the benefits of Chess. It helps children to focus,
analyse and plan strategies, which in turn helps support a healthy and active mind. At
Yarrawonga College P-12 Chess is an important tool to engage, encourage attitude
towards sportsmanship and promote healthy competition between different schools and
members of the community. Students as young as Prep participate in our Chess
Program.
Child Safety
Our commitment to child safety
Yarrawonga College P-12 (YCP12) is committed to child safety.
We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all
children, as well as our staff and volunteers.
We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.
We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be
treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.
We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about
a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
Yarrawonga College P-12 is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks
early, and removing and reducing these risks.
For more information please visit our Child Safety page on our website at
https://yarrawonga.vic.edu.au/child-safety/

We have robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers
and we are committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on
child abuse risks.
We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are
committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from
a culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe
environment for children with a disability.
We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our leadership
team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
Community Workshop Program
The Program (designed for students from Prep to Year 8) is delivered in a way that
children can work on projects individually or in groups. Volunteers come into our
school and share their skills and expertise with the children. We proudly boast a
contingent of more than 40 volunteers who come into our school on a regular basis
and support the children with their chosen project
Some workshop activities offered are – Artist workshops, mosaics, model building and
dioramas, chess, designing skateboard art and mini skateboard parks, flying remote
control aeroplanes, woodwork (dolls houses, bird boxes, trays, fishing trailers, RACV
Energy Breakthrough, wooden toys, spice racks, pencil holders, toy boxes etc), string
art, beading, papier Mache, dot art, aboriginal art, sculpture, kites, fishing, art and
craft, weaving, knitting, card making, Creative Production Acting Performance (social
stories).
Energy Breakthrough Challenge
This program is available to students from
Year 3 - 9. Students work throughout the
year to design, build and test vehicles or
machines within detailed specifications. It
requires a team effort and an across-thecurriculum
approach. Students, within their
groups, then bring their vehicles and
machines to Maryborough in November,
for a huge celebration in which they can demonstrate and trial them in action. To find
more about this amazing event simply visit https://www.eb.org.au/

First Aid
Our campuses are equipped with First Aid facilities. Staff undertake regular training
and are qualified with a minimum Provide First Aid (HLTAID003) including the
management of Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Diabetes and Epilepsy and CPR. Each campus
also has an Anaphylaxis Supervisor and a number of staff trained in the administration
of Midazolam for epilepsy.
General Office
The General Office is open from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. The General Office should be the
first point of contact for ALL visitors to the school.
All visitors must sign in at the General Office and collect a visitor’s lanyard.
Hats
As we are a Sunsmart School, staff and students are required to wear their hats from
mid August through till April 30 th . We also promote wearing of hats outside these
dates if the UV levels reach 3 or above. Students without a hat will be required to
report to the office area and will not be permitted to play outside so that they are not
affected by the damaging effects of the sun.
Replacement hats may be purchased from the General Office for $10. Preps receive a
discount of 50% for their first hat.

Immunisation
All students enrolled must supply a copy of their current Immunisation status. Those
students who are not immunised will be excluded from school when there is an outbreak
of any infectious disease.
Individualised Learning Approach
All research around learning determines student early years of learning (Prep – Year
2) as the most important years of a student’s life as this is where they develop the
foundations for learning for future years. This is an area that we have put
considerable time and effort developing to ensure that our school is doing the very
best we can to set students up for a successful journey through school. Our major
focus for student early learning is on;
Strategic alignment of teacher professional standards to agreed literacy,
numeracy and student engagement strategies through the performance review
process.
Pre-Prep assessments are carried out, to obtain information for students new to the
school in Prep to ascertain their learning strengths, difficulties and areas that need
further development.
A web of Support which includes the following; Screening of Prep students in the
areas of Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Intellectual assessment and
intervention.
Student Learner Profiles are developed and maintained for all children across the
Campus, and Individual Learning Plans are put in place for all students who are
achieving above or below expected levels in the curriculum. These are reviewed and
updated each term as required.
Rigorous assessments and conferencing with students enables teachers to set and
work towards individualised learning goals with students.
Lateness
All students are expected to be at school by 8.50 am so that they have plenty of time
to get organised for their first class, COMMENCING AT 9.00 am. Students who are
late to school must sign the Late Book at the General Office.

Library
Yarrawonga College P-12 regards the Library as an essential resource for students.
The Library provides students with access to written material to support their own
research for both school based and recreational learning. Each Campus Library
houses a large number of age-appropriate fiction books, across all genres, to
stimulate student reading, and encourage reading for recreation. Each year the
Library co-ordinates the Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge at the school to
continue to promote an interest in reading
Lost Property
Items of lost clothing are placed in the General Office within the school. To assist in
avoiding the loss of clothing, we strongly urge that all clothing items be named.
LOTE (Language Other Than English – Indonesian)
Students in Years Prep to Year 4 and Years 5 and 6 are offered as part of their
curriculum LOTE. At our College the chosen language is Indonesian.
Students learn how to say own names, to greet, to thank, to say good bye, count from
0-10 and basic colours. Throughout their first year of LOTE they learn more about
colours and family, identify sounds in Indonesian Alphabets, a few classroom
instructions and name objects in class.

As the year progresses they learn how to tell times of the day, action words related to
daily activities, identify parts of the body, food (including vegetable, fruit) and drinks,
and telling hobbies.
All the above lessons are run using various teaching methods such as simulation,
singing, reading aloud, games, computer activities, drawing and colouring. Language
and cultural understandings are continued to be built upon throughout the Primary
Years of Schooling.
Medication
If your child has prescribed medication that needs to be taken while at school you will
need to have a medication authority form completed by your doctor. This ensures that
they are issued and recorded including dosage and time of administration. These
forms are available at the school office.
Music
In primary music the students explore sound and ways of using their voices,
movement and instruments to express ideas and to
sing and play music from different cultures, times and
locations. The students use voice, movement and a
number of instruments to explore pitch, rhythm,
dynamics and tempo. We also cover other aspects of
performing arts such a dance and drama. It is a great
opportunity for the students of Yarrawonga College to learn, sing and play music
earlier on in their lives.
We have also established a choir for students in Years 3-6. The choir come together
once a week to learn and practice together and have the opportunity to perform at a
variety of events and celebrations.
Outside Hours School Care
Our OSHC service provides a caring and safe environment for children between the
ages of 5 and 12 years Monday to Fridays from 3.15pm to 6.00pm. Our program
aims to meet the social, emotional, creative and physical needs of the children
attending and strives to be more than just a child care service.

Respectful Relationships
Respectful Relationships education will be taught as part of the Victorian curriculum.
In the classroom, children will learn problem-solving skills, to develop empathy,
support their own wellbeing and build healthy relationships with others. The
initiative will also provide resources to best support children and staff who are
affected by family violence. We believe that the Health and Wellbeing of your child
is an important factor in their education.
When children build positive relationships with
their teachers and peers they feel safer and
happier at school, are more resilient and have
positive social attitudes. Positive relationships
also increase a child’s sense of social
connectedness and belonging which can result
in better health and academic outcomes.
Safety
Your child needs to know his/her own name, phone number and address well
enough to repeat it when necessary.
Educate your child in good traffic habits. Show him / her their way to school.
Warn your child not to accept rides from anyone unless it has been pre-arranged.
If your child’s normal travel arrangements change, please notify the office. For prep
students please notify their classroom teacher in writing.
School Readiness Program
All students enrolled to attend our Prep classes in the following year are encouraged to
enrol in our School Readiness Program. Operating in Term 4 it provides an opportunity for
children and families to establish early relationships with peers, teaching staff and school
environment with includes school values, rules, routines and expectations.
Beginning at the start of Term 4, pre-prep students participate in a total of 8 sessions with
the final 3 sessions conducted in the prep classrooms.
To be eligible for this program children must be enrolled with our College prior to the
commencement date of this program.

Sports Program
Students in the primary years are engaged in a developmentally appropriate Physical
Education Program run by a Specialist Physical Education teacher for one hour each
week. The programs are designed to ensure that all children can enjoy a challenge
and experience success.
Our motto Recognising Participation and Celebrating Achievement is our way of
‘raising the bar’ and asking our students not just to participate but to compete.
Skills required for a range of sporting activities are taught in a sequential program
throughout the year levels including basketball, soccer, football, T-ball, netball,
volleyball, gymnastics, yoga, dance, skipping and many more.
Programs offered include:
Hot Shots Tennis
Kanga 8’s/ Milo Cricket
6 week Swimming program
Athletics
Fun Run/Cross Country
Lightning Premiership
School Sport Victoria (Divisional, Region, State pathways)
Student Leadership Programs
We have a number of leadership programs running throughout the school for our
students to develop their leadership and organisational skills. These programs
include;
Campus Leaders – are responsible for running Monday assemblies, special days
representing the campus and introducing guests to the school and are responsible for
the organisation of sporting days, including equipment and other organisational roles.
Junior House Captains – these students represent their Sporting House (Mitchell,
Hume, Hovell & Sturt) at the P-4 Campus. They support with sporting events and
activities, manage the weekly House points tallies and assist with break time games.

Student Representative Council – students are responsible for fundraising and
making decisions around where to spend money. The students on this group are also
responsible for liaising with their peers and representing them at this group.
Buddy Program – Each Year 4 student will have a Prep buddy, the Year 4 student is
responsible for taking care of their prep buddy at recess and lunch times at the
beginning of the year. Other roles of the Year 4 student are to show the prep around
the school, introduce them to other students and teach them what to do in differing
situations.
Therapy Dog
In 2018, Yarrawonga College P-12 implemented a new pilot program introducing
“Ollie” the Therapy dog and this program has
continued to run successfully ever since.
Ollie has been trained as a certified Therapy Dog
along with his owner and certified handler Annie
Irvine. Ollie is a 6 year old pure breed Labrador
with many years’ experience dealing with anxiety
and special needs children. Ollie will be
commuting around the P-4 Campus and
surrounding grounds, thus all students from time
to time may come in contact with or in the vicinity
of the Therapy Dog.
Vacation Care
This service operates throughout the school holidays and for the last two weeks of the
January holidays. You will be required to complete an enrolment form if your
child/children is/are not already enrolled at the service. Programs are available two
weeks before the commencement of school holidays and bookings are taken during
this time. Please try to book during this time as places fill fast. The service will be
closed on Public holidays.

CONTACT DETAILS
Yarrawonga College P-12
8-12 Gilmore Street
PO Box 39
Yarrawonga 3730
p: (03) 5744 1751
e: yarrawonga.p12@edumail.vic.gov.au
www.yarrawonga.vic.gov.au