The Victorian Education Excellence Awards are right around the corner, highlighting excellence within schools and among teachers and teams throughout the state.
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This year, Mooroopna Park Primary School has been shortlisted for two awards: Outstanding Primary Teacher and Outstanding Education Support Team.
For both awards, the school is one of three finalists, and results will be announced at a ceremony on Friday, October 27.
The News sat down with the local nominees to see what they’ve been doing to be a finalist.
Outstanding Primary Teacher
Lauren Jeffery started at Mooroopna Park in 2022, joining the school as a prep teacher, but her career didn’t begin there.
“I started at the beginning of last year after working for 13 years in remote Aboriginal schools in Western Australia,” Mrs Jeffery said.
“It was part of my appointment, and I just loved it.”
Her passion for education started in high school after a conversation with her career adviser.
“I was influenced definitely by some prac work I did in Year 10 and then talking to the school,” she said.
“I guess I just started teaching, and something that I’d always loved is working with kids, so it was just a natural path.”
The award’s website described Mrs Jeffery’s impact on the school as instrumental in achieving quality student outcomes, including improved results in reading and writing.
“I think that’s one of my biggest passions — early reading and writing,” Mrs Jeffery said.
“We [the school] have been trying to make a shift to more evidence-based learning and utilising the science of reading to improve the students’ output.”
The nomination process for Outstanding Primary Teacher involved internal recommendations and three endorsements from teachers and staff within the school.
Mrs Jeffery is one of three finalists but already feels proud.
“I’m so excited, and to be honest, I feel like a winner already,” she said.
“The feeling of knowing that my colleagues nominated and endorsed me was just the best feeling in the world.
“Winning would be amazing, but receiving appreciation and recognition has been a real high point for me.”
Through the award, Mooroopna is being recognised in a statewide competition, and Mrs Jeffery is happy for country Victoria.
“It puts the school on the map and shows recognition for the school and the whole of regional Victoria as well,” she said.
“It just means that we can keep implementing more programs and keep improving our classes.”
Outstanding Education Support Team
Mooroopna Park’s education support team comprises school chaplain Brooke Bowles, wellbeing co-ordinator Lisa Hueston and speech therapist Surabhi Budhiraja.
Mrs Bowles has been a staff member at Mooroopna Park Primary School for four years, looking after the wellbeing needs of the school and providing pastoral care.
Ms Budhiraja works with students to support their oral language skills — speech and literacy.
The school hosts student speech therapists for their placement, and they work with Ms Budhiraja during their time.
“In the five years I’ve worked here, I have seen 30 placement students come through,” she said.
Ms Hueston provides support to students and families, as well as building community partnerships.
“We provide a holistic approach to supporting our families both within the school and beyond the school gates, supporting the students in the classroom, delivering hampers, engaging families and connecting families with support services,” Ms Hueston said.
“I am responsible for building relationships with community partnerships.”
According to the award’s website, the Mooroopna Park team was shortlisted due to their community connections.
“We’ve got some really, I guess, passionate people here who just see the big picture in people’s lives and that education is only one aspect of what we do here,” Mrs Bowles said.
“We also ensure that basic needs are met, and families feel safe coming to the school because, as a wellbeing team, all we want is for the families to succeed.”
Through the process of nominations, endorsements and being shortlisted, the education support team members have felt closer than before, Ms Hueston said.
“We all have our separate roles, but this has made us realise how much of a team we really are,” Ms Hueston said.
“We all have the same goal of wanting the six hours the students are at school to be the best they can be.”
To hear more about Mooroopna Park’s finalists or to see the other shortlisted staff and schools, head to the Victorian Education Excellence Awards website at tinyurl.com/VEEA2023
Cadet Journalist