Principal's Welcome

We are on Djaara Country, and acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung for their ongoing care of Country.  We pay deep respect to elders who have gone, those here now and those soon to come. 

Our School is at the heart of our local Chewton community. In 2020 we celebrated 150 years of learning. Our newly renovated heritage building and stunning bush setting make our school both a welcoming and unique learning environment. Our school grounds are made to be explored, with both active and quiet spaces. We enjoy the bush behind the school for learning activities, cubby building and sitting around our beautiful fire pit. 

Our school values are Community, Kindness and Respect. We nurture the whole child: social and emotional wellbeing is crucial for learning, so it sits at the centre of our work. We provide a safe, nurturing environment where students are both challenged and supported to be their best. We use Kimochis to teach social and emotional learning, and School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports to teach and acknowledge expected behaviours.

We have high quality literacy and numeracy learning, with students achieving at high levels. We believe in students having a strong voice and agency in their learning through goal setting, feedback and learning through their areas of interest and passion. 

We have a strong emphasis on Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum and build close connections to First Nations people living and working on Djaara Country. We are a lead school in this area of learning.

Both our indoor and outdoor areas are used as learning spaces. Our teachers use evidence based best practice, with High Impact Teaching Strategies a hallmark of our work. We provide Art, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering Maths) and LOTE (Auslan) as our specialist classes. Individual music tutors also teach keyboard, guitar and drums.  

We are also a 5-star Resource Smart School: sustainability is a key focus for our whole school. In 2023 we won teh state Curriculum Leadership award and in 2024, School of the Year for our outstanding work in Sustainability. We have a vegie garden, worm farm and outdoor kitchen. We have a sustainability teacher who works with staff and students each week to develop our skills and understanding of caring for our environment.  

Our class sizes are small, giving each student a greater opportunity for individual support. Our school is small enough that every child knows everyone, but is large enough that children are able to forge positive relationships across a wide variety of age groups. All staff members are invested in the wellbeing of every student. We currently have three classes: Prep/1, 3/4 and 5/6.  

We come together with other small schools for activity days, as well as participating in a combined camps program. We have a close relationship with larger neighbouring schools in the Mount Alexander Shire, with students coming together for sport throughout the year as well as for artistic and cultural events. 

We believe that fostering a positive attitude and appreciation of sustainable environmental practice is vital to the development of our students. Parents, carers and the broader community are integral to all aspects of learning at our school and we invite you to come and see our learning in action. 

We love our school and are incredibly proud of what we do.

Bernadette McKenna, Principal