Principal’s Message

Hello,
I’m Steve Shaw.
As the Principal at Livingstone Primary School, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working alongside many great people throughout our school; all of whom have embraced this terrific educational journey together and have learnt a great deal from one other. I’d like to take this moment to thank all the parents, staff, and most especially our students, who work tirelessly with collaboration, dedication and great skill to make sure Livingstone continues to thrive as an exemplary school in the Vermont South area.
Although Livingstone PS has always maintained an outstanding reputation within the wider educational community, it’s my goal, and one mirrored by the community, that through our passionate hard work, ongoing improvement in our school’s results continues to be evident.

To meet the needs of a complex and ever changing world, be it locally, nationally or globally, the next generation will require leadership from individuals who are morally sound and whose values demonstrate that they are responsible, optimistic, have unquestionable integrity, a pride in working hard and in their personal presentation…..BUT most importantly, are respectful of ALL others.

For children who aspire to demonstrate good character as adults, and offer a significant contribution to making the world a better place for others, the journey begins here at Livingstone.

Our school community recognises its foundations lie within the celebration of diversity, acceptance and in our school motto; ‘Linking the community through learning’. Families of all backgrounds and faiths are welcome; being egalitarian, we see our school as a microcosm of society.

Of course, the family plays an important role in Livingstone’s vision for education. As the primary educators in their children’s lives, parents within our community are active in the academic, co-curricular and social and emotional development of their children and in helping them to develop character. Our school seeks out opportunities to engage with families to round out the experiences in the lives of our students. Parents and staff share high aspirations for the children of our school community, wanting them to reach their full potential in all areas of their academic endeavours and against all measures of social competence and general wellbeing.

Our academic program is one of which our school community is extremely proud. Our dedicated teachers prescribe to pedagogy that focuses on the needs of our students using contemporary tools; and our thorough and effective curriculum planning methods are based on significant research into best practices in teaching and learning. Livingstone ensures that our students develop the necessary academic skills to find the success they deserve in secondary school and beyond.

We teach from a 6 C’s perspective, that is, through:

  1. collaboration
  2. citizenship
  3. creativity
  4. building character
  5. critical thinking and
  6. communication

This framework informs how our expert staff teach and support the children with their diverse and very different learning needs. Helping the children understand right from wrong, and the importance of exercising gratitude and empathy as we work with parents and carers to guide our boys and girls to adolescence, is also a strength of our school.

Life at Livingstone is VERY busy……and is further enriched by our dedicated faculty through a strong co-curricular program. Our students learn as much outside of the classroom as they do within it. We have strong offerings in the arts, athletics and sports, camps, coding, engineering, cooking, maths competitions and challenges, and many ‘club’ options such as choir, dancing, running, drawing that build upon special interests and talents.

Livingstone Primary School has regular participants in the Victorian High Abilities Program (VHAP), Science Talent Search and Maths Olympiad, with the majority of Year 3-6 students participating in the Australian Maths Competition, where they attain excellent results.

We also onsite Before and After School Care program (which includes Vacation Care) to assist families with childcare options.

School Tours are available and we welcome prospective parents and students to take a tour of our school with a member of the leadership team. Please contact the school office on 9803 7673, to speak with our enrolment officer to book a tour.

I encourage you to peruse our website carefully, give us a call or drop us a line to better understand the ‘Livingstone Way’ during your search to find the right school for your child.

I wish you well with your decision making and recommend you look at a number of schools to ensure you find the one that best suits your child’s many talents and specific needs; as ALL children are unique and must be taught and guided through a personalised approach.

Take care!