Our Primary School is a thriving Christ-centred, student-focused, values-based learning community. We pursue excellence in all areas of school life and strive to make school an inspiring place with endless possibilities for our young people. We seek to develop our students' capacity in a holistic manner that addresses academic, co-curricular and social-emotional areas.
Welcome to Gilson College Mernda (Primary).
It is with great delight that I work alongside a dedicated team of educators who nurture and grow the students in our care every day. Guiding children as they learn to be respectful, responsible and resilient learners as they develop their character as people of integrity.
We value spiritual, academic, social and physical wellbeing and offer a variety of excellent programs that improve the health of our community.
Our website provides a small glimpse into life at Gilson and I encourage you to see our thriving Christ-Centred community in action on a tour.
“'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '” - Jeremiah 29:11.
Mrs Jodi Batten
We aim to be a thriving Christ-Centred community. Our identity is uniquely built upon our Adventist heritage and we teach Christian values through a variety of intentional programs. We believe that spiritual health is fundamental to living a healthy and meaningful life. Some of our programs include: Chapel programs, Classroom worships, daily Bible classes, a Campus Church that meets on Saturday mornings and a Festival of Faith.
We believe that strong academic development is essential in preparing our students for lifelong success and learning opportunities. Academic success occurs through individualised learning attention from our experienced and talented teachers. We ensure that all students are met at their level and supported to achieve high expectations. We recognise that academic success looks different for different students and prioritise a differentiated curriculum that extends our students and provides nurture at the same time. We provide a variety of academic excursions throughout the year that highlight career options and potential areas of future study.
We offer a range of subjects including Maths, English, Science, French, Drama, Music, Digital Technology, Design and Technology, Encounter, Health, Sport, Physical Education, Humanities & Social Science and Art.
If a student's immediate needs are not met, learning can rarely occur effectively. We believe that all students need to have a voice in their education and support a nurture-focused curriculum that caters for our diverse student groups. Throughout our primary experience, we ensure that student capabilities are a focus and that behaviours are taught effectively. We prioritise social and emotional learning at anchor points in our student's journey as they progress, through rites of passage, towards adulthood. Some of our focus programs for social health include Bush School, Positive Behaviour 4 Learning, Social Emotional Leaning Group Student Representative Council and senior school camps.
Physical activity has been linked to improved wellbeing, social relationships and academic achievement consistently across the last three decades of educational research. During their formative years, students need to be involved in regular exercise. We value the benefits that sports and exercise provide our students and prioritise creating opportunities for our students to participate in a variety of different sports and activities. Our programs that focus on the physical health of students include HPE lessons, Representative Sports Teams, School Carnivals and promoting Healthy Eating at our canteen.