Kathryn Carmont

Demonstrated a passion for industry through the active engagement of businesses, employers and employees, in order to build positive relationships and create unique opportunities in industry for young people.

Conducted risk assessments and site visits, adhering to all policies and procedures, across a range of work sites and industries to ensure the safety and success of young people whilst on work experience and in school based apprenticeships.

Developed and co-lead the current 2024 Rookies ‘Be Prepared’ program. The program’s blend of classroom based activities, focusing on college Values & the Employability Metrics, as well as a supported and structured introduction to industry, prepare young people to find success in the world of work through a goal focused approach.

Established and fostered key relationships with Steps, Caloundra and EndED: House of Hope, providing opportunities for Gift of Giving, work experience and cross promotional opportunities via social media and word of mouth.

Provided strengths based, constructive feedback to young people, founded on the Employability Metrics and AITC Values. This structured, solution focused feedback allows young people the opportunity to reflect and at times, challenge themselves to be more, leading to self motivated and holistic character development.

Fostered strong relationships and rapport with young people, discovering their goals and passions for industry. I then utilise this information to actively provide support with WEX placements, TAFE course selection and the facilitation of sign up opportunities into school based apprenticeships.

Liaised with parents and carers on a daily basis to support young people in industry, both formally through parent meetings, emails, discovery nights and welcoming events, as well as informally over text and phone, establishing positive relationships with families.

Designed quality teaching & learning programs to enhance and extend each student’s learning experiences. Programs were designed to be highly engaging and relevant to the needs of the students and the world around them. Explicitly teaching students the skills of content exploration, questioning and critical thinking across a variety of subjects, particularly those of great personal interest, encouraged students to view themselves as and see the value of being life long learners.

Created detailed IEP’s for all students through a consultative process with parents/carers, students, teaching staff and when requested with external supports such as occupational therapists, psychologists and counsellors. This process was completed bi-annually, with all key stakeholders to ensure maximum support and the inclusion of the most up to date information and student goals.

Developed inclusive educational programs based on the Australian National Curriculum, student’s IEP’s and preferred learning styles. Planning for students with additional needs and disabilities at this foundational stage of content development, allowed for all students to access and fully engage in all learning experiences, minimising the need for separate or alternative learning activities.

Utilised diverse teaching methods, ICT and adapted to individual learning styles to improve student engagement and in turn learning outcomes for all students. Visual timetables, integrated use of ICT, brain and movement breaks, learning stations and the provision of verbal and written instruction were just some of the tools used to support the diverse learning needs of the classroom.

Lead the K-12 Numeracy Team in developing an engaging curriculum based on the NSW curriculum and Numeracy Continuum. The team was responsible for creating the entire mathematics curriculum and programs (K-12) as the school moved from a Lifestyles Curriculum to Mainstream. Key elements were a strengths based approach and the inclusion of resources, such as concrete materials and games based learning. ICT was integrated in both teacher support and in student learning activities through OSMO, Mathletics, as well as a variety of interactive online games.

Co-developed the whole school scope and sequence (K-12) through an inclusive education lens. Ajuga is a school whose entire student population has a disability, predominantly mental health and additional learning needs. This resulted in huge learning gaps in the most capable of learners. The difficulty this project presented was how to develop the Scope and Sequence, offering the rigorous opportunities as intended by the NSW and Australian National Curriculum, inclusive of access to age appropriate learning, whilst accommodating for significant time away from school and education.

Co-Developed the EJ Holden Program, providing practical experience and learning related to a career pathway in mechanics. Students were disengaging from the current program and the curriculum had little relevance to their lives. The executive team engaged with community, TAFE and guidance from the Board of Studies (now NESA and equivalent to QCAA) to develop a highly relevant and engaging program for mechanically minded students. The program included hands on learning, through supported WEX under the guidance and instruction of retired mechanics to restore a donated EJ Holden, as well as a formal vocational education component completed at TAFE. The classroom learning was then changed to reflect a focused on Mathematics and English skills that directly related to the student interest and career pathway of AutoMaintenance.

Established strong student welfare practices to ensure student safety, well-being and academic success. I facilitated essential links with outside agencies to support the unique needs of each student and their families. This solution focused, goal orientated approach had the aim of removing obstacles to allow for a returned student focus to learning, both in the classroom and industry.

Collaborated with and supported classroom teachers in the development of IEPs. Staff were empowered through professional development, to conduct bi-annual meetings with parents/carers, students and other key stake holders to develop and monitor student progress through the development of IEP’s. The education team saw the integral role they played in the consultative development and gained value from having a more detailed knowledge of their students, their needs and how to support these within the classroom,

Supported adjustments to in-school assessment and conducted formal application for external assessments to the Board of Studies (now NESA and in line with AARA). The educational team made regular adjustments to allow students with disabilities equal access to assessments. These included extra time, rest breaks and access to ICT to allow, for example, a typed response. External exams required formal documentation and application for reasonable adjustments, such as for the School Certificate. I applied for individual adjustments for over 15 students to the Board of Studies based on students IEP’s, Learning Plans, Behaviour Management Plans and supporting documentation from external supports such as psychologists and paediatricians. As a result, all students were granted formal approval for reasonable adjustments such as, allowing for smaller exam spaces, rest breaks, ICT, scribes and readers. In school and formal application was made in consultation with students, parents and carers and when applicable external support agencies.

Consulted and liaised formally and informally with all team members to ensure a collegial approach to whole school initiatives, to build positive peer relationships and a sense of succeeding collectively. Formal meetings were set and attended on a weekly basis at an executive, teaching team and support team level. Informal daily debriefings were attended to by all staff, allowing for whole school activities and needs to be addressed as well as providing an opportunity for discussion about students needs and potential support required. I held a very strong open door policy and actively encouraged staff and students to meet with me at any time.

Discussed the specific learning needs of students with disabilities with teachers, support staff and diverse stake holders in order to collaboratively create reasonable adjustments at the classroom level. A student with an auditory processing disorder had become increasingly disruptive in class. As a team we looked at the purpose of the behaviour and decided that it was likely the student was not able to access the content, despite looking like they were. Upon reflection the teacher felt that perhaps the classroom and become more verbally orientated as other students enjoyed that style of learning. The shift had been slow and unnoticed. Reasonable adjustments were made to minimise auditory processing difficulties in the classroom. These included the use of visual timetables, written instructions for all students along with the currently successful auditory ones, providing extra time for verbal responses and the use of visual cues in addition to verbal instructions as often as possible. This resulted in an inclusive classroom, where all students had access to the curriculum on the same basis.

Differentiating curriculum to meet the specific learning needs of individual students, providing adequate scaffolding and appropriate pacing of lessons to foster greater understanding and student achievement. I deconstructed the Numeracy Continuum to create explicit, quality criteria for students across all stages of learning. Using this criteria, a data wall was created in the classroom providing a shared metalanguage between my students and myself. The enabled me to clearly identify the point of need for the learner. This then became a whole school initiative where, in a one term block, 76% of students progressed along the Numeracy Continuum by at least one level.

Strong knowledge of the levels of adjustment and the development of supportive programs. Extensive adjustments were required for all students as the school environment and classrooms was required to be highly modified. Beyond this, in-class adjustments were also required at an individual level. Most students at Campbell House had a co-morbidity of at least 1 other diagnosis/disability aside from the major behavioural disorder, which was required to be eligible to attend the school. This required a highly in tune and responsive approach to teaching and learning. Adjustments were often difficult to action as the students had a strong resistance to being different and singled out.

Inclusive practices were a necessary development, whereby explicit teaching, multi-modal prompts, cues & instructions, 1:1 support, the integrated use of ICT and access to specialised staff were planned, considered and carefully implemented to increase student learning.

Participated in and highly valued peer mentoring and observation opportunities. As an educational team we were aware that our days were often in isolation. In response this, the executive team created a timetable for peer observation over the course of a semester. I found this particularly valuable, observing how a skilled teacher could engage, encourage and challenge students. Access to a variety of programming styles, discussion on adjustments and open praise for each other’s work boosted team moral and created unexpected support networks. As a more established teacher I continued to value these opportunities and established further mentoring and observational opportunities with surrounding schools to develop my teaching skills, specifically in numeracy. I was supported by my school to observe and engage with class-based numeracy specialists on a weekly basis for a term.