Our philosophy is centred around supporting and nurturing children’s wellbeing within an emotionally safe learning environment.

Research shows that when children feel safe (free from judgment, treated with kindness and respect, valued for their differences), their neurological system becomes fully operational, increasing their capacity for learning and growth. Our aim is to foster children’s love of learning and to develop key life skills such as emotional intelligence, self-expression, critical thinking and a growth mindset.

Our values

Our values are the beating heart of Woodline. They are our foundational truths and they’re woven into every fibre of our school.

Connection

Connection is at the very heart of our school. Our most important question as educators is “how can I best connect?” We foster an environment in which children feel that all parts of their being are welcomed and supported. We connect with families to build trust and open communication that allows us to work collaboratively to support our children. We prioritise connection to self, place and community.

We connect with ourselves and others.

Honouring the Individual

We welcome and support all parts of a child’s being. We honour each individual – allowing them to fully express their true nature, and teaching them skills to cultivate and treasure their extraordinary uniqueness. We recognise that each child learns and creates in a way that is particular to them and we provide a learning environment that is inclusive, differentiated and respectful of individuality. We hold space for children at school, empowering them to value themselves deeply.
We have compassion and empathy for ourselves and others.

A Sense of Wonder and Curiosity

We welcome a child’s sense of wonder, awe, spirit, exploration, play and imagination. We celebrate children’s curiosity and have designed a curriculum in which children are encouraged to follow what intrigues them, to investigate the wonderous, and to be researchers of life.

We think deeply and creatively.

Openness

It is through trust and connection that we are able to be open with one another and really get to know and value our community. We are transparent in our communication with children and families, and are open to feedback and new ideas.

We are open with others and new learning.

Environmental Responsibility

Our beautiful school sits on 20 acres of farmland within the Geelong hinterland. It’s an environment that provides a constant reminder of our inheritance and our responsibility to do whatever we can to tread lightly on the planet and to be active changemakers where we see a need. The school has an ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.

We have worm farms, composts, chooks, abundant vegetable gardens, a fruit orchard, solar energy and waste management systems. We contribute to biodiversity by regularly planting trees and vegetation. We have weekly Enviro sessions where the children learn how to be caretakers of our Earth and be agents of change.

We strive to be mindful of our impact and take action to make that impact positive wherever we can.

A place where emotional wellbeing is at the centre of its story

Our story

Woodline Primary was brought to life by Melanie Austin and Lael Stone in 2021.

Melanie’s son had started school years before and was frustrated, upset, and he gradually became a defiant child who didn’t want to go to class. Melanie and her husband started to question why – and it became clear that he needed a supportive, non-punitive, familiar environment that had the same values as his home life.

On a Friday morning session in 2018, Melanie turned to Lael as her mentor and someone she trusted and asked one simple question, “Can you help me start a school?”

Lael’s three children had all experienced challenges in mainstream schooling, mainly around styles of learning, autonomy and choice, and connection with teachers.

Lael’s background in Counselling, Parent Education and Trauma Therapy was to set the foundation and vision for the school whilst Melanie’s background in business and philanthropic endeavours grounded the vision. Together they merged their ideas and values to dream up a school that placed emotional wellbeing at the centre of its story.

They both found themselves discussing what could be possible if a school focused on emotional wellbeing first; and learning second. What if there was a school that valued choice and autonomy and understood the environment needed for children to learn?

They spent the first eight months researching education, discussing possibilities, and exploring what it would take to open a school.

The easy part was dreaming what it could look like – and then the challenges came with turning it into a reality. With the support of many skilled people, Woodline began to take shape.

Originally forecast to open in 2020, the opening was delayed due to permits and infrastructure, but trusting in the school’s timing, it all came together to open in January 2021.

As the Founders and Creators of this School, Melanie and Lael both sit on the board and will continue to ensure that Woodline’s vision and essence are maintained into the future.

Welcome to Woodline

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Our guiding principals

The principles of Reggio Emilia inspire our unique learning program. These include:
  • We constantly foster an emotional connection with each other
  • We provide the space for children to feel emotionally safe
  • We create a community in which each child feels that they truly belong
  • Guides encourage risk-taking opportunities to develop critical thinking, emotional intelligence and a growth mindset
  • Team wellbeing is vital to ensure they are grounded and present
  • We believe that children are competent, creative and capable learners
  • Guides facilitate each child’s holistic learning and development
  • Guides take an intentional and reflective approach to implementing learning programs that are personalised for each child
  • Relationships and connection are at the centre of our pedagogy
  • Each child’s voice is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence their learning
  • The rights of every child in the learning group are essential
  • Each child is supported to regulate their own feelings/emotions
  • We believe that children possess a hundred languages – a hundred ways of thinking, of expressing themselves, of understanding and of encountering others
  • Each child’s thinking creates connections between various concepts rather than separating them
  • We give value to the extraordinary potential of children, their knowledge-building and creative processes
  • Each child’s knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture and interests are the foundation of our learning
  • Indoor and outdoor learning environments are created to foster engagement
  • Resources and materials are open-ended and provide opportunities to deepen learning
  • The contribution and role of caregivers is respected and supported
  • Collaborative partnerships enhance children’s inclusion, wellbeing and learning
  • Communication about each child’s learning growth is regularly shared
  • Families’ expertise, culture, values and beliefs are honoured
  • Children are effective communicators
  • Listening is an ongoing process that nurtures reflection, welcoming and openness towards oneself and others
  • Guides make the listening process visible through pedagogical documentation
  • Each child’s learning and development is part of a cycle of observation, analysis, documentation, planning, implementation and reflection
  • Each child is an active constructor of knowledge, competencies and autonomies
  • Learning is unique and subjective in the relationship with children, the community and the environment
  • The learning process is fostered by research, comparison of ideas and co-participation; it makes use of creativity, uncertainty, intuition, curiosity
  • Learning is generated through play, projects and rhythms
  • Guides are intentional, purposeful, creative and reflective in their planning
  • Shared research between Guides and the children is a priority of practice
  • Research is a means of interpreting the complexity of the world, of phenomena, and of systems of coexistence
  • Research is made visible through documentation
  • Research builds opportunities for deep learning, reformulating knowledge and fostering innovation
  • Learning environments are designed and organised in interconnected forms and are a place for the children and
  • Guides to learn and research together
  • Our environment interacts, modifies and takes shape in relation to the projects
    Care for our environments enhances wellbeing, connection to place and a sense of belonging

School

Pedagogy

Community

Children

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Woodline Primary acknowledges and pays respect to the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land in which we learn, play and gather together. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

© Woodline Primary School Limited. Reg No: 2239

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Three Springs Road, Ceres VIC 3221 Austalia

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Woodline Primary acknowledges and pays respect to the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land in which we learn, play and gather together. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.