Our Principal - a brief professional overview
Mr Damien Kitch was appointed as Principal of Upwey South Primary School in October 2017. Damien comes to our school community with a depth of knowledge in instructional leadership, and has extensive experiences in successfully building positive school cultures. Damien's recent school leadership portfolio is inclusive of principal-class roles at Glen Waverley Primary School, Knox Central Primary School, and as a member of executive leadership teams at Strathaird Primary School, and Clayton Primary School.
Amongst his commitments to furthering educational opportunities for primary aged students across varying school contexts, Damien always prioritises time to be an active part of his own school community, and can regularly be found playing with students in the yard, greeting families, and finding the time to teach classes and be directly involved in the delivery of our school's curriculum.
Damien is currently an executive member of the Outer East Principal Network, and believes strongly in developing the teaching capacity of staff both within and beyond our own school. Damien has been on advisory boards for the development of both curriculum and wellbeing approaches across Victorian primary schools, and delivers regular workshops for school leaders through his partnership with the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership. Damien is also committed to mentoring newly appointed principal class members to navigate the complexities of leading a modern school.
Prior to working in schools, Damien held a professional background in human resources and organisational psychology, working with various multinationals both within Australia and overseas. As an experienced primary school educator, Damien works hard to build school cultures in which 'everyone belongs'. Damien's personal philosophy is that a school principal should be the most trusted member of the school community.
Damien's contact details are:
School office: 03 9757 0200
Principal mobile: 0459 864 712
Principal email: damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au
A Message from our Principal
"As a school of choice for families in our area, we are proud of the learning community which we service. Our school values of Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience underpin our commitment to providing our students with educational opportunities which will enrich them with the academic, social, and personal skills to reach their potential.
Our school is a community-minded school with strong links between students, staff, and families. Relational trust is the glue that provides positive bonds across our school community.
As a staff, we understand the preconditions required to be a high-performing school. At Upwey South Primary School, we refer to these conditions as our "Guiding Principles". The 'why', the 'how, and the 'what' of everything we do is built around our guiding principles. As an accredited School-Wide Positive Behaviours for Learning (SWPBL) lead school, we utilise the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) to support student wellbeing, and work closely with allied health professionals to provide an environment in which everyone belongs. Our school consistently achieves outstanding educational results, and actively partners with tertiary institutions across Australia to engage in best-practice teaching and learning approaches.
At Upwey South Primary School, we undertake our vision, mission, and future directions with strategic intent. We are acutely aware that as we strive to achieve our own potential, our daily practices are driven by the following educational parameters:
Structures drive behaviours; students and staff will engage in behaviours which the structure of the school makes desirable, makes achievable, and makes time to actively celebrate.
Behaviours drive practice: when expectations for learning behaviours are clear, consistent, predictable, and celebrated, the climate of the school promotes psychological safety and a sense of belonging for all.
Practice drives culture: as a school, when we are clear of what is expected through our daily practice, we can continue to strive for greatness even when times may become challenging. The culture of our school nurtures, and supports, students and staff to feel seen, valued, and heard, as we create an embedded culture based upon relational trust.
We encourage you to commit the time to learning about our Guiding Principles, which are detailed below. "
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES- the underpinning of our School Philosophy
✓ Evidence-Based Learning
We deliver evidence-based learning for our students by actively engaging in professional learning, maintaining up-to-date assessment data, accessing reliable sources of professional information, utilising the School’s Data Centre to document achievements, actions, and evidence through school-wide data tools.
✓ Responsiveness
We act promptly to support all students, staff, and community members, through providing timely information. We undertake actions with a positive mindset, informing relevant others of our actions, and promoting a collective responsibility for student learning.
✓ Consistency
We work as a school-wide team of professionals to provide consistency in daily routines and structures for our students.
✓ Predictability
The actions of the adults in our school are predictable, compassionate, calming, and supportive at all times.
✓ Orderliness
We provide our students with an orderly learning environment, which is free of clutter, reflects current student achievements, and promotes a collective responsibility for shared learning spaces.
✓ Reinforcement of desirable learning behaviours
We work hard to acknowledge on-task learning behaviours, and encourage students to regulate their learning through the Berry Street Educational Model.
In addition to the serious commitment our Principal has towards the achievement of our Guiding Principles, we also commit time to make our school a fun and enjoyable place for learning!
Principals should make learning fun, engaging, and memorable. Pictured above is Mr Kitch rocking a
Math lesson during one of our 'crazy hair and crazy sock' days.