Queen of Peace Primary School is located in Altona Meadows; a suburb in the west of Melbourne and is one of five Catholic schools, within the Holy Trinity Catholic Parish.
The parish church is on site and is a visible focal point to all children and families. It provides a shared space for worship and the school is well supported and encouraged by the parish and assistant priests.
The schools in the parish work collaboratively to ensure the best possible models for Catholic education are provided for students. The principals of the five schools and the parish priest comprise the Laverton Catholic Education Community (LCEC), which meets regularly and has been operating for approximately thirteen years. This group has developed and implemented many shared initiatives including a consistent enrolment process for those who desire that their children attend one of the parish schools.
Queen of Peace Primary School opened in 1982 and in 2017 celebrated 35 years of Catholic education to the Altona Meadows community. In 2017 there were 62 teachers and support staff that cater for the needs of the children across 21 class groupings.
The total number of children enrolled at our February Census was 516. Of the 516 students, 94% were born in Australia. 87% of students are from Catholic or Orthodox families while 6.5% are from other religions. The remaining 6.5% are from families who do not associate with any religion. Queen of Peace has 24 children supported by the Students with Disabilities (SWD) funding. The school has a high English as an Additional Language (EAL) component with 37 different languages spoken at home. Over recent years the population demographic has changed from predominantly European to a greater mix of Asian and African nationalities.
The school is well resourced with eight portable classrooms and a permanent building which houses staff and administration facilities, library, computer room and a range of learning spaces. A separate building is used for music and visual arts and a large hall incorporates the canteen, office space and a multipurpose space with stage.
The school aims to provide curricula, co-curricular and extra curricular initiatives that enable a wide range of learning experiences to improve spiritual, academic, physical, and social and emotional outcomes. The school runs developmentally appropriate P – Year 6 on and off site camp programs including camp days for the Prep – Year 2 children. Classes have Italian, Phys Ed, Art and Music lessons on a rotational basis. Access to and use of a range of digital technologies ensure staff can plan collaboratively and effectively. Students also have access to up to date technologies from Prep to Year 6 to assist with their learning program. Levels of communication have been improved giving students, staff and parents greater and more immediate access to learning.
“At Queen of Peace, we value our rich religious traditions and culture. We provide opportunities for our children and their families to celebrate our Catholic heritage, in many different sacramental and non-sacramental ways.”