Gillen Primary School is located in Alice Springs. The school provides educational programs from preschool through to Year 6. The Gillen Preschool is located on the main school campus. The school is the base for the Deaf and Hearing Support Unit for students in the Alice Springs region. The school also has responsibility for Amoonguna School, 20km east of Alice Springs. SCHOOL VISION Our school fosters the belief that everyone has the right to be happy, safe and secure in a supportive learning environment. SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY Our school believes in the development of each student as an individual. Each student should be encouraged to develop an inquiring mind and to think independently. The school intends that its students: ? acquire, at their own level, the highest possible standards of academic excellence; ? are encouraged in understanding of self, tolerance and concern for others and interest and participation in community affairs; ? experience activities to develop and extend their capabilities in creative and physical area; and ? experience technology, its application, innovation and change. The school's Indigenous student population is over 70%. As many of our students are highly transient, an Indigenous Bridging Unit is part of the school, catering for students not familiar with mainstream schooling. Gillen is an Accelerated Literacy school and is the hub school for this program in Central Australia. We believe our school is one that will stimulate intellectual development by setting high, but realistic, expectations for our students. We also recognize that the development of students’ personal and social skills is a fundamental part of the education process. We want our school to be a place in which students learn to think well of themselves, and a place where they can develop a sense of personal value and a confidence in themselves, and acquire the social skills necessary to get on with others whilst at school and in adult life. For us to achieve our goals, we seek to develop strong..