Our Learning
Our 6 Instructional Pillars
Set High Expectations
High expectations lift effort and performance. Teachers promote a culture of high expectations by clearly defining expectations and standards, providing models of high-quality work and responses.
Consolidate Learning
Learning is consolidated through the action of spaced retrieval practice. It is this retrieving of knowledge that secures it in long-term memory.
Secure Attention and Engagement
High levels of student attention and cognitive engagement ensure the best chance for learning to happen for all students. Engagement Norms secure high levels of student participation.
Teach Explicitly
Explicit instruction is highly efficient for teaching new concepts and involves clear explanations and demonstrations. Teachers break new knowledge, skills or processes into manageable chunks, paying careful attention to the limits of student’s working memory.
Check for Understanding
Teachers routinely require all students to show what they know so they can respond appropriately. Regular checks for understanding enable teachers to be intentional about the pace of their lessons.
Respond in Real Time
Responding in real time is both differentiation and feedback. RIRT enables efficient error correction and the provision of extension for those who need it.
Our Curriculum
English
Students engage with Core English and Literature Studies each day – developing speaking, listening, reading, writing and critical thinking skills.
In the early years of schooling we place a strong emphasis on students mastering foundational skills – as English is the gateway to all future learning.
Our curriculum program systematically progresses through word-level, sentence-level, paragraph-level and finally text-level reading and writing, with a focus on both fluency and accuracy.
Handwriting and typing skills are taught explicitly across the school.
English is also taught across other curriculum areas as the main tool for demonstrating understanding.
Students participate in no less than 10 hours of English instruction per week.
Monitoring and Assessing Learning in English
We use a reliable reading benchmarking tool three times per year to monitor student progress and achievement.
For any student that is needing either assistance or extension, we progress monitor their learning fortnightly and we use daily checks for understanding to monitor learning progress within lessons.
Mathematics
Our Mathematics classes ensure we cover the three curriculum strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.
Our curriculum is sequenced and cumulative – ensuring students develop accuracy and fluency of essential skills as they progress through school.
Lessons are taught explicitly which means teachers are providing models, worked examples and guided practice before students have the opportunity for more independent practice.
Students will participate in no less than 5 hours of Mathematics instruction per week.
Monitoring and Assessing Learning in Mathematics
We use a number of reliable numeracy benchmarking tools across the year to monitor student progress and achievement.
We place a strong emphasis on number and fact fluency, as this forms the foundation of all future Mathematics learning.
For any student that is needing additional assistance, we progress monitor their learning fortnightly and we use daily checks for understanding to monitor student knowledge within lessons.
Humanities
Humanities are taught through what we call Knowledge Units.
Students engage with two Knowledge Units per term that, where possible, are strongly connected to their Literature Studies.
These units are designed in such a way that they ensure students have a strong understanding of a core body of knowledge across the Humanities (Geography and History).
As the units increase in complexity, students rely on previously learnt content to make sense of the new learning.
An example of the way knowledge builds over time is provided below:
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- Farms, Weather and Seasons
- Exploring the Continent
- Australia and its Neighbours
- World Maps, Mountains and River Systems
- Our Solar System
- Beyond Earth – The Universe
- The Middle Ages
Our Humanities curriculum ensures equitable access to core knowledge and language that every student needs to thrive in life.
Monitoring and Assessing Learning in Humanities
To ensure each student has a firm grasp of key skills, knowledge and concepts in Humanities, we begin each Knowledge Unit with a pre-test and conclude with both a post-test and some form of action taking, where students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge and understandings.
This could be a poster, presentation, debate or expo.
Science
Science is taught across our Prep to Year 6 classrooms.
Students learn the core science knowledge they need to participate fully in society, to think critically about the world they live in and to make meaningful contributions to shared challenges such as climate change, waste and energy.
Students engage in a rich science curriculum that builds their knowledge of the biological, chemical, physical, Earth and space sciences.
Students also learn about the scientific process of hypothesising and determining truth through testing and experiments.
Science lessons provide both explicit teaching of key information and exploration through hands-on activities.
Our Science curriculum provides a solid foundation for secondary school Science education.
The Arts
We are incredibly proud of our arts program.
Our program consists of visual arts, dance, drama, media arts, music and the school band.
Students from Prep to Year 6 enjoy a minimum of two hours per week in our Arts Centre.
The program is delivered by specialist educators who are deeply passionate about their subject areas.
Students are provided with regular opportunities to share their talents with our school and wider community.
Physical Education
Our Physical Education program is scoped to ensure the development of fine and gross motor skills, alongside sportspersonship and game play strategy.
The program promotes fitness and physical development while fostering enjoyment of physical activity and team spirit.
Our students engage in a minimum of two hours of dedicated physical activity each week.
Students have many opportunities to challenge themselves in house sports athletics days, regional and state divisions.
Personal Social Capabilities (PC)
Our Personal and Social Capability curriculum is taught explicitly to all year levels. Morning Circles provide a daily opportunity to explore and practice these skills.
The skills of knowing self and working well with others are carefully scoped to build progressively on students’ social understanding, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills.
We intentionally unpack our school values and HaBITS, helping students to understand and apply them, to manage their emotions and to develop productive relationships with peers and adults.
This whole-school approach ensures a consistent, developmentally aligned program that supports every student to thrive socially and emotionally.
Digital Technologies
Digital technologies play an ever growing role in day to day life for most people.
Our students engage in learning both about a range of technologies and how to use these productively.
Our school places emphasis on the safe and responsible use of technology and developing an understanding of digital citizenship.
Students learn skills that are transferable to the classroom and beyond.
Our curriculum evolves as technology does, to ensure students are confident to navigate the online world confidently and critically.