TEACHING & LEARNING
ST JOSEPH'S PRIMARY SCHOOL BLACK ROCK
At St Joseph’s, our purpose is to provide learning and teaching which responds to the unique educational needs of each child. A calm, happy and purposeful atmosphere is fostered within a caring community. An active partnership is encouraged between children, parents, governors and teachers. High standards are promoted by expecting pupils to work hard and to persevere in all areas of the curriculum. Our intention will be to help each pupil realise his or her maximum potential in terms of
personal, social and educational development.
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EDUCATION IN FAITH
MorningPrayer & Meditation
Daily meditation and prayer connects students to their spiritual self, develops awareness, improves concentration, wellbeing and sense of self.
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School Masses & Liturgies
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Class masses and liturgies throughout the year provide members of our school community with the opportunity to live and express our Catholic tradition. The role of the Parish and school community is to support and formalise the faith formation of students that is nurtured in the home.
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Sacramental Program
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Reconciliation: Grade 3
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First Eucharist: Grade 4
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Confirmation: Grade 5/6 (every second year)
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Our Goals for RE
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foster a Christian environment which permeates all aspects of school life;
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bear witness to the love of God for all people;
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draw on students' life experiences, thus providing a meaningful context for faith development;
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provide opportunities for the spiritual growth and development of each member of the school community
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work in partnership with the parish community and with parents.
ENGLISH
English is a core component of each day for every child from Foundation-6. Teaching in this area is well informed by a variety of assessment activities and teacher professional learning on a weekly basis; and guided by the Victorian Curriculum. We are fortunate to have many excellent physical and digital resources to support student learning.
M.S.L
Multisensory Structured Language
Structured Literacy involves evidence based instruction that is explicit, cumulative and systematic. MSL aims to use two or more of the senses, auditory (hearing), visual (seeing) and kinaesthetic (movement), when teaching literacy and phonics to form stronger pathways in the brain and deeper understanding.
Success in these areas is strongly supported by an approach to effectively ‘target’ learning activities to meet individual student’s needs. The ‘targeted learning' initiative is supported through assessments provided by ACER (Progressive Achievement Tests) and the University of Melbourne (Progression of Reading Development Assessments). The staff at St Joseph’s Primary School are committed to working collaboratively to achieve high outcomes for students.
MATHEMATICS
Through the teaching of Mathematics, we endeavour to enhance our students’ natural curiosity about the world around them and develop and preserve an interest in, and enjoyment of, mathematics, as well as develop the fundamentals on which mathematical specialties and professional applications of mathematics are built.
We enable all students to achieve success in an environment of high expectations and continuous improvement. This begins with the fundamental assumption of equity - the belief that all students can learn and should be given rich and challenging opportunities to do so. Therefore, teaching Mathematics with high expectations for all students ensures greater understanding for every student.
At St Joseph’s Primary School all children are encouraged and assisted to:
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Develop an appreciation, curiosity and enjoyment of mathematics.
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Acquire the mathematical knowledge, ways of thinking and confidence to apply mathematics in real and abstract situations.
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Develop speed and accuracy in computational skills consistent with their age and stages of development
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Develop a range of strategies to become mathematical problem solvers.
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Be risk-takers and embrace mistakes as part of their learning
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Appreciate that mathematics can be used creatively in many different forms.
STEM
STEM learning has become an important part of the learning landscape at St Joseph’s Primary School. STEM is the integration of skills from Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, applied to problem solving for real world challenges. These challenges require our students to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully.
Students at St Joseph’s Primary School have access to a broad range of technology that assists them in developing creative solutions for these problems, which allows them to be innovative and forward thinking. By equipping our students with the necessary skills to work with these challenges, it is our hope that we’re also developing the skills that will be required in many 21st century occupations.
INQUIRY
Throughout our Inquiry learning, we endeavour to engage the learner in the contemporary world by developing deep understanding about the self, others and the world, building relationships and contributing to the community, through a Catholic lense. Students engage with Technologies and Digital Learning tools and we provide opportunities for students to become reflective thinkers and develop an understanding of themselves as a learner. Our inquiry is guided by the Victorian Curriculum Capabilities: Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Capability, Ethical Understanding and Intercultural Understanding.
SPECIALIST SUBJECTS
Physical Education
Students at St Joseph’s Primary School have many opportunities to engage in physical activity and organised sports. Each week the children participate in a specialist Physical Education lesson. Each year we hold a Sports Gala Day for all students. Year 3-6 students participate in the district athletics, cross country, basketball and cricket. The Grade 5 & 6 classes participate in Inter-school sports such as football, soccer and netball. Our year 5 and 6 students participate in a Life saving senior program each year.
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Environmental Science
St Joseph’s Primary School is committed to educating students that they can make a difference locally and globally, to be caretakers of the earth. Environmental Science is part of the teaching and learning that occurs throughout the curriculum. Our students have a weekly lesson where students can be involved in hands on learning about growing plants and vegetables, propagating plants, planting , composting, and associated scientific concepts
Indonesian/ Visual Arts (CLIL)
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
This is the new approach that we are taking this year in teaching Indonesian and Visual Arts. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) was launched during 1994 by University of Melbourne. In simple terms, CLIL integrates both Content Learning and Language Learning. CLIL, students learn one of their school subjects in a targeted language. They learn Indonesian at the same time as they learn visual arts.
With CLIL, learning the content and learning the language are equally important. Both are important curriculum subjects for the students, and they are developed and integrated slowly but steadily. In the long term, students learn both the content and the new language as well as, if not better than, students who study content and language in separate classes.
CLIL, then, is designed to prepare young people for the future.
