Curriculum

Our school curriculum is underpinned by a clear set of educational principles which reflects the community’s expectations for schooling.

Educational Principles

Specifically, the educational principles are:

1. Learning for all - proceeding on the basis that all students can learn given sufficient time and support, and that good schools and good teaching make a positive difference to student outcomes.
2. Pursuit of excellence - seeking to accomplish something noteworthy and admirable individually and collectively, and performing at one’s best.
3. Engagement and effort - acknowledging that student ability is only one factor in achievement and that if students work hard and make an effort, they improve.
4. Respect for evidence - seeking understanding and truth through structured inquiry and the application of information, evidence, opinion, knowledge and history.
5. Openness of mind - being willing to consider a range of different views and consider different ways in which evidence is perceived and solutions can be reached.

Contemporary Learning Needs

In our approach to meeting contemporary learning needs for our students we:

1. Aim to ensure all students make progress and succeed.
2. Use questions and issues as drivers for learning.
3. Create flexible learning opportunities in response to the different ways in which students learn and achieve their best.
4. Encourage effective use of contemporary technologies to deepen student learning and accelerate student learning, both inside and outside of school.
5. Stimulate learners to think and work creatively, explore and experiment, plan and reflect, communicate and collaborate.
6. Create learning opportunities in different environments within and beyond the classroom.

Student Capabilities

The Victorian Curriculum F-10 includes capabilities, which are a set of discrete knowledge and skills that are taught explicitly in and through the learning areas.

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Ethical
• Intercultural
• Personal and Social

English and Literacy

The study of English helps creates confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens.

It helps students to become ethical, thoughtful, informed and active members of society.  English also helps students to engage imaginatively and critically with literature to expand the scope of their experience.

Literacy learning is fundamental to your child’s learning progress.  St. Joseph’s Primary School devotes a high level of resources to literacy programs to improve literacy learning and student achievement across all years of schooling, but especially in the first few years.

St. Joseph’s Primary School monitors student literacy achievement and uses results to plan for students’ distinct learning needs.  Where necessary, teachers use specially designed intervention programs to consolidate basic understandings in literacy.

Mathematics

Mathematics provides students with essential mathematical skills and knowledge in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability. It develops the numeracy capabilities that all students need in their personal, work and social lives.

St. Joseph's Primary School staff regularly assess and monitor student progress in Mathematics, ensuring that all students are receiving instruction that is specific and relevant to their point of need. This regular assessment and monitoring informs the strategies and skills that each child is being taught through individual, small group and whole class instruction. 

The Mathematics learning program, where necessary, is supported by a number of evidence-based programs that are designed to support and enrich the learning of students appropriate to their specific mathematics learning needs. 

Science

Science provides a way of answering interesting and important questions about the world.  The knowledge it produces has proved to be a basis for action in our personal, social and economic lives.  Science is a dynamic, collaborative and creative human endeavour arising from our desire to make sense of our world through exploring the unknown, investigating universal mysteries, making predictions and solving problems.

Languages (Japanese)

Languages are designed to enable all students to engage in learning a language in addition to English.  Languages help to ensure students communicate in the target language, and understand the relationship between language and culture.  Languages study also helps students understand themselves as communicators and develop intercultural capability.

Health and Education

Health and Physical Education teaches students how to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, wellbeing and physical capacity.  The Health and Physical Education learning area has strong foundations in scientific fields such as physiology, nutrition, biomechanics and psychology which inform what we understand about healthy, safe and active choices.  Health and Physical Education offers students a curriculum that is challenging, enjoyable and physically active.

Swimming Program

St. Joseph’s Primary School provides an intensive swimming program for all students.  This program is compulsory for all year levels and the cost is included in the total school fees.

The current program structure is:

Foundation - Year 2	2 weeks x 5 lessons per week Water Familiarisation
Years 3/4	2 weeks x 5 lessons per week Stroke Development
Year 5	Survival in Open Water or Canoeing
Year 6	Beach Safety Program

Perceptual Motor Program (PMP)

PMP is a program which aims to teach a child perceptions and understandings of themselves and their world through movement/motor experiences.  During their time in the Junior School children progress through PMP levels 1 and 2.

Fitness components include:  endurance, strength, speed, power, flexibility and agility.  Fundamental motor skills include: catch, kick, skip, ball bounce, throw, leap etc.

Humanities

The Humanities learning area comprises History, Geography, Economics and Business and Civics and Citizenship.

Additional Learning Needs

St. Joseph’s Primary School assists all students, including students with additional learning needs.

This includes the Program Support Groups (PSG) process at St. Joseph’s Primary School and access to support services including psychologist, speech pathologist, visiting teachers and health professionals.