PROGRAMS
Victorian Curriculum
At St Mary’s we are a community working in partnership to nurture the values and traditions of the Catholic faith in a warm, welcoming environment. We aim to provide a curriculum which develops positive social behaviours, values and problem solving skills. Our curriculum is based on the Victorian Curriculum.
The Victorian Curriculum F–10 includes both knowledge and skills. These are defined by learning areas and capabilities. This curriculum design assumes that knowledge and skills are transferrable across the curriculum and therefore are not duplicated. For example, where skills and knowledge such as asking questions, evaluating evidence and drawing conclusions are defined in Critical and Creative Thinking, these are not duplicated in other learning areas such as History or Health and Physical Education. It is expected that the skills and knowledge defined in the capabilities will be developed, practised, deployed and demonstrated by students in and through their learning across the curriculum.
For more information on the Victorian Curriculum click on the link below;
Buddy Program
The Buddy program involves each of our Grade Six students teaming with a student who is in the first year of school. Students are involved in regular activities to enhance learning outcomes for the varied age groups. Our buddy program is designed to help our young students orientate themselves to the school and feel secure and welcome. The older buddies are keen to welcome and interest the younger students in a wide variety of fun activities and act as mentors and role models for them.
Meditation
Christian Meditation is about coming to stillness of mind and body whilst allowing God into our hearts. St Mary’s holds the belief that it is important that even the smallest child learn to be still. Being still is very different to being quiet. It is in their stillness that God can speak to their hearts and they can discover the love of God for each of them personally.
Parish Sacramental Program
The school supports the Parish in the Sacramental Program which follows the Diocesan guidelines of being family centered, school supported and Parish based. The sacramental journey for the children begins in Year 2 when they participate in the Junior Reconciliation program. The reception of the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation is usually undertaken in Year 3 and Senior Reconciliation is offered in Year 5. The whole school is encouraged to celebrate and help with the preparation of the sacramental candidates.
Seasons
The Seasons for Growth program is designed to assist our students in managing and understanding the effects of significant change, loss and grief in their lives. Using a set of well-crafted resources, and a ‘Companion’ who facilitates small peer groups, the program provides a safe and creative way to explore feelings, memories, loss and grief. At St. Mary’s, the Seasons program is facilitated by our Wellbeing Leader.
Specialist Learning Areas
Teaching support for classroom units is provided in the specialist areas of:
-
Physical Education / Bluearth
-
Digital Design Technology
-
Science
-
AUSLAN sign language
-
Music
-
Art
Structured Literacy
At our school, reading and spelling are taught using a structured literacy approach. This means students receive clear and systematic instruction in the skills needed to become confident readers and writers. In our junior classrooms, we use the synthetic phonics program Little Learners Love Literacy, where students learn how letters and letter combinations represent sounds and how to use this knowledge to decode words when reading and encode words when spelling. In the middle and senior years, students continue to build these skills through a Reading to Learn approach using class novels. This supports students to develop vocabulary, comprehension, understanding of language features and deeper thinking about texts. Together, these approaches support the development of phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, vocabulary and reading fluency, building strong foundations for reading comprehension and writing.
Numeracy
At our school, mathematics is taught through a structured and explicit approach that helps students build strong number understanding. Lessons focus on developing key concepts such as number sense, place value, problem solving and mathematical reasoning. Students are given opportunities to practise skills, explain their thinking and apply their learning in different contexts. This approach supports students to develop confidence with numbers and build the foundations needed for success in more complex mathematics.
Intervention and Extension
We recognise that students learn at different rates and require different levels of support and challenge. Teachers regularly use assessment information to identify students who may benefit from additional support or extension in their learning. For some students, a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) is developed in partnership with families to outline specific learning goals and the adjustments or strategies that will support their progress. Targeted intervention programs help students strengthen key skills, while extension opportunities challenge students who are ready to move further in their learning. This ensures all students are supported and challenged to achieve their personal best.