Our Curriculum | St Anthony's

Education in Faith

ST ANTHONY'S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Glen Huntly

At St Anthony’s, Religious Education promotes the message of Jesus and develops the children’s understanding of living as a person of faith.

Our Catholic beliefs and School Values permeate all aspects of the integrated inquiry approach of Pedagogy of Encounter and into all curriculum areas, focusing on critical thinking and an understanding of our Catholic faith in a changing world.

We strive to foster students with a rich understanding of their faith and as leaders in Social Justice issues guided by the Catholic Social Teaching Principles.

Each student is unique and we provide experiences for rich dialogue with others allowing them to form their own understandings and make deep connections with their faith.

English

Our English program is underpinned by our expert teachers who research best practice to ensure student growth. This is achieved by teaching the essential components of oral language, phonological awareness (ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words), phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. This approach develops in our students the ability to be able to read, write, speak and listen effectively so they can be active and confident participants in society.

Features of our English program include:

10 hours of literacy teaching per week
Data driven planning to inform teaching and learning
The use of explicit, systematic teaching of phonological awareness and phonics to ensure a deep understanding of the rules that govern the English language
Evidence based intervention
Australian partnerships: InitiaLit, Prep - 2, a whole class program developed through Macquarie University to systematically and explicitly teach the components of reading; SMART Spelling, Years 3 - 6, the systematic teaching of phonics' patterns
International partnerships to ensure world-class teaching: Dibles, whole school, University of Oregon assessment tool which supports students in becoming successful readers, USA; Comparative Judgement through evidence based No More Marking, Daisy Christodoulou, UK; The Writing Revolution (TWR), whole school, a set of evidence informed strategies that are embedded in curriculum across all grade levels, USA
School library that contains an extensive variety of texts to foster a love and enjoyment of books and reading

Mathematics

At St Anthony’s we pride ourselves on providing a rich and targeted approach to the learning and teaching of Mathematics. Our teachers use data to understand and teach each and every child. We believe that mathematics is an essential life skill that will enable our students to participate confidently in mathematical situations both now and in their future.

We provide sequential learning opportunities to all our students using the Victorian Curriculum covering the three strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

Features of our Mathematics program include:

5 hours of mathematics teaching per week
Teachers transforming the latest mathematics' research into classroom based activities
The targeting of foundational mathematical skills through the Early Numeracy Assessment project
The use of data to inform the teaching of small groups of learners at their point of need
High levels of student engagement to enhance positive and growth mindsets in mathematics' education
Opportunities for students to complete real life mathematic challenges and problem solving tasks, including participation in competitions such as Maths Explorer and Maths Olympiad
Access to a range of engaging resources and materials that provide for hands-on learning

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Languages Other Than English - Italian

LOTE learning is an integral part of a broad and balanced education for all learners. The Italian language is taught in grades

Foundation – 6.

Learning a language offers students the opportunity to:

Use the language to communicate with its speakers
Understand how language operates as a system and how other languages, including English, are structured and function
Gain direct insights into the culture which gives the language its life and meaning
Consider their own culture, and compare it with the cultures of countries and communities where the language is spoken
Add to their general knowledge about the world and the Italian culture

The Arts

The Performing Arts are given high priority where children are given the opportunities to take part in a performance where they are able to take on the persona of the characters they represent. A whole school performance is held each alternative year. Dance, Drama and Music sessions are provided though specialised lessons.

Art Lessons provide a range of creative experiences for students. Students explore their own works and works of other artists. They use a variety of materials and tools to produce pieces of work which are exhibited at an Art Exhibition and Soiree Night.

We aim to supplement and enhance our programs with excursions and incursions which include plays, dance/music performances, visits to art galleries and exhibitions and visiting speakers.

We provide students with extra curricula activities such as; Art Exhibitions, Artist in Residence, Music and Performance which are on a yearly rotational basis.

Health & Physical Education

HEALTH

The Health Program aims to develop skills so that then children know how to care for themselves both in mind and body, to promote healthy lifestyle and to recognise the interrelationship between the physical, social and the emotional aspects of individuals and the society in which they live. Some of the topics include safety, personal and community health, nutrition and healthy choices.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The Physical Education Program focuses on the important roles that activity, sport and recreation need to play in our students' lives by providing opportunities for challenge, personal growth, enjoyment and fitness.

We provide sport, outdoor adventure activities, dance, gymnastics, aquatics and games to help children learn motor skills and fitness through enjoyment of physical activities. The acquisition of skills enables the children to effectively participate in team sports.

St. Anthony's School has an Annual School Sport's Day. The essence of this day is participation in House events and enjoyment both for the children and their families.

Years 4 – 6 students participate in the Holt Zone Interschool Sports Program. The students choose between Football and Netball, and take part in Swimming Carnivals, Cross Country and Athletics events.

Digital Technologies

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES

Technology is an aspect of our world which is continually developing.

The children learn about the process which people use to manipulate and modify their environment and resources, by creating items and systems, which help us in our lives.

Students participate in activities, which include using their knowledge of scientific facts to plan simple designs, select appropriate materials, produce a model and then evaluate their designs to ensure that they meet their needs.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

While recognising there are some specific computer skills which need to be developed in the primary school, we see technology as an important tool to enhance learning in all areas of the curriculum.

All students have weekly Digital Technology classes with a specialist teacher.

Our children at St. Anthony's School have access to computers, iPads and laptops in their classroom on a daily basis. Our Year 3/4 and 5/6 students have access to 1:1 devices in the classroom which our school provides.