CURRICULUM

The Arts

St. Kieran’s Arts program consists of both the ‘Performing Arts’ and ‘Visual Arts.’ Our Arts direction and emphasis is dependent on curriculum topics and or events. We have a well-equipped Art Room and Multi-purpose room in our Arts Complex. Teachers take children through a variety of experiences to develop children’s understanding of, and appreciation of the arts. We also work toward an extravaganza or musical production, biannually. We also have outside performers come into the school so the children are able to experience The Arts on different levels.

Integrated Studies

In keeping with best educational practice, our integrated units are centered around topics that are planned to extend children’s thinking and understanding. Our objectives in teaching with an integrated approach are to provide learning experiences that develop knowledge, skills, understandings, attitudes and values. Emphasis is on providing children with these different kinds of experiences and learning opportunities so they will be able to further develop their understandings of the world and be able to make considered judgments resulting from these experiences. When selecting topics for classes the following is always considered:

  • the interests, perspectives, backgrounds and needs of the children
  • the abilities of the children
  • the curriculum learning outcomes
  • the demographics of our school
  • the learning environment and resources available

Our Integrated Studies program incorporates the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and its three strands of learning: Physical Personal & Social Learning; Discipline- based Learning and Interdisciplinary learning. Within these strands, skills, knowledge and behaviors are organized into domains of learning. The children will develop skills, knowledge and behaviors such as:

  • Learning and thinking techniques e.g. (problem solving, study habits, recording of information, reaching decisions and making judgments.)
  • Ways of organizing knowledge e.g. (ways of gathering and interpreting evidence, making generalizations.)
  • Communication abilities e.g. (listening, speaking, reading and writing, presenting the results of surveys, asking and responding to significant questions.)
  • Expressions e.g. (creating stories, summaries, music, visual representations, diagrams, maps and models,)
  • Performance e.g. (planning and carrying out events, interviewing, surveying, articulation, making and reading maps, compiling statistics.
  • Empathy and valuing e.g. (weighing alternatives, giving considered responses, identifying feelings.)

Children are encouraged to reflect, analyse, question and develop their beliefs, attitudes and values as a basis for making decisions and taking action as:

  • an individual
  • a member of a group
  • a member of society
  • a member of the whole world

Physical Education

Our Physical Education program aims to help children master fundamental motor skills. These include throwing, kicking, striking, ball control, running, dodging and fitness. It also helps them to appreciate the enjoyment of sport and games. Tennis lessons are held once a week for all the children from Preps to Year 6.

Sport

Senior children are involved in a Round Robin competition with the other schools in the Moe /Newborough area. The children compete in football, soccer, netball, volley stars and softball.

Athletic Sports

We hold a whole school Athletics Carnival each year. The children from Years Prep to Two are involved in an array of novelty and track events. The older children compete in various track and field events. Some children go on from these to represent the school in the zone.

PMP

Children in the junior classes work through a perceptual motor program (PMP.) It encourages children to develop body strength and skills through activities that require children to climb, skip, hop, crawl and develop hand-eye coordination.

Information Technology

Each class has an interactive white board installed that is used for learning and teaching in all areas of the curriculum. This is the latest technology for classrooms. The use of the digital camera is also incorporated into class lessons. Each classroom is equipped with computers, a DVD/CD player and a VCR.

Our Library is important to us as it is our Resource Centre for students, teachers and parents. We have a bank of computers in the library all connected to the Internet. In the senior classes the children are encouraged to use the computers for research and sending and receiving emails. The junior classes also use the computers for researching and for educational games. We have upgraded and updated these computers to help keep up with the modern day technology.

Homework Policy

Homework for older children, should help children develop independent skills and develop sound work habits, so that they are able to meet due dates that have been negotiated with the teacher.

Homework will be given on a regular basis. Reading each night (10-15 mins) is compulsory. Homework is also seen as a happy family time. For this to occur the type of work for home must be adaptable to the needs of each child Ideally homework will stem from the children’s own enthusiasm, so that they come home eager to continue and share new learning experiences. To follow this idea homework could be informal and open-ended. Examples of this may be:

  • Watching a TV show and discussing some aspect of the show
  • Finding spelling words in the pantry
  • Baking a cake
  • Interviewing grandparents
  • Reading ‘bed time’ stories together
  • Visiting an interesting venue

Set homework will be given by classroom teachers in Years 3-6. The amount will vary according to grade or year levels. Work given by the teacher, and done at home should not be new or unknown to the child. It is an opportunity to practice what is currently being taught in the classroom.

Religious Education

This is a core subject of our school. Through an experiential and scriptural based program, we strive to teach the children about God’s love for them and about their responsibilities as Christians. This is summed up in Scripture: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’.

There are many liturgical and Sacramental celebrations throughout the year and we invite parents to share in as many of these as possible with us. Before each of the Sacraments a series of family nights are offered to help renew ideas about the sacraments for other family members and to give a sense of the partnership in which school and home are engaged.

As well as a number of whole school celebrations, each class prepares the liturgy and attends Mass once each term. Classes present the Gospel for Sunday each week at Assembly and the older children have Reconciliation once a term. Families are encouraged to join in all of these activities with us.

The parish and school celebrate a children’s mass once a month on Sundays in which much of the key components involve the children. All families re welcome.

Pastoral Care

"St. Kieran's is a gentle school."

Pastoral Care is integral to our whole school life. It permeates everything we do and the way in which we interact with students, families and each other. We encourage students to be respectful, responsible, reasonable, reliable, resourceful and resilient. We assist children to build these skills in many ways including special support programs such a Peer Support, Peer Mediation, Values Education, and extension and assistance programs.

SEASONS FOR GROWTH is a specially designed program for children suffering grief. Trained facilitators from the staff run these groups of up to six children.

Literacy

St. Kieran’s uses a proven literacy process called ClaSS (Children’s Literacy Success Strategy.) and the diocesan Literacy Program ELaV8. It is a literacy process for the early years of schooling that is also modelled in the senior classes. We know we can successfully help children make the greatest gains in literacy acquisition. We effectively monitor and track children and their learning progress, over time. Our results to date have been outstanding.

We believe:

  • All children can achieve success.
  • Early intervention is essential at each stage of schooling.
  • High expectations, focused teaching, engaged learning time and enabling beliefs and understandings are essential to success.
  • Dramatic improvements in student learning require the adoption of a systemic, whole school design approach in which schools assume responsibility for ensuring success and implement continuous improvement processes.

"St. Kieran’s strives to make these beliefs an ongoing truth."

Our Curriculum approach for English is further enriched by use of the (West Australian First Steps Program.) This assists planning for and teaching for, the individual needs of all children. It is a tool that is found valuable in monitoring children’s learning.

Two Hour Non-Interrupted Literacy Block

Reading, Writing, Spelling and Oral Language are studied in a Literacy block each day, as well as being integrated into everything we do throughout the day. We place great emphasis on ensuring that classes are not interrupted during our 9.00 -ll.00am teaching and learning session.

Classroom Helpers

Classroom helpers are a vital component of literacy learning at St. Kieran’s. The school provides training for parent/ adult classroom helpers at the beginning of every year. It is also a worthwhile process for all parents to help their own children at home.

Reading Recovery

This program is offered to individual children in their second year of schooling. Even in a language rich classroom, where the best methods for teaching reading, writing, speaking and listening are employed, some children need extra help to learn to read. St. Kieran’s is committed to providing quality standards and targets. Children are given an opportunity for success through Reading Recovery.

Library Resource Centre

The Library Resource Centre (LRC) is a facility of which we are very proud. The Library Resource Centre is open before school at 8:30am and after school from 3.00- 3.20pm. We encourage children to be independent readers, and with guidance to, take responsibility for their borrowing. Children borrow both take home books to read and picture storybooks. We encourage parents to assist their children in the selection of books. Staff are available to assist.

Parents are also very welcome to come to the LRC to borrow, browse, read, or just to be sheltered from inclement, hot or cold weather. We have a parent section in our LRC, which we hope you will use. These books are housed in the foyer. All books must be computer processed before leaving the LRC.

To help with the care of books, children must have a LIBRARY BAG. Some Library Bags are available from the LRC, COST: $2.00 each.

Mathematics

At St. Kieran’s we believe in providing all children with access to, and success in, mathematics learning, via a balance of concepts, skills and application and the employment of the appropriate use of technology.

We build on what students already know, making learning meaningful and relevant, taking the formal language of mathematics and relating it to everyday language.

Our mathematics curriculum provides a sequential, hands on program in which children are encouraged to use a variety of concrete aids and resources, including calculators and computers.

To establish starting points for teaching in mathematics we employ diagnostic assessments. This helps us to monitor children from years prep to six. Opportunities such as this give focus to our teaching. At St.Kieran’s we believe we are responsible for ensuring that our children develop the competence, confidence and interest needed to become life long learners of mathematics. We build on what students already know, making learning meaningful and relevant, taking the formal language of mathematics and relating it to everyday language.