Curriculum

Children at St.Luke’s enjoy a standard of education that is second to none.
The school provides a vibrant curriculum which promotes the spiritual, personal, intellectual and physical development of students.

On the 3rd March 2005 the minister for Education and Training, Lynne Kosky, officially launched the new Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) which we implemented in 2006. The VELS provide a new approach to curriculum from Prep to Year 10. The Standards identify what is important for students to achieve at different stages of their schooling, set standards for those achievements and provide a clear basis for reporting to parents and for planning programs.

The VELS have been developed in recognition that our world is complex, rapidly changing and rich in information and technology, demanding high-order knowledge and understanding and increasingly global in its outlook and influences. This rapid growth of knowledge means that our students need to be flexible, adaptable and creative and so it is important that our teaching and learning needs to reflect these changes. To succeed in that world, all students need to develop the capacities to:

• manage themselves as individuals and in relation to others
• understand the world in which they live; and
• act effectively in that world

Students will need to create a future which:

• Is sustainable - developing an understanding of the interaction between social, economic and environmental systems and how to manage them.
• Is innovative - developing the skills to solve new problems using a range of different approaches to create unique solutions.
• Builds strong communities - by building common purposes and values and by promoting mutual responsibility and trust in a socio-cultural community.

Students study Physical Education, Science, Mathematics, Technology and English as in previous years but the personal, social and problem–solving skills will also be part of our student’s education.

Students will focus on English, Mathematics, Physical and Personal skills and the Arts and the other standards of Civics and Citizenship, Humanities (History, Geography and Economics ) Languages other than English (LOTE) and Science.

ART SHOW
Held bi-annually

CONCERT
Held bi-annually

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
Incorporating Gardening Club and a 10 week environmental Studies Program for each level.

LITERACY/NUMERACY SUPPORT
Reading Recovery /Teacher’s Aide supporting individual learning programs / Literacy Coordinator 3 days a week

COMPUTERS
Multi-media / digital technology equipment and programs in all classrooms and Library

MUSIC
Piano, Guitar and Keyboard tuition available

S.R.C.
S.R.C representatives are elected each semester. Two are chosen from each class. This gives all children the opportunity to be part of a leadership team during their school life.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
Individualised programs for children with special needs/ Special Education, Teacher

SEASONS
A program for children experiencing bereavement and divorce

BUDDIES
A program promoting social interactions across the school

VALUES PROGRAM
Whole school focus on a different value each week

PASTORAL CARE
The school supports a belief that children learn to their full potential when they feel safe, secure and with a positive sense of their own self worth. The student wellbeing committee meet regularly to discuss and track children who are experiencing specific or special needs. The committee helps to formulate preventative and early intervention policies, programs and practices. A Student Wellbeing Coordinator is appointed for 1 day a week. On site counselling Services are available for 7 hours per week.

BULLYING POLICY
St. Luke’s School believes that the development and maintenance of children’s self esteem and dignity are important. We are committed to ensuring a safe and caring environment, which promotes growth and positive personal experiences for all. To this end, we implement an anti-bullying policy and programs and practices which support this.

SCHOOL CAMP
Years 6 children attend an annual outdoor education camp.

SWIMMING LESSONS
All children at the school participate in swimming lessons during 4th term. The lessons are compulsory, forming part of our curriculum. We participate in an interschool Swimming carnival, held each year in March

INTER-SCHOOL SPORT
St. Luke’s competes in both local and district sporting competitions. Children compete in cricket, football, rounders, soccer, mod-volley, netball and T-ball against local schools.

WEEKLY ASSEMBLIES
Hosted by Year 6 Children. All classes are given an opportunity to present at Assembly each semester.

TRANSITION PROGRAMS
At St Luke’s we recognise that transition occurs throughout a child’s education. It may be from one grade level to another. It may be a new child moving into the school. We support these transitions in a number of ways.

Pre-Prep Orientation sessions in Term 4
Children from our local kindergartens are invited to tour our school at various times in the year. The Prep teachers visit the kindergartens and spend time with the kindergarten teachers, getting to know about the new preps.

In 4th term, our future preps are involved in 4 orientation sessions in the school to help ease the transition from kindergarten to primary school.

The children are also given the opportunity of meeting their grade 6 buddies for the following year. These buddies accompany the kinder children during orientation sessions.

Primary to Secondary transition
In 4th term, teachers form our secondary feeder schools spend time with our Grade 6 teachers, discussing how best to ease the transition for each of our students.

Religious Education

St. Luke’s Parish Primary School was established by the Parish of St Luke. It exists to serve the community of Wantirna. Therefore the Religious Education program is a very important part of our curriculum and underpins the way we implement our learning and teaching programs and pastoral care processes.

Religious education lessons are timetabled within the classroom program and children are prepared to receive the sacraments by their classroom teachers.

At St. Luke’s we believe that formation in faith is a life-long journey and that Religious Education must be seen within this context. The family is the basic community of the Church; therefore links between home and school are promoted and encouraged. We recognise that parents are the first educators of their children in the Catholic faith.

We take opportunities to invite parents to join their child’s class at least once per term for a Mass or liturgy during the school week.

English

At St. Luke’s we believe English is the key to accessing learning and forms a basis for success in education and in everyday life. English language permeates all areas of the curriculum. Our approach links listening, speaking, reading, and writing across all areas of the curriculum to give the greatest possible meaning to language.

In Prep-Year 2 classes the teaching and learning strategies are “driven” by the CLaSS design (Children’s Literacy Success Strategy). Students “at risk” are identified and supported by Reading Recovery, a short-term early intervention program for Year 1 students. We hold high expectations for children’s learning and schedule uninterrupted literacy blocks daily. Many parents have been trained to directly support literacy programs in Years Prep-Year 2.

Features of the Building Literacy program are implemented at Level 3. This builds upon the foundations laid in Prep-Year 2.

Level 4 students learn through the Middle Years Literacy Approach. This approach takes them from Grade 5 to Year 8.

Mathematics

At St. Luke’s we believe that Mathematics should be fun and engaging for the student. To this end, we endeavour to implement practices which enable children to be actively engaged in the learning process, moving at their own rate from the concrete to the abstract domain.

Activities provide the opportunity for students to participate in oral and written tasks, manipulation of concrete materials, games, problem solving, open-ended tasks and the use of calculators and computer applications.

These activities develop knowledge of facts, a deep conceptual understanding, the ability to communicate using Mathematical language in a logical way and the ability to apply Mathematics to their daily lives.

The Arts

At St. Luke’s we believe that our Arts program provides opportunities for children to promote creativity, self expression and aesthetic awareness. Children develop their talents and awareness via participation in visual arts, music, dance, drama and the performance arts.

Technology

At St. Luke’s we believe that Technology contributes to cultural, social, environmental and economic changes in society. We encourage all students to be confident and capable users of a range of technological applications and processes and to explore the impact of technological innovation.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strand has had a large focus at St. Luke’s over recent years. All classrooms and the Library have networked computers with internet access. Students are engaged in utilising ICT integrated across all key learning areas.

Special Education

At St. Luke’s we believe that it is important to cater for the individual differences of each child by encouraging him/her to achieve his/her fullest potential. Therefore we have a well-established and coordinated approach to Special Education. This program is underpinned by the elements of our Learning and Teaching Policy, with its major focus being to enable students to have equality of access to the curriculum.

The Special Education teacher coordinates approaches for planning individual educational programs, liaising with classroom teachers, testing students, meeting with parents, helping to monitor student learning and coordinating programs which qualify for additional Government funding.

The Student Welfare Support Group meets at a professional level to monitor and support the intellectual, emotional, behavioural and physical growth of each child. This support group consists of the Principal, Deputy Principal, special education teacher and class teachers. The group meets throughout the school term.

Integrated Curriculum

We use an integrated curriculum approach to emphasise the common elements of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes related to curriculum areas, thus making the learning process more relevant and meaningful.

The Strands, Domains and Dimensions of V.E.L.S are taught through an integrated curriculum approach, with a focus on developing Inquiry Based Learning.

Health & Physical Education

At St. Luke's we believe that it is essential to promote an understanding of physical activities and movement, food and nutrition, health and safety, human development and human relations. The experience of physical activity in play, recreation, sport, fitness and outdoor environments provides challenge, personal growth and enjoyment. Children at all levels have physical education lessons for fitness, skill development and fun.

Each year the Senior students attend camp. We have our own twilight sports, a very interactive evening incorporating many physical skills.

Children from the Senior classes participate in inter-school sport within the North Balwyn District sport competition. Several children from Years 3-6 have qualified to represent St. Luke's at Zone level in athletics, swimming and cross country.

LOTE (Language Other Than English)

At St. Luke’s we believe that L.O.T.E. learning is important because it is directly relevant to the development of communication skills and literacy. The Italian language is our L.O.T.E.

The L.O.T.E. curriculum aims to develop communication, socio-cultural understanding, language awareness and general knowledge. Students gain knowledge of, and make connections across a range of concepts drawn from other domains and dimensions.

Children have responded most enthusiastically to Italian. We hold an Italian Day annually to recognise and celebrate the importance of other cultures.

Library

The automated library is well-stocked with children’s non-fiction and fiction resources, teacher reference materials and audio-visual resources. Students are encouraged to borrow regularly.

Students have a 2 hour lesson each fortnight with the teacher librarian. The library program has influenced and strengthened the English program over many years, inspiring students at all levels to develop a love of literature.

Technology is an important feature of our Library lessons. Students are given the opportunity to explore various software programs and use a range of digital media to support their learning.