ST ANTHONY'S
ALPHINGTON
LEARNING & TEACHING
At St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington, we believe that each student has the capacity to learn and reach their maximum potential. We encourage students to be confident and independent learners, empowered to learn and take on challenges. Our aim is to build the learning capacity of students and support their development into lifelong, active, independent learners.
We strive to provide all students with the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and academic learning opportunities that they require, taking into account the student's needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests.
St Anthony’s Primary School offers a dynamic and engaging curriculum based on the Victorian Curriculum. The Victorian Curriculum is the common set of knowledge and skills required by students for life-long learning, social development and active and informed citizenship.
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Our curriculum includes appropriate and varied learning experiences in the following areas:
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English: Reading and Viewing, Writing and Speaking and Listening
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Mathematics: Number & Algebra, Measurement & Geometry, Statistics & Probability
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Science
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Physical Education
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Arts: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
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Languages other than English: Italian
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Humanities: History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Economics and Business
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Technologies: Design and Digital
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Capabilities: Personal and Social Learning, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Capability and Intercultural Understanding.
ENGLISH
The study of English is essential in the learning and development of all students. The teaching and learning of English helps to create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. At St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington, we provide a coordinated approach to the teaching of English across the curriculum. Teachers work collaboratively to monitor student progress, identify needs and plan for focused teaching, intervention or extension.
Learning in English occurs best when it is in a collaborative environment that structures modelled, shared, guided and independent work. It allows for the supportive and critical mutual sharing of experiences, skills and ideas. This is done using a range of multimodal tools.
Literacy sessions begin with a whole class literacy focus. This is followed by independent or group work based on student needs. The whole class then gathers together at the end of the session to share their findings with their peers. This structure aims to cater for the individual learning needs in the classroom. We provide structures, scaffolds and challenging learning contexts so children can experience successful learning.
The Victorian Curriculum based English Program consists of:
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Two-hour daily Literacy Block for Prep to Year 6
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Focused teaching of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
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Meeting individual learning needs of students through focussed teaching groups
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Assessment and reporting of Literacy development
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Students read a wide variety of texts and learn to analyse, critically reflect and respond to what they read
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Literacy support for students at risk.
MATHEMATICS
Mathematics creates opportunities for students to explore, reason, understand and analyse a range of situations and problems which are applied to the wider world. At St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington, mathematical skills are built and developed allowing our students to become active and creative thinkers, decision makers and problem solvers.
We enable all students to achieve success in an environment of high expectations and continuous improvement. At St Anthony’s we strive to promote a positive attitude towards mathematics, allowing students to develop confidence in the subject.
We believe that students learn to incorporate mathematics best when:
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They experience success in mathematics regardless of experiences and capabilities
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Mathematical learning is as hands on as possible to allow for deeper thinking that can be applied in a range of ways
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Open ended, challenging and engaging tasks are presented to work on
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A growth mindset is encouraged, allowing students to take risks and challenge their own thinking and that of others
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They are supported at all levels of their ability through enabling and extension prompts, intervention groups or extension groups on a needs basis
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They receive effective feedback from their teachers and peers which promotes a constructive environment
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They connect ideas together for themselves, and determine their own strategies for solving problems, rather than simply following instructions they have been given.
Aims
When learning mathematics at St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington all students are encouraged and will be assisted in:
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Becoming confident mathematicians who have the skills to access problem solving required for themselves, in their community and as global citizens
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Developing curiosity and challenge their thinking across Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability, through open ended tasks, rich assessment tasks and deep questioning
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Developing their understanding and fluency in the four main content strands
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Developing a growth mindset towards all aspects of mathematics and becoming self-motivated
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Becoming risk takers
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Working in partnership with their family to support their learning.
INTEGRATED INQUIRY
At St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington, we employ an inquiry based approach to learning within an integrated curriculum, allowing students to question, seek knowledge and come to a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. We do this by providing students with hands-on opportunities designed to build life-skills including:
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Identifying problems and creating solutions
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Design and evaluation
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Developing questioning and reasoning skills
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Improved communication
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Co-operation skills while collaborating within and beyond the classroom.
At St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington, inquiry concepts are cyclical, based on a two-year calendar. Topics include:
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Community and Culture
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Change and Reaction
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Ecological Sustainability
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Wellbeing
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Citizenship
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Change and Adaptation
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Geography
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington is a Catholic School that delivers a contemporary RE curriculum inspired by the principles and traditions of Mary MacKillop. These include the seven qualities of: compassion, leadership, service, determination, courage, social justice and community spirit, evident in our words and actions. St Anthony’s school motto is ‘Never see a need without doing something about it'.
Aims
At St Anthony’s Primary School Alphington, we provide:
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Opportunities for prayer, liturgy and celebration to nurture the children in their faith journey
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An atmosphere within our school community where faith values are lived and experienced through modelling and education
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An effective Religious Education Curriculum based on the Religious Education Curriculum Framework, which is founded in the Catholic religion while also acknowledging other faith denominations in our community and beyond.
We provide students with the opportunity to participate in our Sacramental Program, with the receiving of Reconciliation at Year 3, First Eucharist at Year 4 and Confirmation at Year 6.
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