Learning

At St Paul’s we are committed to delivering a rich English curriculum that ensures children gain vital literacy skills whilst developing their love of literature. Using the Victorian curriculum aligned with the Catholic Education Melbourne’s Horizons of Hope Framework, the following areas are taught:

• Reading and Viewing,
• Writing
• Speaking and Listening

English is taught through a whole/small/whole group model for learning. Teachers differentiate their teaching through focus groups ensuring student’s learning is personalised and individual needs are catered for.

A range of intervention takes place at St Paul’s including, in the junior years, the use of reading recovery strategies in small focus groups for both reading and writing and, in the middle and senior areas, the use of the ERIK program. Students with additional needs are supported through a variety of tailored programs offered by our Literacy and Wellbeing Leaders, CEO school advisors, speech pathologists and Learning Support Officers.

At St. Paul’s, we aim to enhance and promote the importance of literature and literacy, both within the school and in the local and wider community. We participate in numerous activities and events such as Book Week (a favourite!), weekly assemblies prepared and hosted by different classes, National Simultaneous Reading Day, the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge, the YABBA Young Authors Awards, author and illustrator visits, visits to our local library, an annual Book Fair, participation in the ICAS reading, spelling and writing competitions (biennially) and cross-aged literacy activities.

Mathematics is a powerful means of communication, which helps us represent, explain and predict events in our world. It is a means to prepare for and enhance work skills which are fundamental to everyday living.

Our mathematics program aims to provide students with the confidence and competency to deal with maths in their daily life. Student’s individual abilities are assessed and learning opportunities are catered to their needs. This includes using technology and other activities to further support their learning.

Jesus is our leader

At St.Paul’s Catholic Primary School, we acknowledge Jesus as our leader and are inspired to continue this journey in the spirit of St. Paul and the sisters of Mercy. All teachings underpin the Gospel values, whilst incorporating God’s presence into our daily lives through sacramentality.

Religion at St Paul’s brings together the essential components of Knowledge and Understanding, Responding and Reasoning, and Personal and Communal Engagement. We aspire to educate and to challenge our students to recognise injustices and help others to rise above them Children address the needs of people in the parish and wider community through school initiatives including “The Mini Vinnies Group”. Interwoven into this is sacramentality, whereby students can identify God’s presence as a real experience, enhancing children’s understanding that God is present in everything around us.

Using the text To Know, Worship and Love, and the Gospel, children are provided with the opportunity to engage and celebrate the Good News through reflection, prayer and action. The curriculum complements the work of the parish and parents to strengthen student’s relationship and belief in Christ as a person in their daily lives.

Sacraments at St Paul’s are offered to children at the following year levels:

Penance- Year 3

Eucharist- Year 4

Confirmation- Year 6

Science education at St Paul’s School is designed to develop in students the ability to ask questions and to find answers about the physical and biological world.  The Science curriculum is based on the Victorian Curriculum (2016).  It focuses on two main Dimensions:

1. SCIENCE UNDERSTANDINGS
2. SCIENCE INQUIRY SKILLS

A variety of teaching styles are employed to cater for student’s learning styles. These include teacher directed activities to conducting experiments, attending excursions, and conducting mini campaigns in the local community, to name a few.

Our students are encouraged to develop critical and creative thinking skills and challenge themselves to identify questions, apply new knowledge, explain science phenomena and draw evidence-based conclusions using scientific methods.

Technology, when used effectively provides a unique and powerful opportunity to enhance student learning across the curriculum.

At St. Paul’s we believe that the use of ICT is an integral and necessary part of our student’s education. We aim to make this a positive experience so students feel a sense of achievement and confidence. All students have access to various digital technologies at school and this is used to enhance their learning.

St Paul’s provides a Performing Arts program for all students, that enables them to gain skills and competencies in Dance, Drama, and Music.

Children participate in a Performing Arts lesson once a week.

Students are able to explore the Performing Arts in an energetic, exciting and encouraging environment and are given opportunities to learn about various instruments; dance styles and cultures; drama elements and forms. Children are encouraged to use their imagination and creativity as they build and present performances across the areas of Performing Arts.
The Performing Arts program also includes an annual Christmas performance which allows the children to draw on the knowledge and skills developed throughout the year. This is a highlight for the school community as the students can perform in front of their peers, family and teachers. Each class performs their own musical or acting arrangement. Students also have the opportunity to present their work at weekly school assemblies.  

Students also have the opportunity to undertake private music tuition through
ABC Music Group which offers an instrumental music program at St Paul’s. Children have the opportunity to attend these lessons on a weekly basis. Additional tuition fees apply.

The Visual Arts program at St Paul’s Primary School is designed to encourage and challenge students to achieve their artistic potential in an enjoyable and supportive environment. Students develop their creativity and imagination as well as refine their practical and fine motor skills. They learn to make choices when experimenting with materials, tools and techniques. Students attend visual art lessons once a week.

During their time at St Paul’s the students will explore a wide variety art mediums such as drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, clay, sculpture, construction, textiles and photography. Students will learn to communicate through their art, respond to the artworks of others and gain appreciation of well known artists.
The artworks produced by our talented students are celebrated and displayed around the school, as well as featured in our newsletter. school website and social media.

All children at St. Paul’s are given the opportunity to study a Language other than English (LOTE).
Every week, all students from Foundation to Year 6 engage in weekly Italian lessons. We are fortunate enough to have a specialist LOTE room, which is well equipped with resources that include an interactive board, games, printed materials, Italian picture books and English/Italian dictionaries that are readily available for student use. Students also regularly access research material and language learning apps and activities via the school’s tablets and laptops.

During LOTE classes, students actively participate in interactive dialogue using simple language to talk about themselves, their family, friends, hobbies, interests, school life and routines. Using familiar language and structures, students create short written texts and role-plays related to the topics being studied. All students are encouraged to use as much Italian as possible when sharing ideas and thoughts with each other. Incursions and cultural immersion activities such as cooking lessons, Italian performances and Italian days are also part of the curriculum.

Through their immersion in the Italian language students increasingly notice the many similarities and differences that exist between Italian and Australian cultural practices. Students also notice similarities and differences in the patterns of the Italian language compared to English and other familiar languages. Together they learn to recognise, appreciate and respect these cultural differences as they grow in their understanding of each other.

Response To Intervention

Every student has the right to succeed and be supported in their learning journey. Saint Paul’s uses a Multi Tiered Support System (MTSS) to ensure that targeted intervention support is provided for students who may be at risk of falling behind in their learning. This Response To Intervention model uses evidence based assessments to gather data to address the specific needs of individual students. At the heart of our school is the firm belief that through early intervention, every student can have the opportunity to be supported to achieve their full potential.