Teaching & Learning
The school offers programs designed to deliver the mandated areas of study in the Australian Curriculum through an integrated approach. Our timetable is arranged around the following lesson areas: Literacy, Numeracy, Creative Arts and Integrated learning. Auslan and the Child Protection Curriculum are taught by class teachers.
Specialist teachers deliver P.E., Health & Community, Visual Arts.
Information and Communication Technologies are integrated throughout the curriculum and all staff use technology to support teaching and learning. All classes have access to laptops and Ipads.
Further information about the Australian Curriculum can be found at: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/parent-information
NPDL in Action – Video
Teaching methodology:
Our classes are structured in combined year levels with team teaching practices.
2023 structure:
Group 1 – Juniors (Rec-2)
- Reception/Year 1 class
- Year 2 class
Group 2 – Primary (Yr 3 – Yr 6)
- Yr 3/4 class
- Yr 5/6 class
Each term we have an Inquiry unit that is planned collaboratively by teachers and implemented across the site and encourage inquiry and project based learning approaches across the school and across the curriculum.
We value experiential learning opportunities and engage students in a range of excursions, incursions, camps and hands on learning (gardening, cooking etc) to increase opportunities for growth and engagement.
Home Groups:
At various times during the school week students work in ‘Home Groups’ which are Reception to Year 6 mixed groups. These groups work together with different teachers and staff in a range of areas including cooking, dance, music and drama.
We encourage parent and community contribution during specialised programs that value adds to the programs provided. Activities and support can also be negotiated with class teachers or the principal on an ongoing basis.
Growth mindset:
We have a strong focus on developing in students a ‘Growth Mindset’ and positive learner dispositions.
"In 1988, Dr. Dweck first presented a research-based model to show the impact of mindsets. She showed how a person’s mindset sets the stage for either performance goals or learning goals. A student with a performance goal might be worried about looking smart all the time, and avoid challenging work. On the other hand, a student with a learning goal will pursue interesting and challenging tasks in order to learn more. A growth mindset is the underlying belief that abilities can be developed through effort and practice. Children with a growth mindset persist in the face of challenges because they understand that effort and hard work can change ability and intelligence. A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence is static, and cannot be changed. When children have a fixed mindset, they tend to give up easily when they encounter obstacles, because they believe that they don’t have what it takes to learn hard things." - www.mindsetworks.com
Learner dispositions:
The term ‘learning dispositions‘, sometimes called ‘habits of mind’, refer to the way in which learners engage in and relate to the learning process. Learning dispositions affect how students approach learning activities and, potentially, the outcomes of the learning. Through our approaches we encourage a positive learner disposition through building learning power and resilience.
Student Learning Support:
We have additional funding support as per DfE Inclusive Education Support Program (IESP) for students who are verified as students with a disability with the department. One Plans are developed for students with verified disabilities, in consultation with parents, to support student learning.
We run intervention programs for identified students in Literacy and Numeracy where students are not meeting benchmarks. See 'learning support'
NB: Not all students will have access to these interventions due to the restraints of a small school and funding access.