Our Learning

AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO

Quality teaching and learning is at the heart of everything we do at St. Andrew’s. The students are engaged, focused and happy in a calm, safe and productive learning environment. We plan and design programs to meet the needs of each and every student to allow them to reach their full potential. Learning is dynamic, rigorous, innovative and engaging.

Guided by the Victorian Curriculum and the Catholic Education Melbourne, we create programs that encourage children to explore the world in which they live in and to develop the skills and understandings that enable them to work successfully in that world. We value the importance of a connected learning environment: respectful of all learners, relevant to our contemporary world and in partnership with our wider community. Our children are immersed in a variety of technology and higher order thinking curriculum so that they develop their creativity, collaboration and problem solving skills.

Our Learning

RELIGION

GOSPEL VALUES PERMEATE EVERY ASPECT OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF THE SCHOOL

St Andrew’s strives to build a Catholic school community, where the child is at the heart of all learning and teaching. The Gospel Values permeate every aspect of the life and work of the school.

We encourage students to live by faith, knowledge and service, and to see Jesus in others, through our actions and in our world.

Our relationship with God, through Jesus, is nourished and deepened through belonging to the St Andrew’s community.

Our Program:

educates the student in the faith traditions of the Catholic Church
leads the student to a personal relationship and commitment to God
is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the Gospels
empowers students to learn and grow in a safe and vibrant environment, based on the teachings of the Gospels, according to the Catholic Church
uses the Religious Education Curriculum Framework for Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne from Foundation to Year 6
includes opportunities for prayer throughout the day
allows students to lead Liturgies and promotes Social Justice through explicit teaching and fundraising activities
supports students and their families to participate in Sacramental Programs

Our Catholic Identity is visible through our Catholic symbols and participation in many Liturgical celebrations. St. Andrew's school is an integral part of the St. Andrew's Parish Community. We welcome members of our Parish, parents and the wider community.

ENGLISH

DEVELOPING LIFE LONG READING & ESSENTIAL LITERACY SKILLS

Our Program aims to develop a love of life long reading and essential literacy skills and strategies to actively engage in an ever changing world.

Literacy competency is essential to all learning areas therefore we have a whole school literacy approach to ensure consistency of practice and learning progression from Foundation through to Year 6.

We believe an effective English Program:

uses ongoing assessment to personalise the learning for every student

uses the Victorian Curriculum to inform all learning, teaching and reporting
focusses on building oral language and comprehension skills and fosters a love of reading
provides Literacy Intervention to students at risk – Reading Recovery, Fountas and Pinnell Levelled Reading
incorporates explicit, scaffolded teaching foci during whole class shared reading/writing and small focus reading/writing groups
is structured, sequential and incorporates evidence based practices and strategies
provides students with opportunities to practise skills and strategies during independent learning time
provides professional development to build teacher capacity to enable high quality teaching

MATHEMATICS

FOSTERING IN OUR CHILDREN A LOVE FOR MATHEMATICS

Our Mathematics Program aims to foster in our children a love for maths in a stimulating, supportive, hands on learning environment. Our program is based on three key strands as set out in the Victorian Curriculum: Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability. A maths lesson with a Mental Maths component occurs daily.

We believe an effective Mathematics Program:

uses data to target student needs
provides intervention and extension to students who have been identified as needing additional support

uses a variety of evidence based teaching strategies
provides opportunities for ongoing professional learning to build teacher capacity for high quality teaching
places a strong emphasis on problem solving and regularly challenges students to engage with unfamiliar problems
uses hands on materials and visuals to support student understanding
promotes learning through collaboration and discussion with peers
encourages children to be independent, active learners and develop understandings and make connections for themselves
promotes a growth mindset of persistence and resilience while fostering self-motivation and creative thinking
engages and assists parents to support their child’s Mathematics learning at home – to this end we host Maths Nights and incursions

STEAM

DEVELOP CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS

STEAM education is the learning of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics in an inquiry based approach.

STEAM provides authentic problem solving opportunities for children to:

learn and apply knowledge to different situations
deepen their understandings
develop their critical and creative thinking skills
develop their ability to collaborate
to make ethical decisions

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

EMBEDDED THROUGHOUT ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

The delivery of The Technologies at St Andrew’s is embedded throughout all curriculum areas and is accessed via a 1:1 Chromebook Program in Years 3-6 and a 1:2 Chromebook Program in F-2. This is supplemented with class sets of iPads per year level. Children at St Andrew’s also have access to a wide range of robotics equipment and coding programs.

The Digital and Design Technologies curriculum at St Andrew’s provides an opportunity for children to be users, designers and producers of new technology. The school has a strong commitment to developing positive digital citizens through our CyberSafety Program. St Andrew’s is an accredited eSmart School and has well-established routines for the teaching and monitoring of Cyber Safe practices. Our practices are continually evolving to remain at the forefront of the digital world in which our children live.

THE HUMANITIES

BEING INFORMED AND ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENS

The Humanities cover the following areas:

History
Geography
Civics and Citizenship
Economics and Business

Connections can be made across these subject areas and are taught through Inquiry units of work where children learn specific skills and concepts to help them develop interest and enjoyment of lifelong learning and to build their capacity to be informed and active global citizens.

PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS

DEVELOPING CREATIVE AND EXPRESSIVE CAPACITIES

Our Music and Arts program aims to provide opportunities to learn about the different practices, disciplines and traditions that have shaped the expression of culture locally, nationally and globally.

Children also develop their creative and expressive capacities through dance, music, drawing painting and song. This fosters intercultural understandings.

Arts Education supports the positive development of self –esteem, improves wellbeing and confidence, and helps to develop emotional intelligence through interpretation.

Every second year we hold a spectacular Visual Arts show which showcases the many talents of our children and regular performances are held in the Hall to showcase the Performing Arts. Our Arts program is linked to our Inquiry Units of work.

PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS

DEVELOPING CREATIVE AND EXPRESSIVE CAPACITIES

Our Music and Arts Program aims to provide opportunities to learn about the different practices, disciplines and traditions that have shaped the expression of culture locally, nationally and globally.

Children also develop their creative and expressive capacities through dance, music, drawing, painting and song. This fosters intercultural understandings.

Arts Education supports the positive development of self –esteem, improves wellbeing and confidence, and helps to develop emotional intelligence through interpretation.

LOTE - ITALIAN

LEARNING A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH

Italian is offered at St Andrew’s. Students engage in the Italian Program through a variety of stories, songs, art activities and the use of technology. Each year we have children enter the Dante Alighieri Competition and have some very proud recipients of high distinctions.

Every second year we celebrate our LOTE learning in a colourful Italian Day of festivities.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

DEVELOPING FUNDAMENTAL MOTOR SKILLS

We offer our children from Foundation to Year 6 an extensive Physical Education program at St Andrew’s. We are fortunate to have an outstanding gymnasium and synthetic all-weather oval where lessons take place. Our children are offered weekly lessons along with additional sports sessions, including 8am morning sessions and lunchtime sessions. Our senior students enjoy the challenge of competing in various district sporting events and inter school sports programs. We encourage our children to value the positive mindset of having a ‘healthy body and a healthy mind’.

Our Program offers:

Physical Education Lessons weekly

Action Based Learning for Foundation and Year 1
Bentleigh District Interschool Sports for the Year for 5/6 students
Annual School Sports Carnival
Annual Footy Colours Day
8.00 am Fitness Clubs three times a week
Lunchtime junior fitness activities weekly
Intensive Swimming Program for each Year Level

School Camps – Outdoor Education

Students in Year 5 and Year 6 will experience the opportunity to participate in School Camp activities.