St Columban’s Primary School, Mayfield, honours its commitment to quality Catholic education through its provision of high quality educational programs by which each child is enabled to reach their full potential.
We are a community of learning characterised by high expectations for learners to achieve excellence, academic rigour, innovation and purpose, within an environment that engages, empowers and enables.
The curriculum at St Columban’s is based on the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Curriculum. Students receive instruction in all Key Learning Areas.
KEY LEARNING AREAS
St Columban’s offers a complete set of study areas to its students. See below for more information:
ENGLISH
Language shapes our understanding of ourselves and our world. It is the primary means by which we relate to others and is central to intellectual, social and emotional development. The aim of English is to enable students to understand and use language effectively, appreciate, reflect on, and enjoy the English language and to make meaning in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive, critical and powerful. English is taught through the substrands of reading and viewing; speaking and listening and writing and representing.
MATHEMATICS
Mathematics is a reasoning and creative activity where children learn to identify, describe and apply patterns and relationships. The symbolic nature of mathematics provides a powerful, precise and concise means of communication. In mathematics, children learn through the substrands of number and algebra; measurement and geometry; statistics and probability and working mathematically.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
All students at St Columban’s participate in religious education classes, prayer and liturgy as an integral part of their learning. We have a strong Dominican tradition which is reflected in our physical environment, daily prayer and in conversations with the children.
Religious Education refers to the twofold purpose of Education in Faith and Education in Religious Knowledge. The classroom teaching and learning environment upholds the principles of other key learning areas where quality teaching and learning is the focus, and knowledge about the Catholic faith is supported by current methods and quality resources.
SCIENCE
Science and technology are of increasing importance and integral to our rapidly changing world. Scientific inquiry is a distinct way of finding answers to interesting questions and solutions to important problems about the natural world locally, nationally and globally, including shaping sustainable futures. Science is taught through the skills of working scientifically and working technologically and the substrands of natural environment and made environment.
HSIE (HUMAN SOCIETY AND ITS ENVIRONMENT)
HSIE is divided into the substrands of History and Geography, which are taught for a semester every year.
History is a disciplined process of inquiry into the past that helps to explain how people, events and forces from the past have shaped our world. History provides opportunities for students to explore human actions and achievements in arrange of historical contexts.
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Students learn to question why the world is the way it is, reflect on their relationships with and responsibilities for the world and propose actions designed to shape a socially just and sustainable future.
PDHPE
Through the study of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education courses, students develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes needed to take action to protect and enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing in varied and changing contexts. Physical education is fundamental to the acquisition of movement skills and concepts to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities – confidently, competently and creatively.
CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS
Students engage in learning experiences in visual arts, music, drama and dance as part of their natural growth and development. However, learning in each of the art forms does not occur automatically. Regular learning experiences that are thoughtfully planned, sequenced and related are essential for developing students’ skills and knowledge and understanding within the art forms. They also contribute to the development of the whole child.
Personnel
Class teachers at St Columban’s implement the NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum in all KLAs, providing explicit teaching and learning experiences which develop positive values and attitudes towards the use and study of each subject.
The Learning Support Teacher will assist in the assessment of students’ literacy and numeracy levels and will support the classroom teacher so that opportunities for curriculum differentiation are implemented to ensure all children have access to the curriculum and that individual literacy and numeracy needs are being met. He/she will also assist with the development of special programs for students with disabilities, when required.
The Learning Support Assistant, where allocated, will assist the class teacher within the classroom context or on a one-to-one or small group basis following programs devised by the class teacher and/or LST.
Indigenous Education Teacher – supports staff through assistance and professional learning in embedding Indigenous perspectives across the curriculum. Supports indigenous students through cultural lessons and activities.
Teacher Librarian will support the teacher through provision of programs of work to complement what is being taught in the classroom and by providing further opportunities to develop skills in information technology.
The Library Assistant will assist in the development of literacy by assisting in the retrieval of resources and assisting children to locate suitably levelled books.
EALD Teacher (English as an additional Language) will support those children who come from families where English is their second language.
Parent and Community volunteers are encouraged to assist classroom teachers during the day in activities such as, reading groups in the English teaching session, Art activities, Science activities and so on. Learning goals in English and Mathematics are communicated with parents and activities provided to assist with practise of the skills at home.