Our Mission To create a warm and nurturing environment where children and grown-ups support each other to learn and discover, use play, investigation, interaction, and thoughtfulness to explore God, self, family, community, and the world around us. *The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Junior School provides students with a friendly environment where imaginations are kept active and social skills are developed. We understand that young children learn best when they are highly engaged and remain motivated. For this reason, our students are encouraged to explore and investigate their learning environments actively.
Teaching is approached using various instructional techniques geared to moving students progressively towards a more robust understanding of and, ultimately, greater independence in their learning process. Prep to Year 1 focuses on investigative learning, where their everyday environment becomes the platform for learning, while fully including Maths, and Reading and Writing programs, are in place for students in Prep to Year 6.
We aim to develop children to their fullest potential in an authentic and meaningful way. In line with this, our 'special fit' learning spaces facilitate lots of concrete, hands-on learning experiences. A range of programs exists to provide students with a sound foundation across a range of academic subjects. These specifically include an emphasis on investigative learning in Prep and Year 1.
Our outside areas provide students with plenty of play and include high climbing equipment, slides, and cubbies. A fantastic vegetable garden and 'Cluckingham Palace,' the royal residence of our beloved chickens, presents students with opportunities to learn both nature and nurture. The School's 'Discovery Centre' further presents students with a great space where they can engage in quiet reading, meeting with their friends, or playing games. Junior School seeks to nurture students while allowing their learning experiences to prepare them for the academics of Middle School.
Our Middle School learning spaces are designed to be innovative and flexible. Rooms contain an array of furniture options and moveable wall panels, creating flexible environments for learning and teaching.
In terms of outdoor space, we have a mix of active and passive areas, including elements such as a giant chessboard, a competition-sized concrete table tennis table, a six-meter high climbing web, a basketball ring, and a rock amphitheater. Staffing is structured to ensure homeroom teachers take their class for a large proportion of the core subjects. This gives teachers a more significant opportunity to get to know their students, which allows them to offer improved pastoral care.
At both Years 9 and 10, students are also given a good range of electives to choose from, including but not limited to Art, Literature, Politics, and French to Robotics and Photography, to name just a few. Electives provide an opportunity for students to focus on a subject they may plan to take in VCE or to choose something they haven't tried before.
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