Curriculum at St Finbarr's
At St Finbarr’s Catholic School nine learning areas
(subjects) are taught from Prep to year 6.
These include eight Australian Curriculum subjects - English, Mathematics, Science,
Humanities and Social Sciences (including History and Geography, Economics and
Business and Civics and Citizenship), The Arts (including Drama, Dance, Media
Arts, Music and Visual Arts), Technologies (including Design and Technologies
and Digital Technologies), Health and Physical Education and Languages.
Within the Australiam Curriculum general capabilities are explicitly addressed within the content of each learning area to realise the goals of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) – That all young people in Australia should be supported to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens. These general capabilities include Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, and ethical and intercultural understanding.
Catholic schools within the Toowoomba Diocese utilize National Curriculum documents provided by ACARA, and the support of the Catholic Education Office Toowoomba, to develop and implement quality curriculum, teaching and learning programs and practices within each Learning Area.
As a Catholic school the study of Religious Education is a ninth learning area, but rather than an add-on, it is integral to the way we live and learn at St Finbarr’s. Each school in the Diocese has an accredited RE program prepared in accordance with the Toowoomba Catholic Education Guidelines.
Within the Australiam Curriculum general capabilities are explicitly addressed within the content of each learning area to realise the goals of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) – That all young people in Australia should be supported to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens. These general capabilities include Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, and ethical and intercultural understanding.
Catholic schools within the Toowoomba Diocese utilize National Curriculum documents provided by ACARA, and the support of the Catholic Education Office Toowoomba, to develop and implement quality curriculum, teaching and learning programs and practices within each Learning Area.
As a Catholic school the study of Religious Education is a ninth learning area, but rather than an add-on, it is integral to the way we live and learn at St Finbarr’s. Each school in the Diocese has an accredited RE program prepared in accordance with the Toowoomba Catholic Education Guidelines.
What
is special about our Curriculum?
Flexibility of Curriculum Delivery
Teachers have flexibility in their planning and delivery of the National Curriculum. This ensures that all students receive instruction appropriate to their individual needs and ability levels. It also allows curriculum to be delivered within a local context to develop basic understandings of our local community and environment and its connection to other communities and places within the state, the country and the world.
Knowing our students
Each student is central to all that we do at St Finbarr’s. As we are a small school, our focus is on knowing our students as individuals, identifying their strengths, understandings, skills and possibly limitations, and providing structures and supports to then extend and challenge them, to not only achieve to their potential, but to develop a love of learning and the skills to become lifelong learners.
Students are taught in two multi-age classes – Prep to Year 2 and Year 3 to 6. This structure allows for flexibility in learning and teaching, to meet individual student needs, with all students receiving instruction at their ability level through whole class, small group and individual instruction as well as peer tutoring. School officers are fully utilised by classroom teachers to support individual and small group instruction within the classrooms.
Critical and Creative thinking.
Our students develop skills as critical and creative thinkers through Inquiry Based Learning activities. Students are encouraged to search for answers to questions, to use technologies, people and places beyond the classroom and develop deep understandings of the ideas embedded within the curriculum. This enables students to develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills and more easily transfer their skills, knowledge and understandings to real life situations they may encounter throughout their lives.
Values Education
We are able to provide much more than academic learning and strive to ensure that our students achieve socially, emotionally, spiritually and creatively as well. Our whole school Values Program investigates topics such as respect, honesty, caring, fairness, determination, responsibility, tolerance, self-respect, resilience and forgiveness. Students are supported in living these values daily and are given opportunities to practise these in community activities and through our Mini Vinnies group, to develop their understanding of their responsibility not only within their family and school but as members of a much wider community.
Through an integration of key learnings of our Religious Education and Values programs with other curriculum areas we are able to enrich students understanding and value of topics such as Environment and Sustainability through stewardship and morality; and Cultural understanding and knowledge through social justice, empathy and tolerance.
Teachers have flexibility in their planning and delivery of the National Curriculum. This ensures that all students receive instruction appropriate to their individual needs and ability levels. It also allows curriculum to be delivered within a local context to develop basic understandings of our local community and environment and its connection to other communities and places within the state, the country and the world.
Knowing our students
Each student is central to all that we do at St Finbarr’s. As we are a small school, our focus is on knowing our students as individuals, identifying their strengths, understandings, skills and possibly limitations, and providing structures and supports to then extend and challenge them, to not only achieve to their potential, but to develop a love of learning and the skills to become lifelong learners.
Students are taught in two multi-age classes – Prep to Year 2 and Year 3 to 6. This structure allows for flexibility in learning and teaching, to meet individual student needs, with all students receiving instruction at their ability level through whole class, small group and individual instruction as well as peer tutoring. School officers are fully utilised by classroom teachers to support individual and small group instruction within the classrooms.
Critical and Creative thinking.
Our students develop skills as critical and creative thinkers through Inquiry Based Learning activities. Students are encouraged to search for answers to questions, to use technologies, people and places beyond the classroom and develop deep understandings of the ideas embedded within the curriculum. This enables students to develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills and more easily transfer their skills, knowledge and understandings to real life situations they may encounter throughout their lives.
Values Education
We are able to provide much more than academic learning and strive to ensure that our students achieve socially, emotionally, spiritually and creatively as well. Our whole school Values Program investigates topics such as respect, honesty, caring, fairness, determination, responsibility, tolerance, self-respect, resilience and forgiveness. Students are supported in living these values daily and are given opportunities to practise these in community activities and through our Mini Vinnies group, to develop their understanding of their responsibility not only within their family and school but as members of a much wider community.
Through an integration of key learnings of our Religious Education and Values programs with other curriculum areas we are able to enrich students understanding and value of topics such as Environment and Sustainability through stewardship and morality; and Cultural understanding and knowledge through social justice, empathy and tolerance.
More information on each Learning Area can be found through the following links to the Australian Curriculum website:
|
Australian Curriculum – Mathematics
Australian Curriculum – English Australian Curriculum – Science Australian Curriculum – Humanities and Social sciences |
Australian Curriculum - The Arts
Australian Curriculum – Technologies Australian Curriculum – Health and Physical Education Australian Curriculum – Languages |
Please note: Economics and Business and Civics and Citizenship will be introduced during 2016
The provision of a Language other than English is dependent upon the availability of a suitably qualified teacher. However students in P-2 and 3-7 are given opportunities to explore basic language and other cultures through their regular classroom teacher. The focus is on building students’ knowledge and understanding of other cultures, as well as developing their awareness of other languages.
The provision of a Language other than English is dependent upon the availability of a suitably qualified teacher. However students in P-2 and 3-7 are given opportunities to explore basic language and other cultures through their regular classroom teacher. The focus is on building students’ knowledge and understanding of other cultures, as well as developing their awareness of other languages.
