Primary School – Years R-6

At the Primary School we cater for students from years Reception – 6 across a wide range of subject areas, to meet the diverse needs of all our students.

There are approximately 190 students in the Primary School and we endeavour to keep class sizes small.

Primary School staff provide an education for Reception to Year 6 students through a variety of relevant, engaging, learning experiences in the eight areas of learning from the Australian National Curriculum. Primary School students also have access to the teaching of specialist lessons in curriculum areas such as, Health and Physical Education, Japanese, Digital Technology and the Arts.

Primary School students have their own age appropriate, sheltered playground areas. Students also have access to a large Primary School oval, basketball courts and handball courts. There is also a sandpit and a vegetable garden. Middle and Senior school students do not have access to the Primary School yard unless they are running supervised, cross age activities for Primary School students. Primary School students can also visit the Resource Centre at lunchtime by obtaining a resource centre pass from their class teacher. PrimarySchool students also have their own access to the school canteen with a specific serving area for Primary School. Our Primary School facilities have recently been upgraded which includes the new resource centre and STEM rooms.

At the beginning of the school day Primary School students do not line up. Students make their way to their class promptly at 8:45am so they can get organised and ready for learning. Primary School staff want all students to flourish, therefore, staff aim to provide an educational and social environment that nurtures and challenges each child, encouraging them to reach their full potential. Primary School staff place huge importance on helping students develop a sense of “belonging” and “connectedness”, an enjoyment of learning and a positive sense of self. Staff expectations are high, providing each student with a supportive, safe and trusting learning and play environment, driving all that we do at the Primary School.

Social learning is an important focus area at the Primary School. We concentrate on each child’s strengths and preferred ways of learning, as the recognition of this underpins all learning. The Primary School also has a full time Well Being Leader who develops pro-active Social Skills programs and works with students to help them connect to their learning and social environment. Our Early Years teachers have developed an effective ‘structured learning through play’ program for R/1 students. This allows for the development of individual needs/skills and provides flexibility for the ‘age range’ of Reception students starting school. Effective, ongoing, transition procedures and processes with the Children’s Centre and the School ensures a smoother transition for Pre School children starting school at the beginning of the year. This includes: Pre School children accessing the school resource centre, sharing in play based learning activities in R/ 1 classes, eating lunch together, attending Primary School performances and events (eg. Book Week parade, Reconciliation Week, the Colour Run)

Activities

Cross-Age Activities

The advantage of a B-12 setting is that many cross-age activities can be offered to students. Some cross-age activities Rec-Year 6 students may be involved in are: