Learning & Teaching Framework

Religious Education

Religious Education is an integral part of Catholic Education. At St Mary’s Catholic School, we promote Christian values and encourage these to be evident throughout all learning and social situations.

The Religious Education curriculum is based on the Archdiocese of Brisbane program and focuses on four strands:

• Beliefs
• Christian Life
• Church
• Sacred Texts

Children are given an opportunity to build on their relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit through a variety of activities and experiences. They are brought to an awareness of themselves, of others, of the world and the Christian faith and tradition. They also participate in:

• Daily prayers
• Christian meditation
• School masses

Children are able to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation. Parents wishing for their child to receive these sacraments are asked to contact with the Parish Coordinator or School Office. The sacraments are usually celebrated at the end of Term 2, however dates vary according to the availability of the Bishop.

Literacy

At St Mary’s School we aim to develop the children’s competency in:

• reading
• writing
• speaking and listening.

We believe that the acquisition of skills in these areas are vital to all other learning and that through them students can be assured of access to the full range of opportunities offered by society.

Within their daily English lessons, students participate in a range of activities including:

• Guided reading tasks
• Listening posts
• Comprehension activities
• Literacy games
• Show and Tell
• Oral presentations

These activities ensure that students are given the opportunity to:

• Experience a broad range of literature
• Reflect on literature
• Participate in spelling activities
• Read, write, listen and speak for various audiences

Through participation in a range of activities and careful planning and programming to meet students needs, teachers are able to create a learning environment that is:

• Busy
• Exciting
• Challenging
• Fun
• Engaging.

St Mary’s School works in conjunction with the Townsville Catholic Education Office to ensure that the most up-to-date and effective literacy teaching practices are implemented.

Numeracy

Mathematics is an integral part of St Mary's School students' ability to operate competently and confidently in their daily lives.

Our Numeracy Program aims to develop proficiency in:

• Number
• Algebra
• Measurement
• Space
• Statistics

Daily Maths lessons provide students with a range of activities that are:

• Interactive
• Engaging
• Challenging
• Interesting
• Hands-on
• Fun

A range of strategies and programs are used to support student learning. These include:

• Learning Through Doing
• Yumi Deadly Maths mats
• Mathseeds

The development of mathematical strategies is the focus of all Numeracy lessons to better equip students when tackling mathematical problems. These include:

• Doubling
• Tens facts
• Near doubling
• Fact families
• Bridging to 10
• Skip counting
• Subitising (immediate recognition of a small number of items in a group)

Students enjoy three hours of specialist subjects each week, which includes the arts, PE and Italian.

The Arts

St Mary's School recognises and whole-heartedly supports the fact that: "The Arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential.

The five Arts subjects "provide opportunities for students to learn how to create, design, represent, communicate and share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotions, observations and experiences." - Australian Curriculum

Research has shown that involvement in the arts can improve engagement in learning, increase self-esteem and develop social, communication, team work and self-expression skills. Children also learn to connect and empathise with others through exposure to different societies and cultures within arts programs.

Every Thursday students have lessons given by our specialist Arts teacher, Mrs Antonio. Throughout the year they explore Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Media Arts. Dance is taught separately by external providers. Students have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of activities including:

• printing, painting, drawing, textiles and modelling
• listening, creating and responding to a variety of different music
• role-play, improvisation, movement and performing plays
• production of animations, photography and making videos with the integration of ICT equipment.

Various additional activities which encourage and showcase the arts are also offered throughout the year. These include:

• Arts Councils and School Performance Tours
• Choir and hymn practice
• Tournament of Minds
• ‘St Mary’s Factor’, school discos, musicals and Christmas concerts
• ‘Music Count Us In’ and Mulkadee (TCEO Arts Festival).

Physical Education (PE)

Fundamental Motor Skills, such as throwing, catching, kicking and striking, are taught in Prep and further developed in Years 1 to 3. These are then applied in a range of different sports, such as netball, football, soccer, tennis, touch and cricket, in Years 4 to 6.

All students learn track and field techniques in preparation for the Athletics carnival and have swimming lessons in Term 4. Students also participate in another hour of Sport with their class teacher during the rest of the week.

On a biannual basis, we outsource specialist Dance or Gymnastics instructors who deliver lessons to all students, generally in Term 3.

Every child has the opportunity to take part in the school's Athletics Carnival in Term 2 and also the Swimming Carnival in Term 4.

HOMEWORK GUIDELINES 

Homework at St Mary’s Catholic School provides opportunities for students to consolidate their classroom learning and develop study and time management skills.  The provision of homework also enhances the partnership between school and home by involving family members in student learning.

When setting homework the need for students to have a balanced lifestyle must be taken into account.  This includes sufficient time for family, recreation, sporting, and cultural pursuits. 

In order for  homework to enhance student learning it must :

• Be purposeful and relevant to student needs
• Be appropriate to the phase of learning (early, middle, and senior)
• Be appropriate to the capability of the student
• Develop the students’ independence as learners
• Be varied, challenging, and clearly related to class work

Homework can include: 

• Daily reading to, with, and by parents/caregivers or other family members
• Linking concepts with familiar activities such as shopping, preparation of food, local environment, and family outings
• conversations about what is happening at school
• preparation for oral presentations
• opportunities to write for meaningful purposes
• Completion of tasks set in class to ensure progress
• Consolidation of  learning through revision and practice 
• Preparation for forthcoming classroom learning (collecting relevant materials, items, information, wider reading)

TIME GUIDELINES

The following is to operate as a guide in determining the amount of set homework that students might be expected to undertake:

• In the Prep Year, homework could be reading & talking about daily activities
• In Years 1, 2, and 3 set homework could be up to but generally not more than 1 hour per week
• Homework in Year 4 and Year 5 could be up to but generally not more than 2 hours per week
• Homework in Year 6 could be up to but generally not more than 3 hours per week

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ST MARY’S TEACHERS TO

• Set homework that is relevant, purposeful, achievable, and timely
• Check homework regularly and provide timely and useful feedback to students
• Communicate the purpose, benefits, and expectations of homework to students
• Use appropriate differentiation when determining tasks, taking into consideration the student’s ability, home circumstances, and commitments
• Discuss with parents and caregivers any developing problems concerning their child’s homework and suggest strategies to assist
• Set up routines and systems to assist students to develop organisational skills to ensure homework materials are taken home and work is handed in

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ST MARY’S STUDENTS TO 

• Take home everything they need to complete homework tasks
• Organise their time to manage home obligations, participation in physical activity and sports, recreational and cultural activities
• Develop responsibility for the completion of homework within set time frames
• Seek assistance when difficulties arise

ST MARY’S PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS CAN HELP STUDENTS BY

• Supporting and assisting them to balance the amount of time spent completing homework, use of technology, playing sport and engaging in other recreational activities
• Providing appropriate furniture and a place to study that is well lit
• Removing social networks and other distractions during homework
• Organising a set time to study, a good routine, and clear expectations
• Have a regular time for home study and keep to it
• Homework should be treated as a serious task that must be completed with care and concentration
• Reading should constitute part of the home study process right throughout your child’s schooling  
• Notifying the teacher if there is any difficulty with specific tasks set 
• Contacting the teacher to discuss any general concerns about the nature of the homework and their children’s approach to the homework