Our Catholic school is a faith community that believes that learning and teaching is a respectful, three-way exchange between teachers, learners and a supportive community.
The teaching and learning environment is welcoming, safe, encouraging and playful. Our teachers take time to listen, observe and learn about their students.
We assist parents in encouraging and supporting the regular attendance of their child at school so they can achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options.
In partnership with parents, our parish school offers quality teaching and learning, which enables the education of the whole person.
Our school:
- develops a school environment that sustains the education of the whole person through the use of head, heart and hands;
- fosters the development and practice of quality teaching and learning that respects the human dignity of each person;
- fosters the development of students as authentic learners for life;
- offers a Catholic curriculum that integrates life, faith and culture;
- provides a broad and balanced curriculum that is illuminated by the presence of Christ and the light of faith;
- develops the full potential of persons who are responsible, inner-directed and capable of making decisions based on a Catholic worldview; and
- promotes the implementation of contemporary and authentic pedagogies and practices.
We work collaboratively to ensure that we meet the needs of each student and that each student experiences learning success.
Every student can and will learn
In responding to the moral imperative of improving the learning and well-being of each student, we are informed and guided by the work of Lyn Sharratt and Michael Fullan, ‘Putting FACES on the Data’ (2012). Putting the FACES on the data is a win-win strategy that creates changes in instruction and in achievement levels and that results in a culture of success for students and education professionals-a culture in which all stakeholders can be proud to participate (Sharratt & Fullan, 2012, p. 14).
Our school adopts the following high-yield assessment and instruction strategies in order to lift student performance in a significant and sustained way:
- personalising learning for all students- the shift from success for some to success for each student;
- adopting the gradual-release of responsibility model so that students are more engaged in their learning;
- sharing responsibility for all students through the case management approach;
- school data walls – putting FACES on the data by creating visuals of all students progress and providing a forum for rich conversation among teachers;
- instructional walks– the school leadership team inquiring, learning, reflecting and collaborating with teachers about teaching practices that impact outcomes for each student;
- learning intention– developed from curriculum expectations, stated in student-friendly language and visible in classrooms for students to reference; and
- success criteria– directly developed from the learning intention, visible in classrooms for students to reference and measure progress toward their own goals.
Our goal is that the child’s school experience leaves them feeling valued, resilient and well prepared for the next phase of their lives and their ongoing faith journey.