Primary School

Setting The Foundation

Christian Schooling sets the foundations for a child’s life. Our Junior Primary teachers partner with parents as we seek to create a nurturing community that fosters the love of learning in a framework that puts Christ at the centre and encourages children to love God and one another.

We are committed to providing experiences that challenge each student, encouraging them to strive beyond what they may think they are capable of. At the core of these experiences is our commitment to the development of key Literacy and Numeracy skills. It is this foundation that helps to build the confident learner for later Middle and Senior schooling.

As early learners, social awareness is often a new and sometimes confronting phenomenon. We recognise the need to develop positive relationships with one another based on mutual respect and love, and use God’s teachings to help develop an understanding of appropriate behaviour and strategies for difficult situations.

Through buddy programmes and shared activities, the younger members of our school community are introduced to the greater school environment, forming friendships and gaining the self-confidence that will carry them through their later years.

Primary Curriculum

Our curriculum reflects the diversity, complexity and richness of God’s world. A Biblical perspective is developed in all areas and our approach to education encourages a diversity of learning responses such as wonder, discovery, insight and action. Our curriculum caters for a wide range of learning opportunities, enabling the students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways, while maintaining a high standard.

Spiritual Growth

God has created us as spiritual beings. The character, attitudes and values of an individual are formed during the early years of life. Therefore, the roles played firstly by the parent/s and later by the teacher, should never be underestimated. Deuteronomy 6:7.

We seek to support the role of the parents who have ultimate responsibility for their children. We also work towards encouraging the student to love God, His Word and His purpose in this world. We do this by creating an environment that has a Christian framework and a Christian worldview that underpins all learning. We also try to set an example for our students of how to treat one another and live Godly lives. Each day typically starts with devotions and concludes with a prayer of thanksgiving, and fortnightly we hold an assembly with worship and celebration.

Learning In Action

During the Primary years an emphasis is placed upon ‘hands-on learning’ activities that make use of ‘concrete’ materials and real-life experiences. The rigorous teaching of the essential and basic skills of spelling, reading, writing, mathematics and computer literacy is our priority. However, the importance of involving the student in active, inquiry learning, rather than the passive absorption of facts, is essential.

Our curriculum is designed to develop and enhance the ability of the student to reason, use critical awareness, think creatively, make decisions and be an effective contributor to our community.

Creating Community

Our students are given many opportunities to interact in a variety of social settings as part of a whole class, a large or small group, or as individuals. We aim to help students adjust comfortably to a larger group of children, to relate to adults associated with the school and develop a sense of cooperation, tolerance and respect for one another.

Building Student Confidence and Self-Esteem

We aim to make all learning experiences as successful and pleasurable as possible. The positive self-esteem of the student as a learner is essential and the acknowledgement of the results is critical. Our environment provides a foundation of love, caring, and ‘feeling safe’ that enables the student to develop positive self-esteem as a learner. The development of trust between the teacher and the student is critical so that the student can feel confident about taking risks in learning.

Physical Development

Physical activity is vital for the normal growth and development of our students. By participating in various physical activities on a regular basis, they can develop their natural physical skills and abilities. We encourage our students to be aware of their bodies and acknowledge the importance of physical fitness in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Through our curriculum, we provide opportunities for our students to engage in structured physical activities and promote the development of gross and fine motor skills.