Deputy News
Learning About Our History
Each term at St Joseph's, our Topic learning is based on a Humanities or Science unit from the Victorian Curriculum. This term, our focus is on History, and students across the school are engaging with rich and meaningful content that is complimented by our English and Mathematics programs.
This approach helps us create a knowledge-based curriculum that is both deep and dynamic, allowing students to make real-world connections across different areas of learning.
Our History learning this term includes:
Prep, Year 1 and Year 2: Community Histories – Students will explore how their own communities have changed and stayed the same over time, learning about significant people, events and places that have helped shape their world.
Year 3 and 4: Community, Remembrance and Celebrations – Students will investigate how and why communities commemorate significant events and explore a variety of traditions, celebrations and symbols.
Year 5 and 6: The Australian Colonies – Students will learn about life in Australia during the 1800s, including the experiences of different groups of people and the impact of colonisation on shaping our nation.
Throughout these units, children will be explicitly taught key historical skills and knowledge and will have opportunities to engage creatively and critically through immersions, learning expos, projects and presentations.
Students are challenged to explore, question and reflect on significant ideas and practices, moving beyond surface-level understanding towards flexible and higher-order thinking. Our teaching sequences are designed to be responsive, sustained, and rich in opportunities for deep exploration.
We are excited to note that the children in the Middle School will visit The Shrine, while our senior students will venture to Sovereign Hill to complement the learning happening in the classroom. Our Junior Students will participate in an 'Ol School Day' to immerse them in the history of our very own school. Keep an eye out in the newsletter for updates from our Junior, Middle and Senior Leaders about these milestones during the term.
We welcome any parents, family or friends with expertise in these areas to share their real world experiences. If this is something you are interested in learning more about, please contact Alannah Harrison or Claire Tobin.
We look forward to an exciting term of learning, discovery and connection to the past!
Alannah Harrison
Deputy Principal