Teaching and Learning

Health and Physical Education

Health and Physical Education is an Australian Curriculum Learning Area. At all year levels the Health and P.E. curriculum is jointly delivered by classroom teachers and our specialist teachers, Todd Kitto and Deb Carmichael. The curriculum is designed to be delivered in about 2 hours a week in all year levels. At the core of Health and Physical Education is the acquisition of movement skills and concepts to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities – confidently, competently and creatively. These skills can be applied in a range of sports. As a foundation for lifelong physical activity participation and enhanced performance, students acquire an understanding of how the body moves and develop positive attitudes towards physical activity participation. They develop an appreciation of the significance of physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport in Australian society and globally. Movement is a powerful medium for learning, through which students can practise and refine personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills.

The Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (F–10) aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to enable students to:

·         access, evaluate and synthesise information to take positive action to protect, enhance and advocate for their own and others’ health, wellbeing, safety and physical activity participation across their lifespan

·         develop and use personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills and strategies to promote a sense of personal identity and wellbeing and to build and manage respectful relationships

·        acquire, apply and evaluate movement skills, concepts and strategies to respond confidently, competently and creatively in a variety of physical activity contexts and settings

·        engage in and enjoy regular movement-based learning experiences and understand and appreciate their significance to personal, social, cultural, environmental and health practices and outcomes

·        analyse how varied and changing personal and contextual factors shape understanding of, and opportunities for, health and physical activity locally, regionally and globally

The learning is progressive as students grow and develop.

In Reception students learn through active play, and practise fundamental movement skills. They learn about how their body is growing and changing, about their strengths, how to be healthy, safe and active, and about respectful relationships. In Year 1 and 2 students start to learn more about themselves and explore their abilities. Through physical play with and without equipment, they learn skills like problem solving and persistence, and become more confident and cooperative.

In year 3 and 4 students learn about changes they experience as they grow up, valuing difference in others. They develop more complicated movement skills.

In year 5 and 6 students become even more connected with their peers and the world around them. They learn what influences them, how relationships change over time and how to promote health. They develop more complex movement skills. In year 7 and 8 students learn about how their changing world operated as they face more complex life decisions. Students analyse and refine movement skills, experience outdoor recreation and develop leadership and team work skills.

Further information can be gained from the Australian Curriculum website.

Australian Curriculum

This year we will be reporting each student's progress against the Australian Curriculum in all eight areas of learning. Attached below you will find brochures that contain information for parents about the Australian Curriculum. These brochures have been produced by ACARA and provide a brief overview of the eight learning areas and content at year levels.

School Attendance

Firsts step to lifelong learning – be a regular attender at school. While for 99% of our families this is clearly understood sometimes there can be issues arising for families or students that get in the way of regular attendance. If this is the case for you, please contact Mat Charleston or Katrina Sexton as soon as possible.The leadership team can intervene or direct you to other services that may be able to help.

We monitor attendance – including late arrivals and early departures carefully and we will contact you if we see a pattern or poor attendance developing. Research says that any more than about 10 days a year will impact on a students learning and wellbeing.

Please find attached our Attendance Policy and Parent Brochure.

Vinnie's Winter Appeal

The Student Representative Council are supporting this year's St Vinnie's Winter Appeal. We are seeking donations for the appeal of warm blankets and tins of food. The Winter Appeal supports the nearly 6,000 people who are homeless on any given night across Adelaide - of this 1,500 are children.

Any donations which will be greatly appreciated can be dropped off at the front office.

Understanding Learning Difficulties - Parent Session

AUSPELD is pleased to announce the recent publication of a new guide for parents that has been specifically developed to answer many of the questions raised by parents about learning difficulties.

An information and Q&A session on the Guide will be held on Thursday 23rd June, 7—8:30pm.

This session will be provided for a gold coin donation.

The Guide examines the identifying features of learning disorders, identification and diagnosis, successful intervention programs and the parent’s role in supporting children and young adults with learning difficulties.

The session will run for 1½ hours, with a further 30 minutes afterwards for additional questions. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the AUSPELD Understanding Learning Difficulties Guide for parents for $35 (pre-order on this form or purchase on the day of workshop)

Where: Church of the Trinity, 318 Goodwood Road, Clarence Park

Date: Thursday 23rd June 2016 Time: 7 – 8.30pm (registration from 6.45pm)

Cost: Gold coin donation

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL—LIMITED PLACES

Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is well underway now with about 50 students having completed the challenge already. Sheets for the PRC were handed out at the start of Term 1 and I am hoping that the remaining students are well on their way to completing their reading record of

The PRC is about reading and sharing books at home and at school. If your child is not an independent reader yet, you can read the books together and record them on the Reading Record sheet. Every student is encouraged to take part in the challenge, last year 211 West Beach students took part and were aiming for 100% participation rate this year.  The Challenge finishes at the start of September  so there is still plenty of time to read.

All PRC books are identified in our Resource Centre with blue stickers (Rec-2), green (Year 3-5) and orange (Year 6-9). PRC books are spread throughout the Resource Centre and there is also an area of shelving specifically for PRC books.

If you have lost your record sheet, please see your child's class teacher or collect a replacement from the Resource Centre.

You can go to the PRC website for more information and also to search specific books to see if they’re on the list.

http://www.premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/prc/pages/home