Children's Learning

We encourage children to share their learning with their families at home each day. Conversations at home around learning further enrich the experience for children.

The Early Years: Kindergarten to Year Two

Children are the focus of learning and teaching in Kindergarten to Year Two. They bring with them a natural wonder and curiosity about the world and their place within it. The role of the early childhood educator is to plan and implement learning experiences that support and cater to each child’s learning and developmental needs.

Kindergarten to Year Two provide a critical foundation for lifelong learning and the acquisition of life skills and abilities. Early learning experiences are rich, developmentally appropriate and connected to young children’s worlds and their community experiences.

When children begin school they are, in some ways, moving away from the world of parents and family into the world of children. It is a big step on the pathway towards growing up, and most children look forward to it. To support children, we begin the year with a gentle transition period for Kindergarten students.

In Kindergarten and Pre-Primary, children are introduced to literacy through the development of oral language, learning the alphabetic code and developing their knowledge about print. To become numerate, children are introduced to number, measurement, space and simple data collection.

Play-based and discovery learning is a major focus in the early years’ context. Learning through play is a holistic approach that supports children’s physical, social, emotional, spiritual, creative and cognitive developmental needs.

As children move into Years One and Two, the curriculum develops, with the introduction of more formal learning. Educational experiences have real-life relevance and purpose and address a range of learning styles. The teaching and learning programme is designed to help children develop an understanding of concepts that develop skills to form the foundation of future learning.

Nature Play

Great Southern Grammar is part of what has become an international movement to reconnect children with nature. Children learn a great deal from interacting with the natural environment. The deep learning that happens through engagement in the outdoors includes the development of language concepts and relationship development. Such engagement also teaches children how to assess and take risks.

The benefits of outside play are countless. Aside from the emotional benefits of fun, enjoyment and self-expression, there are endless developmental benefits in cognitive, affective, social, physical, attentional, and language development. Importantly, play encourages risk-taking and gives children opportunities to be involved in real-life, meaningful experiences. Outside play allows children to problem-solve situations and develop their sense of creativity.

Years Three to Six

Children in Years Three to Six are in the phase of child development known as Middle Childhood. Teaching and learning reflect the unique needs of children during this phase, with further development of important literacy and numeracy skills. Children become independent readers and begin reading for the purpose of learning about their world. Opportunities to research and explore topics of interest are provided with independent research skills taught using Information Technology effectively.

Children in this phase begin to see themselves as members of larger communities; are better able to work collaboratively and have greater interaction with people inside and outside the classroom; begin to understand and appreciate different points of view; are interested in people from other times, places and cultures; develop the ability to think in more abstract terms; ask more focused questions; and can assume greater responsibility for managing and organising classroom activities.

Experiential learning is promoted through class excursions and the Outdoor Education programme, which includes overnight camps of between one and four nights at various locations.

Curriculum design is thematic, allowing children to make meaningful connections and develop their conceptual knowledge more readily. Academic rigour is highly regarded; however, modifications of the curriculum are made to meet the diverse nature of students’ learning needs.

Children develop personal organisation and time management skills through the use of the student diary that records all homework and information relating to daily routines. Students are expected to take greater responsibility for their learning as they move through Primary School, with a growing ability to reach academic goals through carefully reflecting on, planning, performing and reviewing tasks.

Community Service

Community service is designed to foster and develop a sense of responsibility and a feeling of care towards others. It involves each student demonstrating a willingness to give time and effort to benefit individuals or groups without expecting a return or reward.

Community service helps students develop a sense of social responsibility and sensitivity to people from different backgrounds and circumstances. Putting others before self is a commitment and a discipline that will live with them as they go through life.

Each House supports one or two community service programmes through fundraising events.

Homework

Homework should be a purposeful, positive learning experience that motivates children and leads to independent study skills as they progress through the school. It should consolidate, enrich and extend the school’s programme. Homework has the potential to further the school/home partnership in the education of children. Homework should not be seen as a device for discipline as this would deny the fundamental beliefs about homework that we support.

The primary purposes of homework in Primary School are: to foster positive attitudes, habits and character traits; and to communicate to students that learning also takes place outside school. Homework supports students to develop independent study skills as they travel through Primary School in readiness for the academic requirements of Secondary School.

Guidelines

We understand that children and families have a full routine after school and on weekends. For this reason, homework is usually only set for Monday to Thursday evenings (although we encourage time set aside for reading every day). Upper Primary students may be required to complete some weekend study when projects are due.

Families sometimes take holidays for extended periods during term time. The policy for homework is for students to create a holiday journal as a memento of their holiday. This in itself is very educational, as students can include travel brochures, drawings, maps and of course personal diary entries. Students may write postcards to their class, as well as read daily. Teachers will not, however, provide a distance education programme for children while they are absent from school.

Kindergarten and Pre-Primary Homework

15 to 20 minutes

The oral reading retell programme requires parents to follow an oral retelling of a picture book over a week with guided questions to ask.

Years One and Two Homework

15 to 20 minutes

Reading, spelling and basic number facts make up the bulk of homework in these years. Assist your child where necessary. Homework will always back up skills introduced during lessons in class.

Years Three to Six Homework

Year Three: 20 to 30 minutes
Years Four to Six: 30 to 45 minutes

Homework should become a consistent routine that students begin to undertake independently. Homework will vary from set instructional tasks to independent research activities. Students unable to meet homework deadlines must have a parental explanation with a signature included in their homework diary. It is important to establish a homework routine in the Upper Primary years in readiness for Secondary School and parents are asked to support this. Students who regularly fail to complete homework tasks face consequences and/or teachers may request a parent interview. Personal reading should be encouraged wherever possible.

Homework and the Role of Parents

Parents are encouraged to be involved in the homework process, helping and encouraging, but not telling children the answers or doing the homework for them.

Parents are asked to support the value and importance of homework with their child/children. Provide ongoing support to make homework an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for your child, keeping in mind the need to have a balanced approach that promotes personal and family wellbeing.

Homework is given at the discretion of the teachers as they consider the needs of all students in their class. At times, the teacher will give direction to individual students for further consolidation or revision of areas where there are knowledge or skill deficits.

Parents are asked to contact the teacher if their child experiences any problem with set homework.