Avondale Primary School provides every student with a guaranteed and viable curriculum.

Using the Victorian Curriculum as our starting point teachers do the following:

• develop comprehensive learning plans
• apply teaching and learning practices that maximise student learning
• use a variety of assessment strategies to assess student progress.

Teachers use a range of assessment strategies to:

• inform teachers and students about learning progress
• form the basis for developing further programs
• track student progress.

Student Learning
The following principles support Avondale Primary School’s teaching and learning.

We believe that children learn best when:

• teachers know and value each student
• students feel confident and safe
• lessons are interesting, engaging and challenging
• there are opportunities to share and discuss
• lessons are planned by teachers and learning goals are explicit
• they are given constructive feedback about their work
• high standards are set and effort is recognised
• they are supported to take responsibility for their own learning
• imagination and creativity are encouraged
• technology is used appropriately and reflects community standards
• they learn problem solving skills and strategies
• they learn to be organised, persistent and confident
• the learning environment is encouraging and respectful
• achievement and effort are recognised and encouraged
• teachers recognise prior learning
• parents and teachers work together

The Curriculum:

LITERACY

We have implemented a whole-school approach to the teaching of literacy at Avondale Primary School that is guided by the Victorian Curriculum.

This means that we have adopted well-researched methods for teaching literacy, and we implement these programs consistently across all year levels at our school. Spelling, thinking, grammar, comprehension, handwriting, speaking and listening skills are explicitly taught in order to prepare our students to participate effectively in the broader community.

Summary of Literacy in Victorian Schools

Reading and Viewing

Writing

Speaking and Listening

All language modes are divided into strands of Language, Literature and Literacy

A full overview of the English Curriculum can be found at:

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/english/introduction/rationale-and-aims 

A typical Literacy Lesson at Avondale Primary School will include:

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria – Displayed and shared with children at the beginning of each lesson. These are used to give a purpose and set of specific skills students can self-monitor as they work. It helps students identify how they are going with their learning and where they can get help if not working directly with the teacher.

The structure of a typical literacy lesson will be:

5 - 15 Minutes – Tuning In/Whole Class Focus 

• Independent Reading of Just Right Books
• Warm up: Speaking and listening activity
• Shared reading/writing and explicit teaching of whole class focus 

40 Minutes – Independent Learning Tasks may include:

• Independent reading and practice of reading strategy or writing concept
• Small group work activities: letter identification, listening post, reader's theatre
• Students writing and recording their thinking and working
• Small Guided Reading Focus Groups with the classroom ceacher where a high level of support occurs
• Conferring with the teacher about their learning in a discussion style situation where learning goals are identified and reflected upon
• Students working on Computers and/or iPads to support and display learning

5 – 10 Minutes – About the concepts learnt, strategies and investigations.

• Directed learning that looks again at the Learning Intention and Success Criteria for the lesson
• Reflecting on learning
• Celebrating the learning achieved
• Looking ahead to future learning

We utilise a number of teaching strategies, frameworks and resources to engage our students in literacy; including:

• CARS & STARS 
• SoundWaves Spelling
• Seven Steps to Writing Success
• Sunshine Online/ Epic Books/ Scholastic Literacy Pro

Students’ reading and writing is assessed according to the Victorian Curriculum and the school’s Assessment Schedule through informal and formal methods. These can include student-teacher conferences, running records, observations, PM/ Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark assessments, rubrics and spelling inventories.

MATHEMATICS

At Avondale Primary School we offer a comprehensive mathematics program is designed to provide students with a strong grounding in mathematical skills, strategies and understandings. Our aim is to support students in becoming numerate and use mathematics effectively so they can successfully participate at school, at home and in the wider community.

At Avondale Primary School the Mathematics curriculum is guided by the Victorian Curriculum. The mathematics curriculum is divided into three broad areas. It is important to understand that these three broad areas are interdependent, and students will develop at their own pace along a continuum of learning informed by the Victorian Curriculum. However, there is a guaranteed curriculum that is taught at each school year and all students will be taught topics and skills within that framework.

Summary of Mathematics in Victorian Schools

Number and Algebra

·       Understanding and using Numbers and Place Value

·       Fractions and decimals

·       Patterns and algebra

·       Money and financial mathematics

Measurement and Geometry

·       Using units of measurement

·       Shape

·       Location and transformation

·       Geometric Reasoning

Statistics and Probability

·       Chance

·       Data collection, representation and interpretation

The proficiencies of Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning are fundamental to learning mathematics and working mathematically and are applied across all three strands Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

A full overview of the Mathematics Curriculum can be found at:

http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/mathematics/introduction/rationale-and-aims

Mathematics is taught for a minimum of five hours each week in all classrooms.

Lessons are sequential and collaboratively planned by the teachers. They are fluid (meaning that children work in groups that will best suit their learning situation at any given time) so as to ensure maximum engagement and learning achievement. The learning of all students is regularly monitored and assessed to provide appropriate learning goals at any given time.

A typical Mathematics Lesson at Avondale Primary School will include:

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria – Displayed and shared with children at the beginning of each lesson. These are used to give a purpose and set of specific skills students can self-monitor as they work. It helps students identify how they are going with their learning and where they can get help if not working directly with the teacher.

The structure of a typical mathematics lesson will be:

5 - 15 Minutes – Tuning In/Whole Class Focus to engage students and promote mathematical thinking.

• Games

• Modelled, Shared or Guided Mathematics, involving the teacher explaining and showing how to solve problems with any particular skills, or setting up investigations for students to work on.

40 Minutes – Independent Numeracy Learning Tasks may include:

• Exploring and investigating in pairs, small groups or independently
• Students writing and recording their thinking and working
• Use of concrete materials to support learning 
• Hands on learning activities, usually based on real life experiences, designed to allow students to see a purpose for learning and make relevant connections to their everyday lives.
• Small Focus Groups with the Classroom Teacher where a high level of support occurs
• Conferring with the teacher about their learning in a discussion style situation where learning goals are identified and reflected upon
• Students working on Computers and/or iPads to support and display learning
• Assessment of students’ skills and understandings and future learning both informally and formally including online assessment tools (Essential Assessment) that provides feedback for students

5 – 10 Minutes – About the concepts learnt, strategies and investigations.

• Directed learning that looks again at the Learning Intention and Success Criteria for the lesson
• Reflecting on the mathematical learning and strategies used to achieve specific goals
• Celebrating the learning achieved
• Looking ahead to future learning

Science

Technologies

ICT 

At Avondale Primary School, Information Communication Technology is used to support classroom programs. Each classroom has a bank of computers and iPads.

The use of devices allows the children and classroom teachers to research content, record findings in a variety of ways and visit websites that support learning.

• Design and Technologies
• Digital Technologies  

Health & Physical Education

The Humanities

- Civics & Citizenship

- History

- Geography

- Economics & Business

The Arts

- Dance/ Drama

- Music

- Visual Arts

Languages

CAPABILITIES

Critical and Creative Thinking

Ethical

Intercultural

Personal & Social

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL LEARNING: TERM 3

We are developing a whole school approach to wellbeing and social and emotional learning across APS, including teaching Respectful Relationships lessons, School Wide Positive Behaviours and the Zones of Regulation.

Respectful Relationships – Term Three Focus: Topic 3: Positive Coping

This topic provides opportunities for students to identify and discuss different types of coping strategies. When children and young people develop a language around coping, they are more likely to be able to understand and deliberately utilise a range of productive coping strategies and diminish their use of unproductive coping strategies. Students will learn to extend their repertoire of coping strategies and benefit from critical reflecting on their own choices and being exposed to alternative options. Learning experiences introduce students to the concept of selftalk and practice using positive self-talk to approach and manage challenging situations. Positive self-talk is a key strategy for coping with negative thoughts, emotions and events. It is associated with greater persistence in the face of challenge and can be learnt or strengthened through practise.

Zones of Regulation - Cognitive behaviour approach

The Zones of Regulation framework and curriculum scaffolds students to build awareness of their feelings/internal state and utilise a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness.

This approach also:

• Helps students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem-solving abilities

• Helps student recognise when they are in different states called 'Zones' with each of the four Zones represented by a different colour: Blue, Green, Yellow and Red

• Supports students to learn how to use strategies or tools to stay in a Zone or move from one to another

• Encourages students to explore calming techniques, cognitive strategies and sensory supports so they will have a toolbox of methods to move between Zones

• Teaches how to read others' facial expressions and recognise a broader range of emotions, perspective about how others see and react to their behaviour, insight into events that trigger their less regulated states, and when and how to use tools and problem-solving skills.

Victorian Curriculum F - 10

Avondale Primary School is accredited under the Department of Education and Training’s CRICOS registration (CRICOS provider name and code: Department of Education and Training, 00861K).
For further information refer to www.study.vic.gov.au