Learning & Teaching

‘Creating lifelong learners with opportunity rich lives’ 

 

At St Bernadette's, our vision is to inspire lifelong learners who embrace knowledge, compassion, and leadership. We support the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) vision and approach to creating Flourishing Learners through evidence-based explicit instruction and active promotion of equity and excellence. 

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We create a safe and nurturing environment where children can thrive. Our programs reflect the values of families and celebrates the diversity of our local communities. With an engaging and flexible curriculum, children are supported to realise their full potential.

 

Our Learning Goals:

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Excellence: A knowledge-rich, evidence-based teaching and learning program 

Our teachers implement evidence-based practices to deliver knowledge and nurture curiosity and critical thinking skills.  This equips our students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for lifelong learning and success.

 

Equity: Putting Students at the Heart

At our core, we believe in the dignity and worth of every student. We are dedicated to ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, achieve literacy and numeracy proficiency. Through a supportive and inclusive environment, we foster a sense of belonging and empower students to reach their full potential. Our goal is to cultivate not only academic success but also resilience, empathy, and a lifelong love of learning.

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Inquiry based learning is an umbrella term that incorporates many current learning approaches including project based learning and design thinking. The students at St B’s are involved in the following characteristics that serve as hallmarks of inquiry based learning:

• communicating, reflecting, collaborating, analysing and content.

• genuine curiosity, wonderment and questioning.

• student ‘voice’ is evident – elements of the curriculum / learning are negotiated and student questions are taken seriously and addressed.

• prior knowledge is ascertained and built upon. 

• significant concepts and essential questions are identified which unify knowledge and understandings.

• students are actively involved in constructing understandings through hands-on experiences, research, processing and communicating their understandings in various ways.

• learning takes place in a social context – students learn from each other, together with others, and from those outside of the classroom context.

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Core Curriculum

Using the Victorian Curriculum F-10 framework to guide us, we focus our core learning on Education in Faith, Literacy, Numeracy, and Student Well Being. These core subjects are complemented by Civics and Citizenship, and The Humanities. 

 

Specialist Classes

In addition to our core curriculum we offer specialised classes designed to promote creativity, critical thinking and well-being. Current specialty classes include Mandarin, Visual Art, Performing Art, Science (STEM) and Physical Education.
 

Learning Diversity, Interventions and Extension

For many students, quality classroom instruction is all that is necessary to ensure that they achieve growth and progress; some of our students require either targeted support to help develop their skills in an area such as Reading or Mathematics, or the opportunity to be extended in these areas. Teacher expertise and the invaluable work of our Learning Support Officers intersect, in order to ensure that students receive the opportunities that they need. Opportunities to support or extend are offered as listed.

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• Reading Recovery for students who require one to one reading early intervention

• Literacy Intervention for students who require extra support in all aspects of Literacy.

• Personalised inquiry approach to learning to ensure 100% of students, including the most challenged to the highly able students, are supported

• Extension groups in both English and Maths for students identified as highly able/gifted meet regularly to engage in hands-on activities catering for their level of learning

 

Monitoring Student Learning

At St Bernadette’s, we employ a variety of monitoring tools to identify and address student learning needs, ensuring that teaching is adapted as required. Assessment of learning development provides transparency and guidance for families, who are integral partners in their child's educational journey.

 

Partnership with Families

We prioritise open communication and collaboration with families to strengthen and enhance our students’ learning journeys. This partnership includes:

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Regular Informal Conversations with Families: Ongoing informal discussions between teachers and families provide opportunities to share updates on student progress and address any questions or concerns.

Student Progress Reports (Terms 2 & 4): Detailed progress reports are issued twice a year, offering comprehensive insights into students' academic development and areas for growth.

Teacher and Family Conversations (Terms 1 & 2): Scheduled meetings throughout the year allow teachers and families to discuss students' achievements, challenges, and strategies for continued success. Extra meetings conducted as required.