Philosophy of Learning
St. Brendan’s Primary School our Philosophy of Learning is
underpinned by our Identity Statement:
“St. Brendan’s is a Catholic School embracing our cultural diversity
with Faith and Courage in the spirit of the Mercy Tradition”.
At St. Brendan’s we recognise that as a faith community learning together, God is central in our lives. The learning and teaching that occurs at St. Brendan’s should reflect the vision of our school community and an authentic understanding of the life of Jesus and his teachings. St. Brendan’s is a multicultural school with a diverse community of students and families from many different countries. We are also proud to have a large number of Indigenous students attend our school. The spirit of partnership between parents, teachers, students, the Parish and wider community is very much the fabric of the school, as we share the responsibility to educate our children, following the teachings of Jesus, and integrating faith and life.
St. Brendan’s is a vibrant learning community and strives to realise our school vision to create a safe and positive environment where all children can learn and flourish to their full potential. We aim to encourage personal responsibility for learning and develop independent learners, promoting positive values and attitudes, and responding to the different needs, backgrounds and interests of learners.
To engage all teachers and staff in the education process and in the life of our school community, cultivating a collaborative culture, we aim to:
· Build a culture of school improvement and performance developing teaching and learning programs focused on evidence-based decision-making.
· Develop effective teamwork within teaching teams which is now an accepted, valued and evident component of the teaching climate at St Brendan’s.
· Further develop a whole school approach to build teacher capacity ensuring high quality, purposeful teaching to enhance and improve student learning outcomes.
· Nurture the individual talents, creativity and resilience of each child.
· Implement all aspects of assessment to guide and measure learning.
· Develop a better understanding of student learning needs, providing data and evidence about student achievement, and building shared knowledge on best practice in assessment for all learners.
· Analyse and moderate student data encouraging ‘shared responsibility’ of student learning across an entire cohort of students in learning communities.
· Engage in teacher collaboration and planning in Professional Learning Teams, sharing and reflecting on professional practice, and the improvement of student engagement and learning outcomes, to ensure targeted, explicit teaching implementing the St. Brendan’s Learning Model.
At St. Brendan’s we recognise that professional learning to build teacher knowledge is an essential component of school improvement and staff development. Our Leadership team, and Learning and Teaching leaders have made a commitment to build the culture of School Improvement and Performance, and develop the quality of teaching and learning with a focus on student engagement and learning. Effective teaching for learning requires a whole school approach, and our leaders and teachers have identified and articulated a clear sense of purpose for our school interactions with students in our Learning Communities.
“We believe that St. Brendan's School in conjunction with families and our wider community, will nurture the development of each individual child in an atmosphere of trust, hope and assurance”.
Differentiating our Curriculum
We aim to provide opportunities for success for each child and to build on all aspects of positive learning. There is a particular emphasis on literacy and numeracy, as well as introducing key concepts in other learning areas, that will help each student develop and reach their full potential, and to sense they are part of a community of learners. We aim to build on what children already know and develop skills necessary for a life-long learning.
Each child is unique and is different in development, maturation, personality and ability. We recognise children's differences and strive to develop in them a love of learning, positive self-esteem and the social skills essential to effective and rewarding participation in a community. Every child learns in a different way. Our curriculum is differentiated within the classroom to cater for all the abilities and cultural diversity of all students. Our curriculum is inclusive of all students with special needs, providing support as well as extending and enriching gifted and nurturing talents.
Victorian Curriculum
Our comprehensive curriculum at incorporates the common set of knowledge and skills required by students for life-long learning, social development and active and informed citizenship.
Our teachers implement the new Victorian Curriculum and teachers refer to the revised curriculum planning resource and guidelines to develop our whole school teaching and learning programs, including assessment and reporting of student achievement and progress. Much thought goes into providing a comprehensive, interesting, challenging and dynamic curriculum. Underpinning this is a concern for acceptance, tolerance and respect for others, as well as personal qualities, such as, developing confidence, perseverance and initiative. Our school curriculum provides learning opportunities and experiences, ensuring the students achieve their maximum potential.
The Victorian Curriculum F-10 sets out what every student should learn during their eleven years of schooling. The curriculum is the common set of knowledge and skills required by students for life-long learning, social development and active and informed citizenship. The Victorian Curriculum F-10 incorporates the Australian Curriculum and reflects Victorian priorities and standards.