Learn | St Joseph's Catholic School

LEARNING AT
ST JOSEPH'S, WANDAL

At St Joseph's School Wandal, we endeavour to provide a relevant and rigorous curriculum that meets the needs, interests and learning styles of all learners. Through our teaching, learning and assessing programmes, we strive;

to be a caring and accepting community;
to celebrate our Josephite traditions;
to provide innovative and personalised educational experiences;
to encourage learners to be self-motived and actively engaged;
to be a safe, supportive and enriching learning environment;
and to foster the development of each person as imaginative and creative problem solvers.

Our programmes have been designed to prepare students for the challenging world of the twenty-first century by developing the ability to think creatively and critically, communicate ideas, work with others, set personal goals and to engage with the rights, responsibilities and duties of citizenship. Curriculum programmes at St Joseph's Wandal are derived from the documents of the Australian Curriculum, the Queensland Studies Authority and the Rockhampton Diocesan Religious Education Guidelines.

At St Joseph's, students currently undertake studies in the following key learning areas in line with the Australian Curriculum:

MATHEMATICS

At St Joseph's Wandal we aim to develop essential mathematical skills and reasoning through the study of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

TECHNOLOGY (DESIGN & DIGITAL)

We provide opportunities for students to not only develop the skills needed to communicate effectively using Information and Communication Technologies, but also to use their imagination and creativity to make sense of the designed world.

ENGLISH

Our English programme aims to develop thoughtful, informed and active communicators through engagement with activities that focus on understanding the mechanics of the English language, appreciating and creating literature, and developing fluency when using language.

THE ARTS

Students engage with, and are inspired and enriched by learning in Music, Drama, Visual Arts, Media Arts and Dance. In The Arts students are encouraged to develop their creative and expressive potential.

SCIENCE

We provide a structured programme that has answering questions and making sense of the biological, physical and technological world as its focus.

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Opportunities will be provided to allow students to explore their health and well-being through engaging in physical activity as well as developing an understanding of how the human body works. Emphasis is given to developing within each child a positive attitude towards participation and competition.

HUMANITIES

In history we inquire into the past so as to gain an understanding of ourselves and others.

In geography students will explore, analyse and explain the places, spaces and environment that make up our world.

LOTE (JAPANESE)

Students develop an understanding of the Japanese language and culture. Students develop a deepening understanding of how the Japanese culture is reflected in and constructed by the language and develop the ability to communicate in Japanese.

Religious Education

As a Catholic school, our religious character permeates all that we do, however, the study of Religious Education is also undertaken as a learning area, where students learn about the Catholic religion, and explore a religious way of living. From Prep to Year 6, we strive to provide learning experiences that will help the students to recognise “God is with us” – in ourselves, in others, and in our world. This realisation should lead the student to greater respect for themselves and others. In responding to God in their own lives the students should begin to recognise their responsibility within the Church and so want to witness to the love of God for ALL, and to fulfill their Christian vocation.

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Assessment & Reporting

ASSESSMENT is viewed as an integral part of the teaching and learning cycle. Teachers at St Joseph's Wandal use and implement a variety of assessment practices that are consistent with the principles of the school's Curriculum Framework. They take into consideration the diverse, complicated and sophisticated ways that individual students use to develop and demonstrate their understanding.

The prime objective of assessing students' learning and performance is to give feedback to:

Students - to encourage them to set goals for future improvement
Teachers - to support their reflection on what to teach and how to teach it
Parents - to highlight their child?s learning needs, achievements and progress

REPORTING

Open and ongoing communication involving parents, teachers, students and community members is an integral aspect of the teaching and learning process at St Joseph’s Wandal. Parent/teacher contact is encouraged and teachers are usually available on an informal basis before and after school upon request. Should a lengthy discussion be required, parents are invited to make an appointment to see the teacher at a time that is suitable.

A comprehensive report card is distributed online via ‘Parent Lounge’ at the end of each semester. While making comparisons between individual students’ achievements is not generally encouraged, we are required by Government Policy to provide Overall Achievement ratings for each Learning Area studied. These overall ratings indicate the child’s academic achievement based on standard expectations in that Learning Area for that year level.

Upon request (once Semester Academic Reports have been distributed), the school will provide parents with written information that clearly shows the student’s achievement in the subjects studied in comparison to that of other children in the child’s year level at the school. This information will show the number of students in each of the achievement levels A-E (or equivalent). Due to privacy concerns, this data will be provided upon request only when the peer group contains more than fifteen students.

Library

The role of our school library is to provide and promote quality fiction and nonfiction books and resources, to develop and sustain in students the habit and enjoyment of reading for pleasure and to enrich students’ intellectual, spiritual, aesthetic, cultural and emotional growth.

All children are encouraged to use the library as much as possible. Children require a waterproof library bag (approx. 35 cm x 30cm) for borrowing purposes. A waterproof bag with our school emblem may be purchased from the office. Please note that we ask for reimbursement for books that are lost or damaged.

All classes have a set time for borrowing resources and library use. Classes also access the library for research purposes related to particular areas of study.