LEARning at PARK RIDGE
The staff at Park Ridge Primary School are fully committed to giving your child the best learning experience, tailored to their unique needs. They work tirelessly to make sure every student feels supported and understood. Whether your child needs a little extra help or is ready to be challenged, the teachers are there to guide them every step of the way. With caring and creative teaching, they make sure learning is exciting and enjoyable for everyone. At Park Ridge Primary School, your child is not just another student – they are valued and cared for as an individual on their learning journey.
Literacy
At Park Ridge Primary School, we are passionate about developing lifelong readers, writers, speakers and listeners who think and communicate critically, creatively and collaboratively. Developing these skills in our students supports them in being active citizens within their community, now and in the future.
Literacy learning takes place daily in the mornings at Park Ridge Primary School. Teachers use the school-wide model for teaching reading and writing to target the specific needs of each child, regardless of their age. We use a structured phonics and phonological awareness approach from Foundation to Year 6 to develop students’ skills in reading and spelling. Students develop a love of reading through the classroom and whole-school libraries.
The delivery of a differentiated literacy program by our teachers is informed by ongoing student assessment data and programming in line with the Victorian Curriculum. Literacy assessment of student learning is derived through a range of strategies such as teacher observations and questioning, student conferences, work samples and formalised assessment pieces.
Mathematics
At Park Ridge Primary School we aim to ensure students have access to a robust, stimulating and inclusive mathematics curriculum. This curriculum enables students to develop a strong understanding of mathematical concepts, thinking skills and processes, and apply these to pose and solve problems. It is important to us that students develop, be confident in and apply specialist knowledge in mathematics that provides for further study in the discipline. By focusing on the four mathematics proficiencies (understanding, reasoning, fluency and problem solving) we promote the role of mathematics in life, society and work; and equip students to creatively investigate, interpret, and represent mathematical situations and acquire new knowledge and skills when needed.
Maths is taught daily throughout the school, with a focus on developing students’ conceptual understanding through hands-on, applied learning. Students are challenged to take their lessons beyond the page and use their learning in a range of scenarios that require problem solving and design skills.
Students’ mathematical skills and understandings are developed so that they can confidently and competently participate in everyday life. ICT is used appropriately and effectively to support the learning of mathematics. The teaching of mathematics is a discreet and explicit component of the curriculum taught by classroom teachers. The development of numeracy skills is an integral component of all learning experiences and is incorporated across the curriculum, by all teaching staff.
Physical Education
At Park Ridge Primary School, Physical Education is a sequential seven year program. Beginning from Foundation there is a strong focus on the introduction and continual development of the fundamental movement skills (FMS). The junior year levels participate in a variety of activities individually and with their peers, to become proficient in skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, running, jumping, bouncing and striking.
As students progress through the PE program, a greater emphasis is placed on the performance of sport specific skills and applying movement concepts and strategies when participating in games. FMS are refined and combined to meet the demands of more sport specific tasks. Strategies such as attacking and defending are introduced in major game units with students learning tactics for team success.
The PE program is complemented by school-wide activities such as House Cross Country, Athletics, the Perceptual Motor Program, before school and lunch time sports clubs and weekly sport sessions for Years 3 to 6. Students then have the opportunity to put these skills into practice at interschool sports competitions.
Through participation in games and activities an importance is placed on students learning and demonstrating positive behaviours including sharing, cooperation, inclusion, fair play, teamwork and sportsmanship.
At the completion of the PE program, students will have had the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to remain physically active throughout school and beyond.
Indonesian
Indonesian is taught through topics common to students’ everyday lives, as well as drawing upon some of their past experiences to develop vocabulary and understanding. Topics may also relate to units of work currently studied by the class in other subject areas. Lessons incrementally build upon skills, knowledge and experiences gained in previous years. All students study aspects of Indonesian culture and a range of celebrations.
In the early years (Foundation – Year 2), students progress from learning the correct pronunciation of everyday words and greetings, following simple directions and identifying common nouns through to writing short sentences about familiar topics and experiences, using adjectives to describe nouns and reading short stories. Much of the content and skill development occurs through the use of songs and language games.
In the middle to senior years, students build upon their writing skills and knowledge of nouns, verbs and adjectives. They begin to rely less on teacher models, focusing more on creating individual pieces of work. They integrate the use of iPads to present their work and research, and access dictionaries/online translators and word lists to assist them in expressing themselves through both written and oral language.
Music
- participate in singing, playing and movement activities appropriate to their level of development;
- develop knowledge of musical elements: beat, rhythm, pitch, improvisation and ensemble appropriate to their level of development;
- read, write and perform musical notation with elemental use of time names;
- sing, read and write when developing pitch concepts;
- develop listening skills through aural recognition of rhythm and pitch;
- develop performing arts skills using creativity and improvisation as well as being able to perform from a scripted piece, and
- sing, act and play instruments in small groups to develop ensemble skills.
ART
The art program at Park Ridge Primary School is a vibrant and creative space where students are encouraged to unleash their artistic potential.
Through a diverse range of art forms, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and multimedia projects, our students have the opportunity to explore their creativity and develop their artistic skills.
The program not only nurtures self-expression but also teaches students to appreciate and understand the value of art in our world.
Through hands-on projects and exposure to various artistic techniques, we aim to cultivate a lifelong love for the arts, fostering imagination and creativity among our students.
Science
The science program at Park Ridge Primary School is dedicated to igniting a love for scientific discovery in our students.
Our curriculum is designed to engage young minds through hands-on experiments, interactive lessons, and real-world applications of scientific principles.
We believe that by nurturing curiosity and critical thinking, we not only impart scientific knowledge but also equip our students with valuable skills for problem-solving and innovation.
With a strong emphasis on inquiry-based learning, our science program empowers students to explore, question, and understand the fascinating world of science, paving the way for a future of informed and passionate learners.
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