EDUCATION IN FAITH

ST JUSTIN'S PARISH PRIMARY SCHOOL

At St Justin’s, faith development is an integral part of our school community as we strive to live by the Gospel Values. The Religious Education Program is incorporated across many curriculum areas.

Students and parents have regular opportunities to participate in formal worship such as morning prayer, class and whole school Mass, Sacraments (Reconciliation in Year 3, First Eucharist in Year 4 and Confirmation in Year 6) as well as being involved in Feast day Masses and Liturgies throughout the year. Students are encouraged to further their connection to the St Justin’s Parish through the Altar Server training program with our Parish Priest, as well as the Year 6 Liturgy Leaders group.

“Learning in a Catholic school seeks out the good in every person. It is a journey to discover a sense of who I am and how I can be in the world.”

- Horizons of Hope, Catholic Education Melbourne.

Stations of the Cross

Our 2020 Year Five students worked on the preparation of the Station's of the Cross by re-enacting each of the stations in a freeze frame and then wrote a corresponding prayer in relation to each of the stations and what it means in our life. Click on the link below to access the slides.

Stations of the Cross Presentation

LITERACY

CENTRAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALL STUDENTS

Literacy is central to the development of all students. It helps create confident communicators, critical thinkers and informed citizens.

Our Literacy program consists of whole class modelling and instruction followed by student engagement in small groups and individual work, concluding with reflection time. We equip each student with essential 21st century skills.

We value the support of parents during Literacy learning. Students who require additional support in Literacy are supported through intervention programs such as Reading Recovery and the Levelled Literacy Intervention System.

Our goal is to ensure excellence and equity for all our students.

NUMERACY

PROBLEM SOLVING, INVESTIGATING & EXPLORING

Teachers at St. Justin’s are dedicated to providing a Mathematics curriculum that is fun, enjoyable, hands on and catered towards their students’ individual learning needs. Through rich learning activities, students are taught a variety of skills including problem solving, investigating and exploring patterns in a supportive and positive learning environment.

Through the use of games, technology and hands on manipulatives, students are engaged in a range of learning opportunities that are within the context of real life situations. Formal and informal testing are embedded in our planning to monitor the learning of all students and to drive our planning.

Students are encouraged to have an open mind set, where being challenged and making mistakes is welcomed and celebrated. We learn from our mistakes.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES/STEAM

EMBEDDING TECHNOLOGY WITHIN ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

In a world seeking problem solvers, critical thinkers and innovative workers, St. Justin’s aims to prepare our students through using a range of technology embedded within all curriculum areas. This integrated approach allows students to interact with technology on a regular basis and create meaningful links between the classroom and an evolving digital world.

In order to design and create digital solutions, we incorporate Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) and provide a platform for students to hypothesise, test, evaluate and adjust their ideas. This exposes students to new experiences and the potential skills required for jobs of the future.

We value cyberwise students who demonstrate safe online practices, respectful interactions and maintain a clear understanding of their own digital footprint.

INQUIRY

PROMOTING A CULTURE OF INQUIRY BASED LEARNING

At St Justin’s we promote a culture of inquiry based learning ensuring that all students gain the knowledge, skills and deep understandings required for future success.

Our students are involved in Inquiries which integrate various subject areas, engaging students in learning which is meaningful and purposeful encouraging them to make connections between themselves and the world. This approach requires them to use a range of tools and strategies that are empowering for independent discovery and learning; strategies to develop thinking and research skills, collaboration, communication, independence and ownership of learning. This engages and challenges students to use their learning to take action.

Science, History, Geography, Economics, Civics and Citizenship, Health and Technology are the content areas that contain the rich concepts that drive effective learning. English, Mathematics and The Arts are processes to inquire, gather information, analyse and communicate our understandings to others.

Our students explore Inquiry Learning through units of work around "Big Ideas" which aim to expand students' knowledge of themselves and the world around them. Each term a different ‘Big Idea’ is investigated. Teachers plan each unit of work in stages allowing student voice to direct and personalise their learning.

THE ARTS

SAFETY & WELLBEING OF OUR CHILDREN

The Performing Arts program provides a creative and encouraging environment for all students to learn, perform and enjoy the Performing Arts. Under the Performing Arts umbrella all students have the opportunity to explore and develop their skills in the areas of Music, Dance and Drama. Their creative journey begins at Foundation level and continues through to Year 6 with weekly lessons.

Every year the students have the opportunity to perform to a wider community audience. We alternate with a Christmas Concert and a Whole School Production. For the Whole School Production, students in Year 5 and 6 are able to audition for lead roles and every class prepares dancing and singing items to present.

Students from FOundation to Year 6 explore Visual Arts every fortnight with lessons incorporating the history and styles of different artists, creating art using various media and participating in interactive and fun learning activities. Students have the chance to present their art work at the biennial St Justin's Art Show.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

DEVELOPING FUNDAMENTAL MOTOR SKILLS

At St Justin’s PE is offered to each and every student from P-6. The program is designed to develop fundamental motor skills in a range of activities and sports, a game sense approach to all sports, the ability to work in a team and to foster leadership qualities in all students. Throughout the year there are school carnivals and special events that encourage physical activity in a fun and supportive environment. Our Senior students also get the opportunity at St Justin’s to compete against other schools in a variety of sports. With all of these opportunities provided at St Justin’s it is the sole aim to motivate and encourage students to fulfil an active lifestyle and an enjoyment for physical activity as they grow.

Health Education

At St Justin's, to support our helth curriculum we engage the services of an external agency to provide our families with child / parent workshops in which a range of topics are covered, eg: the body, puberty, growth, change and relationships.

One of our agencies is About Real Life. Their topics included:

Year 1/2 Session
- People - How are they the same? / How are they different? What feelings might people have about other people?
- Bodies - How are our bodies the same? / How are they different? Privacy and Safety
Year 3/4 Session
- Families
- Body parts
- Puberty general changes briefly
- Privacy & Safety
- Foetal development & birth
Year 5/6 Session
- Body parts
- Privacy & Safety
- Puberty
- General physical changes
- Male / female changes
- Emotional/social changes
- Relations / Reproduction

For more reading material, follow the link See link…

LANGUAGES

IMMERSED IN CULTURE & LANGUAGE

The Italian language program is taught from Foundation to Year 6. Each student receives 1 X 40-45 min. lesson each week. Students learn basic conversational Italian and are engaged in a variety of tasks and topics that introduce, reinforce and recycle vocabulary. Every second year students are immersed in the culture and language of Italian through our Italian Day celebrations. On this day students are given the opportunity to showcase their learnings and practice their skills and knowledge.

The learning of a language gives students the opportunity to gain an understanding of other cultures through language. It also works towards building a literacy learning community in which language plays a key role.

INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTRE

MODERN STATE OF THE ART LIBRARY

Our school library - the St.Justin’s Information Resource Centre - is a friendly, bustling space. We are a modern, state of the art library that caters for all types of learning. Love of literature, information literacy skills and supporting the teaching and learning of classroom programs are our main focal points.

Our computers allow access to online resources and activities and we have an extensive selection of Picture Fiction, Fiction, Non-Fiction and Reference books.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the library is open before school, at lunchtime and after school for borrowing. Lunchtime is usually a busy time in the library with students visiting for many different indoor games and activities, computer time and quiet reading time.

SUSTAINABILITY

COMMITTED TO ONGOING SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENTS AND PRACTICES

St Justin’s is committed to ongoing sustainable environments and practices.

Our school community has worked hard to develop sustainable practices that are embedded in St Justin's school life. In 2015 an outdoor kitchen was installed, as well as a vegetable garden complete with compost bins and a chook pen. The garden, compost and chook pen are regularly maintained by students and families.

Each year, a number of Grade 6 students are appointed as 'Sustainability Leaders' who work in conjunction with staff to maintain best sustainable practice and implement new strategies. Our Inquiry Units develop understandings and knowledge about sustainability and support lifelong sustainable practices.

DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES

The programs and the teaching support and promote principles and practice of Australian democracy, including a commitment to:

Elected Government;
The rule of law;
Equal rights for all before the law;
Freedom of religion;
Freedom of speech and association;
The values of openness and tolerance.