Learning for Life

CURRICULUM

Curriculum

Quality teaching and learning at Glen Osmond is about ensuring a robust curriculum that reflects an understanding of the changing nature of young people as learners and the challenges and demands that will continue to shape learning in the future. The school’s broad educational goals include supporting students to become successful learners, confident individuals and active and informed citizens.

The Australian Curriculum guides teaching and learning programs

Each term, parents are provided with a Term Overview outlining the class teaching and learning program. It will:

  • document an overview of the class teaching and learning program for the term
  • link the teaching and learning program to the 8 Learning Areas of the Australian
    • Curriculum
    • English
    • Mathematics
    • Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
    • Health and Physical Education
    • Technologies
    • The Arts
    • French Language
  • identify the theme or focus for the term’s work for each class
  • include an ethical guiding question/statement/essence for the theme
  • provide an indication of how the overview is connected to the students’ interest and/or students’ contributions
  • include information about the specialist teaching areas – Physical Education & Health, French & The Arts
  • be distributed to the parents by the end of Week 3
  • be available for discussion at the Acquaintance Night in first term

Special Curriculum Features

A Kitchen Garden provides a focus in food production and preparation, horticulture, the science of living things and kitchen technology. All classes spend a term incorporating the Kitchen Garden in their studies.

A Physical Education program with a specialist teacher includes skills lessons, daily fitness, use of local community sporting groups, participation in Schools Sports SA, out of school sporting teams, Aquatics and Swimming programs.

Values based social skills programs, behavioural agreements and student voice are essential elements of the Wellbeing program.

A systematic, synthetic phonics program (Speech, Sounds, Pics – SSP) is incorporated across the school.

Assessment Procedures and Reporting

The reporting and assessment process is an important link between the school and home. The school is committed to tracking and monitoring every child in Literacy and support and extension is provided where required. An ongoing assessment program encourages, assists and enhances the learning of all students.

Specialist teachers (French, The Arts, Health & Physical Education) also provide input on children’s progress through the class teachers during parent/teacher/student discussions and in the written reports.

Students’ learning achievements are reported to parents in a combination of meaningful ways as listed below.

Reporting

Acquaintance Night – Term 1
Parent/Teacher/student Learning Discussions – Term 1
Written Reports – Terms 2 and 4
Student work samples – Throughout the year
Performances – Throughout the year

Assessment

Standardised tests for Years 3-6, the results of which are analysed by teachers include:

  • National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
  • Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) – Reading
  • PAT-Mathematics
  • PAT-Spelling
  • PAT- Punctuation and Grammar

Literacy Assessments include:

  • Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
  • Running Records
  • PASM (Phonological Awareness Skill Mappping)
  • Oxford wordlist progress
  • Levelled Writing samples for EALD students in various text types
  • Narrative and Persuasive Text Writing samples for all students using Brightpath exemplars
  • Words their Way Spelling assessment
  • Phonics Screening Test for Year 1 students
  • Systematic, synthetic phonics code levels
  • Class based tests and assignments are reported on throughout the year.

Sporting Activities

Glen Osmond School supports an extensive range of out of school hours sports including softball, Australian Rules football, soccer, cricket, netball and basketball. School Sport SA knockout competitions are entered in a variety of sports and individuals are encouraged to try out for School Sport SA interzone teams. The Governing Council Sports Sub-Committee in collaboration with the school administration coordinates the out of hours sports program. The sports teams rely heavily on the support of parent volunteers to coach and manage the day-to-day operations of the teams.

A School Sports Day is held annually in Term 1. Houses compete for two awards – The Sports Trophy (Performance) and The Spirit Cup (Participation)

Student Learning Support

Learning support programmes R-6 are coordinated by the Deputy Principal with SSO support. Specialist personnel from the Felixstow Education office are involved in the development of Personal Learning Support Plans.

Student Behaviour Development

Students develop class agreements at the start of the year about the way that they will behave and treat each other. The values of Persistence, Respect, Integrity, Care and Excellence (PRICE) form the basis of the behavior agreements. A Respectful Behaviour Code and Anti Bullying Policy provide guidance and direction for student behavior development.

Student Leadership

Student Action Teams – initiated by students and facilitated by the Student Wellbeing Leader, currently including ICT support, recycling programs, fundraising events, pop up lunchtime activities.

  • Class Meetings – forum for decision making and class problem solving.
  • House Captains – Sports Day House Captains organise and manage house teams on Sports Day.
  • Buddy program – older students are teamed up with younger students in a buddy class program.
  • Kids Teaching kids (KTK) – senior students plan and teach a concept/skill to younger students.
  • School Pride – senior students undergo community service tasks on Friday afternoons emptying recycling bins, tidying and cleaning up the yard.
  • Assembly organisation – senior students help set up fortnightly assemblies.

Specialist Programmes

A specialist arts program is conducted for all classes in addition to the regular classroom art lessons. Students have the opportunity to join the senior choir and learn a musical instrument.

Health & Physical Education and a French Language program are also presented by specialist teachers.

Digital technologies are an integral part of the program offered to students. All students have access to a range of devices including laptops and iPads. All school devices are networked and have Internet access. Students have access to high quality multimedia software, digital cameras, scanners and 3D printers all of which are integrated into their learning programs.

 

Additional Extra Curricular Activities

  • Oliphant Science Awards
  • Robotics
  • Debating Competition
  • Lunchtime Drama sessions – students pay a private provider
  • Instrumental Music Lessons – students pay private providers