Learning | St Dominic's Catholic Primary School Camberwell

What we Teach

St. Dominic's Primary School Camberwell East

In Religious Education, children learn through dialogue, connection, prayer, inquiry and a deeper understanding of Catholic traditions, rituals, scriptures and sacraments. In our specific school context, the 'Dominican Charism' is integral to our learning and life, in the area of Religious Education. Prayer, Learning, Service and Community seamlessly integrate with our RE program.

Students are invited to express their wonderings about faith and its context in today’s world. Religious Education is integral to other curriculum areas, particularly Inquiry-based Learning and Wellbeing programs.

We foster the faith development of all in our community, to be living examples of Gospel values in their lives.

The principles of Catholic Social Teaching are embedded in student’s learning experiences across the curriculum and underpin all we do.

Religious Education

At St Dominic’s, the teaching of Mathematics equips students the necessary skills and efficient strategies they can apply to everyday experiences. We believe that the teaching of Mathematics equips students with the necessary skills and efficient strategies that they can apply to successfully navigate their day to day lives. In line with the Victorian Curriculum, students' numeracy skills are developed through exposure to concepts from the three strands of Mathematics: Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability. The students are empowered to think logically and creatively, with an emphasis on problem solving and developing relational thinking in all areas of Mathematics.

Mathematics

At St Dominic’s, our STEM program provides students with opportunities to develop problem solving skills, creativity, independent learning, communication and digital literacy. The Digital Technologies curriculum enables students to incorporate the world of technology into their learning. Students become confident and creative developers of digital solutions through the application of information systems, and specific ways of thinking about problem solving. We embed digital learning into the curriculum to align with the ever changing digital world. With a dedicated STEM leader and explicit & immersive teaching, our students are learning to be confident, empowered and competent global citizens.

STEM

Through our Visual Arts program, students at St Dominic’s engage in many rich learning opportunities to develop Visual Arts skills. Our Art curriculum gives students the opportunity to learn, explore, create and respond to various art elements and mediums. Students learn how artworks can represent the world and their own ideas and they draw on artworks from a range of cultures, times and locations. Artistic work of our students can be seen on display around the school and every second year, the students proudly exhibit their artwork in an art show.

Visual Arts

The Italian language program at St Dominic’s provides opportunities for students to explore a wide range of Italian traditions and customs. Students develop new ways of seeing and being in the world, and understand more about themselves through deepened connections with the Italian language and culture.

Italian

LOTE - Italian

At St. Dominic's Primary School, we inspire our lifelong learners to consciously make a difference, and demonstrate respect and care for the earth's resources by exploring the sustainability Ethos and Catholic Social Teaching of Stewardship of Creation. Guided and inspired by Pope Francis’ ‘Laudato Si’, we are inspired to be stewards of our world in every way we can. Our St. Dom’s productive garden and Garden Club, along with our commitment to sustainable practices and education enhance this care and engage our students in hands-on care for creation.

St Dominic’s is a registered ResourceSmart school and we work in partnership with the City of Boroondara and Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning.

Sustainability & Garden

At St Dominic’s, the teaching of English is an integral component of the broader curriculum. Literacy skills are explicitly taught and modelled through the three modes of the English curriculum - Reading and Viewing, Writing and Speaking and Listening.

We use Seven Steps to Writing Success, which explicitly teaches highly-impactful writing skills for all students. All students use the Soundwaves spelling program, to support learning in grapheme awareness and sustainable spelling skills. Students have the opportunity to learn through whole class and small groups, where they are immersed in a wide range of literature to foster a love of reading.

English

Inquiry Based Learning at St Dominic’s is an approach that engages and challenges the thinking minds of our students. We provide rich and authentic learning experiences where the students become informed and active global citizens.

The focus is unit based and developed around inquiry based learning principles, whereby the child constructs much of their understanding of the natural and human-designed world in which we live.

Inquiry Based Learning

At St. Dominic’s, the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Capabilities underpin all learning in other areas of the curriculum. The Capabilities (Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural, Personal and Social) are a set of knowledge and skills that are taught explicitly in and through learning areas.

Capabilities

Through our Performing Arts program, the students at St Dominic’s are provided with many rich and engaging opportunities to develop their Performing Arts skills.

We have sourced the absolute best in professional performing arts companies, and bring them to our students!

We work in partnership with Footsteps Dance, African Drumming & Circus Crew, to provide an engaging, energising and comprehensive Performing Arts program, which results in community performance opportunities each school term.

Performing Arts

Capabilities

At St Dominic’s, we run a comprehensive Physical Education and Sport program that aims to maximise student participation at all levels & for all abilities.

We aim to develop a lifelong appreciation for movement, exercise and confidence in a range of sports and activities. Students participate in the ‘Sporting Schools’ initiative which provides opportunities for all year levels to benefit from specialist training in a range of sports. Throughout the year students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clinics that include sports such as cricket, lacrosse, tennis, AFL and athletics. Our students participate in interschool sport and a whole school swimming program (P-4- intensive swimming program & Year 5/6s- lifesaving beach safety program)

Physical Education

At St. Dominic's, we value the gift of reading and the lifelong love of books. We offer weekly Library lessons as part of the curriculum. A specialist Library Teacher takes classes for all students with author studies, allowing for browsing & borrowing, and fostering a love of reading.

We embrace Book Week each year, where we can all immerse in this love of reading, dress up, and learn about children's book illustrators & authors. We also host an annual Book Fair, where families purchase books to continue the love of reading at home, as well as to add to the resources of our our own school library. We endeavour to make the library an engaging and interactive learning space.

Library

Sustainability & Garden

Extra Curricular Opportunities

Throughout the year, our students participate in many learning opportunities and extracurricular activities:

These may include, but not limited to:

Whole School & Level Masses & Liturgies
Whole School & Year Level Assemblies
Intergenerational Connections in our local community
'Serving Communities' fund raising festivals
School Athletics Carnival
Cross Country Carnival
Swimming Lessons (Prep-Yr 4)
Lifesaving Beach Safety Swimming Program (Year 5/6s)
Swimming Carnival (Yrs 3-6)
Interschool Sport (Yr 5/6s)
Excursions
Incursions
Year 5-6 Camp (Canberra/Kangaroobie)
Year 3-4 Camp (Phillip Island/Sovereign Hill/Oasis- Mt Evelyn)
Italian Day
Biennial Italian Festa
Performing Arts- outsourced, providing exceptional learning opportunities (ie. Footsteps, African Drumming, Circus Crew)
School Concert
School Choir
Selected Lunch time clubs - e.g Garden Club, Library, Chess
St. Dominic's Netball Club & Net Set Go!
St. Dominic's Tennis Club- tennis lessons
Chess in Schools- coaching & game play
Music Lessons (keyboard, guitar & vocals)

Extra Curricular

Why We Teach

To equip students with the skills, attitude and mindset to become lifelong learners
To nurture well-informed, critical thinkers and active global citizens
To grow and learn together
To provide a caring and nurturing environment for young people and their families
To support students to be resilient, particularly in the face of challenge, stress or adversity
To make a difference in the lives of every child, 100% of the time
To develop the ‘whole’ child
To ensure that teaching connects learning to life
To work alongside our parents in partnership in the education, care and wellbeing of all children

Why We Teach

How We Teach

With a collaborative approach which engages student voice and agency
With inclusive practice
With contemporary pedagogies and practices
With innovation, based on current educational practices
With a data, research and evidence-based approach to approach
With a child’s eye for engagement, what makes learning fun, and an open mind
With a wholistic and well-rounded educational mindset
With acceptance and tolerance of all
With ongoing feedback which is integral to both teaching and learning

How We Teach

How We Measure Success

Data walls
Assessment data- eg. NAPLAN
Verbal and non-verbal feedback
Student feedback
Social action and acts of social justice
Happiness and Social Connection of students
Student confidence, risk-taking and competence
GEM (Gratitude, Mindfulness, Empathy) in practice
Student, Staff and Parent Surveys (eg. MACCSIS, ECSI)

How We Measure Success