Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum sets out the core knowledge, understanding, skills and general capabilities important for all Australian students. It describes the learning entitlement of students as a foundation for their future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian community. It makes clear what all young Australians should learn as they progress through schooling. It is the foundation for high quality teaching to meet the needs of all Australian students. At Holy Rosary this curriculum forms the basis for our curricular content. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, ACARA, publishes a parents’ information booklet about the curriculum, which can be found here. 

At Holy Rosary Catholic School teachers plan together, and learn in teams. These teams meet weekly to share ideas, create meaningful learning experiences and moderate students work for assessment. Each learning sequence or unit developed incorporates knowledge, skills and capabilities in more than one curricular area at a time. Teachers utilise the Backwards Planning model as directed by the TCEO. This model ensures that each learning experience emphasises the importance of developing enduring understandings and transferrable big ideas as well as honing key skills. The design process involves teachers planning in 3 stages, each with a focusing question:

• Stage 1 - What is worthy and requiring of understanding?
• Stage 2 - What is evidence of understanding?
• Stage 3 - What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest and excellence?

Students across all grades often work in a variety of group situations. Our classes/classrooms are structured for a team-teaching environment. Here, students may work individually, in pairs, small groups, as a class group, or even based on interest groups as one of the many benefits of our 21st century learning spaces with bi-fold doors and break out areas. The teaching teams plan together; collaborating ideas, sharing knowledge and creating rich assessment tasks for all students which ensures all students have an equal opportunity to learn.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Religious Education at Holy Rosary Catholic School centres upon sharing and proclaiming the Good News, developing knowledge of our Catholic faith tradition, deepening a sense of spirituality and prayer as well as fostering a sense of social justice and dignity for all people. At Holy Rosary we utilise the Good News for Living documents as a foundation for our scope and sequences, unit planning and assessment practices. Masses, prayer and rituals are also an integral element of this facet of the curriculum. Emphasis has been placed on ensuring each religious education lesson, experience or celebration is based on rich, meaningful tasks, enabling our students to encounter the person of Jesus and to discern and live the message of the Gospel.

ENGLISH

At Holy Rosary, English is a foundational element of the curriculum. Supported by our five-year Literacy Strategy, our aim is to ensure that individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and with the world around them. The study of English plays a key role in the development of reading and literacy skills, which help young people develop the knowledge and skills needed for education, training and the workplace. Over the last few years we have had a strong focus on reading and ensuring our students are equipped with the skills and understanding to become fluid and proficient readers.

MATHEMATICS

At Holy Rosary, Mathematics is a key ingredient of the curriculum. Mathematics provides students with essential mathematical skills and knowledge in number and algebra, measurement and geometry as well as statistics and probability. It develops the numeracy capabilities that all students need in the personal, work and civic life, and provides the fundamentals on which mathematical specialities and professional applications of mathematics are built. An intensive part of recent years focus for professional development, is to ensure that all students have access to a wide range of hands on activities and open-ended challenges with many opportunities to share thinking.

SCIENCE

At Holy Rosary, Science provides opportunities for each student to develop an understanding of important scientific concepts and processes, scientific knowledge, science’s contribution to our culture and society as well as its role in our lives. Our curriculum enables students to develop the scientific knowledge, understandings and skills to make informed decisions about local, national and global issues and to participate, also if they so wish, in science-related- careers.
Throughout our Science curriculum, students can experience the joy of scientific discovery and nurture their natural curiosity about the world around them. In doing this, they develop critical and creative thinking skills and challenge themselves to identify questions and draw evidence-based conclusions using scientific methods.

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

At Holy Rosary the Humanities and Social Sciences are the study of human behaviour and interaction in social, cultural, environmental, economic and political contexts. This learning area includes a study of history, geography, civics and citizenship and economics and business. Through studying Humanities and Social Sciences, students will develop the ability to question, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, make decisions and adapt to change. Thinking about and responding to issues requires an understanding of the key historical, geographical, political, economic and societal factors involved, and how these different factors interrelate.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

In Health and Physical Education, students develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to strengthen their sense of self; building and managing satisfying, respectful relationships. In 2017 we have introduced a whole school Social and Emotional program to provide students with the opportunity to learn how to manage feelings, friendships and solve problems. our aim is to provide them with life ling skills to promote wellbeing and positive mental health. At the core of Health and Physical Education is the acquisition of movement skills and concepts to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities – confidently, competently and creatively. As a foundation for lifelong physical activity participation and enhanced performance at Holy Rosary, students develop an understanding of how the body moves and develop positive attitudes towards physical activity participation. Students also develop an appreciation of the significance of physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport in Australian society and globally. Movement is a powerful medium for learning, through which students can practise and refine personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills.

THE ARTS

The arts at Holy Rosary Catholic School have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. The five arts subjects in the Australian Curriculum provide opportunities for students to learn how to create, design, represent, communicate and share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotions, observations and experiences. The arts entertain, challenge, provoke responses and enrich our knowledge of self, communities, world cultures and histories. The Arts contribute to the development of confident and creative individuals, nurturing and challenging active and informed citizens. Learning in The Arts is based on cognitive, affective and sensory/kinaesthetic response to arts practices as students revisit increasingly complex content, skills and processes with developing confidence and sophistication across their years of learning.

TECHNOLOGIES

Technologies at Holy Rosary Catholic School ensures that all students benefit from learning about and working with traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies that shape the world in which we live. By applying their knowledge and practical skills and processes when using technologies and other resources to create innovative solutions, independently and collaboratively, they develop knowledge, understanding and skills to respond creativity to current and future needs. The practical nature of the Technologies learning area engages students in critical and creative thinking, including understanding interrelationships in systems when solving complex problems. A systematic approach to experimentation, problem-solving, prototyping and evaluation instils in students the value of planning and reviewing processes to realise ideas.

JAPANESE

Japanese at Holy Rosary Catholic School is available for students in Prep to Grade 6 with weekly sessions for all grades. Students have opportunities to develop an understanding of Japanese culture, traditions and Japan’s relationship with Australia, whilst learning words, phrases and writing. Japanese at Holy Rosary is based on the three scripts for writing: hiragana, the basic phonetic script representing the sounds of Japanese; katakana, the companion phonetic script that is largely used for loan words; and kanji, Chinese characters that represent meaning rather than sound (ideographs). The three scripts are used interdependently. Hiragana is typically the first script learnt, with katakana and kanji first introduced in context then taught systematically, contributing to script knowledge and competence.

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS – HISTORIES AND CULTURE

At Holy Rosary Catholic School the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures priority provides opportunities for all students to deepen their knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. Through the Australian Curriculum, students will understand that contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are strong, resilient, rich and diverse. Key concepts include Country/Place, Culture and People. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identities are represented as central to the priority and are approached through knowledge and understanding of the interconnected elements of Country/Place, Culture and People. The development of knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s law, languages, dialects and literacies is approached through the exploration of Cultures. These relationships are linked to the deep knowledge, traditions and holistic world views of Aboriginal communities and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.