Curriculum Opportunities

We pride ourselves on a wide range of curriculum opportunites for our students

It’s not the curriculum that we offer that sets us apart, it’s the manner in which it’s delivered

Any school can teach a curriculum. Amazing schools like ours is full of teachers actively and passionately exploring the possibilities of making their teaching practice more innovative, engaging and fun at every turn. This is the single ingredient that drives the most growth in our students.

The success we attain is not only evidenced by the assessment data – but it’s seen through the smiles and joy we see on our student’s faces as a concept is grasped. This is the indefinable element that drives us as teachers to produce and grow our own teaching skills year in, year out.

Online Tour - See Our Full Curriculum

Student Wellbeing

At St Jude’s we develop a supportive and respectful school environment which fosters positive relationships and empowers every student to be a confident, resilient and successful learner.

We have a terrific Wellbeing Centre, open before school and lunch time. Children enjoy coming in to play, make friends and learn many social skills along the way.

Literacy

St. Jude’s teachers know the core value of literacy, we have a dedicated 2 hour literacy block each day for every class. We focus on creating confident communicators, expert readers, imaginative thinkers and writers.

We use a synthetic phonics approach in the Junior School, utilising the Initial Lit Resource. This extends into our Middle School with the Spellex program and Senior School with our Novel Study approach.

Numeracy

The St. Jude’s staff understand how critical numeracy is to a students’ lifelong learning and success in school. We use the Ochre Mathematics resources and support children who need intervention and extension.

Religious Education

The St. Jude’s community supports students to discover God’s presence in their daily lives. Our teaching and learning programs are distinctly catholic as they are grounded in catholic social teaching.

Physical Education

Visual Arts

S.T.E.A.M.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) learning is a real strength at St. Jude’s. We teach new science concepts each Semester and students share their understanding with a visual arts project. The students learn about Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Science.

Languages

Italian is the language we teach at St. Jude’s. In the program children explore the traditions and culture of Italy as we learn the language. We have a wonderful Italian Day to celebrate our learning.

Digital Technologies

St. Jude’s is well resourced with digital technologies. All classrooms, learning areas and our STEM Centre have access to a range of devices, programs and tools.

Inquiry Learning

Inquiry-based learning is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. We learn about history, geography, civics and citizenship.

Extra Curricular Activities

Getting involved in extra curricular activities can help students meet new people with whom they share interests and improve their social skills as a result. We have lots of clubs and lessons, including: chess, robotics, coding, swimming, karate, gardening, running, dancing and singing. We offer private instrumental, acting and singing lessons.

St Jude’s Primary School is committed to the Victorian Child Safety Standards - Click here for more info

Student Wellbeing

At St Jude’s we develop a supportive and respectful school environment which fosters positive relationships and empowers every student to be a confident, resilient and successful learner. We are engaged in a number of Student Wellbeing initiatives, including:

The Berry Street Education Model

All staff at St. Jude’s are trained in the BSEM. The learning provides staff with a strong understanding of child psychology and how to establish safe/calm learning environments.

The Resilience Project

A series of student, parent and staff workshops, supported by a curriculum model, focused on developing resilience. This is an emotionally engaging program and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) in Schools

All students understand the expectations for behaviour at St. Jude’s. Our PBL program outlines all the ways that you can ‘Be Your Best Self’. This behavioural framework is organised under the headings: Be Respectful, Be Safe, Be Responsible and Be a GEM (Demonstrate Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness).
Whilst the focus is on developing ‘positive behaviours’, there are clear protocols for dealing with unacceptable behaviours. Staff are committed to upholding the highest standards of behaviour and regularly work together on improving clarity around expectations, ensuring that there is effective communication with families and importantly setting a good example themselves.

Rights, Responsibilities and Respectful Relationships

A whole-school approach which encourages all children and adults to model respectful relationships and gender equality practices across the entire school community.

Peaceful Kids and Peaceful Parents

The ‘Peaceful Kids’ program aims to lessen anxiety/stress and increase resilience. Trained teachers use this program to help children build their emotional resilience so they are better equipped to deal with the day to day stresses that life brings.
The ‘Peaceful Parents’ program aims to increase resilience in both parents and their children. Parents learn strategies to lessen stress, enjoy parenting more as well as learning practical strategies to build resilience in their children.

Kids Talk – Anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O90pASa8jnw&feature=youtu.be
Kids Talk – Anger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GicAXZihaKY&feature=youtu.be
Kids Talk – Happiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng7Yq2BoZFE&feature=youtu.be

Literacy

Literacy is fundamental to the overall progress of your child’s learning. St Jude’s devotes a high level of resources, both human resources and physical resources, to literacy learning. Our literacy programs improve learning and student achievement across all years of schooling, not just in the early years when children are developing the fundamental skills.

The St. Jude’s staff are very skilled at monitoring student literacy outcomes and use these results to plan for each students’ distinct learning needs. Where necessary, teachers use specially designed intervention programs to consolidate basic understandings in literacy and extension programs to further enhance learning opportunities. We have an expert Learning Diversity Team that works alongside classroom teachers to plan and facilitate intervention and extension initiatives.

Numeracy

The St. Jude’s staff understand how critical numeracy is to a students’ lifelong learning and success in the workforce. Developing key mathematical understandings from a young age provides students with the essential skills and knowledge to master more complex concepts such as fractions, decimals and statistics.

Mathematics is a core focus and every day each class has a dedicated 1 hour numeracy lesson. We focus on creating confidence with mental computation, number processes and importantly the ability to use our mathematical knowledge in practical real world contexts - this includes interesting projects in our STEM program, such as robotics, coding and design technology.

The St. Jude’s staff are very skilled at monitoring student mathematics outcomes and use these results to plan for each students’ distinct learning needs. Where necessary, teachers use specially designed intervention programs to consolidate basic understandings and extension programs to challenge mathematical thinking. We have an expert Learning Diversity Team that works alongside classroom teachers to plan and facilitate intervention and extension initiatives.

Religious Education

- we do not just teach the science curriculum, we learn to be stewards of creation through knowing how our planet works and how human technologies enhance and impact our world;

- we do not just learn about citizenship, we learn about the common good and solidarity, so that we can see the world with open eyes and participate in our democratic society with a social conscience.

Sacred stories from the bible and our catholic tradition are explored in our learning experiences - children love to wonder about and respond to stories with creative writing, drawing and dramatisation. We celebrate the seasons of the church through liturgy and social justice projects, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Winter Food Appeal and Caritas’ Project Compassion for Lent.

All children participate in the educational component of our sacramental programs. Catholic children in Grade 3 continue their faith journey with the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, and in Grade 6 they celebrate Confirmation.

Physical Education

Being fit, active and healthy are important components of the St. Jude’s Physical Education program. From Grade Prep through to Grade 6 our students have a weekly lesson aimed at learning and mastering a variety of physical movements and sports. Expert coaches are often used to support the PE program, such as hockey and gymnastics coaches. Students are also regularly engaged in interschool sport, district and regional sporting competitions - Cross Country is always a highlight!

The PE program is made up of a variety of activities and programs. Active play and games help students know how to move and use their bodies to develop, practise and refine motor skills, balance, strength and coordination. Challenge and adventure activities help to develop teamwork, confidence and complex movements, orienteering is a well loved example of such an activity. Our Grade 5 and 6 schools camps also provide a terrific range of activities, such as high ropes courses, abseiling, zip lines and climbing.

There are a number of specialised programs across the PE Program. Junior School students participate in a Perceptual Motor Program (PMP), where they develop gross and fine motor skills, balance, body and space awareness, visual and spatial skills, rhythm sequence memory and listening. We offer an intensive swimming program each year and our senior school students engage with the Victorian Water Safety program.

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts program at St. Jude’s is a cornerstone of our approach to Arts education. Primary aged children love exploring art elements and learn so much about themselves through their art projects. The Visual Arts program involves students making and responding to artworks in many forms using various materials, techniques and technologies. We encourage and guide students to explore their creativity, nurture their imagination, develop innovative new ideas and acquire a variety of skills.

The Art room is a creative hub in the school, with weekly lessons for each class and a very active arts and crafts club! There are always lots of ‘works in progress’ and projects which are ready to share and display. There is a wide variety of equipment, tools and materials available for students to use and usually a school wide project underway.

S.T.E.M.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning is a real strength at St. Jude’s. We are one of the leading STEM schools in Catholic Education, recently winning an award for ‘Best Innovation in Sustainability’ and being selected to join a 3 year research collaboration with Catholic Education Melbourne and Monash University that will help shape STEM learning across Australia.

Students participate in a weekly STEM learning program and have the opportunity to collaborate and compete with other schools, join community STEM initiatives and partner with real world organisations. An example of this partnership to enhance learning is our work with the Dolphin Research Institute through the iSeeiCare program; an active learning program to support the health of local marine environments - one of the program’s highlights is a swim in one of Port Phillip Bay’s marine sanctuaries with dolphins and seals.

So much of our modern world and future workforce depends on our ability to understand, critically use and develop technological advances. Our STEM program helps children to develop critical learning skills in many areas, including design, coding and robotics. We partner with Young Engineers to provide in class and extra curricular robotics and lego challenge experiences.

Languages, Music and Performing Arts

Our Language Arts program is designed to teach Italian through Music and Drama, this approach to learning is referred to as CLIL - Content and Languages Integrated Learning. Staff are trained via programs supported by Catholic Education Melbourne and University of Melbourne.

Language studies help students understand themselves as communicators and develop intercultural capability in communication. This type of learning also helps students to communicate in the target language, and understand the relationship between language and culture. Italian Day is always something to look forward to in the calendar!

Music is uniquely an aural art form, it is distinctive in every culture and is a basic expression of human experience - it is a great area of learning to partner with languages. The Parents and Friends Association has been a wonderful supporter of this learning area, donating significant funds to purchase new music equipment over time - thank you! We also offer individual and group instrumental lessons via a third party provider.

Drama is the expression and exploration of personal, cultural and social worlds through role and situation that engages, entertains and challenges - this is also a great area of learning to partner with languages. Students have great fun actively using body, gestures, movement, voice and language, to take on roles that explore real and imagined worlds. They create, rehearse, perform and respond using the elements and conventions of drama - our school concerts are amazing celebrations of this learning.

Digital Technologies

St. Jude’s is well resourced with digital technologies. All classrooms, learning areas and our STEM Centre have access to a range of devices, programs and tools. Students can utilise the most appropriate tools for their learning experience, whether it be an iPad for apps and media capture, Chromebooks or desktop computers for projects and internet access, or an iMac for media editing. Learning in this area focuses on understanding digital systems, becoming confident with different types of data and information, and creating digital solutions for real world problems.

Cybersafety is a critical component of our digital technologies strategy. St. Jude’s partners with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation to ensure that our e-Smart program is of the highest quality. Our e-Smart program is designed to teach students the smart, safe and responsible use of online technology. We also support parents with information and workshops, to promote shared ownership of cybersafety. The eSafety Commissioner website is a great source of learning and support for parents, we encourage you to continue your own learning.

Inquiry Learning

Inquiry-based learning is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. Teachers skillfully scaffold the learning experiences to support the students to research, observe, evaluate and understand a variety of curriculum areas.

The approach to Inquiry Learning at St. Jude’s is grounded in our Catholic ethos, to ‘Love One Another’, and is guided by our school motto, ‘Serve the Lord with Joy’. All of our inquiry learning units start with an essential question stemming from Catholic Social Teaching:

How is dignity upheld?
How do we respect creation?
What is true community?
What is authentic power?
How do we understand change and make positive choices for self and others?
How do we contribute to a more and just world?
What is justice for the poor?

The Victorian Curriculum is sequenced to help students explore these essential questions - curriculum areas include history, geography, civics and citizenship. The learning experiences are designed to enable students to develop their personal and social capabilities, intercultural and ethical capabilities and critical and creative thinking.

All of the Inquiry Learning has a real world context and subsequently we have developed a number of wonderful community partnerships, including:

Aboriginal Catholic Ministry
Have a Ball Foundation
Dolphin Research Institute
Caritas Australia
Vincent de Paul Society
The Resilience Project
State and Federal parliamentarians and offices
Knox Disability Services
GRIP Student Leadership Australia.

Extra Curricular Activities

Getting involved in activities outside of school can help students meet new people with whom they share interests and improve their social skills as a result. They can also be a wonderful way to nurture talents and develop important life skills.

Instrumental Music lessons are the most popular extracurricular activity provided by an external provider - lessons are offered weekly. We have a terrific number of budding musicians and they enjoy sharing their gifts with the school at assemblies and community events.

At the heart of extracurricular activities is the desire to strengthen wellbeing, and we prioritise wellbeing at St. Jude’s - that’s why most of our extracurricular activities are run by us not third party providers. We even have set up a classroom that we call ‘The Well’ focused on extracurricular activities that promote wellbeing!

The Well is open before school, during play times and after school. It is a place where adults and children can come to simply ‘Be Well’ by enjoying their favourite activities, by socialising, by catching up with a friend or even speaking to one of ‘The Well’ staff about how to improve mental health and wellbeing. The Well hosts or is the meeting place of many St. Jude’s clubs:

Arts and Crafts
Lego
Puzzles and board games
Social breakfast
Robotics
Coding
Debating
Public Speaking
Gardening
Running and fitness
Playgroup