Learning & Teaching

At St Agnes we provide a high quality contemporary learning environment in which all students are challenged and supported to experience ongoing success and which leads to higher levels of student engagement and improved student outcomes.  

We are a student centred school where our students are valued, build authentic relationships, develop a love of learning, have access to a comprehensive and contemporary curriculum and become responsible citizens and confident lifelong learners.

We build our students capacity to be great communicators, thinkers, collaborators and researchers who manage themselves effectively and are invested in the ownership and success of their learning.

We ensure a personalised approach to our student’s learning based on their strengths, challenges, interests, talents, experiences and background. Learning and Teaching is explicit and scaffolded to establish learning intentions, success criteria and feedback to ensure access and success for all.

Education in Faith

Our faith is at the centre of everything that we do at St. Agnes. We are committed to fostering an environment where we educate the whole person and encourage everyone to reach their full potential.

At St. Agnes, Religious Education promotes the message of Jesus and develops children's understandings of living as a person of faith within their family, school, parish and the wider community. Religious Education permeates all aspects of the curriculum and school activities.

We teach Religious Education using an integrated inquiry approach in line with the Horizons of Hope Religious Education Curriculum Framework (developed by Catholic Education Melbourne).

Religious Education at St. Agnes aims to help students grow as a faith filled people. We aim to build on the experiences of each student, enhance their opportunity for rich dialogue with others and allow them to form their own understandings and make deep connections with their faith.

English

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

At. St Agnes’ 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 use digital technologies to enhance the learning. Teachers regularly monitor and track the progression of each student with a range of assessments. We use learning intentions and success criteria to personalise the learning for every child.

We value the support of parents during Literacy learning in the early years and have a strong parent participation program.

Mathematics

At St Agnes’ the purpose of Mathematics is to enable students to value Mathematics as an integral part of life and develop their ability to work mathematically through purposeful, engaging and challenging activities.

​We promote a positive attitude towards learning by developing students’ understanding for applying Mathematics effectively to become proficient problem solvers and to value the place of Mathematics in our society. Students are encouraged to question and seek alternate strategies while taking risks in their learning to develop an enthusiastic and persistent approach towards Mathematics.

​Students experience the use of hands-on materials, interactive games and technology to introduce and challenge their thinking and learning through Mathematics. Teachers conduct formal and informal assessments to monitor and track the progression of each student to provide challenging and meaningful tasks. Students are taught effective communication of mathematical concepts, an understanding of mathematical literacy and the importance of using mathematics in everyday situations to become lifelong learners.

Contemporary Learning

Contemporary Learning gives attention to identifying core knowledge, skills and understandings that are required to be successful in today's world. Core capacities such as higher order thinking, creativity, collaboration and the use of contemporary literacies are considered to be powerful learning opportunities for the contemporary learner.

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At St. Agnes we believe that education should be about developing the whole child. As empowered and intrinsically motivated individuals, students develop the critical skills and understandings that will allow them to be successful, active participants in an ever-changing and increasingly global community.

Informed by The Victorian Curriculum and guided by the principles and knowledge of how each individual student learns, we provide a developmental approach to teaching which maximises opportunities for success for every student. Creativity, cooperation, problem solving, self-direction, self-regulation, empathy and the capacity to manage change are embedded throughout the curriculum.

As much as possible, we aim to provide learning experiences that:

• allow for flexible learning pathways

• respond to diverse needs

• develop contemporary literacies

• foster communities of learning

• enable rich and timely assessments

LOTE - Italian

Students acquire communication skills in languages. They develop understanding about the role of language and culture in communication. Their reflections on language use and language learning are applied in other learning contexts.

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Learning languages broadens students’ horizons about the personal, social, cultural and employment opportunities that are available in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. The interdependence of countries and communities requires people to negotiate experiences and meanings across languages and cultures. A bilingual or plurilingual capability is the norm in most parts of the world.

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The Languages-Italian curriculum aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that students:

• communicate in the language they are learning

• understand the relationship between language, culture and learning

• develop intercultural capabilities

• understand themselves as communicators.

• strengthen intellectual, analytical and reflective capabilities and enhance creative and critical thinking

Physical Education

At Agnes we run a comprehensive sport and recreation program that aims to maximise student participation at all levels. We believe strongly in the positive life message sport teaches our students and this is reflected through our extensive sporting program.

In the early years, sport is based purely on the development of fundamental skills and the building of positive associations with sport. As the students move into the middle and senior year levels of the school, the variety of sports and activities available to them significantly increases. Students and/or teams who excel at this level are also given the opportunity to further test their abilities through district, regional, state and national competitions in School Sport Victoria (SSV) programs.

Some of the sport and recreation programs offered at St Agnes include:                                                     

• Swimming

• Athletics

• Hooptime (Basketball)

• Friday Inter-school sport

• Cross Country

• Netball

• Tennis

• Bike Education

• Soccer

Visual Arts

In Visual Arts, students make and respond using visual arts knowledge, understanding and skills. Through practical activities in each of the Visual Arts areas, students come to understand: why we make visual artworks; that visual artworks can be two-dimensional and three-dimensional and that each area has particular tools, media and techniques to be learnt.

They learn how the Arts are practised and valued in different societies and cultures, past and present. Students form personal judgments of their own works and those of others. They will learn the language of art and how to use it when discussing their own works and the works of others

Performing Arts

The Performing Arts program at St Agnes encourages students to realise the value of the individual and to promote self-esteem.

Each student participates in a fortnightly class that includes movement, incorporating various dance styles, singing, recorder, percussion, mime, puppetry, script writing and developing acting skills.

Every second year, the school presents a school concert based on Inquiry learning throughout the year or a musical theme. All classes participate in this much-anticipated event.

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St Agnes hosts a Christmas Carols night for the school, parish and wider community, with each Year Level performing a carol.  It is a wonderful community gathering and celebration.

Library

We can never underestimate the value of books.  Each week the children have the opportunity to attend the library with their classroom teacher and library specialist with a focus of developing a love of reading and borrowing books to take home each week.  The school library has a large selection of both fiction and nonfiction books for the children to select from. During the year they participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge and are surrounded by literature in their day to day lives while at school.  

Assessment & Reporting

Assessment is both formative (informing our teaching) and summative (a summary of how student learning is progressing).

Students are assessed at a number of points throughout their time at school and in each school year. Student feedback is most effective when it is timely, relevant, encouraging and offers suggestions for improvement.

We conduct learning conversations with parents and teachers(interviews) in February and June and written reports are provided in June and December. These written reports are based on the Victorian Curriculum which outlines what is essential for all Victorian students to learn during their time at school.

Extra Curricular

St Agnes' offers a range of learning opportunities that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum. An extracurricular activity is designed to enhance the students’ social, academic, physical, creative or intellectual learning. Some examples of what is offered at St Agnes’ are: