Our Philosophy
At St Agatha’s, we have high expectations for every student to achieve an accelerated rate of learning in a child-safe, inclusive, consistent and faith-filled environment.
We believe that:
All students will learn given enough time and support. Therefore, teachers plan for learning with students at the centre of all decision making. Learning Support Officers are available to offer extra support for students who require it and to assist students who may have additional learning needs. Teachers use pre and post assessment data to measure student learning growth and to plan for the next sequence of lessons.
When students experience success, their self-confidence rises and they learn more effectively. At St Agatha's, teachers use a differentiated approach to learning and teaching. This requires teachers knowing, through assessment data, where each student is on the learning continuum and planning lessons to cater for the diverse needs of all learners. Small clinic style groups are used to teach key concepts, particularly in Literacy and Numeracy.
Oral language forms the basis of Literacy skills. Students need learning experiences that involve conversing, questioning and thinking out loud. This is especially important for our students of multi-linguistic backgrounds. At St Agatha's, students are encouraged to expand their vocabularly and oral language skills through a range of classroom activities aimed at allowing students to practice speaking and listening.
All learning and teaching is based on the Victorian Curriculum and the Religious Education Framework; ‘To Live in Christ Jesus’. Through explicitly teaching the capabilities of Social and Personal, Intercultural, Ethical and Creative and Critical Thinking, it is our intention that students will leave our school with the skills needed to flourish. Please refer to the curriculum outlines for all subject areas taught at St Agatha's to understand how the learning and teaching of these subjects is achieved.