Curriculum Areas

English

The study of Literacy is central to the learning and development of all students at St. Macartan's. We aim to create confident communicators, imaginative and critical thinkers and informed citizens who can analyse, understand, communicate with and build relationships with others and with the world around them.

Through our Literacy program, we aim to ensure that students:

• are able to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose
• can appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue

Mathematics

We believe that learning mathematics creates opportunities for and enriches the lives of all the students at St. Macartan's. We aim to provide our students with essential mathematical skills and knowledge in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

Through our Mathematics program, we aim to ensure that students:

• are confident, creative users and communicators of mathematics, being able to investigate, represent and interpret various situations
• develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of mathematical concepts and fluency with processes, and are able to pose, solve problems and reason
• recognise connections between the areas of mathematics and other disciplines and appreciate mathematics as an accessible and enjoyable discipline to study

Inquiry

Inquiry approach learning enables students to explore and develop their interests and curiosity in the areas of Science, Technology, History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship. Students are encouraged, through active investigation in all areas of study, to unify rather than separate knowledge as they move from the gaining of facts to understanding and developing broader concepts. Students become aware of why they are doing what they are doing and so develop a greater sense of control and responsibility for their learning. Skills such as careful observation, reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking and the ability to justify or refute existing knowledge are developed. Creative thinking and curiosity is stimulated in many ways.

Digital Technologies

St. Macartan's is an eSmart School. Our school has a sustainable whole-school approach to cybersafety, cyberbullying and bullying. Our curriculum has a strong focus on communication and research which observes the rights of everyone to be safe and respected.

Through regular involvement in cyber safety lessons and Circle Time, students are equipped to embrace the best technology can offer, while learning to be smart, safe and responsible users. 

Students at St.Macartan's have access to a range of Digital Technology tools and resources. These tools are used in all areas of learning, providing powerful learning opportunities for students. Students and teachers alike benefit from the dual-platform (iPads, Windows tablets and Chromebooks) offered at our school, acknowledging which tool to use to best support the learning task at hand. Classes also have the opportunity to work in the school's Discovery Centre.

Specialist Subjects

• Physical Education and Movement
• Visual Arts
• Performing Arts
• Sustainability
• Discovery Centre
• Italian
• Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden

All Year 3 and 4 students will be participating in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program (SAKG). The program endeavours to:

• Encourage fun, flavour and texture through experiences that engage all the senses.
• Model good food choices without resorting to labels of ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’.
• Reinforce techniques repeatedly, providing the confidence to plant seeds or cook simple dishes at home.
• Plan menus around fresh, seasonal produce growing in our garden.
• Use ingredients at their peak – seasonal herbs, crisp veggies and fresh fruits.
• Expand culinary horizons, presenting cultural differences as fascinating, rather than strange.
• Expand vocabularies for describing foods, flavours, textures, plants and processes.
• Food should be delicious and the cooking of fresh fruit and vegetables should be timed with care.
• Come together at the end of the cooking to share our meal around the table.

The program is designed to support the national curriculum in the areas of Science, Mathematics and Literacy. Each class attends a series of eight 2 hour lessons in the Sustainability Centre. Sessions consist of a garden and cooking component. The success of our program is supported by our wonderful parent community. It is a great opportunity for parent engagement.

Stephanie says...

'I believe absolutely in the importance and power of the shared table. In many cultures, eating together around a table is the centre of family life. It is the meeting place, where thoughts are shared, ideas challenged, news is exchanged and where the participants leave the table restored in many ways.'