Curriculum

Literacy

At Amsleigh Park Primary School our Literacy Program is one in which reading, writing, speaking and listening are integrated in a supportive and stimulating environment to foster independent, reflective and critical thinking.

Focuses include the following:

• Encoding & decoding: to support students to ‘crack the code’ of the alphabet by learning the specific speech sounds in English through blending and segmenting. Encoding allows students to hear sounds within a word and write the letter/code that they can hear. It also aids in building spelling skills.
• Phonemic Awareness: during daily Literacy block to identify and manipulate sounds in words orally.
• Multi-Sensory Activities: to build pathways in the brain in which all senses (seeing, hearing, touching and movement) are activated at the same time to promote learning.

In Grades 3 -6, word study continues with etymology and morphology (including prefixes and suffixes) and students continue to progress as they master the skills required. Our Education Support Staff provide Toe-by-Toe reading support for those in grades 3 – 6 who need additional assistance.

All students are exposed to high quality rich texts through class novels and class novel studies, shared text and literature circles.  Explicit instruction is provided for comprehension strategies and vocabulary, and to help tune in to author’s purpose and strategies used to engage the reader so students can see clear links between reading and writing.

Throughout P – 6 students learn to write different text types, such as narratives, persuasives, procedures, reports and explanations. The structure of writing genres is built throughout each year level to support student cognitive load and retrieval of skills. Teachers use a wide range of strategies dependent on student need including modelled, shared and guided writing and work with students to build an understanding of grammar and syntax to improve writing outcomes for all students. All students have a writer’s notebook in which they can plan and brainstorm ideas and practice strategies to support their writing efforts.

Each year we promote and celebrate our love of literacy with events such as; Premier’s Reading Challenge, National Book Week, Book Week, Author Visits, Poetry Competitions and Literacy Week activities. Students are also celebrated at assembly on a regular basis through our Reading Nights Award program with the aim of reading of for a minimum of 200 nights for the school year. We have a well-resourced and vibrant School Library that students visit each week with their teacher and can borrow books that they can enjoy at home with their families.

Teachers use the approaches and the strategies listed in the Department of Education’s Literacy Toolkit to develop a love for reading and writing. At Amsleigh Park, we provide purposeful, relevant and meaningful activities to support students lifelong learning of literacy and are proud to say that our students really are 21^st century learners.

Physical Education

At Amsleigh Park Primary School we strongly promote healthy lifestyles and student participation in physical activity. Our Physical Education (PE) program aims to develop our students Fundamental Motor Skills and their ability to apply these skills to sport-specific situations. In PE sessions our students enjoy participating in a variety of sports and minor games, including gymnastics, athletics, court sports and field sports.

All students participate in a weekly specialist lesson taken by our Physical Education Teacher and one additional session with their classroom teacher. All Physical Education and sport sessions are inclusive of engaging programs that further enhance Fundamental Motor Skills and develop knowledge and understanding of minor and major games/sports.

We offer many opportunities for participation in sport including-

• Interschool Sport Program: Our 5/6 students play organised matches against neighbouring schools in the Oakleigh District. Summer sports include- softball, basketball, rounders and cricket. Winter sports include- football, soccer, netball and Volleystars (modified volleyball). Students also compete in Gala days, a Basketball Round Robin, Cross Country and an Athletics Carnival. Interschool Sport provides a wonderful opportunity to practice skills, sportsmanship and game etiquette as well as meet students who could attend the same secondary school as some of our students in future years. Our 3/4 students also have some opportunities to compete against other schools in cross country, athletics, a Cricket Gala day and a Footy 9’s Gala day. As members of School Sport Victoria, successful teams and individuals have a pathway to State Championships.
• Perceptual Motor Program (PMP): Our PMP program helps to promote balance, locomotion skills, hand/eye co-ordination, as well as body space awareness, auditory and visual memory. Our Prep students participate in this program with the support of their teacher and parents.
• Bike Education: Our Grade 4 and 5 students complete a week long Bike Education course. The course aims to provide our students with the skills of becoming a competent bike rider as well giving them an appreciation for road awareness and safety. Bike Ed consists of a series of cycling activities and on-road simulations.
• Swimming: Our students participate in a nine day intensive swimming program which operates at the Doug Ellis Swimming Pool at Monash University. Participation in the program not only teaches healthy living and the swim skills necessary for enjoyable leisure time activities around water, but also focuses on the essential water safety skills that may save their own or the life of another.

We also offer some amazing extra-curricular activities for those students who just can’t get enough sport.

• Aerobics: Amsleigh Park has a very successful aerobics program. We have dedicated teachers who coach competitive teams and a development squad. Amsleigh Park teams compete in the ‘Schoolaerobics State Championships’ and are five-time National Finalists. In 2011, our ‘Primary Stage 2’ team won the Australian Championships in Tasmania and in 2015, our ‘Creative Stage’ team won the Australian Championships in Queensland. Students in Year 3 – 6 audition for a place in the competitive teams, which train after school. The Development Squad is open to anyone who is eager to learn. Our students train at lunchtimes and afterschool under the dedicated coaching of our staff.
• Lunch time Tournaments: At different times throughout the year, students have the opportunity to participate in lunch time tournaments. Some competitions that run throughout the year include- The Amsleigh Open (a bat tennis tournament), The Amsleigh Cup (a soccer tournament) and a dodgeball tournament. Students can also volunteer to referee matches, enabling them to develop their confidence and knowledge of the rules and scoring systems.
• Happy Feet Running Club: Participants can choose to jog, walk or run around the school 500m running track during recess. Laps are recorded so students can keep track of how far they have run. The club is an enjoyable way for students to keep fit and provides an opportunity for setting personal goals. Certificates are presented to students to recognise individual achievements.

At Amsleigh Park Primary School we love our Physical Education and Sport program and as a school community we are committed to promoting and upholding our school motto, ‘Our Best Always’ and school values in all sporting environments.

Performing Arts

At Amsleigh Park, we are determined to provide our students with the skills necessary to become confident, contributing and resourceful global citizens. For this reason, we have developed a comprehensive Performing Arts program. Research has demonstrated that children who participate in Arts based learning programs including visual and performing arts, not only develop skills which can support fundamental curriculum skills, but also develop the following attributes which are needed in their future lives such as; creativity, confidence, problem solving, perseverance, focus, non-verbal communication skills, ability to receive constructive feedback, collaboration, dedication and accountability.

Performing Arts is a structured program which is provided for all students from Prep to Grade 6. Students engage throughout the year in all aspects of Performing Arts, including Music, Drama and in the older years, Digital Technologies. The focus is on learning core concepts for music whilst also enjoying the opportunity to develop performance skills. Collaboration and confidence are both enhanced significantly through Performing Arts sessions. Singing is a fundamental component of the learning and a great favourite with our students.

Within music, students learn fundamental concepts including beat, rhythm, dynamics, pitch, composition, sound-scapes and singing. From Grade 3, students are introduced to a tuned musical instrument, with all children learning how to play the Soprano Descant Recorder. Through this, our students are able to develop their ability to correctly play the recorder while also learning how to read a basic musical score. Students also explore the use of technologies within music from composition and reconstruction using apps and programs such as Audacity, Garage Band and SuperDooper Music Looper.

Our Dramatic Arts program provides our students with an opportunity to develop confidence, problem solving skills and articulation. Students participate in role playing, drama games, improvising, miming and characterisations. Our senior students learn to work collaboratively with others in a group to rehearse and perform plays where the essential skills of volume, pace, characterisation, expression and articulation are explored and enhanced.

Performance is another essential component of our program. Over the year our students showcase different skills developed in both music and drama by performing to our assembly audiences. In recent performances, our Grade 5 and 6 students performed a Flash Mob and a cup percussion piece. Performing to a larger audience, particularly through our annual whole school production is also a highlight for all of our students.

We are very proud of our Performing Arts program here at Amsleigh Park Primary School and feel confident that we are providing the very best opportunities for our students to holistically develop their creativity, confidence, perseverance, collaboration and determination.