Music and IMS
Victoria Park Primary School provides a dedicated and engaging music program that allows students to express themselves in many forms. The general music program enables all students in years 1 to 6 to experience music through vocal, instrumental and aural activities. The school also has a strong instrumental music program which is coordinated by the Instrumental Music School. The program offers students in years 3 to 6 the opportunity to learn the trumpet or trombone. The school choir performs at a number of events throughout the year.
Physical Education
Sport is quite a tradition at Victoria Park Primary school. Our children enjoy sport and are encouraged to be active through our daily Fitness Program.
Health and physical wellbeing is a priority in our school. As part of the Health and Physical Education Program there is an emphasis on the development of life skills to encourage resilience, respect and confidence, to allow students to reach their full potential. The Physical Education Program encourages all students to enjoy and participate fully in all physical activity.
The Physical Education Program also offers the following:
- Interschool Swimming Carnival
- Faction Athletics
- Interschool Athletics Carnival
- Squash
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Tee Ball
- Volleyball
- Interschool Sports Competitions
- Football
- Netball
- Soccer
- Cricket
- Hockey
- Cross Country
Our Physical Education Program offers
- one lesson per week
- daily fitness
- weekly sport
Health
Health and Physical Education teaches students how to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, wellbeing and physical activity participation in varied and changing contexts to prepare the students for real life situations. It helps to strengthen their sense of self, and build and manage satisfying relationships.
Our Health Program instils the qualities of resilience and confidence, and helps children to make decisions and take actions to promote their own health, safety and physical activity participation.
Our school based Values/Virtues Program nurtures qualities of character for all students and encourages them to be their best.
Our Physical Education and Health Program are entwined and integral to the full development of the child.
LOTE (Languages Other Than English)
Japanese is the LOTE offered at VPPS to students from year 2 to year 6. It is one of the eight learning areas and the course follows the National Curriculum.
Students are provided with the opportunity to demonstrate progressive achievement in the LOTE learning area outcomes of Listening, Responding and Speaking; Viewing, Reading and Responding; and Writing. The course content focuses on topics that are relevant to the students themselves, their interests and their experiences.
The teaching program is delivered in an enjoyable, interactive way, utilizing innovative and diverse strategies to cater to the students’ different learning styles. Learning experiences include on-line programs, competitions, games, cooking activities, singing, performing plays, and watching clips in Japanese.
Research shows that students who study Japanese improve their English skills and demonstrate improved cognitive development and creative thinking. Students not only benefit from increased communication and intercultural understanding, but their cultural opportunities and employment and career opportunities are expanded.
English as an Additional Language
Our school respects the varied cultural backgrounds of our students and we celebrate their diversity. Victoria Park is a unique and vibrant school catering for students originating from over thirty different language backgrounds. We have a dedicated EAL/D Support Program staffed by two specialist teachers and an Ethnic Education Assistant.
AIM OF THE EAL/D TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRAM
The aim of the EAL/D program is for students to learn how Standard Australian English works and how to use it effectively in a variety of situations.
WHO ARE EAL/D STUDENTS?
EAL/D students are those whose first language is a language or dialect other than English and who require additional support to assist them to develop proficiency in English.
IDENTIFICATION PROCESS
- Upon enrolment, the Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE) and the Visa status of the child are noted and the EAL/D specialist teacher is informed.
- The EAL/D specialist teacher sets up an interview time with the family to assess the listening, speaking, reading & viewing competency levels of the student if necessary.
- Students enrolling from an Intensive English Centre will have an exit report including levels on the EAL/D Progress Maps.
- After assessment, anecdotal comments are documented, and in collaboration with the classroom teacher, a decision is made as to the level of support required ie. whether specialised EAL/D support is needed.
EAL/D SUPPORT
- We have two specialist teachers and an Ethnic Education Assistant who provide both ‘in class’ support and withdrawal modes depending on student need.
- An EAL/D support plan is guided by the EAL/D Progress Maps and classroom teacher advice. Ongoing assessment occurs throughout the school year.
- There is ongoing liaison with class teachers, so that the program is contextually based.
ICT and Digital Technologies
At Victoria Park Primary School, we teach our students to use ICT effectively and to access, create and communicate information and ideas to solve problems and work collaboratively. Students have access to laptops, iPads and robotics.
The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration recognises that in a digital age, and with rapid and continuing changes in the ways that people share, use, develop and communicate with ICT, young people need to be highly skilled in its use. To participate in a knowledge-based economy and to be empowered within a technologically sophisticated society now and into the future, students need the knowledge, skills and confidence to make ICT work for them at school, at home, at work and in their communities. (SCSA)
Library and Literature
The VPPS Library Resource centre was built in 2014 and houses our Library and Teacher reference materials. It is a colourful learning space that supports reading, social interactions and collaborative learning. We encourage our students to read, learn library research skills and borrow resources. Bookmark is the library management system that is used. Students are encouraged to borrow books on a weekly basis.
The Year 1 & 2 classes all receive specific lessons each week, with a focus on gaining an excellent foundation in Information Computer Technology (ICT) skills. There is a strong emphasis on research, using an inquiry-based approach to learning. The lessons include a focus on exploring literature and instilling a lifelong love of it in the student’s life beyond school. They are based on the English and ICT capability section of the Western Australian curriculum.
Students at Education Risk (SAER)
Students at educational risk are those who have been identified, through a range of diagnostic tools and assessment data, as not meeting the expected standards. The On Entry testing in pre-primary is one means of identifying such students who can be followed with further testing in subsequent years (years 1 to 6) to determine the effectiveness of intervention programs. The school maintains an inventory of students who have been identified as being at educational risk.
Individual behaviour programs and individual, or group, education programs are prepared for SAER students. SAER students, with the appropriate diagnoses, may receive an allocation of teacher assistant time through funding provided by the Disability Resource Funding system.