Our Curriculum

At Toongabbie Primary School we believe that tailored whole school approaches enable us to be teach our students in a way that addresses their individual learning needs.

Literacy

In the Foundation Year our students are introduced to letters and sounds through Jolly Phonics. Jolly Phonics is a fun and child centred approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics and teaches children five key skills to begin reading and writing.

The Junior, Middle and Senior class students are grouped according to their ability for Spelling Mastery classes. These sessions are conducted four times a week and provide students with life long spelling ability through direct instruction.

Our whole school approaches to reading and writing are supported by evidence- based research. Our students are assessed so that individualised programs can be provided for them; their progress is tracked and recorded and regularly communicated to parents. The benefits of a whole school approach include

teachers working together regularly to achieve excellent results and continuity that encourages students to build upon what they have learnt each year.

Numeracy

Numeracy at Toongabbie Primary School is taught through physical experiences and inquiry based learning strategies not only in Math sessions but also in other classroom settings such as Music and Fine Art. Our research shows that this approach builds confidence in students to take risks and problem solve – two essential elements of becoming a great math learner. Our students are encouraged to work in teams to solve mathematical problems and to see the numeracy questions that exist in the world around them.

When asked what they think signs of a great math learner are students responded with…

“Focuses, gets their work done. Learns from their mistakes and stays on task”
“Listening, thinking, committing to what you’re doing, staying on task”
“Listening to the speaker and learning like a boss!”

When asked what they love about maths students responded…
“I love everything in maths because I like a challenge and I think it is really fun and interesting.”
“I love finding out new ways of thinking and practicing it at school and at home.”
“I love doing hands on things so it can help me learn.”
“I love fractions because sometimes it’s challenging.”
“I love maths because there are lots of different ways to work things out.”
“I love division. The reason I like division is because of the challenges, Division can be hard especially with remainders. I like doing four to six digit divisions.”

Our current five year trajectory shows we are achieving better results in literacy and numeracy than any time since 2011.

Core Curriculum & AusVELS

A broad and balanced educational program is provided at Toongabbie Primary School based on the Victorian Essential Learnings Standards (VELS) introduced in 2006 which is now called AusVELS. AusVELS is based on the VELS triple-helix structure. It comprises the three interconnected areas of learning called strands, described below.

Physical, Personal and Social Learning Strand

Students learn about themselves and their place in society. They learn how to stay healthy and active. Students develop skills in building social relationships and working with others. They take responsibility for their learning, and learn about their rights and responsibilities as global citizens.

Discipline Based Learning Strand

Students learn the knowledge, skills and behaviours in the arts, English, humanities, mathematics, science and other languages.

Interdisciplinary Learning Strand

Students explore different ways of thinking, solving problems and communicating. They learn to use a range of technologies to plan, analyse, evaluate and present their work. Students learn about creativity, design principles and processes.

More information about the AusVELS structure can be obtained by clicking here.