Curriculum Opportunities

We pride ourselves on a wide range of curriculum opportunities for our students

It’s not the curriculum that we offer that sets us apart, it’s the manner in which it’s delivered

Any school can teach a curriculum. Amazing schools like ours is full of teachers actively and passionately exploring the possibilities of making their teaching practice more innovative, engaging and fun at every turn. This is the single ingredient that drives the most growth in our students.

The success we attain is not only evidenced by the assessment data – but it’s seen through the smiles and joy we see on our student’s faces as a concept is grasped. This is the indefinable element that drives us as teachers to produce and grow our own teaching skills year in, year out.

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Literacy

We are widely regarded as one of the leading schools in the region for literacy. Our approach is unique and hands on.

Numeracy

One of the pillars of the strong education we offer at Billanook Primary. We make numeracy engaging by bringing it to life with real world problem solving.

Student Wellbeing

Student wellbeing is central to everything that we do inside the classroom and outside. We have a strong focus on building ‘well rounded kids’ in all of our students

Humanities

At Billanook Primary School we value and support our students to be naturally curious about our world.

Physical Education

Our aim is to promote healthy bodies and healthy minds through our brilliant P.E. program.

Performing Arts

Through play, experimentation and participation, our performing arts program is designed to build confidence in our students

Visual Arts

Creativity is a vital attribute for 21st century learners and we understand this. Our visual arts program is something we are intrinsicly proud of.

Technology

Technology is an inescapable medium in todays digital age and with a very healthy eye on balance we immerse our students in Ipads, interactive whiteboards, computers and lots more.

Languages (German)

Immersion in a secondary language gives students not only the skill of speaking another language but the understanding of a different culture. This benefits of this are teaching students a greater awareness of the world in which they live.

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Our School Values

Within our learning community our Values underpins teaching and learning, guides our interactions and relationships and is modelled in all operational processes of the school. The Billanook Primary School community has a consistent and positive approach to behaviour and uses our Values and Restorative Practices, to foster a school climate where personal responsibility and self-discipline are developed.

Values activities can be adapted to be a part of any lesson whether it be Literacy, Numeracy, Inquiry or the specialist areas. Using reflection time, appreciation statements, cooperative learning activities or ‘energisers’ to keep concentration levels up are all part of the engagement process.

Inclusion activities are used extensively at the beginning of a school year through our Settle In Program to ensure that children know each other well and build bonds of friendship and respect.

Wellbeing Assemblies

Each fortnight students at Billanook meet for a wellbeing Assembly, with members of our community in attendance. This whole-school assembly is held on a Monday afternoon and is a platform used to celebrate students who are following our school valuess and also to deliver a wellbeing message.

Wellbeing foci that we cover include:

Bucket Filling – Have you filled a bucket today?
Cyber safety
Anti-bullying – don’t be a bystander
Qualities of good friends – Friendship soup
Celebrating diversity
Acts of kindness
Team building challenges
Mindfulness

These Wellbeing Assembly messages are followed up our classrooms after assembly and often at Year Level Assemblies later in the week. Our wellbeing messages are ingrained into the curriculum to ensure that they are not token efforts. We believe it is important to explicitly teach the skills and strategies students need build their capacity to be resilient, socially responsible and respectful in their relationships.

Respect - Show courtesy to ourselves, others and our environment

Affirming the value and uniqueness of each person. Treating others the way you would like to be treated; recognising and appreciating individual and cultural differences; and offering feedback that encourages growth.

Kindness - Always be friendly, generous and considerate of others

Treating others with care; stating appreciation for unique qualities, gifts, skills and contributions; avoiding negative remarks, name calling, hurtful gestures and behaviours.

Grit - Keep working towards your goals, even when they are challenging

Keep working towards your goals, even when they are challenging.

Aspiration - Strive for your personal best in everything you do

Striving for your personal best, reaching for the sky!

Aiming to improve on your own personal efforts; striving towards an optimum level across all aspects of the curriculum.

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Literacy at Billanook Primary School

At Billanook Primary School (BPS), our reading approach is based on a strong, research driven, theoretical foundation of the ‘Science of Reading’ which emcompasses a deep understanding of reading development, classroom instruction and a three tiered model of enrichment for our students. This theoretical foundation is implemented using the Initialit Program in Foundation to Level 2 and through the ‘Readers Workshop’ model in Levels 3 - 6. This framework supports the bigger picture of literacy instruction, with phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension all having equal weight.

At Billanook we include elements of evidence-based and proven instructional methodology, the Hochman Method,
within our writing approach. This method enables students to master the skills that are essential if they are to
become competent writers. In turn, those skills equip students to become better readers, to communicate more
effectively in writing and speaking, and most importantly, to elevate their thinking.

Numeracy at Billanook Primary School

At Billanook Primary School, we provide a Mathematics education that enables our students to succeed at school and in their everyday lives. Our Mathematics program is aligned with the Victorian Curriculum which is organised into the content strands Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. The proficiency strands, which describe how the content is taught and explored are Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving, and Reasoning.

We believe Mathematics is learnt developmentally, through the acquisition of skills and understanding of broad concepts. All classrooms provide a differentiated Mathematics curriculum, which caters for each student at their level, allowing all students to progress in their own understanding. Throughout the school, Mathematics is taught and learnt individually, in small cooperative groups, and in whole class settings.

From Foundation to Level 2, the focus is on understanding Maths through concrete materials. Concepts are introduced and explored by playing with a large variety of materials that are related to everyday events and activities. As students move into Level 3 and 4 concepts are further developed through a variety of materials, as well as symbolic and abstract recordings. Once students move into Level 5 and 6, they engage in higher order Mathematical thinking and reasoning through skill based activities and problem solving tasks. This allows them to apply and refine the concepts they have developed through their schooling.

Humanities at Billanook Primary School

At Billanook Primary School we value and support our students to be naturally curious about our world. Through a guided and open inquiry teaching approach we encourage our students to explore their wonderings by following the Inquiry Cycle of tuning in, finding out, sorting out, going further, making conclusions and taking action. While students are immersed in a variety of curriculum areas such as, The Humanities (Civics and Citizenship, History, Economics and Business and Geography), Health and Science we foster their curiosities by providing engaging and challenging learning tasks that captivate individual interests.

Throughout all The Humanities, Health and Science curriculum areas, students are supported to develop their Inquiry skill set. These skills are transferable into situations that students may face inside and outside of the school setting. While being immersed in collaborative tasks, students are explicitly taught communication skills such as. conflict management and listening techniques.

The staff at Billanook Primary School promote students to be critical and creative thinkers that are motivated to complete challenging tasks. Through the use of Visible Thinking Routines students are able to independently record their thinking about a particular inquiry topic and develop questions. Questioning enables the learning process and allows students to make connections to prior learning.

Although Levels 1 - 6 complete units based on The Humanities, Health and Science curriculum, Foundation students are introduced to inquiry skills through what is known as Investigation time. Investigation time is a form of developmental play that encourages students to explore their curiosities in a variety of forms while also covering content that has previously been introduced in class.

During Investigations, students are tuned in to a specific learning intention for that particular session by the teacher explicitly modelling the expectations. Before beginning, 2-3 children are chosen as the focus students as well as 2 students who become the reporter and photographer for the duration of Investigation time. Students participate in a variety of activities that includes construction, drama, sensory learning and literacy centres. At the end of the session students reflect on their lesson and discuss how they achieved the learning intention.

Physical Education at Billanook Primary School

Billanook Primary offers an extensive Physical Education program from the Foundation year to Level 6. As well as following the Victorian Curriculum Physical Education curriculum, Billanook students have the opportunity to participate in programs such as;

Swimming Lessons

Hoop Time Basketball

Elite Sports

Inter-School Sports

School and Inter-School Athletics Carnivals

School, Inter-School and State Cross Country

After School Basket Ball

Incursions

Activities Led By Student Sports Leaders

Multi Activity Sports Days

At Billanook Physical Education is about Participation, Personal Achievement, Dedication, Leadership, Confidence, Teamwork, Healthy Body and Mind.

Visual Arts at Billanook Primary School

The Visual Art program is developed according to requirements outlined in the Victorian Curriculum.

Arts learning explores the two main areas of Creating & Making and Exploring & Responding to art.

Creating and Making focuses on students exploring a variety of art elements, skills, techniques, processes, media, materials, equipment and technologies in a range of art forms including: drawing, ceramics, sculpture, painting, construction, printmaking, textiles and collage.

Exploring & Responding to Art requires students to look at and discuss traditional and contemporary art works from a range of times, places and cultures. This becomes inspiration and starting points for practical activities.

Children develop an arts language to describe their own and others work.

Technology at Billanook Primary School

At Billanook Primary we use ICT to guide student inquiry, critical thinking skills and collaborative dialogue. The level of enthusiasm and engagement is extremely high, as ICT activities appeal to all types of learners from the visual to the kinaesthetic. We use a range of resources such as; iPads, laptops, computers, BBC Micro:bits, Apps, online websites and software, to provide a framework for students to learn how to use technologies to create innovative solutions that meet current and future needs. Students are encouraged to make decisions about the development and use of technologies, and how technologies can contribute to a sustainable future.

Students at Billanook Primary participate in programs designed to help them have safe, enjoyable experiences online. We provide online safety education to ensure that our students use the internet and social media in a safe manner, and that they have a thorough understanding of what constitutes cyberbullying. Students learn how to access help if they feel uneasy about something they have viewed online, or if they have experienced any form of cyberbullying.

Here are just some examples of focus areas for learning from Foundation to Level 6 are;

-Computer software: Word, Excel, Publisher and Powerpoint

-Emails: sending, receiving, editing, creating and using online address books

-Coding: using online websites such as Scratch to design, write, test, debug/troubleshoot and maintain the source code of computer programs

-Micro:bit Technology: using Block Editor or Java Script to write programs for Micro:bit use, or for use with robotics

-Movie Making and Editing: using apps such as iMovies

-Claymation Animation: using online programs and Apps