At Woodend Primary School students in Foundation to Year 6 participate in the following specialist programs for one session a week.
French
The French language program provides students with an introduction to one of the world’s most significant languages. While France is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, there are many other reasons to learn French. Here are just a few:
Encouraging children to have an interest in learning another language is one of the main goals of our program, and while the language itself is the central focus, students also learn about other aspects of France including history, culture and geography.
Visual Art
We have a large, well-equipped art room where each grade participates in 50 minute art class per week. We use the Victorian Curriculum as the basis of our Visual Art program. We aim to provide students with the opportunity to express, explore and experiment with their artistic abilities and progressively build on a broad range of skills.
Students work in the areas of painting, printing, drawing, modelling, construction, collage and textiles and investigate and use the seven elements of art - line, shape, colour, texture, value, form and space.
Students participate in a wide range of art activities in which they explore ideas and observations and use their imagination to create their own artworks. these activities invovle a range of topics, materials, tools, techniques and processes. We provide students with learning tasks that are achieveable, adaptable, encompassing and challenging.
Students make and share their artworks with their peers and experience visual art as an audience. Student looks at a range of artworks and artists and become aware of whom artists are and how/why they express their ideas through different art forms. They also learn of the influence of art on world history and culture.
Through making, viewing, discussing and evaulating in Visual Art, we aim to foster confidence, curiosity, imagination and enjoyment. Art provides a way for students to express their thoughts and feelings, teaches problem solving, allows them to interpret things in many ways and can bring beauty and make a space feel good.
Music/Performing Arts
We aim to provide a rich and stimulating Music and Performing Arts program to foster the innate creativity of children and develop their collaborative music-making skills. Students from Foundation to Year Six explore a wide range of instrumentation, from drums and other un-tuned percussion to marimbas, guitars, ukulele, samba bateria and ocarina. A wide variety of fun and engaging songs from our local and global communities are taught, providing students with frequent opportunities to perform at whole school assemblies, concerts, fairs, graduations and various gatherings throughout the school year. Under the Performing Arts umbrella, students also explore dance, both set and creative, along with drama and a range of circus skills.
Private instrumental music tutors also provide a wonderful opportunity for students to follow their passion and expand their musical skills beyond the classroom program.
Physical Education
We provides an inclusive and engaging Physical Education program across all year levels. Each week students take part in age-appropriate games and activities designed to develop physical fitness and build on their physical, cognitive and social skills in a fun, challenging and supportive environment. The program focuses on skill development with a strong emphasis on teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, peer support and the building of self-esteem, persistence and respectful relationships. In Physical Education students encourage and support each other in their learning. They develop an understanding of fair play and the safe use of space and equipment. The Physical Education program provides students with the ability and confidence to participate in sport within the school and in the community, and to lead lifelong healthy and active lifestyles.
In addition to the Physical Education program, we offer interschool sporting opportunities for students in Years 3-6. We are a member of the Cobaw District Schools Sporting Association which organises and runs interschool sporting events in a wide range of sports with other local schools. Being associated with School Sport Victoria allows our successful teams and individual students the opportunity to progress through the levels of competition to experience sporting competitions from District through to State level.
We also offer a weekly Senior Sport program where students in Years 5 & 6 put the skills and tactics they learn in Physical Education into action by participating in a wide range of sports including tennis, volleyball, cricket, softball, football, teeball, netball, soccer, basketball, cross country and athletics. Senior Sport is also a great opportunity for our interschool sport teams to practise and refine their skills.
Social and Emotional Learning
We are committed to the implementation of a whole school approach to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) that promotes inclusivity. The SEL program is essential to the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of all students. We believe that every member of our school community has a right to learn, the right to feel safe and are responsible for how they behave. We aim to build respectful relationships, with staff, peers and the wider community. We strive to educate our students to build on their strengths, overcome their challenges and value respect, responsibility and resilience.
The SEL program provides a safe and secure environment for students to develop their social and emotional awareness, along with skills and strategies to ensure social and emotional wellbeing.
SEL is taught explicitly once a week with follow up via classroom instruction. SEL can develop a student’s ability to recognise and manage emotions, show care and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships and handle challenging situations effectively.
Our SEL program is aligned with Victorian Curriculum learning areas including the Personal and Social Capabilities and Health and Physical Education domains. Our Program incorporates the following five interrelated SEL areas of competence:
Our Program engages the following supports to create a positive, inclusive and supportive school climate:
