Teaching Philosophy

 

 

At St Therese we have a unique teaching philosophy. This has evolved over the past fifteen years, drawing on progressive teaching and learning practise from global sources, with input from the teaching staff here, ensuring that we have an approach that effectively addresses the unique needs of each of our individual students.

 

 

 

 

We follow the Victorian Curriculum and report on outcomes related to this. Explicit Literacy and Numeracy sessions are taught each day. We also prioritise oral language development throughout our integrated curriculum and draw on the influence of Reggio Emilia and the 100 Languages of Children.

At the heart of our teaching philosophy is our belief that every child is capable. We look to empower children to learn and build their confidence by teaching them strategies to overcome difficulties. 
 
One of our mantras is 'mistakes are ok', which you will hear regularly spoken by children through the course of their day, as this means that they know they are learning. We aim to support and guide children to build a range of strategies that enable them to tackle age appropriate problems, both academic and social, with minimal adult intervention.
 
Parents are encouraged to empower their children through actions such as allowing them to carry their own school bag, and by not stepping in to solve problems for their child, rather guiding them to use strategies to solve them independently. This builds confidence and ensures that they are better prepared to deal with difficult situations as they find their way in the world. 
 
We often find that parents are surprised at the transformation in their child over the course of the Foundation year as they grow in confidence and resilience, as a result of this philosophy in action.
 
 

Here’s a short film of an ‘Investigations’ lesson:

 

 

 
 
 
 

We have a unique, spacious, open plan learning space that offers a highly effective learning environment, with experienced teachers ensuring calm and effective learning takes place. We encourage parents and children to visit and see our teaching and learning in action to experience this.

 

Our curriculum is also faith-based and Christ-centred with explicit Religious Education sessions, as well as daily morning prayer and attendance at St Therese Church for a termly Foundation Mass.

 

Once a fortnight we put on gumboots and waterproofs as we walk to Deep Creek for our ‘Out and About’. The children are given a provocation before each session and complete a reflection on their return to school.

 
Throughout the year we have additional activities going on. From activities with our Grade 6 Buddies, to excursions, cross country and school sports, fundraising days for our school charity REACH Vietnam, to dress-ups for Book Week and 100 Days of School, plus numerous other events, ensuring we are always busy and having fun.
 
  
 

 

 

Every Friday afternoon at 3pm we hold a ‘Friday Gathering’ when we invite families to come in for an open afternoon, when the children showcase their work and parents mingle and chat.