Curriculum

The Early Learning Centre lays the first foundation for Kurrajong and provides a structured pre-school learning environment for children aged 3½ - 5 years.

Children develop understanding of concepts about themselves, others and the world around them through observation, interacting with people and objects and seeking solutions to concrete problems.

In the Early Learning Centre and throughout Kurrajong, young children are engaged in active learning experiences that allow them to construct, test and apply their developing knowledge.

They are continually challenged in subtle ways to achieve specific learning goals, enabling them to gain increasing meaning from their surrounding world: to interpret sensory experiences and ultimately to take the prerequisite steps for developing their minds in preparation for reading and other academic tasks.

Children learn about Mathematics, Science, Design and Technology, Studies of Society and Environment, Literacy, Health, Languages Other than English, Information Communication Technology and Music through integrated meaningful activities.

A natural progression is made from the ELC to Reception where a more formal approach to learning takes place and the children take part in learning experiences in the following curriculum areas with their classroom teacher.

ENGLISH

The English curriculum comprises five strands: Reading,Writing, Spelling, Handwriting as well as Listening and Speaking.

We believe that literacy is the key to success across the curriculum and the foundation of life-long learning.

Our programme is based on the recognition that all students should succeed in literacy by the end of their third year of schooling.

The Reception - Year 2 students participate in a two-hour literacy block for four mornings each week. The programmes during these sessions draw on a balanced use of powerful teaching strategies in order to deliver the most effective teaching possible. The main part of each session consists of activities that have a small group focus which allows for explicit teaching of skills to students.

Some of the strategies used include:

• Reading to children
• Shared reading
• Guided reading
• Independent reading
• Shared writing
• Modelled writing
• Interactive writing
• Independent writing
• Guided writing
• Oral language

Central to this programme is the regular monitoring and assessment carried out by teachers to provide detailed, systematic and on-going profiles of all students. This ensures that teachers are able to match their teaching to the needs of each student.

MATHEMATICS

The Mathematics curriculum aims to lead our students to an understanding of the fundamental concepts of number, pattern and order, spatial relations and measurement.

Our curriculum recognises that the acquisition of mathematical concepts occurs in a sequential manner; significant use is made of concrete materials and problems are presented to students within the context of real life situations allowing for a greater understanding of mathematics and its place in our world.

SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT

This curriculum aims to develop an understanding of the relationship between the individual person and the society and environment in which he/she lives.  It includes learning about social systems, cultures and people at the local and global level.

Concepts and core topics include: Aboriginal Studies, Australian Studies, Social Systems,Time, Continuity and Change, Society and Culture, Geographic awareness, resources and natural systems.

SCIENCE

The Science curriculum has four conceptual strands:

• Earth and Space
• Energy Systems
• Life Systems
• Matter

The curriculum aims to develop students’ abilities to ask questions and find answers about the natural and physical world.

Activities and discussions build on students’ experiences, allowing them to link new information with what they already know. Students learn that Science is an integral part of their daily lives. The teaching staff place an emphasis on student based learning. The students are involved in “hands-on”, inquiry-based, problem-solving activities as the foundation for learning about scientific phenomena.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Design and Technology is the area of study where students learn to design, make and critique using a variety of processes, materials and tools.

ASSEMBLY AND CHAPEL

Pulteney is founded on the Christian faith and is affiliated with the Anglican Church. The students attend a Kurrajong assembly and chapel service each week.  These involve songs, stories, relevant notices and presentations by students and visitors.  They are encouraged to respect the needs and feelings of others and to participate in a range of discussions and activities.

VALUES AND ETHICS EDUCATION

This is a unique Pulteney programme which emphasises the nine core values for Australian Schooling as identified in the National Framework are explored. These are: care and compassion, doing your best, fair go, freedom, honesty and trustworthiness, integrity, respect, responsibility and understanding, tolerance and inclusion.

The teaching of values and ethics at Pulteney is fundamental to our whole school teaching programme. Pulteney offers a comprehensive, universal programme covering a wide range of moral and ethical values. It is supported by a variety of programmes, as well as addressed in its own right, through explicit values and ethics education programme. This is a literature-based programme, which is supplemented by a focus on the Value of the Month, across all learning areas in Kurrajong.

SPECIALIST LESSONS

The Pulteney children are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the school’s specialist programmes from ELC to Year 2.

THE ARTS

The Arts integrates the areas of dance, drama, media, music and the visual arts. Students learn to develop concepts, conventions, skills and techniques in each of these areas.

Music Programme

Music is an integral part of our programme which includes singing, creative movement, use of percussion instruments and listening for appreciation. The music programme for Years ELC - 2 is based on the Kodaly Developmental Music Programme and Orff Methodologies. Elements such as beat, rhythm and pitch are developed by experiencing a variety of song material and percussion instruments. It is important for the children to be able to listen carefully which develops their aural skills, as well as singing ability. Individual instrument tuition is also provided by Pulteney’s Music Department.

Visual Arts

The Art curriculum is designed to offer various means of expression, experimentation and the development of a basic set of skills leading to a love of art, a sense of achievement and an ability to interact with the environment in a meaningful manner.

Children visit the Art Centre where the students, class teacher and visual arts specialists extend classroom topics through a variety of art activities. The stimulating projects which are undertaken provide an opportunity for students to express their thoughts and ideas in a visual manner. This enables students to further develop their manipulative, expressive and imaginative skills while extending classroom themes and activities.

Indonesian Programme

Indonesian for children in the ELC to Year 2 classes involves a variety of experiences. The activities include opportunities for the children to sing, play language games with picture and word cards, draw pictures, write words, listen to stories, cook and make books. As Indonesian instructions and expressions become familiar, the children respond with words or actions in a natural, spontaneous way. Learning Indonesian is enjoyable and complements their classroom activities. In time, children build up, through language and cultural activities, an empathy for the Indonesian people and their customs, and build a foundation for a more intensive language study.

Library

Kurrajong students visit the Library each week with their class teacher and the librarian. The curriculum focuses upon library procedures, the enjoyment of reading a wide variety of literature, author studies and research skills which allow them to access information from the Library which is pertinent to classroom themes and topics.

Health and Physical Education

Health and Physical Education encourages the development of physical, mental and social skills by introducing a range of sporting activities. It aims to promote an enjoyment of sport, physical fitness and a positive attitude to a healthy lifestyle.

Gross Motor Skills Programme

This is a programme of physical activities to assist children to move in a controlled and co-ordinated manner.
The programme aims to:

• Encourage the children to gain confidence in their ability to perform physical activities.
• Develop gross motor skills and co-ordinated body movements.
• Encourage practice and therefore improve the quality, speed and accuracy of motor skills.
• Encourage the child to communicate and work with others.
  

The activities involved in the programme include tumbling, balancing, jumping, landing, throwing, catching, hitting, kicking and climbing.

Information Communication Technology

The Information Communication Technology programme is designed to give children the opportunity to experiment and experience technology and interactive multi-media. It allows children to access the school’s extensive network. A sequential skills development programme using appropriate software is taught in the computer laboratory and in the classrooms.

Information Communication Technology aims to develop computer literacy, awareness and confidence. Students learn to use software independently, edit, save, format and publish work.

LITERACY AND EXTENDED CURRICULUM

The role of the Special Education teachers at Pulteney Grammar School is to:

• Provide Reading Recovery to Year 1 students at risk of not developing literacy skills.
• Support students with specific needs in the classroom, assisting teachers to modify their programme appropriately.
• Provide staff in-service in the latest methodology for gifted students, English as a Second Language students (ESL) and students with learning disabilities.
• Provide appropriate resources for staff to enable them to meet individual needs of students.
• Organise class testing and administer individual assessment tests.
• Co-ordinate the Learning Assistance Programme (LAP).
• Train and in-service LAP volunteers.
• Provide information and support for parents.
• Teach students in small groups and on a one-to-one basis.

Student Profiles

Reception children are assessed during the first and fourth terms at school using the School Entry Assessment. The results from this testing provide starting points for teaching allowing strategic tutoring to take place as early as possible in an inclusive curricula.

Literacy and Extended Curriculum

Year 1 and 2 students are formally tested at the beginning of Term 1 and Term 4 in reading comprehension, spelling and mathematics.

The Special Education and classroom teachers meet to discuss the results of these formal and informal classroom tests and observations to identify students with special needs. In collaboration with parents these students may be placed on any of the following programmes:

The Gifted and Talented (GATE) Programme
This programme is co-ordinated by the Special Education teachers encouraging children to extend and enrich their special abilities.

This is achieved in several ways:

• A modified classroom programme using an extensive thinking skills programme.
• A specialist teacher works with small groups in the classroom for enrichment and extension.
• Acceleration of students within a subject or to a higher class.

The Reading Recovery Programme
This programme was developed in New Zealand by Professor Marie Clay and has been successfully implemented in several Australian States, as well as in Ohio, Canada and England. It is an early intervention programme for students who at the end of their first year of schooling are experiencing difficulties in literacy. The programme helps students become independent readers and writers.

Each student is extensively tested and an individual programme is written for them. The student is seen individually on a daily basis for 30 minutes for approximately 20 weeks by the accredited Reading Recovery Teacher. The Reading Recovery Programme differs from other literacy programmes because the skills in reading, writing and spelling are all addressed in one programme.

The Learning Assistance Programme (LAP)
This programme provides individually structured programmes for children with special needs in reading, spelling, phonological awareness, story writing, mathematics, fine motor skills and the development of social skills. The programmes are written and co-ordinated by the Special Education teachers. Students work with trained volunteers on a one-to-one basis.

English as a Second Language (ESL)
Students who are identified as needing assistance with English as a Second Language are placed on programmes which may include:

• Bilingual support
• A modified classroom programme
• The Learning Assistance Programme (LAP)