Learning & Teaching
Primary Years Program (PYP)
Kingston Heath PS offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), an internationally recognised curriculum framework for primary school students. We use this framework as a vehicle to deliver the Victorian Curriculum. We are the only PYP school in this area.
The PYP focuses on learning through a concept-driven curriculum based around significant and engaging central ideas. This encourages student curiosity, wonderment and inquiry. Our students have opportunities to explore both local and global issues through an inquiry lens and following their own interests. We develop within each student skills, values, attributes and knowledge that they take with them for life. Our students demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning every day: they are creative and critical thinkers; they are confident problem-posers and problem-solvers, and they show respect and acceptance of other opinions and beliefs.
We promote student and community voice, equity and excellence with all of our students and we encourage our students to actively seek to make the world a better place.
The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
At Kingston Heath Primary school, we deliver the PYP using the Victorian Curriculum. Where appropriate, we have linked elements of the Victorian Curriculum to different units of inquiry to make learning authentic and engaging.
At the centre of all IB programmes is the “Learner Profile”. These attributes of a learner are central to all IB programmes and, at KHPS, we have adopted these attributes as our school values. As students’ progress through school, they reflect on these attributes and develop and demonstrate their features at a more mature and complex level.
Please follow the following link for an overview of the PYP prepared by the International Baccalaureate Organisation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOhS6viEg4w
The IB Learner Profile attributes underpin all IB Programmes. The 10 attributes characterise successful learners are:
1. Inquirers – They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
2. Knowledgeable – They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
3. Reflective – They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
4. Communicators – They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
5. Caring – They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
6. Thinkers – They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognise and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
7. Open-minded – They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
8. Principled – They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
9. Balanced – They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
10. Courageous – They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
These attributes represent values that teachers, students and all who work at the School aim to develop in themselves.
The PYP is all about inquiry:
Inquiry is the process through which a learner moves from his or her current level of understanding to a new and deeper level.
Our students will be:
- Exploring, wondering and questioning
- Collecting data and reporting findings
- Making and testing theories
- Experimenting and playing with possibilities
- Researching and seeking information
- Elaborating on solutions to problems
- Clarifying existing ideas and reappraising events
- Deepening understanding through the application of a concept or rule
- Making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
Using inquiry-based learning, the PYP is able to engage and challenge students who have many diverse perspectives, values, cultural backgrounds, and languages.
All units explore the Transdisciplinary Themes of:
- Who We Are
- Where We Are In Time and Place
- How We Express Ourselves
- How the World Works
- How We Organise Ourselves
- Sharing the Planet
The PYP is a transdisciplinary curriculum drawing on individual disciplines into a coherent whole, while preserving the essence of each subject.
The PYP is a transdisciplinary curriculum with the student at the centre of everything we do. The curriculum draws the individual disciplines into a coherent whole, while preserving the essence of each subject.
Our carefully planned units of inquiry include opportunities for students to develop their knowledge in a broad range of subject areas. Students also practise the approaches to learning (ATLs) which are skills used across all areas of learning. These skills fall under the categories of social, communication, thinking, research and self-management skills. The ultimate aim of the units of inquiry is for our students to be able to take action as a result of the learning. This action may extend the child’s learning, or it may have a wider social impact.
Each unit of inquiry will be driven by some of the key concepts and a guiding question
FORM: What is it like?
FUNCTION: How does it work?
CAUSATION: Why is it like it is?
CHANGE: How is it changing?
CONNECTION: How is it connected to other things?
PERSPECTIVE: What are the points of view?
RESPONSIBILITY: What is our responsibility?
The child is always at the centre!
Victorian Curriculum – Digital Technologies
The Digital Technologies curriculum enables students to become confident and creative developers of digital solutions through the application of information systems and specific ways of thinking about problem-solving.
Students acquire a deep knowledge and understanding of digital systems, data and information and the processes associated with creating digital solutions so they can take up an active role in meeting current and future needs.
The curriculum has been designed to provide practical opportunities for students to explore the capacity of information systems to systematically and innovatively transform data into digital solutions through the application of computational, design and systems thinking.
The curriculum also encourages students to be discerning decision-makers by considering different ways of managing the interactions between digital systems, people, data and processes (information systems) and weighing up the possible benefits and potential risks for society and the environment.
The Digital Technologies curriculum aims to ensure that students can:
- design, create, manage and evaluate sustainable and innovative digital solutions to meet and redefine current and future needs
- use computational thinking and the key concepts of abstraction; data collection, representation and interpretation; specification, algorithms and development to create digital solutions
- apply systems thinking to monitor, analyse, predict and shape the interactions within and between information systems and the impact of these systems on individuals, societies, economies and environments
- confidently use digital systems to efficiently and effectively automate the transformation of data into information and to creatively communicate ideas in a range of settings
- apply protocols and legal practices that support safe, ethical and respectful communications and collaboration with known and unknown audiences.
BYOD Program
As a 21st century learning community Kingston Heath Primary School is committed to using digital technologies as a tool to support learning in all subject areas. In order to facilitate this commitment, students from across the school are encouraged to bring their own devices to school. In Foundation to Year 2 iPads are recommended and in Years 3 to 6 Chromebooks are used.
Cybersafety
Kingston Heath Primary School takes pride in teaching digital safety in accordance with the Victorian curriculum. We aim to have a school that embodies smart, safe and responsible use of information and communications technology as a cultural norm. Students, teachers and the wider school community are equipped to embrace the best these technologies can offer while being savvy about the pitfalls.
STEAM
We pride ourselves on developing 21st-century thinkers that will leave school with the skills needed for our ever-changing world. To support this goal, we encourage problem-solving and innovative thinking using a range of science and technologies to further extend every student. This includes our new robotics resources across prep to year 6, including Blue Bots, Dash Robots, Lego WeDo2.0 and Lego Mindstorms. We are also lucky to have access to a state-of-the-art 3D printer where students are given the opportunity to plan, design, test and print their many creative designs.
Victorian Curriculum
Kingston Heath Primary school is committed to the successful implementation of all aspects of the Victorian Curriculum. The curriculum includes a focus on all 8 Learning Areas (The Arts, English, Health and Physical Education, The Humanities, Languages, Mathematics, Science and Technologies) and the 4 Capabilities (Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural and Personal and Social).
The Victorian Curriculum F–10 includes both knowledge and skills. This curriculum design assumes that knowledge and skills are transferrable across the curriculum and therefore are not duplicated. The skills and knowledge defined in the capabilities will be developed, practised, deployed and demonstrated by students in and through their learning across the curriculum.
The design of the Victorian Curriculum F–10 is set out below:
Learning Areas
The Arts- including
- Dance
- Drama
- Media Arts
- Music
- Visual Arts
- Visual Communication Design
English
Health and Physical Education
The Humanities
- Civics and Citizenship
- Economics and Business
- Geography
- History
Languages
Mathematics
Science
Technologies
- Design and Technologies
- Digital Technologies
Capabilities
- Critical and Creative Thinking
- Ethical
- Intercultural
- Personal and Social
Languages
The Language Other Than English offered at Kingston Heath Primary is Italian. The Italian program aims to provide students with the opportunity to gain an insight into another culture and its language. At Kingston Heath Primary School we are fortunate to have an experienced teacher in this area. Our focus is on interactive learning, meaning that the language is learnt through games, songs and communicative activities.
Other Activities
School Camps
School Camp Programs are conducted for students in Years 2 – 6. Year 2 students attend an annual Sleep Over at school, whilst student in years 3 – 6 participate in camps from 3 – 5 days. The program is activity based with emphasis on social development, in particular self-esteem and personal independence. Throughout their schooling, students should participate in a variety of camping experiences. The cost of all camping programs is covered by the parents.
Specialist
Italian
The LOTE language that we teach at Kingston Heath Primary School is Italian. This year the Italian program is taught by Signora Daniela Vecchi. The aim of teaching this language is to provide a quality Italian cultural awareness LOTE program for all students. The program assists students to develop an understanding of the cultural contexts in which the language is used, as well as the shared meanings, values and practices of the community as embodied in that language.
Visual Arts
Students in all levels have Visual Arts sessions each week during semester two in our Art Room. The Art program enables students to be involved in a range of activities that aim to develop and extend their individual artistic skills and creativity.
Visual Arts includes the fields of art, craft and design. Students create visual art works that communicate, challenge and express their own and others’ ideas. They develop perceptual and conceptual understanding, critical reasoning and practical skills through exploring and expanding their understanding of their world, and other worlds. They learn about the role of the artist, craftsperson and designer and their contribution to society, and the significance of the creative industries including the roles of critics, curators and commentators. Students learn about the relationships between the viewer and artworks and how artworks can be displayed to enhance meaning for the viewer.
Through Visual Arts, students make and respond using visual arts knowledge, understanding and skills to express meanings associated with personal views, intrinsic and extrinsic worlds. Visual Arts engages students in a journey of discovery, experimentation and problem-solving relevant to visual perception and visual language, utilising visual techniques, technologies, practices and processes. Learning in the Visual Arts leads students to become increasingly confident and proficient in achieving their personal visual aesthetic, appreciating and valuing that of others.
Visual Arts supports students to view the world through various lenses and contexts. They recognise the significance of visual arts histories, theories and practices, exploring and responding to artists, craftspeople and designers and their artworks. They apply visual arts knowledge in order to make critical judgments about their own work and that of others. Learning in the Visual Arts helps students to develop understanding of world cultures and their responsibilities as global citizens.
The Visual Arts curriculum aims to develop students’:
- conceptual and perceptual ideas and expressions through design and inquiry processes
- visual arts techniques, materials, processes and technologies
- critical and creative thinking, using visual arts languages, theories and practices to apply aesthetic judgment
- respect for and acknowledgement of the diverse roles, innovations, traditions, histories and cultures of artists, craftspeople, designers, curators, critics and commentators
- respect for visual arts as social and cultural practices, including industry practices
- confidence, curiosity, imagination and enjoyment and a personal aesthetic through engagement with visual arts making, viewing, discussing, analysing, interpreting and evaluating
Physical Education
Kingston Heath Primary school values the health and fitness of every child in the school. We encourage physical activity by providing each grade with a variety of sporting equipment for playtime and lunchtime use, have excellent playground equipment, a large oval, netball / basketball courts and a vegetable garden.
Interschool Sport
In Grade 5 and 6 students compete in Interschool team sports against local primary schools for the Cheltenham District Sports Association. Interschool Sport is sectioned into Summer and Winter Sport. Students participate in the following sports:
- Summer sports (Term 1) offered are: T-Ball, Volleyball, Cricket and Hot Shots Tennis.
- Winter sports (Term 2) offered are: Football, Soccer, Netball and Softball.
House Carnivals
House carnivals are held for swimming, cross country and athletics. Students in Years 3 – 6 participate in cross country and students in Years 3- 6 participate in the house swimming and athletics carnivals.
Intensive Swimming Program
All students from Foundation to Year 4 are involved in an 8 day intensive swimming program in preparation for the swimming season ahead.
Life Saving
Students in Years 5 and 6 are involved in a week of life-saving activities on the beach at Beaumaris Life Saving Club. The program is 50% in the water and 50% on dry land.
Performing Arts
We profile the performing arts in many different ways. In previous years we have had whole school concerts and end of year performances.
Music Lessons
Private instrumental music lessons are conducted during class time at Kingston Heath Primary by local music school, Poco Music.
Private music lessons are offered in any musical instrument you would like your child to learn, including singing.
If you would like your child to commence lessons you can visit our website at: www.pocomusic.com.au and fill out the enrolment form.
Alternatively you can call us on our office number on: 9584 7341
KHPS Kitchen Garden Program
At KHPS we are proud of our Kitchen Garden program. Students inquire into healthy habits and the world around them. They learn about sustainable gardening methods, caring for our environment and nutrition.
We have free range chickens and we grow fruit and vegetables for our cooking program. Our students plant and harvest our produce. They also work with a dedicated staff member to cook meals. And they develop their literacy, numeracy and science skills within this program.
We have parent volunteers who come and join us to help out in the kitchen and around the school. We welcome our parents as partners in all areas of school life.
Sustainability
Kingston Heath Primary School is working towards a sustainable future and raising environmental awareness for our whole school community. Some initiatives that have been implemented include:
- Worm Farms
- Compost bins in each classroom
- Comingled recycling
- Water tanks
- Solar powered hot water
- Nude Food Days (reducing waste from excessive food packaging)
Library
We promote a love of reading here. Our library was recently refurbished. Flexible furniture promotes book sharing and talking. We know that student literacy gains are higher when libraries are thriving places of learning.
Our students attend classes here and have the opportunity to borrow and return books.
The library is also part of our clubs program. We open the library at lunch times for students to engage with reading and as an alternate to outside play.
Student Leadership
Student Leadership provides an opportunity for students to actively participate in the decision making processes at our school. They are encouraged to take on leadership roles in an endeavour to increase their own leadership skills and to act as effective role models for others. They are encouraged to develop a sense of belonging to the school community and they are provided with opportunities to offer their views and ideas.
School Captains
At the end of each year, Year 4 & 5 students vote to recommend their preferred male and female school captains for the following year. Their choices are ratified by staff.
House Captains
The school has four houses for various sport and civic competitions and activities. Two captains and two vice captains are elected for each house.
The houses are:
- Acacia (Gold)
- Melaleuca (Green)
- Eucalypt (Blue)
- Heath (Red)
House Captains have the responsibility for organising sports teams, monitoring sports equipment and organising class and duty competitions and activities.
Year 6 Responsibility
All Year 6 students have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and responsibility in their final year at Kingston Heath Primary School. Duties may include:
- Assemblies
- Lead sports events – House Swimming, House Cross Country, House Athletics
- Peer Support – Buddy Activities
- ICT Centre
- Community Service – Leading multi age groups for school activities
- Environment – organising charity days
Assessment & Reporting
Assessment
Teachers conduct a range of assessments with students throughout the year.
Reporting to Parents
Student semester reports are available on Compass in June and December. Student reports provide you with a clear picture of your child’s achievement and progress against the Victorian Curriculum achievement standards in Foundation – Year 6.
Teacher/Parent/Student Interviews and/or conferences are available throughout the year.