Welcome to

St Mary’s Primary School

Erskineville

Information Night

As a school community we commit to:

Ensuring that our children grow in the knowledge and understanding of their faith and experience a caring and nurturing community that celebrates life, reaches out to others and actively cares for our world.

Developing a love of learning through providing a curriculum that is relevant and challenging and teaching practice that adapts to meet individual learning needs.

Recognising achievements, nurturing gifts and talents and serving others.

Forming partnerships for mutual enrichment.

Enhancing our facilities to ensure a safe, pleasant learning environment.

St Mary’s Strategic Plan

Key Area 1 Catholic Life and Religious Education We are clearly Catholicin our identity and life

Key Area 2 Students and their Learning

Students engage in active and

creative learning

Key Area 5 Resources, Finances and Facilities We care for our school

and our earth

Key Area 3 Pedagogy

Pedagogy isinclusive, innovative

and effective

Key Area 4 Human Resources Leadership

and Management Staff collaborate as aprofessional learning

community

Our Vision 2008 - 2010

By the end of 2010, St Mary’ s School

will be a school where ...

Key Area 6 Parents, Partnership, Consultation

and Communication People are valued andcan make a difference

Key Area 7 Strategic Leadership and Management

A reflective learningculture promotes

excellence

Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

• Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.

Developing Life Skills

• Responsibility• Openness

• Co-operation• Problem-Solving

• Research

• Expression

• Task Management

Developing Life Skills

• Critical Thinking

• Using Technology

• Social responsibility

• Conflict Resolution

• School Discipline Policy

Child as a Learner

• Children are less attentive

• More attention-seeking

• More impulsive

• Less compliant

• More technically competent

• Under more personal pressure

Child as a Learner

• More globally connected

• Have higher IQ scores (Flynn & Dickens)

• More subject to adult turbulence

• Open expressions of acceptance

• Recognition of effort

• Joint viewing of TV and videos

• Interest in child’s friends and goals

• Tolerance for passing enthusiasms

• Delaying immediate gratification for long term goals

• Setting of limits

• Knowledge of child’s interests

• Being there and being consistent

• are interested in and enjoy what they are doing

• feel confident because of previous success

• are active and involved in their learning, discovering, trying and testing, reflecting on what they have already learnt.

• feel safe

• Are given the opportunity to learn in their own way

• Have plenty of opportunity to practise

• Have the opportunity to watch and imitate others

• Are learning for a reason; e.g. to solve a problem

• Religious Education

• English• Mathematics• Science/Technology• Creative/Practical Arts

• Personal Development/Health/PE

• Human Society and Its Environment

• Read them stories. Make them interactive so as to ask questions and get them talking about what they understand.

• If a child has a good command of language, i.e. in talking, they will learn to read more easily.

• Help them to write their name (in the correct case in the NSW Foundation Writing Style).

• Make the break with confidence.

• The first day of school for the Kinder 2009 class will be: Thursday, January 29th 2009

• The Assembly Bell will ring at 8.45 am

• 1st Lunch is between 11.00am – 11.30am

• 2nd Lunch is between 1.30pm – 2.00pm

• School finishes at 3.00pm

• Fundraising is compulsory

• Volunteer Committees• Fundraising• Hospitality• Teacher Resource• Gardening and maintenance• Parent Helpers in the classroom

• A Catholic School is not simply a place where lessons are taught.

• A Catholic School is part of the Catholic Parish Community that has an operative educational philosophy, attentive to the needs of today’s youth and illumined by the message of Jesus Christ.

• Not only the school community.

• Total community. It lives by the Gospel.

• The Sacraments of the Church.

• Parish Based ……. All information is given through the Church.

• Reconciliation …………… Year 3

• Eucharist …………………. Year 3

• Confirmation ……………. Year 6

• Praying as a Family

• Worshipping together as a Family

• Living the Christian Life