Curriculum

Cranbourne West Primary uses researched evidence based programs in all areas of the curriculum and provides the staff and climate that prepares students to be…

Intellectually Curious and Literate Individuals Who:

  • Are engaged and empowered to learn and achieve
  • Believe they have the potential to make a contribution and develop excellence in a number of chosen areas
  • Are motivated to investigate, research, discover, resolve, create, uncover and understand
  • Are self-directed, self-regulated and think for themselves
  • Reflect on and learn from experiences
  • Take intellectual risks

Complex Thinkers Who:

  • Use problem-solving strategies
  • Use a range of strategies to creatively and critically think
  • Analyse information and test ideas make informed choices
  • Generate and ask questions

Effective Communicators Who:

  • Have a strong foundation in literacy and Numeracy
  • Are able to express themselves verbally and numerically.
  • Are able to express themselves through writing
  • Use language appropriate to the various academic subjects
  • Use evidence and examples
  • Resolve conflicts in a peaceful and respectful manner
  • Listen actively
  • Show empathy
  • Express themselves creatively
  • Effectively use technology and understand both its powers and limitations
  • Use the arts as a form of expression

Socially, Emotionally, and Physically Healthy Individuals Who:

  • Develop confidence and self-knowledge
  • Engage in life with a developing sense of humour
  • Develop persistence and resilience
  • Take responsibility for themselves and their actions
  • Adapt to change
  • Define and confidently pursue goals
  • Choose a safe and healthy way of life
  • Work collaboratively

Responsible Global Citizens Who:

  • Are committed to peace and social justice
  • Value universal human rights and respect the beliefs and cultures of others
  • Recognize diversity and the interdependence of all things
  • Actively protect the environment
  • Engage in the local, national and world communities

The F-10 Victorian curriculum includes both knowledge and skills these are defined by learning areas and capabilities.

The learning areas are The Arts, English, Health and Physical Education, The Humanities, Language, Mathematics, technology. The four capabilities are – Critical Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural, and Personal and Social. The teaching of literacy numeracy and ICT are embedded into all curriculum areas.

We aim to optimise student learning through the implementation of the Victorian Curriculum and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework across all year levels in a manner consistent with DET requirements, locally identified needs and our CAFÉ, VOICES, TiLER, Respectful Relations and Learn by Design instructional models.

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Literacy Programs

CWPS operates the CAFÉ program for teaching reading because it is a well-researched and evidence based program with a proven track record of improving reading.

It teaches explicitly the comprehension strategies students need to interact with and understand texts.

It is engaging and quick paced, offering choices for students throughout their reading sessions.

It provides time for one- on-one conferences between the student and their teacher, where they set goals for improving their reading.

Students work on one of the listed strategies each day of the week during their CAFÉ session

The Acronym CAFÉ stands for

C – comprehension
A – accuracy
F – fluency
E – exploring vocabulary

CWPS also utilises the VOICES program for teaching writing at Cranbourne West Primary School. This well researched and evidence based program has a proven track record for improving writing.

It explicitly teaches the skills of writing though developing vocabulary, text structure and grammar, to give students a strong structural knowledge of the craft of writing.

It is an engaging program that is strongly linked to our Big Idea topic each term and enables students to apply their writing to their learning.

Each session involves a short explicit lesson, followed by individual and small group work where intervention is given at each student’s point of need based on their individual learning goal.

The acronym VOICES stands for

V – vocabulary building
O – organising and using vocabulary
I – ideas about the text structure
C – conventions of writing, including grammar and punctuation
E – editing skills

Numeracy Programs

At CWPS we use a teaching model and structure to teach numeracy called T.i.L.E.R

This teaching model was designed by CWPS using the research of Jo Boaler a world renowned Professor of Mathematics from Stanford University and Paul Swann Melbourne University.

Mathematics teaching has gone through many changes but now the use of brain science has helped guide us in the best techniques and structures that work to promote the learning of mathematical concepts. Maths is about learning not performing. We believe it is valuable for a learner to make mistakes and that questions are really important in guiding students toward understanding. Deep thinking is more important than speed when it comes to understanding concepts and strategies in mathematics. We want every student to enjoy and thrive in mathematics and to become mathematical thinkers

The Acronym stands for

Ti stands for Tune In
This is a warm up time and is designed to get their brains ready and thinking mathematically. It is often a re-cap game to deepen their understanding of the previous day’s work. It hooks them in, they are involved and engaged in playing mathematical games.

L stands for Launch
This is where the teacher launches the mathematical problem. The problem and the vocabulary are explored by students individually or in pairs.

E stands for Explore
Mathematical strategies are used to solve the problem. Students experiment, take risks, investigate, discover, resolve, uncover and understand with support from the teacher the problem at hand.

R stands for reflect
Students and the teacher reflect upon the exploring phase. They listen to other student’s ideas and explain their own methods to solve the problem. Carefully designed questions by the teacher by responding to students they learn and understand strategies to use when solving a problem or situation in the most effective way.

Performing Arts

Performing Arts is taught from Foundation to Year 6. As a school, some of our foci include beat and rhythm, microphone skills, character development, and experimentation with instruments. Our big celebration of Performing Arts culminates in the whole school concert, which is held at the end of Term 3.

Performing Arts Lunchtime Activities

1.20pm – 2.10pm
*Please line up outside Area 5 and wait for Mrs Start

Tuesday
Uke West
(Advanced Uke Students Only)

Wednesday
School Choir for Students in Year 2 – 6

Thursday
Ukulele Club (Beginners to Intermediate Level)

*All activities held in the Area 5 corridor
*Activities run regardless of weather
*If Mrs Start is absent, activities will not be held

Visual Arts

Visual Arts At CWPS, we believe students are capable learners with the ability to achieve success in any task. We aim to build students confidence in experimenting with different materials and develop their skills as they learn about the elements of art. We encourage students to celebrate, reflect, display and comment on each other’s work in accordance to the curriculum. In term one, Foundation students are learning to identify and use primary colours. Students will look at the Dutch Artist Mondrian to see how he used primary colours to create his art. They will then create their own Mondrian stylized picture. Students will also explore the primary colours with paint and see what happens when two primary colours are mixed together.

Junior students (Years 1 and 2) are focusing on primary and secondary colours. They are exploring what happens when you mix primary colours and how they interact with each other. They will be investigating face shapes and manipulating different materials to create portraits using soft pastels and coloured paper. By the end of the term the grade one and two students should be able to confidently identify the primary colours and be able to mix them together to create the secondary colours.

Middle students (Years 3 and 4) will be exploring the secondary colours and categorising them into warm and cool colours. They will also be investigating contemporary Indigenous Australian artworks and exploring ways of using these works to inspire their own painting. By the end of term one students will produce a piece of artwork that encompasses aspects of contemporary Indigenous Australian artworks and the use of warm and cool colours.

Senior students (Years 5 and 6) are taking on the topic of Stained Glass Trees. This will show an understanding of the complete colour wheel and how to effectively use all the colours together. Students will also work with spatial awareness using negative and positive space to create their mixed media picture. Students will be challenged with new and interesting techniques and processes to keep them engaged and immersed in Visual Arts.

Physical Education

Why Physical Education?
Physical Education is designed around promoting lifelong physically active lifestyle habits. Research shows that being physically active has a plethora of benefits for both children and adults.

We aim to contribute to a happier, healthier and more successful community, inclusive of pupils who have greater confidence, developed social competencies and self-esteem.

We believe that by encouraging students to actively participate in sport and Physical Education we are supporting the development of:

  • A positive attitude towards life and positive self esteem
  • An attitude towards persistence
  • A caring attitude towards themselves and others
  • A sense of responsibility for their own health and well-being by learning to make healthy choices
  • Improved student Learning
  • Respectful attitudes towards others

The CWPS Program
The Physical Education program is designed to provide positive physical activity experiences that support the development of healthy, active children. All students participate in Physical Education lessons taken by our specialist Physical Education teacher. Children in the Junior school develop and refine fundamental motor skills (running, jumping, skipping, catching, throwing, kicking, rolling, balancing, twisting and turning) and apply these in a variety of structured activities and minor games. In Years 3 to 6, students begin to transfer these skills, into more complex, sports-specific environments as they develop more sports specific skills and strategies. Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 have sport lessons in addition to this, co-ordinated by our Physical Education specialist teacher and involving classroom teachers as well. Throughout these learning episodes there is a constant focus on a range of important values:

  • Learn
  • Trust
  • Respect
  • Sense Of Humour
  • Having fun

Perceptual Motor Program (PMP)
Our PMP program helps to promote balance, locomotion skills, hand/eye co-ordination, as well as body space awareness, auditory and visual memory.

Interschool Sport Program
Students in Years 3 to 6 are provided with increasing opportunities to represent the school in sporting competitions such as cross country and athletics in addition to Gala days. Year 5 and 6 students engage in interschool sporting programs across a variety of sports. As part of the program all students have the opportunity to take part in competitions against other schools. These interschool competitions provide an excellent opportunity to apply sports specific skills, teamwork, sportsmanship and game etiquette as well as meet other students in a safe, friendly and supportive environment.

As members of School Sport Victoria, successful teams and individuals have a pathway to State Championships.

Swimming and Water Safety
Students in Years 1 and 2 participate in an intensive 2 week swimming program at a local aquatic centre. Year 3 and 4 students participate in a Beach Water Safety Program run by Lifesaving Victoria. Years 5and 6 also participate in water safety awareness through either a sailing excursion and/or Life Saving Victoria Meet a Lifeguard program.

Expert Coaches
During the year we have expert coaches visit the school providing specialised coaching in specific areas.

Extracurricular

To support and enhance student learning we offer a wide range of extracurricular programs, activities and events throughout the year. Many of these incorporate parent and family involvement. For 2023, these include but are not limited to:

  • Prep Welcome BBQ (Term 1)
  • Year 3/4 Camp – Camp Allambee (Term 1)
  • Year 5 Camp – Doxa Malmsbury Camp (Term 1)
  • Year 6 Camp – Urban Camp (Term 1)
  • Year 1/2 Swimming Lessons (Term 1)
  • Student Leadership & SRC (Student Representative Council)
  • Student Leadership Training Excursions
  • Life Education Van 
  • School Dental Van 
  • Easter Bonnet Parade 
  • Mother’s and Father’s Day Stalls
  • School Discos (Term 4)
  • Run for Fun (Term 2)
  • Lamont Book Fair
  • Book Week Parade (at assembly 9:15 to 11:00)
  • School Concerts (evenings – towards the end of Term 3)
  • Prep Grandparents Day
  • Customs, Cultures and Christmas Carols Concert (held in December)
  • Excursions and In-visits
  • Choir & Uke West (run at lunchtimes)
  • Club House (run at recess and lunchtimes)
  • Breakfast & Brunch Club (daily)
  • Special Canteen Days
  • Interschool Sports Competitions
  • Community Sports at Lunchtime

 

EAL Program
At Cranbourne West Primary School, the English as an Additional Language program is designed to assist our students who are newly arrived and/or have limited English language skills.

Through a wide range of strategies, we provide English language instruction and additional support to enable our EAL students to access the school curriculum. This enables students build their command of vocabulary and confidence with both verbal and written English language skills.

LOTE
Cranbourne West students learn Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as their chosen LOTE language. Auslan is taught throughout the whole school with the students learning about Deaf culture, inclusivity, and how to communicate in Auslan. As a school we also try and incorporate Auslan into many other aspects of our learning, for example in our classrooms as visual cues, signed songs in our school concert, and as part of our choreography for our school choir.

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