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Transition Phase
Primary school is a time of transition from the play-based preschool years to becoming disciplined Middle Schoolers. This is a period of considerable growth and change for the developing child. During this time, our focus is to guide students towards a positive self-image and to bring awareness of habits that are necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Through our life skills and character education curriculum, students are taught the importance of hygiene, following rules, being well-mannered, and situational etiquette.
Project Based Learning
Through fun and free-structured PBL activities, we instill in them the attitudes, work habits and skills needed for becoming independent and creative problem solvers. Risk-taking is encouraged in order to help them understand that it is ok to fail, and to view failures as opportunities for learning and improvement. Testing in the Primary years is minimal or low stakes. Where mastery is required, students are permitted to set their own pace.
Communication Skills and Literacy Focus
Literacy is THE focus area in years 1 to 5. Every opportunity is used to provide students with experiences in reading, writing, speaking or performing. All literacy activities are integrated with their core subjects of Science, Maths, Social Science and Values, so that students are able to build connections. The curriculum also has considerable portions of public speaking, role play and writing, to ensure all students are confident of these skills, and achieve mastery where possible. In the primary years, we place fluency of speaking before accuracy. These speaking skills are put in use in later years to present and defend ideas, so that students not only learn the art of public speaking but also how to effectively articulate ideas and concepts.
Our program in the Primary Years is designed to stoke the fire of a love of learning in students in an exciting period of their educational journey.