Curriculum Opportunities

We pride ourselves on a wide range of curriculum opportunites for our students

It’s not the curriculum that we offer that sets us apart, it’s the manner in which it’s delivered

Any school can teach a curriculum. Amazing schools like ours is full of teachers actively and passionately exploring the possibilities of making their teaching practice more innovative, engaging and fun at every turn. This is the single ingredient that drives the most growth in our students.

The success we attain is not only evidenced by the assessment data – but it’s seen through the smiles and joy we see on our student’s faces as a concept is grasped. This is the indefinable element that drives us as teachers to produce and grow our own teaching skills year in, year out.

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OUR CORE FOCUS

Student Wellbeing

Student wellbeing is central to everything that we do inside the classroom and outside. We have a strong focus on building our students into ‘well-rounded kids’

Literacy

We are widely regarded as one of the leading schools in the region for literacy. Our approach is unique and hands on.

Numeracy

One of the pillars of the strong education we offer. We make numeracy engaging by bringing it to life with real world problem solving.

Instructional Model

Our unique way of delivering the curriculum that is proving to deliver wonderful outcomes for our children

Physical Education

Our aim is to promote healthy bodies and healthy minds through our brilliant P.E. program.

Art

Challenging curiosity, creativity and imagination, our art program is designed to provide children with the skills and opportunities to record their observations and feelings about their world.

Chinese (Mandarin)

Immersion in a secondary language gives students not only the skill of speaking another language but the understanding of a different culture. We aim to give our students a greater awareness of the world in which they live.

Music

The Music Program at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School aims to engage all students in every aspect of joyful musical activity.

Extra Curricular

We have a wide variety of extracurricular programs at Bimbadeen to encourage and extend children’s all round development

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Meet our principal, teachers, current students, parents, learn about our curriculum opportunities and tips for a smooth start to school.

Wellbeing

Student Engagement and Wellbeing

Bimbadeen Heights is a KidsMatter school. We believe that children who feel happy and safe in the school environment are more likely to become successful learners. Recognising the link between wellbeing and learning, our programs and practices support the development of social and emotional skills and positive mental health.

The KidsMatter framework promotes:

· a sense of belonging
· an inclusive environment
· a strong relationship between members of the school community
· a deep understanding of students
· a positive attitude towards seeking help when needed

Bimbadeen Heights acknowledges that the relationships between all members of the school community, students, teachers, parents and our local neighbourhood is an important factor in providing a safe, supportive and inclusive school environment.

Bimbadeen Heights has an ethos where excellence is encouraged and diversity embraced. We aim to provide each child with the opportunity to develop to their full potential – intellectually, socially and personally in an environment that reflects our school values of respect, compassion, resilience and integrity.

The school wide positive behaviour support framework guides our whole school approach to discipline and behaviour interventions.

Applying an understanding of trauma informed practice and a restorative approach to manage conflict, we are able to effectively support all students in their social and emotional development..

Student Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Bimbadeen Heights has a teacher with special qualifications who is able to devote time outside the classroom to student wellbeing. Those children who require extra support can attend individual or group sessions designed to help them with issues such as:

Grief and loss (e.g. family separation, death of a loved one)
Social Skills
Managing strong emotions (e.g. anger, anxiety)
Individual support as needed

The Wellbeing Co-ordinator works closely with our School Chaplain who is available to support children and their families in a non-denominational capacity and our School Counsellor.

Attendance at these sessions can be initiated by parents or by teachers. As always, we emphasise the value of the home/school partnership.

Social and Emotional Learning Programs

Bimbadeen Heights has a number of structured programs which are designed to develop social and emotional learning skills (SEL) and to foster the wellbeing of our students. All year levels devotes time each week to explicitly teach social and emotional skills. These programs are further enhanced by regular circle time in classrooms. Social and Emotional learning programs at Years 3 to 6 are gender based to allow lessons to specifically target the needs of both boys and girls. SEL programs are aligned with the KidsMatter framework with its emphasis on positive mental health.

S.T.A.R.S. (Student Teams Are Really Special) – The whole school is divided into teams of students of mixed ages who meet regularly for circle time activities. This helps to build connectedness among the students and enables each child to get to know a wider range of people in the school.

Life Education – An accredited teacher spends several weeks at the school. Classes attend a session in the Life Education Van, learning about a healthy life style and making good choices. This forms the basis for our drug education program with class teachers using this visit as a focus for follow-up activities.

Our Social and Emotional Learning programs are further supported by specific lessons related to bullying, including cyber bullying and personal safety when using social media. Students are taught how to recognise, respond to and report bullying and to understand the crucial role of the bystander.

Specific puberty lessons from a trained adolescent health nurse/educator are also given to Year 5 and 6 students.

In the Playground

During recess and lunchtimes, there are always teachers in the playground to give assistance to children. Teachers on duty are given designated areas to ensure the whole school ground is supervised. They wear florescent jackets to make them highly visible. Teachers record playground incidents in official books, enabling staff to follow up and monitor incidents. Any patterns of behaviour also become apparent. Class teachers, the Wellbeing Co-ordinator and if necessary, the staff as a whole can then work together to deal with problems before they become entrenched. Behaviours such as bullying (the repeated targeting of a student in a way that causes that student distress) are rigorously addressed.

When necessary, alternative play arrangements are made for students who find the playground too challenging, or for health reasons require limited time outside or just prefer more passive play. The Kindness Room is open during recess and lunch and when available the library also offers more passive play choices.

As part of the SEL programs, students are taught social skills, how to build friendships and ways to manage social conflict. The ‘Wheel of Choice’ is on display in the classrooms and playground and gives students options on how to manage social situations. The school mantra is always ‘Make the problem smaller’.

School Chaplaincy Program

We have a School Chaplain funded under the National School Chaplaincy Program, supplemented by locally raised funds. Our School Chaplain works with children from Foundation to Grade 6, helping them with the issues they face. Sometimes these are issues outside of school, sometimes issues at school. The School Chaplain helps build their social and emotional skills whilst fully respecting their diverse backgrounds and family circumstances. The School Chaplain encourages, models and supports children to build resilience. He works closely with the dedicated staff and the Student Wellbeing co-ordinator. The School Chaplain also works closely with families and has access to a large support network that can be utilised to help parents with the challenges of life and bringing up children, including liaison or referral to external agencies.

The School Chaplain is at Bimbadeen two days a week engaging with students, parents and teachers. The service provision of this is by Korus Connect who employ around 200 chaplains working in primary and secondary school settings across Victoria.

The primary support is addressing the wellbeing of students in social emotional skills either individually or in small groups. Referrals can be initiated by students, staff or parents.

A consent form is required to engage with individual students.

There is regular evaluation of this program and weekly meetings with Bimbadeen leadership to ensure the best possible support for children and school families.

Feature Student – TLC (Teacher Learner Conversations)

As part of our commitment to giving students a ‘voice’ and building teacher understanding of each child as an individual, all students have the opportunity to talk privately to their teacher and discuss their learning goals, challenges, friendships and any concerns. These documented conversations give a clear indication of student growth in both their learning and relationships and allow teachers to monitor any cause for concern.

Restorative Practices

Bimbadeen Heights uses a restorative approach when managing student behaviour. This approach involves working with students to recognise and repair the harm that inappropriate behaviour has caused to a relationship, rather than focusing on blame and punishment.

Behaviour expectations are intrinsically linked to our core values and are explicitly taught to students. Class agreements, which have been negotiated between teachers and students detail agreed behaviours that will enhance the opportunities to participate in class, achieve learning goals and work cooperatively with peers.

Foundation Buddies

Year Six students look forward to regular classroom interaction with their young partners, such as eating lunch together, making things which might otherwise be too difficult for smaller children, reading to each other etc. Buddies are assigned after teachers become familiar with new Founders to enable those children with special needs to be considered. Year Six children are delighted to speak regularly with their Foundation Buddies in the playground, but encourage them to play with their own peers. It is important that the older children support the Founders in relating to other Foundation students rather than replacing those relationships.

KIDS FIRST

Bimbadeen Heights has developed a mentoring partnership with members of our local community. This program is based on the World Vision’s KIDS HOPE AUS. Program but is now organised independently through the wellbeing team at Bimbadeen. Our mentors devote one hour a week to one student for one year – although many continue until the student has completed primary school. These wonderful mentors are committed to ensuring that this is a special and valued time of the week for their students.

Literacy

BHPS’s literacy program is based on the Victorian Curriculum, on research based best practice and
on the example of excellent literature.
Students participate in daily ‘Reader’s and Writer’s Workshops’. These workshops encourage
student voice, cater to individual learning needs and move students towards independent reading
and writing.
Each workshop starts with an explanation of what is to be taught and how students will know when
they have learned it. Explicit teaching follows then students immerse themselves in practising
reading and writing. Teachers confer with students; they provide feedback and help students set
learning goals. Workshops finish with the sharing of student success and learning.
These workshops will help children extend their vocabulary, spell better, form and express their
opinions and listen to the opinions of others, write with increased skill and enjoy reading more great
books.
We are proud that we engender a love of reading and writing that sets children up for all future
learning.

Instructional Model

Download PDF below.
Reading Instructional Model

Physical Education

Children in all year levels have one Physical Education lesson per week. Areas taught in Foundation to Year 2 include: gymnastics, fundamental motor skills, minor games and ball handling. In Years 3 to Year 6, major games and athletics are also introduced.

Interschool Sport

Children in Years 3-6 will be given the opportunity to compete with children from their local schools in athletics, cross country and swimming. In Year 6, students play round robin days in a range of sports. Participation and having a go is emphasised and sporting excellence is also encouraged. Individuals and teams compete at District and State levels.

Perceptual Motor Program (PMP)

All Foundation children are involved in weekly Perceptual Motor Program sessions.

Intensive Swimming Program

Opportunities are given to all students to participate in an intensive swimming program.

Year Level Sport

Intra-school sport is played weekly at Years 1 – 6 and allows children to practise skills learnt during Physical Education Lessons.

Art

The school has a well-equipped Art/Craft room with excellent facilities for:

Painting, Drawing, Printing, Construction, Modelling/Sculpture, Collage/Paper Skills, Threads/Textiles.

Art is included in the school program to:

·     Challenge the curiosity, imagination and creativity of children.

·    Help children develop a joy in learning and a desire to keep learning.

·     Help children develop an interest in and understanding of the world around them and the world within them.

·      Provide children with the skills and opportunities to record their observations and feelings about their world.

Children will experience the elements of: line, shape, pattern, colour and texture.

Within each of these elements they are taught the concepts of: awareness, change, contrast, decoration, quality, special effects.

Art activities will be presented in a problem-solving format as often as possible, to allow each child to express his/her own unique solution.

Languages

During LOTE Chinese lessons students will explore many aspects of Chinese culture including popular festivals, hobbies, food and customs. Geographic and cultural comparisons will be made between China and other countries in Asia as well as between Australia and China. Students will also learn about the presence of Chinese culture and language within Australia.

Students will begin to develop an understanding of different elements within spoken and written Chinese, and of the origin of the character writing system. They will participate in a wide variety of engaging activities to support their learning and work towards developing a strong foundation in the language.

Music

The Music Program at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School aims to engage all students in every aspect of joyful musical activity. Based on the Orff and Kodaly approaches to teaching music, children will sing, listen, play, move, create, improvise, read and write in ways appropriate to their experience and developmental level.

Through songs, movement and stories the youngest children begin to learn about Music, and at Years Three and Four the focus on recorder lessons builds on these experiences. Year Five and Six students work in groups to create their own music works. Problem solving, working creatively together and the necessity of everyone’s contribution to the work at hand are important in Music classes. As the “password” outside the room once read, In the Music room, think; imagine; listen well. Keep in time, work together, always do your best. Use the instruments carefully.

The Choir and Percussion Ensemble rehearses at lunchtime and a number of visiting Instrumental teachers support the Music Program. Classes are held during school hours in Guitar, Drumkit and Keyboard.

Extra Curricular

We have a wide variety of extracurricular programs at Bimbadeen to encourage and extend
children’s all round development. These programs include tennis coaching, select entry aerobics
teams, instrumental music tuition (keyboards, guitar & drums) and an extension program for faster
learners.

Children participate in these programs during the school day and the costs are very reasonable and
less than what parents would pay for similar lessons outside of school hours.

Numeracy

Improving learning outcomes in numeracy is a priority at Bimbadeen. We have a focus on learning
the basic number facts, including tables, as that is the foundation of all maths learning. All
classrooms provide a differentiated Mathematics curriculum, which caters for each student at their
level, allowing all students to progress in their own understanding. Every child will have an individual
learning goal for their maths learning which will be monitored and changed as children achieve.
Throughout the school, Mathematics is taught and learnt individually, in small cooperative groups,
and in whole class settings.

Curriculum Opportunities

It’s not the curriculum that we offer that sets us apart, it’s the manner in which it’s delivered

OUR CORE FOCUS

Student Wellbeing

Literacy

Numeracy

Instructional Model

SPECIALISED TEACHING

Physical Education

Art

Chinese (Mandarin)

Music

Extra Curricular

Take Our Online Tour

Book a School Tour

Isn’t it time we got to know each other? Take our online VIDEO TOUR or book a SCHOOL TOUR!

Wellbeing

Literacy

Instructional Model

Physical Education

Art

Languages

Music

Extra Curricular

Numeracy

Isn’t it time we got to know each other?
Take our online VIDEO TOUR or book a SCHOOL TOUR!