Primary Education Y3-Y6

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Newman College offers a Catholic Primary School Education that corresponds to the learning stage of a child. For this reason, the Primary campus of Lavalla is specifically designed for Y3-Y6 children.

As children transition from Early Childhood Education to the Upper Primary campus, the students experience a sense of adventure and anticipation. They enjoy the freedom of the expansive, open grounds.

Furthermore, children gain access to the Newman College playing fields, adventure play equipment, world class auditorium, and heated Olympic size swimming pool.

Students have access to the extensive bank of resources available to them. We offer flexible learning spaces that encourage collaboration and inclusion.

There are very few Catholic Primary School Education facilities like those available at Newman College.

Above all, our students are challenged daily to become citizens of change, their experiences steering them towards life in our Secondary campus.

Academic Enrichment – SHINE Program

We believe that all students are entitled to an education that will enable them to develop their full potential. This potential comes in many different forms be that intellectual, physical, creative, emotional, or social.

Newman College is committed to providing a challenging curriculum for all its students. In addition, we provide opportunities and support for students identified as gifted and talented. Our SHINE Program for students in Pre Primary to Year 10 delivers educational experiences of an appropriate depth and breadth for students identified as having exceptional academic ability.

The SHINE program is designed to provide an engaging and challenging curriculum for students to develop their aptitudes and talents. In the SHINE program students are encouraged to solve, hypothesise, investigate problems, concepts, or topics. They are also encouraged to navigate their own learning. The purpose of this program is to enrich student’s learning.

The program is designed with the College’s four pedagogical principles in mind:

  • Students are CHALLENGED to engage in critical and creative thinking tasks
  • Students are guided through COLLABORATIVE approaches to learning with like-minded peers
  • Students CREATE solutions and prototypes to demonstrate their learning and
  • The College and students CELEBRATE students’ efforts, learning and growth

SHINE at Lavalla

SHINE Years 3-4

Students invited into this program are challenged to develop their reasoning skills and ethical understandings. Students are encouraged to develop their problem-solving, critical, and creative-thinking skills through real-world contexts and problems.

SHINE Years 5–6

In 2021 students will be invited to participate in a range of external competitions to enhance their critical, creative-thinking, and problem-solving skills. The first of which is the Future Problem-Solving skills competition which develops a six-step problem solving process.

Mathematics

Based on regular testing, students are invited to participate in Maths Discovery classes based on their mastery or talent in Mathematics. In the Extension programs students extend their Mathematics skills and understandings, increasing the complexity of their learning experiences.

Art Extension

Students exhibiting gifts or talents within the Visual Arts are invited to participate in the Arts Extension program.

Program Selection

Students are invited into the various SHINE program levels using a multi-faceted identification process. This includes both subjective and objective tests and reports. Student’s progress, suitability, and readiness for the various stages of the programs is reviewed regularly.

Primary School Library

The Primary School Library provides a welcoming space that engages and promotes student learning. The Library maintains contemporary physical and digital resources required by students. Most importantly, the environment is warm, stimulating and safe.

The school librarians are information specialists who strive to provide resources and books to support the entire school. Moreover, they are passionate about putting great books into the hands of every student.

This encourages children to read for pleasure and to engage them to become lifelong readers. The wonderful books in the library introduce whole new worlds and new perspectives. They are so important in broadening the students minds.

The Primary School Library provides more than just print books, it also offers eBooks for recreational reading. Furthermore, World Book online encyclopaedia is available to all students and teachers.

Orbit is our new library Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) which encourages every student to engage successfully with the library. Orbit creates the opportunity to discover print and digital resources and offers anytime, anywhere access to books and learning resources.

The Primary School Library is the heart of the community. It serves as a central space where students not only develop a love of reading, but a space where their imagination is fostered.

The library recognises that mental and physical wellbeing has long-term benefits in terms of student achievement and social development. During every lunch-time there is a varied range of fun activities on offer through the library to improve the wellbeing of all students, especially those who need additional support.

Parent Engagement – SeeSaw

Parents of primary school students can use SeeSaw to engage with their child’s learning experience. Teachers use SeeSaw to showcase the work of children and the class.

Think of this as the mechanism to enlighten your understanding of your child’s education. No longer when you ask the question, “what did you do at school today”; will the answer “nothing” suffice.

SeeSaw displays images of your child’s work, assessments, tasks and more. Parents can therefore interact with this work and with the teachers.

Catholic Primary School Education embraces the notion of being present to one another, with SeeSaw allowing that presence even when we are not physically available.

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