Performing Arts
St Joseph’s School recognises the importance of music, drama and dance in the education of our students. All students from foundation to year six are involved in weekly classroom music.
Classroom music develops the children’s ability to participate in, and appreciate a wide range of musical experiences. The formal language of music is taught through games and activities which involve rhythm, music notation and listening activities. As our students progress they are building skills which are applicable to any instrumental work they choose to do now, or in the future.
In addition to our regular program, we offer optional guitar and drums tuition during school hours. Our school also works collaboratively with Orbost Secondary College to be involved in the Cluster Instrumental Music Program they offer.
Languages
Mandarin
We believe that learning a language has a positive impact on students’ ability to learn across the curriculum and that developing an understanding of Asia is very important for us as Australian citizens.
Therefore each week:
Teachers and students embrace opportunities to gain understanding of Chinese culture and the Mandarin language by participating in the My Chinese Teacher program, delivered via the internet from Beijing.
Meg Languages are industry leaders in providing schools with Mandarin foreign language programs designed specifically to meet the needs of our school.
Using video conference technology, our students connect to a China-based language instructor who is broadcast into the classroom at the same times each week for live and interactive lessons.
The program is also supported by our classroom teachers who get to develop their own Mandarin skills while the students get the excitement of speaking Chinese to a native speaker, live from China.
The use of live video-conferencing technology also means our students are able to see the streets of China in real time and have important context around why they are learning the language.
The Meg program is designed to inspire our students and staff to become contributing Global Citizens.
Physical Education
We believe that engaging in a range of physical activities regularly enables student to develop competence and confidence in movement skills; fosters positive social behaviour and enhances resilience.
Therefore, at St Joseph’s Primary School, students develop qualities of good sportspersonship as they participate in:
- weekly Physical Education lessons
- swimming lessons at Lakes Aquadome prior to summer (Term 4)
- sporting carnivals within the local area and beyond
- a range of sporting events like football and hockey clinics; winter and summer sports
Visual Arts
At St Joseph’s we believe that engaging in visual arts affords our students a host of learning opportunities.
Through their journey of discovery in art lessons students:
- Create art works to express and challenge ideas
- Learn about relationships between art works and viewers
- Display art works to enhance meaning for viewers
- Improve skills as they make discoveries, experiment and problem solving using a range of techniques and processes
- View the world through a range of different lenses and contexts
- Recognize the significance of visual arts in history and cultures
- Explore, and respond to, the works of other artists