Programs Occurring Across the Year Levels

Gifts, Talents and Special Needs

As stated in our School Mission Statement, all children at St Anthony’s are considered to be special. As such, each is given the very best opportunities to develop their gifts and talents. The schoolacknowledges that all children possess a combination of talents and areas of challenge that make them unique. Our aim is to nurture their development in each of these areas.

Our school endeavours to cater for the needs of all children. The school focuses on giving all children the opportunity to discover that there are many different ways of thinking about any given problem or situation.

At St Anthony’s we endeavour to identify those students who may be working to a capacity well beyond those of their age group in one or a number of different areas of the curriculum. We recognise the specific needs of these students and utilise a number of strategies, such as enrichment, extension and types of acceleration, to meet their unique developmental needs. Each term we offer at school, enrichment days run by the Australian Gifted Support Centre.

Learning Support

All Kindergarten students are rigorously assessed in literacy and numeracy throughout the year. Early intervention begins in Term 2 for students who require additional support.

All children are progressively assessed and tracked from Year 1 to Year 6. Assistance is provided for children with learning difficulties throughout the school. If students do not maintain school based reading benchmarks the students are automatically placed on the Learning Support Reading program.

St Anthony’s prides itself on being an inclusive school. As part of the Learning Support Program, the school offers a program at lunch time called “Social Club”, for students to further develop their social skills. It is open to all students; however specific students are encouraged to attend. The program provides an opportunity for students to understand how positive relationships are built and to maintain
friendships.

Resource Centre

Children visit the Resource Centre on a regular basis each week with their class teacher for borrowing and returning books. The Resource Centre is fully automated and children from years 3 to 6 have access to the Resource Centre's inquiry computers. Each child's borrowing records are kept on the computer system.

Library bags are compulsory for all children from Kindergarten to Year 6.

The Resource Centre is opened each lunchtime for children to borrow, or to sit quietly and read, or share a book with a friend. Children also have access to CD Roms, on request, during this time.

The teacher librarian conducts regular information literacy lessons with all classes. These sessions are not isolated lessons but form part of a cooperative program plan with the class teacher.

Outdoor Education

At St Anthony's we endeavour to provide progressive involvement in outdoor education activities specific to each year level. For infant grades, outdoor education involves excursions such as nature walks, environmental trails etc. For the primary grades, the emphasis moves on to school camp activities ranging from an overnight sleep-over at the school in the Year 3 building up to a five day camp in Year 6.

Value Education

Values are explicitly taught as part of focus assemblies, peer support and in class lessons. Find out more . . .