Primary School Focus

The Primary School Academic Team continues to encourage staff to challenge their understanding of Inquiry Learning and how best we can effectively offer this pedagogical style of learning. A day spent with Kath Murdoch at the end of the year allowed staff to reflect on their understanding of guided inquiry and how the ‘inquiry approach’ naturally builds the skills of agency within students. The statement inspired primary staff that after over 40 years of teaching through inquiry, Kath felt there was always something to adjust and learn. This session follows a year-long focus on consolidating, challenging and building our understanding of Student Agency, Inquiry learning, and transdisciplinary learning.

The central focus within the Primary School has been developing Literacy skills and competencies of staff and students. We have spent the year working with Adjunct Professor Misty Adoniou. She has led staff to reflect on using mentor texts to explore and explicitly teach grammar and punctuation. Focusing on quality literature to write like authors has led staff and students to successfully use engaging text to write their own, share thinking, and improve and experiment with sentence structure, punctuation and grammar. Misty has worked with staff as a whole in planning sessions and modelled processes in classrooms. This has successfully driven improvements in professional knowledge and student outcomes.

Teachers and Learning Assistants have also accessed a plethora of external professional learning opportunities across the year, such as:

• Designing Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences

• Enriching the MYP Language Acquisition classroom

• Explicit instruction: effective and efficient teaching

• High-impact teaching strategies

• Zones of regulation

• Diverse Learning Needs Symposium

• Communication and Autism

• Inclusive Learning Post Pandemic

• Nurturing Learner Agency through Inquiry

• Musica Viva in Schools: music and culture

• Cyber Safety for students

• Apple iPad in the early years series

• IPSHA Wellbeing Data Deep-Dive

• PETA Leading with Literacy Conference

• Australian Primary Principals Association Conference

• Positive Schools conference

• Trauma workshop

• Treatment for children with selective mutism

• Diabetes training

• Reading – school libraries supporting literacy and wellbeing

• Supporting English Language Learners

• Pushing the boundaries

• Seasons for growth companion training

• Dreaming with eyes open CBCA national conference

• Developing a future-ready school librarian mindset

• The Power of Questioning – unlocking student thinking

• Macquarie University MultiLit Suite training

• The active role of the teacher

• ReSolve – Effective teaching in primary mathematics

• Positive behaviour management in the classroom

• Introduction to Big Write and VCOP

• Social Media Awareness

• Building Student Resilience

• Be You: responding together, mentally healthy communities

• Dyslexia Awareness

• Embracing Neurodiversity

• Encourage Critical Thinking with 3 Questions

• Embedding Aboriginal perspectives

• The Resilience Project

• Maths as Storytelling; and

• Seven Principles of Learning.

In addition to these formal courses, we have had staff engaging with accreditation, with two staff moving from provisional to full registration, three staff starting ISTAA Experience Teacher and one starting Highly Accomplished through TQI. This process is essential for building skills and ensuring professional growth for staff. There are also five Learning Assistants currently undertaking study to become teachers.

Primary School staff have also engaged in professional upskilling of positive behaviours, use of data to inform teaching, science pedagogy in the classroom, IT skills, embedding cultural perspectives, developing writing rubrics, Early years and more. The Individual Learning Team (ILT) lead a series of sessions on Inclusion and what it means to be an inclusive school. Mr Daniel Sobel shared his professional knowledge and experience via zoom to assist the Primary School in exploring and refining what Inclusion looks like at CGS.

Teachers have been embedding an enhanced reporting cycle of continuous reporting. Teachers plan assessment tasks in teams, discuss the learning intentions and document the success criteria through a rubric. Students receive assessment feedback and the next steps of learning at the time of the assessment, with evidence that allows discussion with parents. This has been immensely important in the communication of learning and individualising the next steps of learning. Teachers have worked closely with the Educational Technology Service (ETS) to develop an effective and efficient process for uploading information.

Finally, staff have been asked to develop professional learning for their teachers linked to their departmental goals. This has been successful for the staff involved in driving change in their professional knowledge and engagement. These professional goals are often featured in teachers’ personal goals, which are part of the Professional Growth cycle.