St Brendans School Curriculum

(Sailing to Success!)St Brendans School

Curriculum

(Our VisionWe will be an inspirational Catholic School that challenges students to be the best that they can be, whilst walking hand in hand with ChristOur MissionWe are a Catholic School providing students with the challenge to strive for personal excellence, to celebrate their successes, grow spiritually and become positive contributors to societyNurture the physical, emotional and spiritual health development of people who strive for personal excellence, who are independent thinkers, are adventurous, creative and innovative. People who are navigators of their own learning journey.Have inspirational staff who implement quality teaching and learning programmes, who set high expectations and actively foster a climate of inquiry and reflection.Through effective leadership and management, provide a school environment that is a safe and stimulating place to learn, through the continual improvement and sustainability of facilities, resources and operations.Foster an understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity within New Zealand, with a particular emphasis given to Te Reo and Tikanga Maori.Be a supportive community where our faith and love of God is evident through the way we act and interact. As stewards of Gods given gifts we all contribute to make a difference in our own lives and the lives of others. We will nurture spiritual growth in both students and teachers through the teachings of Christ.StudentAchievementQuality Teaching & LearningCommunityTangata te WhenuaCatholic CharacterLeadership & ManagementBeliefsEffective education involves a partnership between family, school and the Catholic ChurchQuality teaching staff is critical to student developmentEffective education provides students with a strong foundation and an ongoing desire for learningLiteracy and Numeracy underpin academic successTo create positive citizens, the school needs to develop the spiritual, academic, emotional and physical dimensions of each childChildren will flourish in a safe, happy and welcoming environmentAt St Brendans School we aim toStrategic Plan StructureThe delivery of our Strategic and Annual plan is based on the following dimensions of good practice:Catholic CharacterCommunity EngagementLeadership and ManagementQuality Teaching and LearningStudent AchievementValuesFaith a secure belief in God. Courage - courage to challenge, to explore, to take risks, to change, and to embrace our faith.Innovation - a willingness to build on knowledge, think critically, think outside of the box and create.Love - a love of God, others, self, of learning and of life.Respect - to respect oneself, others and our environment.Excellence - to aim high, pursue and reach goals, persevere and achieve quality.)ST BRENDANS CURRICULUM SUMMARISED

Our Learners

Like St Brendan, we wish our students upon graduating from St Brendans to: Be missionaries Spreading the word of Christ to others in the way that they treat themselves and others, and by being positive contributors to society Be adventurous Be navigators possessing the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to navigate their own learning journey

We wish our navigators to have and live the values of: Faith, Love, Respect, Courage, Innovation and Excellence.

We wish our navigators to develop these skills attitudes and knowledge within the context of an Inspirational school that challenges students to be the best that they can be, whilst walking hand in hand with Christ.

Key Competencies

These are the capabilities a person needs for living and lifelong learning. People use these competencies to live, learn, work, and contribute as active members of their communities. More complex than skills, the competencies draw also on knowledge, attitudes, and values in ways that lead to action. They are the key to learning in every learning area.

St Brendans Schools Key Competencies are:

Learning Areas

St Brendans School divides is learning into the key areas outlined below:

Core Learning

Rich LearningContext areas through which students come to make sense of and gain a deeper understanding of their world.

Religious EducationLiteracy / EnglishOral, Written, VisualMathematics / NumeracyPhysical EducationSocial Sciences, Health, Science, Technology, the Arts and Languages

Inquiry

(Sail Ahead) (Launch) (Explore) (Map It)When participating in rich learning areas students will use an Inquiry learning approach using St Brendans Inquiry Model. This model encourages students to navigate their learning journey using the Stars:

Assessment

A school-wide assessment system is followed whereby all students are assessed using agreed tools and methodology to perform diagnostic, formative and summative assessments in the core and rich learning learning areas. Students performance is compared with school benchmarks, national norms and the National Standards. This information is used to identify students next learning steps and identify class, syndicate and school-wide areas requiring focus.

Quality Teaching Practice

Quality Teaching Practice ensures that all students have the best access to the St Brendans curriculum. Fundamental to achieving quality practice is the belief that teachers are lead learners and the same approach applied to student learning needs, apply to teachers. Teachers performance is checked against student achievement data and Quality Teaching Practice Rubrics as part of the Performance Management System and supported through the Professional Development mechanisms of Appraisal and Coaching and Mentoring.

OUR NAVIGATORS We refer to our learners as navigators

Like St Brendan, we wish our students upon graduating from St Brendans to: Be missionaries Spreading the word of Christ to others in the way that they treat themselves and others, and by being positive contributors to society Be adventurous to be willing to launch into the unknown and seek new horizons Be navigators possessing the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to navigate their own learning journey

We wish our navigators to possess the Deep Understandings, the Key Competencies, the Values and an ability to use the Tools outlined below:

DEEP UNDERSTANDINGS &

THINKING and INQUIRY SKILLS

These areas are encompassed in our 4 Year Curriculum Overview.OUR VALUESOUR KEY COMPETENCIES (ICTGraphic OrganisersSolo TaxonomyDe Bono HatsInquiry Model)OUR TOOLS

WHAT WE WILL TEACH: KEY COMPETENCIES

Definition: Key Competencies are the capabilities a person has for living and lifelong learning.

People use these competencies to live, learn, work, and contribute as active members of their communities. More complex than skills, the competencies draw also on knowledge, attitudes, and values in ways that lead to action. They are the key to learning in every learning area.

The development of the competencies is both an end in itself (a goal) and the means by which other ends are achieved. Successful learners make use of the competencies in combination with all the other resources available to them. Opportunities to develop the competencies occur in social contexts and the competencies continue to develop over time, shaped by interactions with people, places, ideas, and things. Students need to be challenged and supported to develop them in contexts that are increasingly wide-ranging and complex.

The St Brendans School Curriculum identifies six key competencies and these are clustered under Spiritual, Personal and Learning Competencies:

Spiritual

Personal

Learning

Religious

Managing self

Relating to others

Participating & contributing

Thinking

Using language, symbols and text

To be able to:

Continue their own spiritual journey.

Tell the stories of Jesus

Apply the stories of Jesus to their own life.

Participate in prayer

To participate in Religious Instruction

To participate in Catholic rituals including liturgy, mass & the sacraments.

To evangelize to encourage others to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Students who manage themselves are enterprising, resourceful, reliable, and resilient. They establish personal goals, make plans, manage projects, and set high standards. They have strategies for meeting challenges. They know when to lead, when to follow, and when and how to act independently.

Students are able to confidently and competently relate well to others, are open to new learning and able to take different roles in different situations.

They are aware of how their words and actions affect others. They know when it is appropriate to compete or to co-operate. By working effectively together, they can come up with new approaches, ideas, and ways of thinking.

Students who participate and contribute in communities have a sense of belonging and the confidence to participate within new contexts. They understand the importance of balancing rights, roles, and responsibilities and of contributing to the quality and sustainability of social, cultural, physical, and economic environments.

Students who are competent thinkers and problem-solvers actively seek, use, and create knowledge. They reflect on their own learning, draw on personal knowledge and intuitions, ask questions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and perceptions.

Students who are competent users of language, symbols, and texts can interpret and use words, number, images, movement, metaphor, and technologies in a range of contexts. They are literate, numerate and can use technology to communicate. They recognise how choices o