Joeys (Reception to Year 2)

The Junior Primary classroom is a gentle and natural introduction to schooling. Within the traditions of the Reggio Emilia philosophy the key principles of the Juniors Learning Program are:

• Play – curiosity, awareness and connections through meaningful experiences.
• Inquiry – highlight a child-centred approach with a provocational basis.
• Imagination– life of the mind, active participation and expanding horizons.
• Environment – exploration of our unique site and connections to local and traditional features.
• Community – learning to be a part of a rich, vibrant and caring society.

Literacy is taught using the ‘Playberry’ program and ‘Dandelion Decodable Readers’ – highly effective resources that are based on the ‘Science of Reading’. Numeracy lessons are based on a ‘Launch, Explore, Reflect’ structure, allowing students to engage in ‘hands on’ learning, which engages all types of learners.

Children learn Music, Science and AUSLAN from Reception, which establishes their diverse and holistic education from the outset. We are integrating the Walker Learning Approach across the school. This holistic pedagogy is based on decades of research on child development. This approach encourages a range of investigations, experiments and explorations, while supporting the Australian Curriculum beautifully. You can visit the Junior Primary Learning Space to see how the space builds the students’ curiosity, inquiry and social interactions.