St Mary's Primary School, Mooroopna

office@smmooroopna.catholic.edu.au 03 5825 2858
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Learning Philosophies

No matter the age or stage of a student, when learning at St Mary's, their experience will be developed around four key opportunities:

PURPOSEFUL LEARNING
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
REALISING POTENTIAL
BUILDING WELLBEING
 

These core beliefs are held in esteem by all teaching and support staff.  They are forefront in our minds when we plan all learning opportunities, and provide staff, students and families with practical, relevant strategies to follow so that St Mary's children can fulfill their call to let their light shine as living witnesses to the Gospel values.

Purposeful Learning

At St Mary's, we learn best when we are engaged in learning that's relevant, challenging and enables meaningful connections to life. By being inquiring learners, we come to a greater understanding of ourselves, our world and our relationship with a loving God.
 
To best engage in Purposeful Learning:

Teachers will:

  • understand the student as a learner in all contexts;
  • differentiate curriculum and create authentic learning opportunities;
  • know the passions, needs and interests of each student to maximise success;
  • provide contemporary flexible learning spaces and utilise educational tools and strategies.
 

Families will:

  • engage in age appropriate connections with their child's learning;
  • be valued as partners in each students' learning.

Students will:

  • be active participants in their own learning;
  • set individual learning goals and reflect on these regularly;
  • ask questions and take learning risks to enable them to develop mastery.

Positive Relationships

At St Mary's, we believe learning is a human endeavour.  Positive relationships support learners as they take risks, develop ideas, master skills and build knowledge of self and others.  Inspired by the model of Jesus in community, teachers, students and parents build partnerships and connections for learning.
 
To best experience Positive Relationships:

Teachers will:

  • engage in conversations to know students and their individual needs;
  • facilitate collaborative learning opportunities; 
  • practise effective classroom management to promote positive relationships for learning;
  • explicitly teach social emotional skills 
  • collaborate with peers to maximise student learning and success.

Families will:

  • know that open communication between teachers, children and parents is essential and valued.

Students will:

  • value the importance of learning from and with others;
  • develop and utilise skills of productive collaboration.

 

Realising Potential

St Mary's students learn best when they expand and challenge current ideas, interests and skills.  Feedback, informed by assessment, helps us to shape future learning.  Maintaining high expectations and a belief that all will be successful learners, supports the realization of our God given individual and collective potential.
 
To best realise potential:

Teachers will:

  • foster the individuality of each student;
  • be flexible and responsive to changing learning needs;
  • hold high expectations for all learners;
  • provide opportunities to develop higher order thinking skills;
  • scaffold learning tasks and communicate clearly the steps involved for students to achieve success;
  • have a comprehensive understanding of curriculum documents;
  • design and use assessment and feedback that supports learning, and moves it forward.

Families will:

  • understand the importance of their role as co-educator of their child and be given regular opportunities to meet with their child's teacher;
  • be open to recommendations to develop their child's potential;
  • support and encourage their child as a learner, as they take on and persist with challenges.

Students will:

  • explicitly practise skills of critical and creative thinking;
  • know their learning matters and is celebrated;
  • use self-assessment and teacher feedback to inform future learning goals;
  • make connections between learning, knowledge, interests and the real world.

Building Wellbeing

Successful learning is enhanced when the whole school strives to use positive self-talk, self-reflection and resilience to build wellbeing.  In a safe environment, learners take on and persist with challenges, knowing they will be supported and encouraged.  This creates a space for human flourishing and witnessing of Gospel values.
 
To build wellbeing:

Teachers will:

  • foster a growth mindset in all students;
  • embed the PBIS and Bounce Back programs to support learning;
  • identify and build on students' prior knowledge, experience and skills;
  • provide a broad range of learning opportunities to enable all students to experience success.

Families will:

  • support and encourage their children as learners, as they take on and persist with challenges in and out of the classroom.

Students will:

  • feel they have a sense of identity and can make valuable contributions to their learning and the school;
  • articulate their personal strengths and challenges as a learner.