Instructional Approach
At Holy Family Primary School, we are proud to align our teaching practices with the Melbourne Archdiocese Vision for Instruction launched in 2024. This vision’s bold goals of Excellence and Equity guide our commitment to providing the highest standard of education. We focus on delivering a knowledge-rich, evidence-based curriculum grounded in the Science of Learning, ensuring that our methods are supported by research and proven to be effective. By prioritising Excellence, we ensure that our teaching and learning programs are rigorous and impactful, while also striving for Equity, making sure every student, regardless of background, achieves proficiency in literacy and numeracy. In recent years, we have invested significant time and resources into refining both our curriculum and instructional strategies, ensuring that we consistently offer the best possible learning experience for all students.
You can read more about the MACS Vision for Instruction here. (link) (Parent Information Task)
English and Mathematics
We aim to align our teaching and learning with evidence based practices reflecting current research to ensure that we provide the best learning environment for every student. We believe that instructional routines have a big impact on student learning.
In both English and Mathematics we start each lesson with a ‘Daily Review’. This is an opportunity to review previously taught skills and concepts in a sequenced and planned way to ensure concepts are embedded. Opportunities for review helps students move information from the working memory to long-term memory. Teachers also use the review phase of the lesson to ensure students have the prerequisite skills for upcoming lessons. Daily review is often facilitated through the use of mini whiteboards. All classes have established a mini whiteboard routine which is used throughout the review part of the lesson. All year levels teach English and Mathematics using an explicit instruction approach. This approach involves teachers clearly showing students what to do and how to do it, followed by opportunities to complete expected tasks together before children are asked to work on a task independently. Each lesson is broken up into three stages- I do (teacher modelling), We do (teacher and student complete a task together) and You do (students complete independently). Throughout each lesson there are ‘check for understanding’ opportunities where students can demonstrate their understanding and teachers can check that students have a grasp on new learning.
Mathematics
At Holy Family we have developed a scope and sequence to teach mathematics that is underpinned by The Victorian Curriculum. OCHRE Education resources are used schoolwide to support the teaching of mathematics concepts.
Each math lesson starts with a daily review which incorporates prior learning and revision from the six interrelated strands of Mathematics: Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability (commencing at Year 3). During the review part of the lesson, there is a big emphasis on building strong skills and fluency in math operations. Children are able to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways including writing answers on mini whiteboards, partner sharing and choral counting.
New concepts are taught directly, then students practice with guidance and finally independently. We utilise visuals or hands-on materials (such as measuring scales, counting blocks etc) as supports for students.
Teachers track students’ progress in mathematics through ‘check for understanding tasks’ embedded within each lesson, student work samples and pre/post-assessment tasks. Other formal assessments such as PAT and Essential Assessment are used at different times throughout the year to support monitoring student progress in mathematics.
English
In our English lessons, we cover the five essential skills for reading and these are taught in a systematic way . Each lesson includes phonemic awareness and phonics instruction, practice in reading fluency, and a mini-lesson on vocabulary and comprehension.
Writing lessons are embedded in the curriculum through our core knowledge topics, picture book and novel studies. Writing lessons follow a framework of carefully sequenced instruction, building from sentence level to text level writing.
We utilise a range of initiatives and resources to support our English teaching at Holy Family. These include:
-Decodable Readers Australia Systematic Synthetic Phonics approach for (Prep-2)
-OCHRE Education high quality education resources (Year 3-6)
-Jocelyn Seamer evidence-informed teaching resources (whole school)
We complete benchmark screening for word reading fluency, oral reading fluency and comprehension. We use ongoing assessment and monitoring to improve student outcomes and provide interventions as required.
Student Wellbeing
Holy Family School provides a welcoming, safe and positive learning environment with strong emphasis on the wellbeing of all members of our school community. We believe that students learn best in environments where their social, emotional and physical wellbeing is nurtured.
Holy Family promotes student’s social and emotional wellbeing through the School-Wide Positive Behaviours framework which encourages our students to make responsible choices about personal and social behaviour in a supportive school climate.
Through Social and Emotional Learning our students recognise the importance of their own emotions and their impact on others. The use of the Zones of Regulation guides students in identifying and managing their emotions.
Holy Family is a partner school in helping educate students on the importance of Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships in order to promote positive, healthy relationships in all aspects of their lives.
Supporting the Wellbeing of our school community includes:
- A Student Wellbeing Leader
- Care and Child Safety Team
- Compliance Officer – ensure all Victorian safety standards are met
- Diversity Team – work with teachers to identify and support students with learning needs
- Psychologist
- Play Therapist
- Speech Pathology
- Occupational Therapy
Specialists
Holy Family provides Specialist programs in Visual/Performing Arts, Physical Education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and languages including Croatian and Italian at all levels.
3-6 iPad Program
Holy Family students from Grade 3-6 are part of the 1:1 iPad program. iPad technology is integrated as an educational tool across our learning environments at Holy Family. We believe that students are to be equipped to seize opportunities to broaden their knowledge, skills, attitudes and understandings to live in a changing, complex and interdependent digital world. Holy Family encourages the learning to be enriched by strong connections, effective communicating online and offline, collaborating locally and globally; being well equipped to be safe and responsible cyber citizens.
Education in Faith
Holy Family school is a part of St Michael’s Parish with a partnership of continual support to those in need in the Philippines as an ongoing Social Justice action.
We aim to develop renewed hope for the future through engagement in the contemporary world, supported by a faith filled community which is guided by the Gospel and our Catholic faith.
At Holy Family school we engage in Christian Meditation with the repetition of the silent mantra ‘Maranatha’ meaning ‘Come Lord Jesus’. Meditation provides many benefits to children’s wellbeing and faith through the experience of stillness and silence.
The learning structure for Religious Education consists of:
- Knowledge and Understanding
- Reasoning and Responding
- Personal Communal Engagement
The content of what is taught is organised in the following areas:
- Jesus and Scripture
- Church and Community
- God, Religion and Life
- Prayer, Liturgy and Sacrament
- Morality and Justice
Sacraments
Students deepen their understanding of the sacraments throughout their primary years. Students prepare for and celebrate the formal reception of particular sacraments in the following year levels:
- Year 3 – The Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Year 4 – The Sacrament of First Eucharist
- Year 6 -The Sacrament of Confirmation
Our Religious Education program seeks to integrate parish, family and school life in a context of faith and is designed to strengthen religious attitudes and Gospel values in the lives of students. We recognise individual learning styles and acknowledge the different gifts each student brings to the life of our school community. We recognise and value the rich and diverse cultures in the Holy Family Community.
