Curriculum Information
We believe that as we live in a rapidly changing world experiencing many environmental and social challenges, it is vital that students are given the conceptual and practical tools which will enable them to take their place as fully functioning members of an increasingly complex society.
We believe that our students at St Mary’s School will:
- receive a solid basis of knowledge in all key learning areas with the realisation that their knowledge could be subject to change as they discover more about themselves and their world;
- develop the knowledge, skills, processes and attitude which will allow them to live in an increasingly complex world of dependent and interdependent social and environmental elements and be able to solve problems occurring from their own life experiences;
- experience the social benefits of working in cooperation with others;
- develop thinking skills allowing them to solve a variety of problems in the ‘real world’ ;
- develop a perspective on the possible and probable futures both individually and communally and develop the tools to work towards a preferred future;
- realise the opportunities of becoming a lifelong learner;
- become active participants in an interdependent world through informed decision making and an awareness and appreciation of the position of being Australian in an interdependent world;
- develop the knowledge, skills, processes and attitudes necessary for them to make informed choices about their further education and careers in the context of a world of increasing social and environmental complex interdependencies.
The staff of St Mary’s School believe that our learning programs should be as flexible and practical as possible so that all students have the opportunity to actively participate in the subject and its integration with other key learning areas. There are many resources available to us in our local area, which may assist the teaching at St Mary’s School. Teachers are encouraged to make full use of these to enhance the application of learning into life contexts.
In order to meet the needs of the adults of the future, today’s curriculum must not only be outcomes focused but also must:
- Be relevant to the needs of society and students’ future needs;
- Embrace/utilise new opportunities as they arise (e.g. technological advances) and maximise the use of thinking skills and ability to evaluate outcomes;
- Be focused on students’ holistic development; and
- Present a contextual experience for developing skills such as teamwork, consultation, valuing diversity and communicating.