Primary School

THE PRIMARY SCHOOL (Prep to Year 6)

'I love my school. We get to learn and have fun....can you believe that?'

The Rivermount College Primary School provides a vibrant and dynamic learning environment where each individual student is encouraged to grow with confidence and develop a positive self-image.

Students in the Primary School are nurtured in a secure and safe environment where the family values of love, affection, discipline and constant encouragement form an integral part of daily life experiences.

The Primary School is comprised of students from Prep to Year 6. Within the Primary School, there are two important phases of development.

Prep to Year 3

For students from Prep to Year 3, the College focuses on the early years of learning which reflects the importance of establishing a solid foundation for future academic and social development. Students are carefully guided through new experiences and are introduced to many exciting aspects of the College curriculum and co-curricular activities.

Year 4 to Year 6

As students progress into the upper year levels of the Primary School, they are encouraged to become responsible learners and active members of the College community. Students in these year levels are able to enjoy a greater range of co-curricular opportunities and are prepared for the transition into the Middle School.

THE PRIMARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM

The Primary School curriculum places a strong emphasis on teaching important ‘life skills’ including communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, developing positive attitudes and values and a strong desire to succeed to the best of one’s ability.

The Primary School provides the opportunity for each student to discover and develop their full potential in all aspects of the curriculum, whilst aiming for personal excellence. We aim to achieve this through the following objectives:

To enhance student's ability and capacity to become effective problem solvers through engagement with their higher order thinking skills.
To offer a curriculum which, through its content and methodology, acknowledges individual differences in ability.
To use a methodology which is based on the premise that students learn best through active participation.
To develop in students a high standard of numeracy and literacy.
To stimulate intellectual curiosity, clear thinking and discrimination.
To encourage excellence in all pursuits by setting appropriate standards, assessing regularly, giving constructive comment and praising effort and achievement.

Our students our supported to develop a genuine sense of:

Character
Citizenship
Collaboration
Communication
Creativity
Critical Thinking

The subjects covered throughout the Primary School include:

English

Including:

Reading
Writing
Spelling
Grammar and Vocabulary
Speaking skills
Listening skills
Drama
Poetry

Students in all year levels participate in a structured spelling and vocabulary program which recognises their individual ability levels and provides a solid foundation for other literacy activities.

Mathematics

Including

Number and Algebra
Measurement and Geometry
Statistics and Probability
Problem Solving

Computer Studies

In addition to networked computers in all classrooms, students in the Primary School also have access to a fully networked computer laboratory, up-to-date software and computer research facilities. From Year 2, students are provided supervised access to the Internet and email. All classrooms are equipped with ceiling mounted data projectors and interactive whiteboards.

Languages Other Than English.

Japanese is taught to all Year levels in the Primary School from Prep to Year 6. The Japanese curriculum provides students with both language and cultural experiences.

Health and Physical Education

All students from Prep to Year 6 participate in an active Health and Physical Education program on a weekly basis. In Term 1 and Term 4, students are able to enjoy swimming lessons in the College pool with qualified instructors. The skills based program also complements the College’s inter-school and inter-house sporting programs.

Outdoor Education

Students from Prep to Year 6 are involved in an exciting outdoor education program, which utilises the College’s own camping area as part of this program. Students from Year 4 to Year 6 also enjoy the opportunity to participate in annual camps away from the School.

Science and Technology

Students have access to a wide variety of resources and materials through their classroom lessons. Individual student projects complement the topics studied and enable students to apply knowledge learnt in class. The 'Primary Connections' Science Program fosters inquiry based learning allowing students to experience the fun of hands on activities and experiments.

Humanities

The key learning area of Humanities comprises units of study on a broad range of aspects of Australian history and geography as outlined in the Australian Curriculum. Civics and Citizenship is introduced in Year 3 and Economics and Business is covered from Year 5 onwards.

The Arts

All students in the Primary School enjoy an array of artistic pursuits designed to stimulate creativity and self-expression. Students participate in Dance, Drama, Media, Music and Visual Arts as part of their weekly lessons. The College provides a specialist teacher for Music for students from Prep to Year 6.

Christian Living

Christian Living is studied in all year levels from Prep to Year 6. The program focuses on Christian values and virtues and students engage with Bible Stories through music, drama, reading and writing, puzzle solving, drawing and discussion.