The St Francis of Assisi Foundation Journey…
Relationships and Joyfulness in Learning are key pillars of the St Francis philosophy and this is reflected in the faces of the students and teachers, with a sense of community that is palpable.
The first thing that new Foundation students and their families will notice at St Francis of Assisi Primary School is the sense of space. The school is located in a picturesque natural environment setting complete with resident chooks, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden and an orchard.
The learning areas are spacious and modern, located in beautiful rammed-earth buildings designed with a focus on sustainability principles that are reflected in teaching practices across the school.
Foundation classes promote a calm, nurturing atmosphere with a well-established routine that is comforting when there are so many new things to experience. Learning intentions for the day are discussed with the students so that within a very short space of time they are able to articulate their learning and become highly motivated through being able to visualise their own progress towards Literacy and Numeracy objectives.
The morning session four days per week begins with Investigations, where students choose to work at engaging spaces designed with their own ideas, interests, strengths and needs in mind. Investigation spaces provide rich, creative and open-ended opportunities for students to explore their world. These spaces and the focused discussions before and after Investigations sessions create meaningful and engaging links to explicit Literacy and Numeracy instruction and foster resilience, problem solving and collaboration skills in conjunction with well-developed oral language skills.
During the week students will also participate in lessons in the Arts, Library, Physical Education, French and Religion. Regular assemblies are held to celebrate student achievement, as well as many other events that bring together students, staff, families, friends and the wider community including masses, sport days, school productions, bonfires and the Country Fair.
These experiences provide students with a strong basis for education and an intrinsic desire to learn which acts as a valuable launching pad for their future educational success.
