SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

HEALTH

At Stawell West Primary School, students learn about the dimensions of Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social Health and Development.

We identify and analyse the factors that influence the health, wellbeing and the access of products and services in our local community, as well as take action for health promotion. Students explore their own social and emotional health and learn strategies to be more resilient. Students learn to understand and research health information and learn to make active choices about their own health.

The Health Curriculum focuses on Growth vs Fixed mindset; Social and Emotional Health; Safety and Well being; Development (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social); Health Promotion and Drug Education.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Through the Movement and Physical Activity Strand, we teach our students:
Moving the body
This lays the important early foundations of play and fundamental movement skills. It focuses on the acquisition and refinement of a broad range of movement skills. Our students develop skills and dispositions necessary for lifelong participation in physical activities.

Understanding movement
We focus on developing our students’ knowledge and understanding about how and why the body moves and what happens to bodies when they move. While participating in physical activities, our students analyse and evaluate theories, techniques and strategies that can be used to understand and enhance the quality of movement and physical activity performance. They explore the place and meaning of physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport in their own lives, and across time and cultures.

Learning through movement
Teachers focus on the personal and social skills that can be developed through participation in movement and physical activities. These skills include communication, decision-making, problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, and cooperation. The skills are developed as our students work individually and in small groups or teams to perform movement tasks or solve movement challenges. Through movement experiences, they develop other important personal and social skills such as self-awareness, self-management, persisting with challenges and striving for enhanced performance. They also experience the varied roles within organised sport and recreation.

STEM

The weekly Science sessions follows the Primary Connections program which is an inquiry based approach linking Science and literacy.

Each term there is a focus on one of the four domains- Biological Science, Chemical Science, Physical Science and Earth and Space Sciences. Each year level participates in a topic relevant to the Science scope and sequence devised by the Victorian Curriculum team.

Students in Years 3-6 also have a fortnightly Sustainability session where the focus is teaching them about looking after the environment.

VISUAL ARTS

In Visual Arts, students at Stawell West learn and develop skills surrounding the:
1. Elements of Art: colour, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. As well as:
2. The Principles of Art: balance, emphasis, harmony, movement, pattern, proportion, repetition, rhythm, unity, and variety.

They use many different techniques to make and respond to artworks inspired by both modern and historical Artists all over the world. Students are taught and exposed to many different mediums such as: painting, drawing, collage, mosaics, ceramics, sculpting, printmaking and textiles.

CHINESE

Our students have the opportunity to learn the Chinese language and aspects of Chinese culture. For an hour each week, students are immersed in the Chinese language to improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. We also have Chinese students visit the school to learn more about Australia – we also learnt a lot from them through these cultural exchanges.

RESILIENCE, RIGHTS AND RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

At Stawell West PS, we deliver the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program, a Victorian Government initiative designed to support students in developing important social, emotional and relationship skills. This program is embedded across all year levels and plays a key role in promoting student wellbeing.

The RRRR curriculum focuses on eight core areas of Social and Emotional Learning:

• Emotional Literacy
• Personal Strengths
• Positive Coping
• Problem Solving
• Stress Management
• Help Seeking
• Gender and Identity
• Positive Gender Relationships

Through these learning areas, students develop greater self-awareness, emotional understanding and the skills needed to build positive and respectful relationships.

Participation in the RRRR program supports students to build resilience, confidence and effective communication skills. It encourages empathy, respect and the ability to respond positively to challenges, helping students develop the foundations for healthy relationships and overall wellbeing.