Years K-6
High quality teaching and learning
We teach our students to work collaboratively with each other and their teachers, to ensure they are equipped to work in a world that demands collaboration, creativity and respect for ideas and people.
You may be interested in more about curriculum in our Junior School
Further information
Academic tracking
In the Junior School and Gawura, the teachers collaborate to create a learning programme which takes into consideration the learning needs of individual students. This means that extended learning experiences are designed and implemented for those students who are more independent achievers, whilst at the same time, learning experiences are differentiated for those students who need more support in some areas. The flexibility of our Junior School environment allows for such differentiated lessons to take place within each session of the school day.
The best way for educators to understand where students need support, is to regularly conduct standardised pre-assessments and formative assessments to track and monitor students’ progress.
This tracking constantly directs the teaching strategies required and teachers plan learning experiences based on the current needs of their students.
Education is an ever-changing field and at St Andrew’s Cathedral School we endeavour to engage in research-based best practice in education – ensuring the best possible outcomes for our students. We are also mindful that it is through cooperation between parents and the school that best results can be achieved.
The Mandarin programme
The Mandarin programme is a significant and integral part of education at the school. It aims to enable students to develop communication skills, focus on languages as systems and gain insights into the relationship between language and culture, leading to lifelong personal, educational and vocational benefits. We are thus very much committed to teaching our students to understand and appreciate the Chinese culture. We are very keen to provide opportunities for our students to be involved in cultural activities, such as establishing sister schools relationships with schools in China and presenting our students to the National Chinese Eisteddfod held in Sydney annually.
The main components of the programme are described as objectives with distinctive outcomes in each area for each stage.
The Mandarin programme has been written in a unit form based on themes that foster task-based learning, engage student interest and/or correspond with units of work being studied in other syllabus areas.
Main topics include:
- Festivals and celebrations – Chinese New Year/Dragon Boat festival
- Mid-Autumn festival/Christmas
- Greeting/introducing and instructions
- Poems/rhymes and songs
- Numbers and their application in everyday life – dates and time/shopping etc
- Knowing myself – my body parts/ my family/my feelings etc.
- Countries and nationalities
- Animals and pets
- Foods and drinks
- Sports and leisure activities
- Seasons and weather
- Clothes
Homework Club Years 3-6
Homework Club is available for our Year 3-6 students and can be booked through Clipboard, which parents access through the Parent Portal. Instructions for using Clipboard and booking Junior School and Gawura co-curricular activities, including Homework Club, can be found here.
This programme costs $90 per term. Homework Club operates two days per week, however, only Year 5-6 students can book both days. Year 3-4 can book one day per week.
Bookings are made during a period of five days, towards the end of the previous term, and parents are emailed to advise when bookings open and close. We ask that you book early to ensure your child’s place in the group.
If you need assistance in completing the booking form, please email: jscocurricular@sacs.nsw.edu.au
You may be interested in more about our Junior School