Core Curriculum

The Victorian Curriculum Foundation–10 sets out what every student should learn during their first eleven years of schooling. The curriculum is the common set of knowledge and skills required by students for lifelong learning, social development and active and informed citizenship.

Religious Education

At School of The Good Shepherd, the beliefs and practices of our Catholic faith and tradition are embedded in every aspect of our lives. We aim to provide opportunities for our community to recognise God’s presence in their daily lives, in those around them and in their environment.

Like the Good Shepherd, all members of our flock are important to us and reflect the work of God. Learners are encouraged to develop their personal relationship with God and staff aim to empower students to live a life based on the life and teachings of Jesus – The Good Shepherd.

As a Catholic school, prayer, liturgy and the celebration of Masses throughout the year, provide opportunities for students, staff and families to gather together as a community of faith and learning. ​Sacraments are celebrated with First Reconciliation in year 3, Eucharist in year 4 and Confirmation in year 6.

Visible Learners

Our goal is to make Learning Visible to every student every day. We are committed to develop our students as learners by providing them with the skills and dispositions needed to build upon their prior knowledge, grow and flourish. Our philosophy is based on the research of John Hattie, Professor of Education and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

We explicitly teach skills that enable students to achieve success across all areas of the curriculum by getting learners to understand and implement the characteristics of a Visible Learner.

Our students:

• can be their own teacher
• can articulate what they are learning and why
• can talk about how they are learning – the strategies they are using to learn
• can articulate their next learning steps
• can use self-regulation strategies
• are assessment-capable (understands the assessment tools being used and what their results mean and can self-assess)
• seek, are resilient and aspire to challenge
• can set mastery goals
• ask questions
• see errors as opportunities and are comfortable saying that they don’t know and/or need help
• positively supports their peers’ learning
• knows what to do when they don’t know what to do
• actively seeks feedback
• have metacognitive skills and can talk about these (systematic planning, memory, abstract thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, etc.).

We pride ourselves in making learning visible. Learning intentions are displayed in ‘learner friendly’ language to help our learners know how am I going?, where am I going? and where to next? By making learning and progress visible we empower both our learners and their parents.

ICT

School of the Good Shepherd believes ICT and contemporary tools are used consistently to provide flexible and diverse learning experiences. Our students have access to information and communication technology across all year levels. We are one of the few schools in our area that offer 1 to 1 iPads in Grade Prep.

In Grades 1 – 6, we offer 1 to 1 Chromebooks with the Grade 5 and 6 children able to take theirs home. Our aim is to embed practices that enable all students to learn how to use technologies to create and innovate. Teachers plan for and provide opportunities for students to be users, designers and producers of new technologies. Access to devices enables all learners, students and teachers alike, to access information that enhances the learning for engagement.

English

At School of The Good Shepherd we believe that a successful literacy program reflects the general requirements of the curriculum whilst addressing the specific needs of each student. This is achieved through analysing data collected from each child, strong planning practices and explicitly teaching students at their point of need.

To facilitate this, a daily literacy block is mandated at each level of our school. It is structured so that teachers work with both whole and small groups, enabling differentiated teaching and learning to take place.

We explicitly teach the skills of oral language, reading and writing as well as embedding English language skills into other curriculum spheres. We believe that oral language is the key to strong literacy acquisition so we plan tasks that enhance oral language development and listening skills in our students.

Making connections

We are committed to developing a love of reading in our students. From the early years, children are taught how to choose literature appropriate to their abilities and interests. Through the explicit teaching of critical reading skills our students also develop an appreciation that reading is fundamentally ‘about thinking’ and making connections to their own experience and life. Our students are exposed to a wide range of rich literature, visual texts and language experiences which aim to build vocabulary and to provide the stimulus for learning about language.

In Prep-Year 2, we use literature and language experience to provide a context for writing. As our students progress through the school we believe in the explicit teaching of text types in the context of inquiry units. Simultaneously, we respect our students’ voice by giving them opportunity to experiment with writing independently. Spelling is taught explicitly and in context from Prep-Year 6.

Mathematics

At School of the Good Shepherd, we are committed to helping every student develop confidence and success in Mathematics. Our Maths program is carefully planned from Prep to Year 6 to ensure students build strong foundations and develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts over time.

Our teaching approach is explicit, structured, and evidence-based. Teachers clearly explain new learning, model strategies step-by-step, and provide students with many opportunities to practise and apply their skills.

Each Maths lesson begins with a short daily review where students revisit previously taught concepts and number facts. This helps strengthen understanding and build long-term confidence in Mathematics. Teachers also connect new learning to prior knowledge so students can make meaningful links between concepts.

Lessons are carefully sequenced to support all learners. Students first learn through teacher modelling, then work alongside the teacher during guided practice before independently applying their learning. Throughout lessons, teachers regularly check for understanding and provide immediate support, extension, or reteaching where needed.

Across all year levels, students engage in a range of mathematical areas, including:

• Number and Algebra
• Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division
• Fractions and Decimals
• Measurement and Time
• Geometry and Spatial Reasoning
• Data and Probability

At School of The Good Shepherd, we recognise that every child learns differently. Teachers use ongoing assessment and targeted support to ensure all students are challenged and supported at their point of need. Students requiring additional support receive evidence-based intervention, while students ready for extension are encouraged to deepen their mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Our goal is to develop capable, confident learners who can think critically, solve problems, and apply Mathematics to everyday life.

Intervention Programs

We are committed to supporting those students who are experiencing difficulty in reading through Reading Recovery/Discovery and small group interventions (LLI).

Students with English as an Additional language are supported through specifically addressing their needs in planning or through additional support in class. We are also fortunate to be in partnership with a number of universities whose speech pathology students provide our children with speech interventions where necessary. We are also supported generously by numerous volunteers who attend our school weekly, supporting our students’ literacy development in the classroom.

Inquiry Learning

At School of The Good Shepherd, we encourage students to be curious, ask questions, and explore the world around them. Inquiry learning helps students make meaningful connections between what they learn at school and their everyday lives.

Through engaging and purposeful learning experiences, students are supported in thinking deeply, solving problems, working collaboratively, and reflecting on their learning. Teachers guide students through clear and structured learning opportunities that encourage active participation and build confidence as learners.

Inquiry learning supports students in asking questions and exploring ideas, thinking creatively and critically, making real-life connections, working and learning with others, reflecting on their learning, developing problem-solving and communication skills, and taking meaningful action based on their learning.

Throughout each Inquiry unit, students explore new ideas and concepts, ask questions and share wonderings, research and investigate information, organise and reflect on their learning, make connections to the world around them, and share and apply their learning in meaningful ways.

Teachers integrate learning across a range of curriculum areas, helping students explore important topics such as sustainability, wellbeing, identity, culture, technology, community, and social justice.

Through Inquiry learning, we aim to develop confident, thoughtful, and engaged learners who are empowered to make a positive difference in the world around them.