At Tatachilla, it’s personal
Each child is an individual. They have their own story, achievements and challenges.
While our curriculum has core elements, our teaching is highly personalised and rich in experiences enabling each student to grow.
Children bring an understanding of themselves and the world around them. The Junior School curriculum builds their literacy and numeracy skills across all areas of the curriculum. They are given opportunities to become independent and active learners, who are curious, inquiring, reflective and engaged in their learning. They enjoy playing and learning together, developing the skills and dispositions for individual endeavour and collaborative enterprise.
Learning through play and outdoor learning
Play is one of many ways children learn. Play contributes to the cognitive, social and emotional development of our students. It also creates an environment for creativity to flourish, and for students to practise fine and gross motor skills, decision making and problem solving skills.
Our unique environment allows for a wide range of play opportunities, on the oval, in the natural creek setting, or in our ‘ruin’ and mud-kitchen. Play at Tatachilla includes: games with rules, imaginative and dramatic play, construction, STEM play and nature play.
Surrounded by mature trees and well-maintained gardens, the Junior School enjoys an expansive setting and outlook that encourages exploration, curiosity and imagination. With the mini-beast and bush tucker gardens, a seasonal creek and extensive areas of lawn, each classroom has the great outdoors on its doorstep.
Year level identity
Each year level has a unique focus for the year. Reception is the first year of schooling, and is a year of dynamic growth and discovery.
Year 1s develop their digital citizenship as they enter the BYOD iPad Program. They consolidate their skills as writers, readers, mathematicians and inquirers about their world.
Year 2s grow in independence that culminates in their first overnight camp. They further develop STEM skills needed for scientific investigation.
Year 3s have the opportunity to develop nature spaces with an understanding of the connection between how we live and how we share and support other living species in these areas. The development of a butterfly nurturing garden is one example of how they experience mathematical and scientific concepts in these spaces.
In Year 4, the EcoSanctuary and Classroom is a key focus. Children spend sustained periods of time outdoors, experience the seasonal changes and engage with their learning in a calming natural environment.
Year 5s undertake the personal challenge of ‘Conquer the Mountain’, which encourages perseverance and independence in outdoor experiences.
Year 6 students have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills as they reflect on their Junior School learning journey. As leaders of the Junior School, they facilitate whole school assemblies, sporting and service events. They have the opportunity to lead as House Captains or Junior School Captains.
Developing readers and writers
All children are readers and writers. Our children create their own books and texts. They write about what interests them and share these with their peers. All students develop their skills and stamina for reading and writing through workshops that build creativity, thinking skills and a love for the written and spoken word in all its forms. They develop the early building blocks of reading through a whole-school phonics based approach and become independent readers.
Through the study of English our students learn to communicate and express themselves, building relationships with others.
