Priorities
Differentiation
Differentiation provides the best possible opportunities for students to achieve at their own level. In recent years the school has developed some successful intervention programs for students with learning difficulties and/or lower achievement. A recent review of this area has resulted in the refinement of these programs and resource allocation based on evidence from student performance data.
A current focus has commenced on providing more opportunities to extend and cater for Gifted and Talented and High Achievers (known as GATHAs), within classrooms, as well as incidental opportunities beyond their home rooms. A GATHA coordinator position has been established, which will assist in the identification of and provision for these students. Time has been provided for teachers to participate in a Professional Learning Communities strategy which will enhance their skills and ability to use formative assessment and provide feedback to students.
A more recent focus has been the emergence of STEM (Science, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics) in which teachers develop integrated projects for their classroom projects. This is in response to a national call for STEM to be promoted and prioritised to ensure Australia has enough people for its future workforce requirements in these fields.
A current focus has commenced on providing more opportunities to extend and cater for Gifted and Talented and High Achievers (known as GATHAs), within classrooms, as well as incidental opportunities beyond their home rooms. A GATHA coordinator position has been established, which will assist in the identification of and provision for these students. Time has been provided for teachers to participate in a Professional Learning Communities strategy which will enhance their skills and ability to use formative assessment and provide feedback to students.
A more recent focus has been the emergence of STEM (Science, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics) in which teachers develop integrated projects for their classroom projects. This is in response to a national call for STEM to be promoted and prioritised to ensure Australia has enough people for its future workforce requirements in these fields.
The GeoWay
This describes the school’s pedagogy, or teaching approach. Its main features are the Geo Lesson Design, a framework for lessons to be structured on; a focus on Flexible Learning Spaces and the Walker Investigative Learning approach; continuing the school’s highly successful focus on Thinking Skills and Brain Theory; and a framework for Social Emotional Learning. The Geo Way describes the common and consistent approaches used across the school.