Curriculum

Literacy

Numeracy

At Mulgrave Primary School we embrace creativity, curiosity and collaboration in our mathematics lessons. We aim to support students in seeing the value of mathematics in life, society and work.

Our lessons begin with a fluency game to build number fact knowledge. Students are then engaged through the use of mentor texts and Number Talks. Learning tasks incorporate a mixture of traditional learning opportunities, games, investigations and open-ended tasks which cater to students’ individual learning needs and interests and build upon their strengths. Learning is supported through hands-on tools, manipulatives and digital technologies. Students are encouraged to explain their thinking and reasoning, working collaboratively with their peers to further embed their understanding.

Teachers ensure that lessons incorporate the Victorian Curriculum outcomes, understanding that there is a need to address the content strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability while incorporating the proficiency strands of Fluency, Understanding, Problem Solving, and Reasoning into every lesson.

Assessment and tracking of student progress is pivotal to our successful program. We utilise Essential Assessment, the Mathematics Online Interview and other Formative assessment measures to consistently support students, set goals and monitor growth.

We support students to achieve their potential by: growing a resilient mathematical mindset; learning from their mistakes; and, making connections within all mathematics areas and within their everyday life.

Specialist Programs

Environment & Sustainability Program

At Mulgrave Primary School, teachers and students have multiple avenues to pursue their passion for the environment.

Here are some of the initiatives we have running at the school:

Nude food

On a nominated day, students count up the plastic and other wrappers in their lunch box as a class to get an idea of the impact their food packaging choices are making on the environment. Students are encouraged to bring in “nude food” – food with zero wrappers, to help create a more sustainable future.

Gardening club

Students have the opportunity to contribute to the school garden, learning how to grow food from seeds and maintain healthy garden conditions.

Environment captains and club

Senior school students have the opportunity to become Environment Captains. Our current captains have already organised a “Green Day” which will raise awareness and funds that can go towards environment initiatives.

Composting and recycling

Within each classroom, there are multiple bins to teach children that often what we consider waste can be reused. One example of this is a compost collection system where students place their fruit scraps and other compostable items in a special bin which is then taken to our larger compost bins so it can be used as fertiliser for our garden.

We encourage students to be involved and contribute their ideas for us to help the environment at Mulgrave Primary, and they can then meet with leading Environment Teachers and the school Environment captains and discuss the suggestions!

Visual Arts

At Mulgrave Primary the art room is a busy place of creativity and exploration. Our Visual Arts program is designed to encourage and challenge our students to achieve their artistic potential in an enjoyable and supportive environment. It aims to provide students an opportunity to really notice the world around them and create artwork in a setting where students feel safe to take risks with their learning.

Exploring and experimenting with materials, tools and techniques, students learn the importance of the art making process. We focus on developing our students’ skills in seven main areas of art including, Drawing, Collage, Painting, Printmaking, Construction, Modelling, Threads and Textiles. The Art Elements (colour, line, shape, texture, space, form) are the building blocks used to make artworks and as students’ progress through the year levels, their knowledge and skills of these elements are revised and reinforced. Students learn to communicate their ideas and skills and gain inspiration for their own art when they explore, interpret and respond to the artwork of local and famous artists. The use of art specific focus words during art lessons plays an important role in the development of our students’ arts language.

Our art room is a spacious and well equipped learning environment where students participate in a 60 minute art lesson each week. In year 6, students have an opportunity to be selected as the Arts Captain, leading a small group of year 4 and 5 students in a Student Arts Committee.

We believe that all of our students are successful artists and that everyone’s artwork is worthy of recognition. The artwork produced by our students are celebrated and proudly displayed around the school. We also show-case all of our students’ art work in a bi-annual Art Show allowing our community the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic artwork that is completed throughout the course of the year.

Performing Arts

 Performing Arts classes consist of a combination of singing, dancing and movement, drama, instrumental work, music theory and media arts. Students participate in one forty-minute class every week where they are encouraged to explore their creativity.

Another high light for our students is entering the Victorian States School Spectacular.

Prep – Grade 2

Students in grades prep to two are introduced to instruments by playing tuned and un-tuned percussion instruments.

Grade 3 – Grade 4

In grades three and four they learn the recorder and in grades five and six they learn the ukulele.

School Productions

The school presents a whole-school production every two years which allows students the opportunity to perform to a large audience in a theatre external to the school.

School Choir

Students can join extra-curricular activities during lunch times including the school choir, who have performance opportunities including school assemblies, ANZAC Day student ceremonies, Kindergartens, Waverley Gardens Shopping Centre, the school carols nights and school festivals. Students learn a range of skills and techniques including singing in-the-round and singing harmonies.

Theatre Club

The Theatre Club is another extra-curricular activity which provides fantastic opportunity for students to perform.  Students perform a short musical featuring many of the favourite characters which in previous years have featured Dr Seuss and other characters. Students involved in Theatre Club also have the opportunity to see a musical in the city each year.

Excursions

Past excursions include Aladdin, The Wizard of Oz and Charlie, Frozen and the Chocolate Factory. In 2022, the students attended Hairspray the Musical at the Regent Theatre.

Physical Education

At Mulgrave Primary School we provide an inclusive Physical Education, Sport and Health Program for all children as outlined in the Victorian Curriculum. Students participate in a 40 minute Physical Education (PE) session conducted by our PE specialist teacher and a 1 Hour Sport Session each week that is conducted with the support of the classroom teachers. The PE and Sport program is designed and aimed to prepare students for a healthy and active lifestyle through the development of skills, knowledge, teamwork and positive attitudes. Through our comprehensive we aim to develop the learner’s confidence, coordination and physical literacy through a range of individual and group learning tasks. There is a consistent focus on respect and encouraging learners to interact with each other in a positive manner. Our program provides children with a wide range of physical and sporting experiences focusing on the sequential development of fundamental motor and locomotion skills, gymnastics, dance, athletics, fitness and sport education. We also have a range of equipment that ensures a variety of exciting new experiences each session. Various lunch time and after school coaching programs are also offered throughout the term.

Foundation to Year 2 curriculum breakdown

In Foundation to Year 2, learners participate in learning tasks and minor games designed to develop their fundamental motor skills (FMS). Throughout the lessons, we also aim to develop their understanding of why Physical Activity is important and how our body reacts to exercise. Learners are encouraged to work cooperatively and use trial and error as well as creating personal improvement goals throughout the year to develop their skills further.

Years 3 to 6 curriculum breakdown

In Years 3-6 the learners are further extending on their development of fundamental motor skills, their ability to work and collaborate with other to prepare (year 3) for team games and sports and extend their knowledge, ability and participation in team games and sports (years 4, 5 and 6).  In these years students begin to associate activity levels with health and fitness to develop positive attitudes to developing lifelong fitness habits.  Students in these levels also use ICT to analyse skill technique, and additionally using this augmented feedback to provide a “where to next” trajectory.

Facilities

Mulgrave Primary School is very well equipped with a number of sporting areas for students to use. The school has the following facilities:

• Indoor gymnasium
• Indoor hall
• A large multi-purpose oval
• Our famous ‘Australia’ running track
• Outdoor Netball and Basketball courts

We are also lucky enough to back onto an amazing reserve, as well as been able to access Rowville Secondary’s swimming pool to complete our aquatic program.

Interschool Sport

Inter school sport is a highlight for most students in Years 5 & 6. Our school is affiliated with School Sport Victoria in the Wellington District and will play against other teams within this district. Equal opportunity for both girls and boys is provided and good sportsmanship and fair play through healthy competition is promoted. Different captains and vice captains are chosen each week. Their role is to welcome the other school and write a sports report. In term one we play Volleyball, Softball, Hot Shot Tennis and T20 Blast Cricket. In term 2 we play Soccer, AFL, T-Ball and Netball. Term 3 sees the students having the option of participating in Hoop Time Basketball. Throughout the year students can also chase individual success in Tennis, Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics.

House Sports

An annual event that brings out the competitive spirt of the entire school community is our House Athletics’ carnival. The event is broken up into two. The field events are conducted in Physical Education classes in Term 2 and the Track events happen early term 4 as a whole school carnival. This event is regularly included as one of the highlights and best memories of the students’ time sent at Mulgrave Primary School.

LOTE – Spanish

At Mulgrave Primary School our aim is to guide students to discover how enriching and joyful the experience of learning a new language is. Following the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach, students will learn Spanish while exploring different content areas.

In our Spanish lessons, our learning will be connected to what they are learning in STEM and Integrated Topics. While exploring topics from the Geography and Science Curricula, students will be guided on how to use Spanish to explain and describe their knowledge. In this way, students are not explicitly taught the language, but they are given the opportunity to participate in their own learning process. This will also allow them to use Spanish beyond the Spanish classroom by taking it into their own classrooms and be exposed to the language in other contexts.

In each lesson, students will be presented with a variety of activities that will encourage students to speak, write, listen and read in the target language. This will allow students at Mulgrave Primary School to develop all four language skills in Spanish while exploring engaging and meaningful topics.