Curriculum Opportunities

We pride ourselves on a wide range of curriculum opportunites for our students

It’s not the curriculum that we offer that sets us apart, it’s the manner in which it’s delivered

Any school can teach a curriculum. Amazing schools like ours are full of teachers actively and passionately exploring the possibilities of making their teaching practice more innovative, engaging and fun at every turn. This is the ingredient that drives the most growth in our students.

The success we attain is not only evidenced by the assessment data – but it’s seen through the smiles and joy we see on our student’s faces as a concept is grasped. This is the indefinable element that drives us as teachers to produce and grow our own teaching skills year in, year out.

Literacy

At Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, we are committed to supporting all students in the development of literacy skills and knowledge as they grow to become competent and confident communicators.

Numeracy

Education in Faith

Holy Trinity Catholic Primary school is a faith community, inspired by the love of God, within the Parish of St Francis Xavier, Montmorency. Students are supported to grow in their relationship with God and to respond as active members within their community of faith.

Wellbeing

Student Wellbeing is at the forefront of all that we do at Holy Trinity Primary school. At Holy Trinity Primary School we aim to provide a safe, nurturing, dynamic learning community that caters for the uniqueness of each student. We believe that in order for students to learn to their full potential they need to feel safe, valued and respected in their learning environment and community.

Learning and Teaching

Physical Education

Sport and Physical Education has a high profile at Holy Trinity. Our major emphasis is participation, enjoyment, development and sportsmanship.

The Arts

L.O.T.E.

At Holy Trinity Primary School we enable and empower students to appreciate the importance of Language Learning and an appreciation for cultural diversity. We aim for the Italian language to be visible in all aspects of school life, therefore the language will be used often within the school community and over time embedded in the home environment.

S.T.E.M.

STEM education is the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Digital Technologies

Camps, Excursions & Incursions

Learning Support

MACS Governance Statement

Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School is a school which operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is operated and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS).

MACS governs and operates Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to continue the mission of Catholic education to proclaim the Good News and equip our young people with the knowledge, skills, and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them.

Because the good work of educating the young is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community, School Advisory Councils have been established to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders. This governance model was designed to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, allow parish priests to focus on the mission of education in the parish, enable greater collaboration between schools and ensure greater consistency in school policies and procedures.

More information about MACS is available at www.macs.vic.edu.au.

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Literacy

At Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, we are committed to supporting all students in the development of literacy skills and knowledge as they grow to become competent and confident communicators.

All our students develop their understandings and skills in all areas of the English curriculum in order to fully participate in the modern world as active and engaged citizens who appreciate and enjoy the English language, using it proficiently.

At Holy Trinity, the English Curriculum is based on the Victorian Curriculum and includes the areas of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing, and Writing. We have adopted a school-wide approach to literacy teaching and learning where students are engaged in rich and meaningful learning experiences with consistency of practice evident from Foundation to Year Six.

Features of the Literacy program

From Foundation to Year Six:
- a daily two-hour Literacy block for all learners
- explicit attention to student needs through Focussed Teaching Groups
- borrowing from the school library once a week
- integration of digital resources such as ipads, computers and Interactive Whiteboards
In addition to the above, our students from Foundation to Year Two
- Have take-home reading books
- Education Support Officers in each Foundation class during the daily Literacy Block

Assessment

At Holy Trinity, a variety of monitoring and assessment tools are used to identify student learning needs and to inform the planning and implementation of teaching and learning experiences. Assessment is ongoing, supporting students at all stages of their learning in order to maximise their growth across all areas of the English curriculum.

The Literacy Leader facilitates weekly professional development sessions to ensure that current research and best practice across the English curriculum is explored, trialled and implemented as appropriate for our community and for each classroom.

Intervention and Support Programs at Holy Trinity

Reading Recovery

Year One - this one-on-one intervention program with a trained Reading Recovery Teacher, provides support for students who after a year of schooling require additional support to develop their reading and writing skills.

BRIDGES to Literacy

Year One to Year Four students - this reading program is implemented by trained staff and parent helpers who provide additional one-on-one support according to the needs of individual students.

Levelled Literacy Intervention

Across the Year levels as required, this small group, reading comprehension program is delivered by trained staff and teachers, who once again support student learning according to the needs of the group.

Numeracy

Holy Trinity offers a rich mathematical program that is tailored to meet every students specific needs. The mathematics program at Holy Trinity is designed using student data from a variety of testing to achieve targeted and meaningful learning. Teachers ensure students participate in small explicit teacher groups that are targeted at their point of need, whether that be supporting or extending the learning of each student. We have a balanced Numeracy approach at Holy Trinity that also ensures students complete challenging tasks called Low Floor, High Ceiling that deepen their thinking. Numeracy and problem solving skills are essential not only for school but for life. At Holy Trinity we aim to grow each students mathematical understanding so they can reach their full potential.

Mathematics at Holy Trinity is aligned with the three inter-related dimensions of the Victorian Curriculum; number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability. In the classroom, there is opportunity to learn with concrete materials, participate in projects with real world meaning, and integrate learning into different curriculum areas such as Art and Science. Mathematics is brought to life in our STEM program as well as in many of our digital technology programs such as coding and digital graphing.

Holy Trinity is fortunate to have a Mathematics Leader who is able to collaborate with teachers to create data driven lessons as well as provide weekly professional development to ensure we are using current best practice. The Mathematics Leader facilitates or oversees a range of programs to help enrich the mathematical understanding of all students.

Supporting programs offered at Holy Trinity:

Maths Intervention Grades 1-5
Getting Ready in Numeracy (GRIN) program Grades 3-6
ESE one on one support before and during school hours

Extension programs offered at Holy Trinity:

Australian Maths Challenge Grades 3-6
Maths Talent Quest
Grade 1 Extension Team
Grade 2 Extension Team
Australian Maths Competition Grades 3-6

Growth mindset underpins all mathematics at Holy Trinity. It is the belief that we are all capable of learning and improving our mathematical understanding and the importance of persevering with challenging tasks.

Education in Faith

The Religious Education program from Foundation (Prep) through to Year 6, is developed from Catholic Education Archdiocese of Melbourne's Horizons of Hope documents; Religious Education Curriculum Framework, as well as the ‘To Know, Worship and Love’ texts. It also draws upon the richness of the Catholic Social Teaching principles, encouraging students’ to learn about the Church’s mission as global citizens.

Staff work in collaboration to plan engaging units of work for students to be given opportunities to discover more about themselves, the people and world around them and their own faith, supported by the Education in Faith and Learning and Teaching staff leaders. Students are encouraged to LIVE – be involved, LOVE – be inclusive, LEARN – be enlightened and embrace God’s word.

Classroom Program

Religious Education Program Prep – Year Six
Sacramental Program – Year Three, Year Four and Year Six
Daily Christian Meditation
Lunch-time weekly Meditation Program
Daily Class Prayer time
Regular Class Level Masses and Liturgies
Regular School Masses and Liturgies
Our daily interactions with each-other
Liturgical celebrations and instruction for Easter (Lent) and Christmas (Advent)
Year 6 Religious Education Student Leaders
Strong Parish connections
Commitment to Social Justice

Sacramental Program

Holy Trinity Primary school is one of three schools within the Catholic Parishes of St Francis Xavier, Montmorency and Our Lady Help of Christians, Eltham. Our Sacramental program is currently run in partnership with St Francis Xavier. All students and families, no matter their faith denomination are invited to be part of our Sacramental program by the way of Sacrament or Blessing. Our celebrations of Reconciliation (Year 3), First Eucharist (Year 4) and Confirmation (Year 6) are all celebrated at St Francis Xavier Church and are made up with a balanced number of students from both Holy Trinity and St Francis Xavier Parish schools. Our Parish Priests, Pastor in Solidum: Terry Kean and Moderator: Michael Sierakowski lead these Sacraments with such a beautiful, inclusive manner. Bishop Terry Curtin joins our Parish for the Sacrament of Confirmation and is equally as inclusive.

In preparation for the Sacraments, students participate in workshop days at our Parish church and St Francis Xavier school. These days provide not only an opportunity for two schools to interact with each other but an opportunity to enrich the understanding and development of faith for our students.

Adult faith education and family preparation nights for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation take place each year. An additional Faith night is held for Prep families.

Social Justice/Action

The Holy Trinity community lives out the Church’s mission in many ways; our social justice initiatives are exemplary to this mission. We support a friendship school, San Rafael Elementary in the Philippines and are committed to fundraising for this connection. Both our staff and students, have and continue to be involved in Parish trips to the Philippines supporting this global friendship. We also support and fundraise for our local St Vincent de Paul branch and an organisation, Hayden’s Helping Hands-a not for profit organisation, supporting the homeless of Melbourne and beyond; established by one of our Parish and school families.

Each year we hold a Social Action day combined with St Francis Xavier. On this day students recognise the importance of the principles of Catholic Social teachings, whilst building connections of friendship with each other.

Wellbeing

All students benefit from:

The explicit teaching and learning of social-emotional skills;
A Restorative Practice approach to restoring all relationships when a conflict arises;
Explicit teaching of being safe, responsible and respectful in the online world through our eSmart program;
Mindfulness Meditation from Foundation to Grade 6;
Our buddy program based on the Alannah and Madeline Better Buddies framework;
Understanding of gender equality through our Respectful Relationships program;
Being safe through our Child Safety standards;
Having a voice in all that is important to them through Student leadership
All staff being trained in the Berry Street Education model.
Values Education
Lunchtime activities run by our student leaders : ICT club, Italian club, Friendship club, Christian meditation and Choir

Social-emotional skills

“Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is explicitly taught in our curriculum. Social and emotional learning is about learning how to manage feelings, manage friendships and solve problems. These are essential life skills that support wellbeing and positive mental health. Social and emotional skills promote children’s ability to cope with difﬁculties and help to prevent mental health problems. Children who have developed social and emotional skills ﬁnd it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, resolve conﬂict, and feel positive about themselves and the world around them. Children are given opportunities to develop skills which promote resilience, problem solving and the ability to make good choices. We encourage empathy towards the feelings of others and respect for the rights of all. In keeping with our Christian ethos and The National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools. We teach the Holy Trinity School values of respect, care and compassion, fair go, honesty and responsibility. We believe that directly teaching these values, improves relationships, helps us to know ourselves and others, enables good decision-making, promotes ethical behaviour and increases understanding and acceptance of other people.

Restorative Practice

Holy Trinity is a Restorative School. Restorative Practice is a framework of behaviour management that moves away from the traditional punitive response to any indiscretion that may happen to your child or by your child. While still providing limits and consequences, it looks for ways to repair the damaged relationships and improve existing relationships. The Restorative School believes in the “Three R’s” - Relationships, Responsibility and Relevance.

In working with the student/s using a Restorative Approach, a staff member uses four (4) main questions:

What happened?
Who was hurt/ affected by what happened?
What needs to happen to make things right?
If the same situation happens again, how could you behave differently?

eSmart

Children are the greatest beneficiaries of the digital era and are learning to navigate the online world at a younger and younger age. We need to ensure our schools are equipped to teach children, and the whole community, how to benefit from online technology whilst being savvy and prepared for the pitfalls - cyber bullying, scams, fraud, exposure to predators and inappropriate content.

We ensure everyone knows how to be smart, safe and responsible online.

Berry Street Education Model

This education initiative is based on proven positive education, trauma-informed and wellbeing practices that enable students’ academic and personal growth. The model is unique because it educates schools and their leaders to reinforce and sustain cognitive and behavioural change, thereby re-engaging young people in learning and progressing their academic achievement.

Intervention and Accessing support

Seasons grief and loss program
Peaceful kids - mindfulness program for children
Referrals to specialists e.g. - Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Educational consultants, community agencies
Seasons Program (for children experiencing loss or grief)
Behaviour management plans

Learning and Teaching

Optimum learning occurs when teachers, working in partnership with parents, actively engage students. Best practice pedagogy underpins learning and teaching to ensure learners are able to contribute positively as global citizens. Learning is enhanced when teachers and students work within a positive culture that reflects gospel values and respects the human person. Monitoring students’ progress and catering for their individual needs promotes continuous learning.

At Holy Trinity we recognise that we are part of a local and global community, and as such, ensure curriculum provides learners with an awareness of the needs and responsibilities of citizens working within communities with rich social and cultural diversity. This includes an understanding of social and environmental issues, an awareness of differing cultural needs in decision making and the role and responsibility of being a member of a global technological world.

Horizons of Hope (HoH) is a framework for Catholic primary education. Within the HoH it is believed student learning is best done when it is authentic – relevant to the “real world”; and is transdisciplinary – where learning is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subject areas but is supported and enriched by them.

The curriculum model is based on strong belief about how children best learn. The learner is at the centre of all learning. Each learner brings their own knowledge and experiences to the classroom and through engaging with new experiences learners are given the opportunity to build meaning and refine understanding, principally through structured inquiry. Connections are made between the learners’ existing knowledge and their individual learning styles within the context of new experiences.

It is believed that learning takes place best when it is connected to the learner’s real world outside of the classroom. The aim of the HoH is to create a transdisciplinary curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. Horizons of Hope in no way replaces the curriculum set by the Victorian Government but rather integrates all subjects traditionally taught under the ‘umbrella’ of this approach. All learners are still taught all the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum as stipulated Horizons of Hope is the HOW we educate – the philosophy, pedagogy and methodology, and the Victorian Curriculum is the WHAT we teach – the content, knowledge and skills

The inquiry pedagogy allows learners to make sense of their world by making connections and building on their prior knowledge. In this approach learners are given greater independence to implement their own learning. It also helps learners to increase their awareness of the different styles of learning while creating different levels of challenge. Strategies for problem solving, organising and sorting, thinking creatively and reflecting can be used in many different aspects of the school curriculum and applied to life beyond the school.

In the inquiry based classroom there is increased emphasis on real life situations, decision-making, problem solving, research and action. Learners are actively:

exploring, wondering and questioning
experimenting and playing with possibilities
making connections between previous learning and current learning
making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
collecting data and reporting findings
clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events
deepening understanding through the application of a concept
making and testing theories
researching and seeking information
taking and defending a position
solving problems in a variety of ways

Differentiation

Differentiation involves teachers designing learning experiences that match learners readiness levels, learning styles and interests. All learners learn differently, and differentiation is how teachers react responsibly to different learning needs. Inquiry and differentiation are closely linked because both strive to actively engage learners in learning, provide learners with choices for their learning and help them construct new understandings. At Holy Trinity we believe that every learner should be challenged to grow in their skills, knowledge and understandings, moving beyond where they are at the beginning of the school year. Differentiation ensures that every learner demonstrates growth. Differentiation can take many forms, some of which are more visible and others which are more subtle. Some of the key differentiation strategies include:

providing learners with choices in how they learn and demonstrate their learning
using assessment results to design learning experiences that meet individual learner needs
learners working in small groups, with partners, and independently on learning tasks focused on their unique learning needs
providing learners with alternative class work and home learning (not just more of the same work) that extends their learning of a specific skill or topic
providing review and re-teaching for learners who need help in developing an important skill or concept open-ended learning tasks and questioning strategies that encourage the development of learners’ high-level thinking skills

Collaborative Planning

In order to plan for the diverse needs of learners, all Holy Trinity teachers are required to engage in structured collaborative planning and reflection. Each planning team consists of all teachers teaching learners within any particular year level. Planning for learning is based on the premises and beliefs that:

there is no known ceiling to achievement
intelligence can be developed by effective teaching
high expectations are important, but to fulfil these high expectations learners must be shown how to improve by their teachers. This requires learners to be taught to learn and to reflect on their learning, and to assess their progress
learning objectives that challenge each learner and take their own learning forward must be shared explicitly with learners and reviewed at the end of the lesson or unit of learning
lessons must be carefully planned and clearly structured to include an engaging and stimulating variety of learning experiences that contribute to meeting the learning objectives
teachers must evaluate their lessons so that their own practice can improve

Students at Holy Trinity:

Learn and grow in a community where Gospel values inspire commitment to social action and spiritual growth.
Participate in a broad and diverse curriculum that enables them to develop their talents and experience success.
Develop the learning dispositions needed for curiosity and for creative, reflective and critical thinking.
Are active learners, taking responsibility for their own learning and contributing to the learning of others.
Are supported and empowered to take risks in their learning and to experience the benefits of perseverance.
Grow in their capacity for resilience and for dealing positively with life’s challenges.
Are motivated by our culture of high expectations for all.

Teachers at Holy Trinity:

Respect and uphold the innate dignity of each student
Are highly attuned to the distinctive learning and wellbeing needs of our students
Are restless and innovative in their pursuit of excellence in their own and others’ learning
Collaborate to plan and construct learning goals, assessments and activities that are responsive to students’ individual needs and respectful of difference
Make thinking visible through use of a range of contemporary approaches, learning tools, technologies and resources to foster students’ understanding of how to learn
Provide timely, specific feedback to guide students in their learning progress
Create a culture of high expectations

Physical Education

Sport and Physical Education has a high profile at Holy Trinity. Our major emphasis is participation, enjoyment, development and sportsmanship. We emphasise that at Holy Trinity, we encourage and support, we do not criticise. As Michael Jordan said, “ Talent wins games. Intelligence and team-work wins championships.”

We promote engagement for the students in physical activity at the school level through Physical Education classes. Participation in competitive sporting competitions is also a focus of our program. This involvement is strongly supported by parent support and participation. We have a strong tradition of parents who volunteer to support our athletes by coaching, training, scoring, or just coming along to cheer, and we love it.

We belong to the Montmorency District Primary School Sports Association, where we are involved in Interschool competitions of Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics, which progress to selection of Victorian State Teams.

We participate in the winter and summer seasons of interschool team sports. Our record, to date, has been successful, with the majority of teams playing finals and many progressing to Division level. In 2018, our boys’ soccer team competed at Region and our Lacrosse Team competed at the Metropolitan State Finals.

Coinciding with PE classes, we engage in community events, such as, Prep Year Six buddy picnic evening and Twilight Sports, a range of tabloid sports activities involving all classes from Year Prep to Year Six. Our Parent Committees are involved in providing food and support for a really fun and engaging evening.

The sporting facilities of two synthetic turf fields, two asphalt basketball / netball courts and an indoor, carpeted multi-purpose room at Holy Trinity enable maximum sporting and physical education sessions.

One field has AFL Footy goal and behind posts. The other field has soccer goals, which is ideal for team training sessions. We are well resourced with equipment stored in a resource shed.

Extra curricular: Hooptime Basketball Yr 5 / 6 every second year

Yr 3 /4 Parent Supported

Tennis Program and partner program with Karingal Tennis Club

Athletics Program

Co-operation with Marcellin College to support our Athletics Carnival

Co-operation with Parade College to support our District Athletics Carnival

Co-operation with AFL community development program to run clinics with targeted year levels to develop footy skills.

Physical Education is important at Holy Trinity because:

Children learn to understand the importance of exercising for a lifetime
Regular, physical activity is the best antidote to eliminate obesity and maintain an acceptable body weight. It also provides a positive alternative to watching television or playing on tablets, computers or mobile phones.
Children learn the fundamental motor skills that enable them to develop the competence that creates confidence and leads to safe and successful participation in a wide range of sports.
Children are encouraged to improve their fitness levels during PE lessons, including muscular and cardiovascular endurance, strength and flexibility.
Youngsters can learn valuable lessons about accepting responsibility for their personal development leading to greater self-discipline.
PE promotes opportunities for children to be creative, cooperative and competitive and to face up to different challenges both as individuals and in groups.
A 'good workout' helps ease stress, tension and anxiety and will result in better attention in class.
Many activities taught in PE require children to work in groups to solve problems or as a team. These opportunities are excellent for developing both leadership and cooperation skills
Children learn to develop the notion of fair play, honest competition, good sportsmanship and dealing with both success and defeat
Movement can be used to reinforce the understanding of many subjects taught in the classroom e.g. mathematics. Movement is also associated with enhanced brain functioning.
PE is especially important to children who have yet to develop their verbal communication skills. Thus, their confidence in physical abilities can lead to positive feelings of self-esteem.

Opportunities offered

at Holy Trinity

- Inter-school sport
- Swimming
- Cross Country
- Twilight Sports
- Athletics
- Hot Shots
- Visits from Athletes

The Arts

Performing Arts Lessons at Holy Trinity assist students to participate in and develop a lifelong interest in ‘The Arts’. They take place on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Performing Arts Room. Each class receives a 40 minute lesson with a Performing Arts specialist every week.

The Performing Arts Program includes Music, Drama, Dance and Instrumental Focus. Each discipline has its own distinctive body of knowledge and its own elements, techniques and conventions. Students develop their literacy in each discipline which enables them to grow and to contribute to their school, community and culture. Performing Arts develop the artistic and aesthetic dimensions of human experience and contribute to our intellectual ability. They stimulate imagination, thinking and understanding.

CHOIR:

There are School Choir opportunities for Junior and Senior Classes. Choir is optional and available for Grade One to Six. The Choir perform at events during the year including Christmas Carols and School Masses. They also perform in the wider community by entertaining the elderly at aged care centres.

UKULELE BAND:

On Wednesday at lunch break the Ukulele Band meet. This is available for the Senior Grade Five and Six Students who have developed a passion for Ukulele in their music classes.

INSTRUMENTAL FOCUS:

In the Instrumental Curriculum Focus, all children from Grade One to Grade Six learn to play the ukulele in their classroom lessons. All children are also given the opportunity to explore a variety of percussion instruments during their Performing Arts lessons.

SCHOOL PRODUCTION:

Every second year, the Performing Arts Program culminates in a whole school performance where every student performs in a large theatre. In this production the students have the opportunity to refine their skills and share them in a professional theatre for a wider audience. It is an opportunity to showcase their talents and an incredible opportunity for students to take to a real stage.

SCHOOL TUITION:

At Holy Trinity, there is also a choice of tuition opportunities in guitar, keyboard and ‘Circus Skills’. These opportunities are undertake during school time and give students the choice to specialise in their area. Tuition is separate to the school arts programs and runs during or after school hours.

Visual Arts

Holy Trinity is dedicated to providing students with the opportunities to develop their creativity through Visual Arts. These programs are undertaken in the classroom where each year level has a dedicated room for visual art. Students engage in a range of curriculum based learning such as artist studies, painting, collage, printing, 3D modelling and many more. By having art in the classroom, students are able to respond to inquiry focuses through drawing, count numbers with a paintbrush and model a book they are reading in literacy. Every second year, Holy Trinity hosts an art show where students diligently create two extraordinary pieces that are displayed for the community to view in the show. You can still view some of these artworks as they are still on display around the school today.

L.O.T.E.

Italian Language Learning at Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity’s Language Vision Statement:

“At Holy Trinity Primary School we enable and empower students to appreciate the importance of Language Learning and an appreciation for cultural diversity. We aim for the Italian language to be visible in all aspects of school life, therefore the language will be used often within the school community and over time embedded in the home environment. Our school vision is for the Italian language to become more alive within the Holy Trinity community, introducing and reinforcing the gesture-based learning methodology as an approach for improving the Italian language education at our school.”

Holy Trinity offers the Italian language from Foundation through to Year Six.

Our Italian language is taught through a gesture methodology approach to language learning. This new and exciting gesture approach focuses on introducing new and revised Italian vocabulary, a selection of phrases or words through the use of gestures and actions. This language learning approach has been successfully developed and implemented to support students with expanding their Italian vocabulary and further developing a deeper understanding of how the language is used and works in different conversational contexts.

This comprehensive language program focuses on developing skills in all four learning dimensions of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. The program’s main objective is to introduce and teach the students 100 Italian functional words each year so students can expand their Italian vocabulary and actively use the language to engage in conversations with teachers, peers and parents.

The program highly promotes and encourages students to use the Italian language actively in different real-life situations- making the Italian language authentic and purposeful. The language program aims to enhance communication in the target language throughout the whole school, making the language more visible within the school community. This unique language learning initiative has been purposefully designed and implemented to highly encourage all students to use the Italian vocabulary learned to speak in Italian within their language sessions, classroom and home contexts. Each Italian word or phrase is introduced with a gesture. The aim of the gestures is to support students with learning, understanding and retaining the Italian vocabulary. A range of oral language and hands on activities have been especially designed to support students with learning how to use the Italian functional language in different everyday situations.

During Italian language sessions which run for a 40 minute duration, five phrases or words are introduced to the students and gestures are also introduced to support the word’s meaning .The phrases and words are introduced and taught throughout a range of literacy based activities. The Italian functional language and gestures are introduced in class and are then filtered into the classrooms where teachers actively engage in using the Italian language with their students. Students use the familiar Italian functional language to support them with sentence building tasks, creating simple and complex sentences, composing written texts and engaging in conversational dialogue.

Each year, Holy Trinity promotes ‘Cultural Diversity’ by celebrating and participating in Harmony, Multicultural and Italian days. On these special days, students and teachers become immersed in a range of fun and engaging cultural activities which focuses on developing a deeper awareness of other cultures in our growing society.

To further promote the Italian language at our school, Italian club operates once a week during lunchtime which is successfully run by our language teacher and current Year 6 Italian leaders. A range of cultural activities are carefully planned so that students can enjoy the many interactive cultural learning experiences.

S.T.E.M.

STEM education is the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

At Holy Trinity, we believe that STEM embraces the modern learner. Students are given the opportunity to work in team environments using communication, collaboration and problem solving skills while completing real-world challenges- that is, challenges that are relevant to their lives. Learning by doing is an essential part of teaching students. Hands on activities make STEM experiences fun, easier to engage with the content and facilitates the development of necessary skills for students.

STEM education enables students to develop solutions to complex problems and provides them with the skills that will help them succeed in a world of technological change. As future innovators, educators, researchers and leaders, it is important that students develop the skills required to compete on a global scale.

STEM

Interconnecting practices	Teaching Practices
Flexible reasoning skills	Problem solving Creativity Generating own questions Inquiry
Effective and adaptable use of artifacts	Conceptual, digital, physical tools Exploring and investigating artefacts Using a range of modern tools, digital tools Being able to use objects of the discipline in a flexible way, such as natural phenomena, representations of the phenomena, and tools that are used to understand the phenomena or complex problems Application to new concepts
Proficiency in technical and professional discourse	Understanding and engaging with the disciplinary representations Knowing the language Sharing and communicating Working in teams
Understanding of the nature of evidence in different settings	Collect real data in a variety of situations Using evidence to validate a solution to a problem or justify a decision Making a judgement about the accuracy and reliability of information

Community engagement through STEM:

Organisational partners….

-Akorn

-Craft Power

-Catholic Education Melbourne

-Zoos Victoria

-Parks Victoria

-Banyule City council

Examples of STEM Challenges undertaken at Holy Trinity

Design and create a tall ship which would cater for the needs of transporting goods and people today

Design and create a product or feature to assist a person with a specific disability who attends Holy Trinity

Design and create a sustainable garden for our school grounds

Design and create a theatre in a suitcase to highlight the the needs of a local endangered species

Design and create cleaning products for the classroom which cater for the many students with allergies

Identify a need, design, develop and create something new to address this identified need

Digital Technologies

In 1969 we sent man to the moon. We now have a device that fits in our pocket that has more processing power than the computer they used. Therefore, at Holy Trinity, we empower our students with the skills to design, create, manage and evaluate digital concepts for current and future needs so students will be ready for the fast evolving world of digital technology. Holy Trinity integrates technology into the classroom to enhance and deepen understanding. Technology is a powerful tool that we utilise to enable students to safely and responsibly become immersed in their learning and discover the power the online community holds. It is also important that students do not become reliant on technology, that students have the skills necessary to problem solve and be independent of technology. Technology is an important part of Holy Trinity. Some of the facilities and resources we have are:

Interactive smartboards in each learning space and classroom
Year level sets of chromebooks shared between two grades
Dedicated computer room for each year level with desktop computers
The ICT lab - a learning space with 30 all in one computers and an interactive smart board
Tablets in each class room, with additional tablets in Foundation and in Specialist classrooms
One-to-one devices in Year 5 and 6 where students take on the responsibility of their own laptop
Additional Chromebooks in the multipurpose area to supplement classes own chromebooks for whole class activities

Students will be exposed to technology through literacy rotations, maths projects, dedicated design technology classes, inquiry research and can even join the digital technologies club which runs during half of lunch on a Wednesday. In this club, students are extended in their learning about coding and how to be safe online. Holy Trinity students are taught to be collaborative members of the community, whether online or face to face. Students take responsibility for their own internet user agreements and are taught to support safe, ethical and respectful communications with known and unknown audiences.

Camps, Excursions & Incursions

To enrich students experiences and to develop their learning into real world environments, Holy Trinity students engage in a wide variety of excursions. These excursions are tied in with curriculum outcomes and are run in a variety of different areas. Catholic Education Melbourne is in partnership with many different organisations and programs, however, we are not limited by these programs and are always discovering new ways to demonstrates students learning outside the school gates.

Incursions

Holy Trinity’s incredible facilities enables teachers to bring the learning to students. When discovering a new topic, students may engage in an incursion where professionals may come to speak to students, have a demonstration or engage students in a hands on learning experience. Incursions will create a springboard for students creativity and inquisitivity for the following unit of work.

Camps

The Briars
For the past years, Year 5 students have been travelling to the Briars camp located in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula. This action packed camp offers students to challenge themselves physically and mentally with their peers in a range of fun outdoor activities. Students create bonds that are the highlight of their schooling lives with memories of achieving the leap of faith or even the giant swing. This camp also gives some students their first experience of nights away from home creating independence and resilience in students in a safe and supportive environment.
Canberra
In Year 6, students learn all about our Australian Government through term 3 and then visit our Nation's Capital at the beginning of term 4. This rich experience gives an insight into the politics of our country as we visit the new and old parliament house, as well as visiting other exciting locations such as the Mint, Questacon and the Museum. Students spend their final camp solidifying lasting friendships and learning life long skills such as participating in role play voting. Students then fly home, an exciting experience for many as their first time on an aeroplane, to share their experiences and continue the units in class.

Partnership with Philippines

As a Catholic school, we are dedicated in working to support those in need and our partnership across the ocean helps to show that to our students. In 2018, 5 students from Year 6 participated in a trip to the Philippines to visit Holy Trinity’s friendship school, San Rafael. This trip was self directed by the students but was supported by the school, and demonstrates the power the students have to make a difference. While there, the students project managed the implementation of a basketball court after playing with the students and discovering that was what they wanted.

Learning Support

Educational Support Employees

Holy Trinity prides itself on supporting all students no matter what their academics needs may be. Education Support Employees (ESE) are an integral part of the staff at Holy Trinity, engaging small groups, intervention programs and one to one assistance in the classrooms. ESE staff are trained in the latest programs that are then implemented both during school time and before school hours. Their ability to form strong relationships with students and deliver learning that is tailored to each student ensures all of our students are supported at their own point of need.

Bridges program at Holy Trinity.

The Bridges literacy program is designed for students that require additional support in literacy. It is designed to compliment the Reading Recovery program.Bridges lessons runs three times a week, one-on-one with an E.S.E. or Volunteer who has been trained by the Reading Recovery teacher, to deliver an effective literacy intervention program.The program runs for between 3-30 weeks. The lessons focus on reading, word work and writing. The E.S.E. or Volunteer is in regular contact with the students classroom teacher to ensure continuity of the program.The Bridges program emphasis is on reading and writing development and word discovery and is an integral component of the literacy program at Holy Trinity.

Levelled Literacy Intervention (L.L.I.) at Holy Trinity

Levelled Literacy Intervention is a small group intervention program that is designed to prevent literacy difficulties. It aims to bring students to year level achievement. Levelled Literacy Intervention was designed in the U.S.A. by Fountas and Pinnell to compliment the achievements of Reading Recovery. Levelled Literacy Intervention is delivered by the Reading Recovery teacher. L.L.I is a short term intervention, that supplements the classroom program. Students work in small groups of up to 4 students with the Reading Recovery teacher between three to four days a week. The lessons of 30 - 45 minutes, provides instruction in reading , comprehension, writing, and word study. The students remain on the program for up to 17-18 weeks. Levelled Literacy Intervention assists students who need intensive support in Literacy.

Reading Recovery at Holy Trinity.

Reading Recovery is a short term early literacy intervention that assists students in Year 1 who have not yet established effective reading and writing strategies. Reading Recovery was designed in New Zealand by Dame Marie Clay and is an internationally evidenced based program that fosters success and independence in reading and writing.The students classroom program is supplemented with daily one-to -one lessons of 30 minutes.The series of lessons runs for a minimum of 12 weeks and a maximum of 20 weeks, with a specially trained Reading Recovery teacher.The lessons engage the students in reading books, letter and word work and writing their own stories and developing effective strategic literacy behaviours. This enables students to become independent readers and writers who are better equipped to join in the daily literacy activities in the classroom.