Library
- Ms Gai Davis
Our library provides a welcoming, supportive and inclusive learning environment with a goal of developing a community of lifelong learners and readers.
With over ten thousand resources the library caters for all students’ recreational and curriculum needs. Students can access the Oliver library catalogue online at both school or home. Library resources are also loaned to classrooms to provide a range of materials for reading and research during the school year.
Each week all classes visit the library for a scheduled lesson with the teacher librarian. During these sessions students are provided with the opportunity to return and borrow books and explore items within the library collection such as “The New Book” display. Session times also provide opportunities for students to engage in activities that aim to promote an enjoyment of literature and develop information literacy skills.
The library is open before school and at lunchtime for students to borrow and return books and enjoy recreational activities such as reading, board and card games, drawing and construction kits.
ICT
- Mrs Gardener
In the lab, the students have weekly lessons to develop ICT skills, knowledge and understanding, and confidence using digital technologies:
Keyboarding
The children from years 2-6 have been using the program Typequick to learn how to touch type so they can be fluent writers using digital technology. It is the aim of the school to have all year 6 students enter high school as touch typists to better enable them to complete their high school workload. This learning happens in class and at home throughout the year and is not just relegated to weekly lessons in the lab.
Coding
All children in the school will be continuing to develop their coding skills this year. Years 1-6 will be working on projects next term, whilst kindergarten will begin their coding journey in Term 3.
Cyber Safety and Digital Citizenship
In Term 3, the students from years 1-6 will be completing activities based on cyber safety and digital citizenship, gaining vital knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to be complete and thinking users of the internet.
Creative Arts: Music / Drama
- Ms Julie Anne Stevens
The students receive a weekly lesson in Creative Arts. In music, students develop and build on their knowledge, understanding and skills in playing, singing, making and moving to music and music appreciation. Students have the opportunity to learn to play in a group setting, playing tuned and untuned percussion instruments and in stage 3, ukulele. Each year, students also have the opportunity to explore digital music, using iPads and other digital programs. Singing is a focus in our school with weekly year level singing in K-2. Students are then able to join the school choir and continue to learn and experience a wealth of choral music.
In Drama, students develop skills in making drama, performance and appreciating drama. Students have the opportunity to develop skills in mime, improvisation, acting, gestures and voice skills. Drama is also taught and integrated into other key learning areas such as English and Music.
Learning Support (LaS)
- Ms Schmidt and Mrs Holdway
The Learning and Support (LaS) teacher works in collaboration with other members of the learning and support team to provide additional assessment, consultation or support for teachers to address the needs of all students across the school. Every student is supported within their regular class by the teachers who program for the varied needs of students in their class, through differentiation or with reasonable adjustments to support all students’ access to the curriculum.
Some students may need additional short-term or long-term adjustments and support due to disability or any learning difficulty, including physical disabilities, behaviour, social, emotional, sensory and attention issues. The learning support team works to increase all teachers’ capacity to support their students with direct support or intervention programs and/or consultation and collaboration, professional development, and referral for other external support when needed.
Learning and support staff prioritise referrals and respond to the identified needs of students. The learning and support team (including executive staff, the school counsellor and learning and support teachers) monitor the needs of students over time, to track progress and ensure access to appropriate support processes.
To support students needing additional support to develop their reading skills, the learning and support teachers are currently delivering the MiniLit program (to stage 1) and MacqLit (to stage 2/3). In these programs, students work in small groups on an evidence-based, explicit and intensive reading and spelling program to develop all aspects of effective reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
At Pennant Hills PS, the LaS teacher also coordinates a team of School Learning and Support Officers (SLSOs or teachers’ aides) who assist the teachers and provide additional support for students in classrooms and on the playground on a regular basis.
English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
- Mrs Krivohlavy
Students who are learning English as an additional language receive tuition to develop their English speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in the classroom, and/or, in small-group withdrawal settings. The small group withdrawal classes support respective grade programs by targeting specific areas of language development and allow for one-on-one instruction. In the classroom setting, EAL/D students are supported to complete learning activities in their respective classrooms. Students are included in the EAL/D Support Program on the basis of formal assessments and classroom teacher nominations. All the students included in the program receive support a minimum of once a week.
Dance
- Mr Arnold Sychampanakhone
All students receive weekly lessons in dance. This strong and inclusive program is run by Arnold from A-Squared Performance, who strives to develop young people as happy, confident, creative and skilled individuals through fostering a love of the performing arts. Arnold develops the students’ knowledge, skills and understanding of dance through the key elements of dance (action, dynamics, time, space, relationships and structure); he develops appreciation and performance skills through a range of contexts within a structured learning program.
SLSO Staff
- Mrs Wright
SLSO staff assist teachers and provide additional support for students in classrooms and on the playground.