First 20 Days of Writing  

The ‘First 20 days of Writing’ echoes the work of reading in setting up expectations for students around practices and strategies in writing. It provides the strategies that lead into The Writer’s Workshop setting the students up to be successful writers. After this, students move into a series of genre studies that set up for students to respond throughout the year with authentic writing experiences as they strive to communicate with increasing empowerment

Writing Lessons

The Writing Workshop has the same structure and commences with a mini lesson that focuses on a particular aspect of writing. This learning is then reinforced through application in individual, small group or independent writing. During independent writing time the teacher is working with individual students supporting their growth as writers, addressing concerns and enabling students to attain specific writing goals.

Spelling and vocabulary are taught through both the reading and writing sessions in addition to following specific programs. 

At Foundation and Year 1 the students develop knowledge of sounds and letters through the Little Learners Love Literacy program. They are taught to read and write the letters that are introduced in a systematic way throughout the year. High Frequency words are matched to the Little Learners Love Literacy program and are introduced in a sequential way.

In Years 2 to 6, students are also taught in an explicit and systematic way using the Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check approach. Phonological knowledge is the ability to break words into syllables and individual sounds. Orthographic knowledge is a visual skill that involves choosing the correct letters that make a sound in a word. Etymological knowledge is the study of where words come from and morphemic knowledge is how prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of base words.

At Mackellar, whilst we call our specific lessons mathematics, our end goal is to ensure that, through carefully scoped learning progressions, our students are highly numerate and engaged as learners. In all year levels the pedagogical release flows from concrete materials and manipulatives, to modelling, abstract and finally transference to real life situations. This sets the scene for depth of learning in numeracy.

In years 3-6 there are a number of resources to support with the use of iPads in numeracy, including iTunes-U courses that are published to the iTunes-U public site. These have embedded videos, tasks and questions for the students to work through and are a secondary resource to the quality teaching in mathematics.

Lesson Structure 

The lesson structure for mathematics follows that of Reading and Writing with the addition of a small warm up that should get students thinking mathematically. Small group instruction targeted at students allows delivery of the curriculum at point of need. There is more of a focus on collaboration and this is reflected in the types of tasks, experiences and investigations that students undertake.

Technology to Support Numeracy 

Students use their iPads in a variety of ways to support their growth in numeracy. As well as annotated photographs, modelling using keynote and video reflections, the iPads enable us to reimagine tasks through the various apps. For support or coaching please link in with our digital learning coach, Phill Cristofaro.

Inquiry learning is an active thinking and learning process that requires the students to form inquiry questions. This enables purposeful and worthwhile information gathering, set goals, make plans for finding the information, decide on the appropriate sources of information and evaluate the information they gather. Students then use their data to form answers that build on and extend their prior knowledge and lead to deeper understanding. Students are both problem posers and problem solvers within inquiry learning.

At Mackellar Primary School, we use the Inquiry Learning approach in a range of different curriculum areas and more specifically in the area of building world knowledge. Inquiry learning can take many forms, for example, integrated with other curriculum areas, issue or problem-based, action led, negotiated and play based. However, inquiry is essentially a student-centred learning approach, characterised by students

– asking questions
– building on prior knowledge
– making their own discoveries
– finding information from a range of sources to answer their own questions
– develop deep conceptual understandings making connections between ideas
– reflecting on and taking action on their new understandings.

Mackellar’s Kitchen Garden program provides engaging and educational gardening and food experiences for all our students.

The school has had a long history of operating a gardening program but in 2017 with the help of a dedicated team of parents and support from the community we were able to install a purpose-built kitchen to extend the program to include regular cooking lessons for our students.

The Kitchen Garden program is guided by seasonal harvest, student interests and the festivals and events which are important to our diverse community at Mackellar Primary School. The specialist Kitchen Garden teacher, Sally Wilson, runs these sessions and is committed to the outstanding benefits this program brings to our community of learners, their families and the wider school community.

Participating in an inclusive Physical Education program is vitally important for young people so they can develop healthy, happy lives. Through this program, students at Mackellar will learn a wealth of important skills and behaviours that will enable them to build and maintain their physical, social, mental and emotional health. By integrating the complementary skills taught through the SEPEP (Sports Education in Physical Education Program), the students have the opportunity to implement their understandings in different contexts.

To encourage a sense of social connectedness, which is vital for students’ wellbeing, students are encouraged to work together and show good sportsmanship at all times. This is carried beyond the school gates through participation in community programs such as Regional Athletics and Interschool Sports. Students throughout the school are provided with the opportunity to participate in a swimming program on a yearly basis. Our swimming program incorporates activities to cater for a wide range of skills and ability levels and is taught by qualified instructors at local swimming pools.

At Mackellar Primary School, students have the opportunity to participate in our Camping Program. Students in Years 3-6 attend a three-day camp at either a bush or beach setting. Activities include visiting local attractions, outdoor activities such as canoeing, team building activities, bush cooking, orienteering ropes courses and much more. These activities are supervised by teachers and staff trained in outdoor education. Camps are an important part of our program and a great opportunity for personal development. Students have the opportunity to make new friends, face new challenges and learn to work together. It is a great setting for teachers and students to really get to know each other. And a lot of fun.

Educational excursions and incursions are regarded as an integral part of the learning process and a fundamental part of children’s education. They provide experiences which stimulate curiosity and create springboards for future learning. Excursions and incursions are not isolated learning experiences but are linked to themes being studied in the curriculum.

Your iPad is not covered by Mackellar Primary School or The Department of Education’s insurance policy. Please check with your home and/or contents insurer if your existing cover extends to an iPad being brought to school by your child. If you purchase your device and purchase Apple Care, you may select insurance through Apple as an optional extra. All Apple hardware comes with a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary telephone technical support. It is recommended you extend your coverage further with the AppleCare Protection Plan.

iPad Covers

In order to keep the iPad safe and well-protected, it is compulsory for all students to purchase a recommended (or similar) iPad cover.
Cases we recommend: Longitech, Otter, Case Buddy, Targus, STM case for iPad (JB HiFi). If unsure please check with us.

School WI Fi and Internet connection – Students’ iPads will be connected to the School’s Wi-Fi when at school – 4G must be disabled.

Cyber safety practices are a high priority at Mackellar Primary School and appropriate duty of care is extended to all our digital environments. Students and Parents also have a responsibility in this area to minimise risk or exposure to unsuitable material. Any misuse of digital technology or online tools will be handled in line with Mackellar Primary School’s Behaviour Policy.