EXTRA-CURRICULAR HOMEWORK HOUSE LEADERSHIP OUTDOOR EDUCATION PASTORAL CARE RESOURCE CENTRE TECHNOLOGY

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Extra-curricular

The Junior School hosts a range of extra-curricular activities, including Chess, Jazz and Ballet, Netball, Running Club and Instrumental Music Tuition for a range of instruments. Further details and registration forms are available from Junior Campus Administration.

Homework

Homework assists with the development of independent learning skills and reinforces classroom learning. Homework should:

— Be a positive experience — Encourage the development of independent study habits — Provide parents with knowledge of areas of study in the classroom — Be challenging and stimulating on an individual level, to be achieved through a mixture of open ended, revision and consolidation activities In Prep and Year 1, homework consists of daily reading to your daughter, with your daughter and by your daughter. In addition, activities to do with spelling and speaking and listening tasks may be set.

In Years 2 – 4, homework should still include daily reading, together with revision and inquiry activities taking between 10 –30 minutes per night.

House

Girls in the Junior School are placed in one of three Houses: Bedggood, Menzies and Reid. Each House is named after an Old Fintonian who made a positive contribution to the wider community, as well as to the School. The girls compete for an annual House Cup in the areas of athletics, cross country, swimming and trivia.

Leadership

Each girl in the Junior School has an opportunity to develop her leadership skills. Opportunities for leadership mean that our girls learn, at an early age, about responsibility, teamwork and working towards common goals. Every Year 4 girl undertakes a leadership role in the Junior School, as either House, Aerobics, SRC, Library and Arts Captains.

Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Education program in the Junior School begins in Year 1 with an overnight experience at ‘Lady Northcote’ in Glenmore. This is followed in Year 2 with a one night experience at ‘Camp Manyung’ in Mt Eliza. Girls in Years 3 and 4 have two night experiences at ‘Sunnystones’ in Bacchus Marsh and ‘Gundiwindi’ at Wandin Yallock, in alternating years.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care, like in any other area at Fintona, underpins everything that we do. The education of each girl is seen as a partnership between the student, the staff and the parents. Each classroom teacher is available for communication. The Head of the Junior Campus and the School Counsellor work together to support students and families as required. Each Prep girl has a Year 4 Buddy who is there to assist our youngest girls. Each new student to the Junior School is allocated a student mentor who ensures that she knows where everything is and has someone to play with during the settling-in period.

Resource Centre

The Betty Henty-Wilson Resource Centre aims to provide a welcoming and user-friendly area within the Junior Campus where all students can access reading materials and research tools to enable them to become proficient participants in the digital age as well as readers of a variety of genres of literature.

The Resource Centre is pivotal to the delivery of quality educational outcomes for our students. As part of the program offered in the Junior School, each class visits the Resource Centre for a weekly Browse and Borrow Session with the Teacher Librarian. In addition, during Humanities sessions, students visit the Resource Centre for Inquiry sessions focusing on Information Literacy skills. These sessions are taught collaboratively with the Teacher Librarian and classroom teacher.

Technology

Technology is embedded in all learning in the Junior School, with specific skills developed across the Primary Years. Each classroom is equipped with computers or iPads and an interactive whiteboard.