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ST LUKE’SGRAMMAR SCHOOL

The Cottage Program ... Providing a Smooth Start to School • Philosophy • Learning Experiences • Developing the Whole Child • Literacy, Numeracy and Specialist Development • Program Structure and Facilities • The Cottage Uniform

Cottage InformationDEE WHY CAMPUS

BAYVIEW CAMPUS

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The Cottage Program Providing A Smooth Start to SchoolThe St Luke’s Cottage program is designed to ensure children experience a smooth start to school life. The program builds on the curiosity and sense of wonder of young children, with experienced staff fostering the skills and dispositions that will help children to be well-equipped for their learning journey ahead. The children are introduced to a range of School experiences so by the time they are ready to start Kindergarten, they feel confident in their School environment.

The Cottage Program PhilosophyThe first years of life are of vital importance to a child’s growth and development. Foundations are laid that influence the ability of children to accept themselves, relate well to others and respond positively to their environment and our community. Family relationships provide young children with the best model for developing attitudes, values and appropriate behaviour.

Interactions with other adults and children are very important and promote ways for children to relate to the world around them. Early childhood education provides the platform as children transition from home to a school environment. Educational research indicates that these early years are crucial for learning and, in fact, are where the foundations for future learning are laid.

The St Luke’s Cottage program seeks to instil a love of learning by providing a stimulating environment for children in our care. We offer a range of experiences where children are given opportunities to experiment, explore, discover and learn as they play.

As each child matures and his or her strengths, interests, confidence and knowledge grow, we further develop our program to pursue these interests and provide achievable challenges to promote further growth and development.

The St Luke’s Cottage experience also aims to develop:• Positive self-esteem • Effective communication skills• Increasing independence • Skills in sharing and co-operating • Enjoyment in being part of a small group and larger community • The desire to learn and pursue interests

The Cottage Program Learning Experiences

Learning Through Inquiry: We know little people love to ask lots of questions. They are curious and inquisitive. Our program is designed to capitalise on these dispositions by designing learning experiences around the questions that interest the children. This means that while foundational literacy and numeracy elements of the program are similar each year - a proportion of the program changes from year to year, as it is fluid, to take into account those things that capture the children’s imagination.

Not only do they pose questions, they learn they are also capable of finding the answers to questions and find new ways to approach learning opportunities. They come to see themselves as researchers, investigators and problem-solvers.

The content of these programs will reflect the requirements of the NESA (previously the Board of Studies) Early Stage One outcomes as well as the individual needs and interests of each child attending the Cottage program.

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The Cottage Program Developing The Whole Child

Each learning experience is aimed at enhancing growth in the following areas:

Social & Emotional Development: In a school environment, children are not just learning academic skills. They are learning how to be part of a community and to learn with others. The children learn to interact with different personalities and to negotiate with others. Children receive support to develop their social interaction skills, just as they learn any other skills at school.

The Cottage program helps children to understand their strengths and talents and to recognise and value the strengths of others. They learn to see how they are similar and different to their peers and are encouraged to value diversity within their School community. The children learn they have choices in how they respond to situations and are supported as they learn to make sensible, positive choices that will benefit themselves and others.

There is consistent evidence that academic achievement is not just the result of intellectual development but is strongly influenced by social and emotional dispositions. Our learners need to see that, even when something is challenging, they have an opportunity to learn new skills and grow as a learner. They are encouraged to work through frustration and setbacks and to celebrate progress.

Ruby Reciprocity, Reece Resourceful, Riley Resilience, Ronald Reflectiveness and Rachel Restoration are characters who help to reinforce positive learning dispositions.

• Ruby Reciprocity teaches children how to be a good friend to others, being kind and respectful. • Reece Resourceful helps children to see how they can draw on a range of resources to solve problems. • Riley Resilience teaches children that setbacks and frustration are a common part of the learning journey but they can

bounce back. • Ronald Reflectiveness reminds children to stop and think about what they have learned so far and where to go next

on their journey. • Rachel Restoration reminds us that we all make mistakes. We all need to be able to say sorry and to forgive others.

Physical Development: This is where children have the opportunity to extend their gross motor (large muscle) skills such as hand/eye and foot/eye co-ordination, jumping, running, climbing, catching and throwing, music and movement and balance and fine motor (small muscle) skills including the skills required for pre-writing and drawing, cutting with scissors, threading, art and craft experiences, and construction.

Spiritual Development: As a member of the Anglican School Corporation, we want our students to learn about the message of the Bible. Each week children in Cottage will participate in a Christian Studies lesson. Children learn about God’s love for them through age-appropriate stories, songs and activities. Throughout the school day, there is an emphasis on the values that underpin the Christian message. Children are encouraged to see how their words and actions impact on others.

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The Cottage Program Literacy, Numeracy and Specialist Development

Literacy Development: The foundations for early literacy and numeracy development are laid before children start school. The Cottage program focuses on the development of four core skills.

• Phonemic awareness helps students to develop an ear for sounds in words. They learn how to break words into sound units and make connections between words that sound the same. These are vital skills to develop before learning to read and write.

• Phonics is developing a link between the sounds students hear and the letters that represent these sounds. A structured literacy program is used from Cottage, to help students to build these associations.

• Vocabulary involves students having a rich oral language. Engaging in conversations, listening to quality stories, singing and familiar rhymes help students to expand their fascination with new words.

• Comprehension is both being able to understand the literal and inferential aspects of stories and information texts. Reading a wide range of stories helps them to understand that meaning is communicated through more than the words we say. Pictures often contain additional cues that help us to understand the full meaning.

Numeracy Development: The first stages of numeracy development require children to engage in collecting, sorting, ordering, sharing and classifying objects. It is important that children develop a strong association between mathematical words and symbols and the objects, groups or actions they are used to describe. The first steps in developing mathematical thinking is for children to test what happens, for example, when groups of objects are added together, when they are shared or sorted into smaller groups.

They also need to be encouraged to develop a strong link between learning in Mathematics and the day-to-day world around them. Counting, measuring objects and recognising and using shapes in their regular environment adds meaning and relevance to new concepts.

Specialist Subjects: Junior School students from St Luke’s Grammar School learn with subject specialists in a range of areas. These programs commence in Cottage, involving the students in engaging and educational activities. The children develop relationships with our Specialist teachers and feel comfortable moving to different classrooms for their lessons.

• Spanish lessons introduce children to the basics of the Spanish language at a stage in their development when a child’s brain is ripe to learn a new language. Listening and speaking activities also have proven benefits to English learning as students become more aware of how language works. These lessons also help students to expand their view of the world and build empathy as they learn about another culture.

• P.E. lessons help to build physical fitness, gross motor and ball skills. During the course of the year they will participate in a wide range of activities, including gymnastics, dance, modified soccer, hockey or basketball.

• Music lessons reinforce skills in listening, playing and singing. Students all sing, move and play percussion instruments to develop their sense of rhythm and their awareness of the tempo and dynamics.

• Visual Arts lessons encourage children to explore a wide range of techniques, including painting, drawing, printing and sculpture. These lessons also provide a context for building vital fine motor skills.

• Information Literacy involves students borrowing from the Learning Hub (Library) each week. They learn to identify different types of books and where these can be located. As students move through the School, these lessons will involve students learning to access digital texts, to learn research skills and how to evaluate the quality of source material.

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Girls CottageTERMS 1 - 4

Boys CottageTERMS 1 - 4

Unisex TracksuitTERMS 1 - 4

Girls’ Skirt (Optional)

The Cottage Program Structure and Facilities ... Dee Why Campus

Dee Why Campus Cottage Programs: The Cottage Program at the Dee Why Campus is a 3-day program, either Monday to Wednesday, or Wednesday to Friday. The Dee Why Cottage day begins at 8:30 am and concludes at 2:45 pm. Students have a short morning tea break at 10.15 am to 10:45 am and a longer break at 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm for lunch. Both breaks include time to eat together and play in our area.

Dee Why Campus Cottage Facilities: The Cottage area consists of 2 main areas – the indoor learning space and the playground. The spaces are designed to facilitate different styles of learning. In the indoor learning space, students engage in their more structured language and numeracy based activities and their creative activities, including design, construction and visual arts. The playground is a space where children can enjoy many self-directed experiences, whether it be active, imaginary play or construction.

The Cottage Program Structure and Facilities ... Bayview Campus

Bayview Campus: The Cottage program at the Bayview Campus is either a 3-day program (Monday to Wednesday, or Wednesday to Friday) or a 5-day program. The Bayview Cottage day begins at 8.30 am and concludes at 2.30 pm, with breaks for morning tea and lunch during the day.

Bayview Campus Cottage Facilities: The Cottage area consists of 3 main areas – the quiet room, the active space and the playground. All are designed to facilitate different styles of learning. In the quiet room, students engage in more structured language–based activities. The active space encourages students to explore through design and construction activities. The playground is a space where children can enjoy many self-directed experiences, whether it be active, imaginary play or construction.

The Cottage Program UniformThe Cottage students at the Dee Why and Bayview Campuses both wear the same Cottage Uniform, which is the same P.E. Uniform that is worn by students in Kindergarten to Year 12.

The Cottage Uniform comprises a White St Luke’s Polo Shirt, together with either the Navy St Luke’s P.E. Shorts or Navy St Luke’s P.E. Skirt. In winter, the students wear the St Luke’s Navy Track Suit.

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ST LUKE’S GRAMMAR SCHOOLDEE WHY CAMPUSJunior School (Years K - 6) & Cottage Program8 Tango Avenue, Dee Why 2099

Senior School (Years 7 - 12)210 Headland Road, Dee Why 2099

T: (02) 9438 6250 (Junior School)T: (02) 9438 6200 (Senior School)E: enrol@stlukes.nsw.edu.auW: www.stlukes.nsw.edu.au

ST LUKE’S GRAMMAR SCHOOLBAYVIEW CAMPUSJunior School (Years K - 6) & Cottage Program1977 Pittwater Road, Bayview 2104

T: (02) 9979 5755E: enrol@stlukes.nsw.edu.auW: www.stlukes.nsw.edu.au