Stephanie Alexander ‘Kitchen Garden’ Program
Through the Kitchen Gardens program, students from prep to year 4 experience pleasurable food education. Experiences include growing food in our school gardens, cooking and tasting using freshly harvested ingredients and engaging inquiry learning. We learn about different cultures, caring for the environment, sustainability and ecology. Students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them, from how seeds germinate, to the importance of biodiversity. A highlight of the Kitchen Gardens program is the Harvest Festival, where parents are invited to come and taste food prepared by classes, share in the learning of the children and tour our gardens.
Physical Education
Our school has a modern, spacious, well-resourced stadium in which to conduct a physical education (PE) program. Students participate in PE over the course of the week as part of the specialist program.
The students in Year Prep participate in the Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) which is aimed at developing the children’s gross motor skills, coordination, balance and language. The program runs weekly for terms 2 and 3. In terms 1 and 4 the Year Prep programs focus on developing athletics and minor game skills.
The Year 1 and 2 program is based around developing fundamental movement skills through minor games and sports. Year 3 and 4 students begin to focus on sporting skills and strategies while continuing to develop their fundamental movement skills. In the upper levels of year 5 and 6 students hone in on skills and strategies used in sports and major games particularly teamwork, personal goal setting, coordination, agility and language associated with these.
We run school sporting events throughout the year including a Swimming Carnival (yrs 3-6), Athletics Carnival (whole school) and Cross-Country (yrs 3-6). Extra-curricular sporting opportunities are available at the district level and many of our sport teams progress through to division, region and state finals. These opportunities include cross-country, football, cricket, netball, soccer, basketball, T-ball, swimming, hockey, athletics and tennis. Year 6 students also have the opportunity to be selected for the Gippsland Primary Schools Sports Camp held in Rawson each year for 3 days.
Additional to the PE program we offer Bike Education to all year 4 and 5 students. We also participate each year in the Bike Education challenge with local schools and have a great record of success.
Swimming programs occur for all students in Prep to year 6. All students participate in an intensive two-week indoor swimming program designed and in line with statewide programs. Year 4 to 6 students also participate in an outdoor program in February each year designed to focus on both swimming and water safety.
Visual Arts
Through the Visual Arts Program, students will be encouraged to explore their creativity.
They will learn skills, techniques and art work covering areas such as drawing with a variety of media, painting, printing, collage, modelling and construction and threads and textiles. They will explore artwork and techniques used by different artists, from famous international artists to local lesser known artists. They will attempt to capture some of these techniques in their own work and use their art work as inspiration.
The School holds an annual Art Show which showcases the artwork of all Visual Arts students at Grey Street. Children have had and will continue to have the opportunity to have their art work form part of exhibitions outside of the school. For example, we have had work displayed at various times at the Student Gallery at Zart Art in Melbourne and have had work displayed in the Education Exhibition at the Latrobe Performing Arts Centre Traralgon.
Performing Arts
Performing Arts is a new and exciting space now at Grey Street.
The children get to explore their creativity in many different genres, from Instrumental Music, Dance, Acting, and Improvisation.
Performing Arts is strong on inclusion, and this is a space where every child can find their place and get to express themselves in a safe and nurturing environment.
Information Technology
Students in grades 4, 5 & 6 participate in a 1 to 1 laptop program, allowing them to integrate ICT into all aspects of their learning. In grades 2 and 3, they have access to a bank of 40 laptops in each year level to share between classes.
The junior grades, prep-1, utilise banks of ipads to enrich learning. The Performing Arts and Visual Arts programs also have their own bank of ipads to use in music lessons.
Camps & Excursions
Students in grade 3-6 have the opportunity to attend school camp.
The Grades 3’s and 4’s attend separate adventure style camps.
The Grade 5 students attend Ballarat with the camp having a focus on Victorian History and Democracy.
The Grade 6 students attend an urban style camp, visiting Melbourne, with a focus on history, Civics & Citizenship.