Specialist Programs

Specialist programs are offered in Visual Arts, Science, Physical Education, Italian and Music.

Visual Arts

All students from Year 1 onwards enjoy and engage in a Visual Arts program that is facilitated by a dedicated Art teacher.  Students have many opportunities to share, cultivate and convey creative ideas with others within the newly designated Art learning space located in ‘The Lookout’.

Art at St Paul’s is not taught in isolation, although it retains its creative base and its skills and techniques. Wherever appropriate and possible it is linked to other areas of the curriculum to reinforce what is being taught in other subject areas in the classroom. This provides children with the opportunities to develop specific art skills and reinforces skills already established.

We are on a journey to nurture and discover the many gifts and talents of the students at St Paul’s. Visual Arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential.

Science

Our Science lessons take place in the ‘Lookout’ where we have been able to create a learning space that supports collaborative work. Students are given the opportunity to engage in investigations and access our Science resources and displays designed to promote students’ scientific literacy.

Science at St Paul’s is not about lessons or programs that one teacher creates from one resource. Our whole school engages in STEM projects and we draw links to local, national and global issues. We have a focus on cross-curricular priorities (eg. Aboriginal Culture & Sustainability).

As well as the many resources in the Science learning space, our students access fantastic online resources and engage in National Science Week activities. Our students have participated in incursions such as SCITECH, Science Alive and the Mundaring Regional Council Waste Education Team. We are committed to ensuring Science at St Paul’s is hands-on and relevant.

A number of community initiatives have also been a focus, including:

  • Re-establishing classroom recycling
  • Containers for Change whole-school fundraiser
  • Working toward becoming a WasteWise School
  • Workshops run by Mundaring Regional Council: waste audit, talk, activities/ games
  • Linked STEM project to NAIDOC theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be.’
  • Planning a Native Edible Garden for the school community to access

Physical Education

St Paul’s has a very strong and varied Sport and PE program which runs across the year and changes with each season. We have a whole-school focus on developing our personal physical fitness and good health practices.

During the year, we provide an outstanding sports program for all students and abilities. It is fantastic to see the enthusiasm that our students have for being physically engaged in games, sports and competitions which encourage them to achieve their personal best.

Some highlights of our program include:

  • Strong attendance at Swim Squad.
  • Year 3-6 students thinking outside the box and creating their own games.
  • Trying to beat Mr Sanders in the weekly 1-minute challenge.
  • Kindy & Pre-Primary students participating in a Perceptual Motor Program.
  • Record attendance at athletics training in Term 3.
  • Before School Soccer and After School Netball being a huge hit.
  • Wonderful memories from school Swimming, Athletics and Cross-Country Carnivals.
  • Fabulous support from our parent community at our carnivals.

We are also very proud of the many extra opportunities there are for our students to delve into an activity they love, including surfing and golf for our senior students

Italian

To study a language that is not English is a wonderful experience at St Paul’s. All our students are immersed in both the Italian culture and language.

This involves learning not only about Italian culture and language but also traditions, geography and history. Learning Italian is an enriching experience that has also given us a better understanding of our own cultural, heritage and literacy in the English language.

To achieve this, we engage in and focus on activities such as songs in Italian, great story books, role plays and Italian didactic games which enable us to learn the language better and give us more confidence when speaking Italian.  Ci divertiamo un mondo durante la lezione d’italiano (We have great fun during the Italian lesson).

Music

The great composer J.S. Bach once said that music existed “for the praise of God and recreation of man” and here at St Paul’s, no better statement could sum up the role of music in our school. Each class from Pre-Primary to Year 6 participates in a Music class once a week. All of the four Arts learning outcomes are covered with all children learning an instrument, learning how to read and interpret music, appreciating music within the society in which we live and composing music in a variety of ways (including electronic) for a number of settings.

In addition to this, we also have a school band that rehearses once a week before school, a Year 3-6 school choir which is held during class time on a Thursday afternoon and a liturgical chorale under the direction of our Parish Priest, Father Tim Deeter. We also have an instrumental programme at the school which offers lessons in piano, guitar, drums, clarinet, flute and violin. It is estimated that approximately 60% of children at St Paul’s are learning a musical instrument. Music is well and truly alive here at St Paul’s!  We’d love you to come and join us and discover your talent!