More programs | Alawa Primary School | Primary School Located in the Northern Suburbs of Darwin

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Overview

Our school is divided into 2 sections

Early Years

Preschool, Transition and Year 1 & 2. This program recognises that young children come to us with varied but rich family experiences. Our strong emphasis on the development of the whole child builds upon the child’s existing skills with play-based learning. In their classrooms, the children enjoy learning. Working independently in small groups and using the Interactive Whiteboards and portable devices such as iPads, the children solve the challenges given to them. As the children move from Transition to Year 1 the more formal learning commences.

Primary Years

Years 3-6. Here the emphasis is on Higher Order Thinking, multi-intelligences and paying more attention to collaboration, flexibility and using ICT as an effective learning resource. The teaching units are integrated so that learning is more reflective of real life, and each student has the opportunity to explore their area of interest. Children have now developed learning skills and so are challenged to work independently, identify their current and future learning needs and begin to self-assess their performance.

Mathematics, writing and reading are a whole school priority. The children are divided into smaller developmental groups and are taught at their particular level.

Alawa’s Learning Hub supports students who have special needs. Our farm teacher co-ordinates the Sustainable Schools program.

Our staff members work collaboratively. They work in many teams, including collaborative classroom teaching and learning groups, to implement and develop our school’s vision.

Curriculum

Transition – Year 6

As with all schools in the Northern Territory, the basis for teaching and learning for students in Transition – Year 6 at Alawa Primary School is the Australian Curriculum V9. Australian Curriculum Learning Areas include:

English
Mathematics
Humanities and Social Sciences – History, Geography, Civic & Citizenship (Yr 3-6), Economics & Business (Yr 5/6)
Health & Physical Education
Technologies – Digital Technologies, Design & Technologies
Science
The Arts
Farm
Kitchen

The teaching team at Alawa have developed a Curriculum Overview which ensures coverage of curriculum content across years of schooling at Alawa Primary School, through an integrated approach.

Special Education

Special Education is a vital part of our school community. The Special Education Team usually consists of the Special Education Teacher, Special Education Assistant, and Special Education Support Assistant (SESA). This team works in consultation with teachers, parents/carers, Student Service Staff and outside agencies to ensure the best learning outcomes for students with learning difficulties.

The role of the Special Education Teacher, along with classroom teachers is to:

Identify children with academic, behavioural, emotional and social needs;
Suggest and implement appropriate teaching and learning strategies enabling students to access the curriculum and achieve outcomes;
Provide assistance for students with Pre-School and Middle School transition; and
Assist parents/carers to access specialist government and non-government services when required.

Our SESA staff are highly professional and attend regular training and development to better understand learning/behavioural difficulties. This training enables them to support the students in the classroom setting. They are kept abreast of changes in the curriculum and priorities for the school so that they and the class teacher are working as a team for the best learning outcomes.

Wrap- Around Service - Alawa Primary School is unique in that it is working to provide a “wrap around” service to our families. On staff, we have a paediatrician, Dr. Corey Driscoll, to access quickly for support or diagnosis related to learning or behavioural difficulties. Once a year we host Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists, on their final placement, at Alawa to provide assessment and therapy for students requiring support. Our school has developed an Engine Room to support our students to develop skills in regulation and motor planning.

Over the past five years our “Wrap-Around Service” has been providing timely and effective speech therapy, occupational therapy and pediatric services to identified at risk of learning students.

Information regarding appointments and processes for Dr Driscoll can be found via the following link: APS Paediatrician Processes 2024

Early intervention gets children on positive learning path sooner - To date, over 120 Alawa students have received therapy and treatment from our specialists. Students needing speech and occupational therapy receive 6-8 weeks of intensive therapy, improving their motor planning, gross motor, fine motor and core strength.

Last year alone, our school pediatrician provided a range of support to students from over 28 families. Support included: enabling funding within 6 weeks for intensive classroom support, identification of students requiring urgent medical intervention due to severe illness and confirming eligibility for students to seek support via the National Disability Insurance Scheme to access ongoing therapy, support and resources.

Information Communication Technology

At Alawa, we believe the ability to use ICT effectively is an essential life skill in the new world. As ICT is continually developing and new technologies emerging we as a school will strive to expose pupils to skills needed to prepare them with the knowledge for the future.

Our aims are:

For ICT to be fully embedded into the curriculum so that it enhances learning.
For all children to become confident and competent users of ICT.
For children and staff to have access to a range of ICT resources including new emerging technologies.
For children to understand how to stay safe when using technology and to use technology appropriately.
For all staff to continually improve and develop their ICT skills and to take a shared responsibility for developing ICT and E-Safety.

To use ICT to promote links with parents and the wider community.

Use in the Primary Years

The use of ICT is used extensively across all primary classes. Students are exposed to a variety of different devices and platforms for presenting work. Coding has become a feature through applications such as Scratch and HTML. Students have access to ipads, chromebooks and laptops. Students individually and collaboratively work on different learning areas with the use of Google webpage applications. Students are involved in typing lessons weekly to upskill and support them in preparation for NAPLAN Online.

Use in the Early Years

The use of ICT is used extensively across all early years classes, including preschool. Students are exposed to a variety of different apps on iPad devices. Creating, recording and communicating has become a feature through applications such as using the camera to capture pictures and record learning and reflections. Students share learning content digitally through the use of the app Class Dojo which allows parents to access their content and comment on student work samples. Educational games-based apps are also used during English and Maths rotations to keep students engaged in their learning. Each early year's class has access to 6 iPads. Year 1-2 students are exposed to typing lessons to upskill and support them in preparation for NAPLAN Online.

Please enter links below to view factsheets on Google Classroom:

Using Google Classroom at home

Using Google Classroom at school - chromebook

Using Google Classroom at school - Ipad

Using Google Classroom at school - laptop

View the Australian Curriculum: Technologies

Library

Our Library encourages a life long love of reading and learning through quality literature and an inviting environment. The encouragement of reading for fun and reading for learning is promoted constantly and assisted with the libraries wide range of resources. The library aims to support the school’s programs by providing the necessary resources for the key learning areas of the Australian Curriculum.

The Library has a large open area with four main sections – fiction, picture books/storytelling, non-fiction and activity area and has the capacity to cope with more than one class at a time. The Conference Room, Teacher Resource Room and Main Office make up the rest of the space. The Conference Room situated within the library is hired by organisations within the community. The Library also has an ‘outdoor section’ known as the Engine Room. This is an area used to help students learn about their emotions and develop strategies to self-regulate.

Students come to the library once a week for a half hour lesson and to borrow books. The loan period is one week. Students need a bag for their library book/s and library bags can be purchased from the front office for $11 each. The Library is open at lunchtime for activities, quiet area to read and to borrow books. We have library monitors that shelve books and do tasks when the library manager needs their help.

Investigations

It has been proven and advocated by Early Childhood Australia that children in the Early Years learn best through play. The National Quality Standards and the Early Years Learning Framework also reinforce this.

Through play-based learning, we aim to educate and assist your child, through catering for their needs socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. At Alawa we run a play-based learning program, [known as Investigations] that is adapted from the Walker Learning Approach [WLA].

The WLA approach carefully plans for play encouraging literacy, numeracy, physical, linguistic, social and emotional development. It also links the children’s interests and abilities closely to the learning to put the child in the centre of the curriculum. This is then linked contextually to explicit teaching sessions.

Children in Transition class spend an hour each day following the Walker Approach to Learning. The aim of WLA in Transition is:

To provide learning that is engaging and enriching through personalised investigations where children explore and create.

Teachers using the WLA will plan using the ‘Statement of Intent’ and will plan together as a team. The approach uses developmentally appropriate ways of helping to engage children in truly meaningful and relevant strategies that enhance not only literacy and numeracy but motivation and self-esteem. To learn more please contact your class teacher.

STEM

What is STEM?

The acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM is an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning that provides hands-on and relevant learning experiences for students. It engages students and equips them with critical thinking, problem-solving, creative and collaborative skills. STEM Education attempts to transform the typical teacher-centred classroom by encouraging students to actively find solutions to various situations by applying the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

STEM endeavours to provide students with skill sets they will need in the future. It teaches independent innovation and allows students to explore greater depths of all of the subjects by utilizing the skills learned in a hands-on way. It aims to help the student acquire the skills required to succeed in our rapidly changing world.

STEM at Alawa Primary is about focusing on the process rather than the outcome. The aim is to increase the engagement and foster deeper understanding through challenging students to understand the reason behind their learning. The goal is to facilitate inquiry-based learning, analytical and reasoning skills through access to rich multi-media information sources, interactive individual and group activities,

STEM in the Primary area can be utilised as a whole class approach to an enquiry based learning activity or students working in small groups to achieve the desired outcome to a task. Remembering the focus is on the process rather than the outcome of a given task or challenge.

Example of activities:

Build a wall around a city to keep the rabbits out
Build a catapult
Create a propeller car
Design a miniature robot to carry your food scraps to the bin
Build a rain shelter

Each class from Year 3-6 has a four or five week block where they have sole use of the STEM Centre with classroom teacher being responsible for the programming, delivery and day to day management of the centre.