Primary School
Ensuring strong foundations is an important aspect of any project worth undertaking. As our children travel through the first stages of formal schooling they develop an understanding of how humans use symbols (letters and numbers) to represent ideas and start to form generalisations about everyday experiences. At the same time they are learning to cooperate with others and are developing an ability to undertake a wide range of activities for themselves. It is a vital time of life that sets our children up for a life of successful learning. We are passionate about helping children build a firm foundation academically and caring for them as they travel through their childhood years.
There are two phases to our Primary School experience: Foundation that covers Prep to Year 2 and Junior that covers Year 3 to Year 6. Each phase has a particular approach that further tailors the program to the needs of the children.
Foundation Phase - Prep to Year 2
Junior Phase - Year 3 to Year 6
Foundation Phase - Prep to Year 2
Children relish the wonderful learning journey they embark on as they complete their first years of schooling in our Foundation program. Our personalised approach is based on a Christian belief that God has made each one of our children precious with their own gifts and talents. Our Foundation Phase classes are a place where learning, love and laughter go hand in hand.
Learning
Learning to read, write and speak confidently is crucial. It is our academic emphasis in the Foundation Phase. Using our popular, Get on board the literacy bus campaign, students are taken through deliberate and direct reading, writing and speaking lessons. By blending the curiosity and imagination of the children with the important literacy, numeracy, scientific and social knowledge they require, our teachers provide quality specialised teaching. Direct instruction combined with age appropriate activities such as storytelling, songs, educational games and a range of special days provide the children a wide range of learning opportunities.
Love
From a quick hug to a listening ear, children need to know they are loved. Our teachers use proven positive relational discipline techniques to create a safe and caring learning environment that enables our students to encounter new challenges confidently so they can build success upon success.
Laughter
Children should have a happy, productive childhood. Learning to celebrate what we share together is a fabulous attitude to life. Therefore, working in partnership with families, our teachers take students through an enjoyable, authentic and purposeful year of development, and along the way, have them well prepared for a successful life of learning, love and laughter.
Junior Phase - Year 3 to Year 6
Foundations for Lifelong Learning
Literacy Focus
A designated Literacy Block time provides a focused time for the teaching and learning of English and students have the opportunity to work at their level and develop required skills in all process areas. With an extremely well-resourced reading scheme, the latest reading assessment and diagnostic tools, we are continually enhancing our literacy program. Each class program provides modeled, shared, guided and independent activities on a daily basis. A love of literature, learning and literacy is the goal of all programs and the aim is to provide students with opportunity to become literate for their future.
Numeracy Counts
Numeracy, like literacy, is a crucial foundational area that enables individuals to participate successfully in schooling. Furthermore, numeracy equips students for life beyond school, in providing access to further study or training, to personal pursuits and to participation in the world of work and in the wider community. Our program includes direct teaching, learning through games and activities and the use of computer aided programs such as Mathletics.
Subjects that help children understand, explore and engage in the world
Children enjoy a broad range of subjects. To help children learn new concepts, teachers design integrated themes and topics across learning areas (including special dress up days). This permits many of the bigger questions, generalisations and events of human endeavour to be studied (e.g. exploration).
Success for every student
It is a clear expectation that every student is capable of success. While success for different students may mean different goals based on ability, we believe all students need to be experiencing success as they move towards developing their God given gifts and talents. Teachers are trained to meet the differing needs of students and to provide additional learning assistance as required.
Within a caring, supportive and quality of life atmosphere
We support our students through an enriched combination of pastoral care, outdoor education, literacy and numeracy monitoring, sports, Chapel program, leadership training, values program and a strong relational and personalised approach to learning that aims to strengthen individuals and the whole group. Whitsunday Christian College’s Junior Phase not only prepares our students for future learning, but teaches to enjoy the wonderful time of life childhood is.
Dedicated Prep Area
The only school in the Whitsundays with a dedicated Prep area
Enclosed Prep area just for Prep students including:
Prep playground, sandpit, cubby house and play area
Prep Toilets ( toilets at a smaller height)
Prep bubblers
Prep eating area just for Prep students
Get Ready for Prep
Get Ready for Prep mornings will be held from 9:30am - 11:30am on Thursday mornings during the school term.
These mornings are for children who are commencing Prep in 2022 at any school. There is no cost for this activity.
Parents need to accompany their child, however if parents bring siblings along they will need to play outside with them during the inside Prep sessions. In wet weather parents will need to closely supervise siblings inside so they don’t distract the others.
Children come in free dress clothes with a hat and shoes. They will need a snack box for munch and crunch time and a water bottle. Please remember to label all items.
In Term 4, these sessions will be replaced with Prep transition mornings where parents do not stay and available only to students who are enrolled to start Prep at our College.
