Specialist Program
In addition to our classroom curriculum, St. Gabriel’s offers a number of specialist programs which draw upon the scope and sequences of the Victorian Curriculum.
Visual Arts
Children enjoy weekly Visual Arts class with a specialist teacher. Through visual arts the students explore areas of drawing, painting, construction, modelling, printing, puppet-making, masks and threads and textiles. A sequential program of skills is presented building confidence and an appreciation of their own art works that of their peers and of adult artists. An Annual Art Show is used to showcase the children's achievements.
LOTE: Auslan
From 2024, St Gabriel’s Primary School is thrilled to offer Auslan as our Language Other Than English (LOTE) subject. Auslan is Australian Sign Language, the visual language of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.
All students, from Prep to Year Six, are introduced to the workings of the language through finger spelling, hand shapes and high-frequency signs. This will lead to the student conversing in Auslan. Aspects of Deaf culture and its acceptable practices, stories, and songs are all part of the program, creating excitement and curiosity. Many students are now accustomed to seeing Auslan interpreters at major announcements and will now be able to recognise and understand the importance of such inclusions.
Learning a L.O.T.E. (Language Other Than English) develops an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and encourages student sto develop an acceptance of all people. By choosing Auslan as our LOTE, we are embracing a more inclusive and diverse community for future generations.
Health and Physical Education
All students participate in a weekly 50 minute session of Health and Physical Education. During these sessions, the students acquire movement skills, concepts and strategies to enable students to confidently, competently and creatively participate in a range of physical activities. Students develop proficiency in movement skills, physical activities and movement concepts and develop an appreciation of the significance of physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport both in Australian society and globally. The use of our school gymnasium ensures our Heath and Physical Education program can be maintained during inclement weather. Additionally, there are many opportunities for our students to compete at interschool competitions, helping to build their sense of sportsmanship and community.
STEM
STEM is a fundamental part of the Victorian Curriculum. This includes the learning areas of Mathematics, Science, Design and Technologies, and Digital Technologies, as well as cross-curricular capabilities such as ethical, critical and creative thinking. Students at St.Gabriel’s enjoy a hands-on approach to learning through the STEM program and are provided with the opportunity to build, create, design and problem solve.
PERFORMING ARTS
Performing Arts at St Gabriel’s encompasses the Victorian Curriculum learning areas of Music, Dance and Drama. A sequential program supports their skills and opportunities to nurture the unique talents and gifts of all students. In alternate years the school produces a Musical Production.
Active participation as dancers, choreographers, and audiences promotes wellbeing and social inclusion. Learning in and through Dance enhances students’ knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures, times, and locations and develops their personal, social, and cultural identity.
In Drama, students learn to think, move, speak, and act with confidence. Students explore, imagine, and take risks through role and dramatic action to communicate ideas, experiences and stories. Students develop a sense of inquiry and empathy by exploring the diversity of drama in the contemporary world and in other times, traditions, places and cultures.
Music exists distinctively in every culture and is a basic expression of human experience. Students’ active participation in music fosters understanding of other times, places, cultures and contexts. Through continuous and sequential music learning, students listen to, compose and perform with increasing depth and complexity. Through performing, composing and listening with intent to music, students have access to knowledge, skills and understanding, which can be gained in no other way.