EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, we view Early Childhood Education as paramount to setting the strong foundations of lifelong learning in our students.  For many children and their families, school is the first occasion for them to be outside the family unit and so with the belief that families are a child’s first teacher, we strive to create strong and supportive relationships with all of our families and strongly encourage parent involvement in our classrooms and school community.

 

Early childhood is a crucial phase of development and should not be seen as preparation for something larger.  At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, we pride ourselves on developing the whole child at their own pace.  We aim to provide programs that allow the child to develop emotionally, socially, academically and in their faith in a natural, safe and supported way within a Christ-centred environment.

 

The programs offered at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary provide a balance between a play-based approach to learning, with the benefits of intentional teaching in the core learning areas of Literacy and Numeracy within the Early Years Learning Framework guidelines.  Teaching staff use research-based programs such as Peggy Lego, PreLit, InitiaLit and Talk 4 Writing to deliver high quality lessons that encourage high expectations of our children.  The children participate in Specialist classes, including Drama, Sport, Music and Science. Across all programs, the children are immersed in a rich range of thinking, oral language, literacy and numeracy experiences alongside opportunities to consolidate their social and emotional maturity.