At St Catherine of Siena, we strive to develop the ‘whole person’. We firmly believe each child is created in the image of God and therefore recognise the dignity of all. We know that children who are happy, confident and engaged in their learning experiences, will achieve their full potential. Staff value diversity and are committed to offering a curriculum that differentiates, allows for diversity within each classroom and supports and challenges each child at their next stage of learning.
Protocols and practices have been developed that recognise the need for adjustments to learning. Goals, adjustments and supports are developed with parents (and allied health/medical professionals where appropriate) and communicated through Program Support Group Meetings, Personalised Learning Plans and Learning Conversations. Our Learning Diversity Leaders oversee our approach to supporting each child’s needs.
Students at St Catherine of Siena participate in a variety of programs to support the achievement of their personalised learning goals and assist them in their areas of particular need. These include:
- Social skills programs, such as Social Sam and Lego Therapy
- Fine Motor groups
- Zones of Emotional Regulation
- Reading Intervention
- Maths Intervention – Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU)
- Language and vocabulary groups
- Extension opportunities across English and Maths learning areas
Allied Health Team
Our school employs an allied health team, including an occupational therapist and speech therapist. These professionals work with staff to develop appropriate learning goals and implement adjustments and supports and may work with groups of students on a short-term basis to support the achievement of specific learning or wellbeing goals. Our allied health team support the work of out-of-school therapists/allied health professionals, but are unable to provide 1:1 clinical sessions.
High Ability Learners
St Catherine of Siena has developed a high-ability team that is developing approaches, in line with current research, to support the learning needs of high achieving students. We recognise that high-ability outcomes are achieved and sustained with a whole-school approach that promotes higher-order thinking, a challenging curriculum and an openness to tailor learning for high-ability students.