CURRICULUM @ TEMPLETON
In our first 40 years we have grown into a school with a very clear understanding of what we believe, what we think and what we do:
Templeton Primary School:
- We are a high performing, academic focussed school,
- Who welcomes and embraces our international community.
- We focus on developing our students’ literacy and numeracy skills and creating a learning environment where our students can achieve their best.
- We balance our academic focus by immersing our students in a broad and well-balanced curriculum that allows our students to release their talents in many varied ways.
- We endeavour to inspire independent learners who develop into successful, well-balanced citizens with a mindset and behaviour guided by our Values: Respect, Integrity, Empathy and Resilience. When they finish Year 6, we aim for our students to embody the characteristics of our Student Profile: Principled, Knowledgeable, Balanced, Confident, Inquirer, Risk Taker, Communicator and Caring
MOTTO
What we believe
Pride in Performance is the guiding belief and purpose of our school.
VALUES
What we think
The Templeton Values are the basic principles that guide student welfare and discipline. The four values have been refined from our original Values Handbook and help shape the mindset and behaviour of our future adults.
STUDENT PROFILE
What we do
The Templeton Student Profile (TSP) articulates a range of capacities and behaviours we want our students to exemplify when they finish Year 6. As they progress through the school, students develop each attribute through different learning experiences in Literacy, Numeracy, Inquiry and Specialist areas.
Pride in Performance
The motto articulates the feeling of honour and self-respect that comes from being a member of the Templeton community and includes teachers, parents and students.
Respect
Demonstrates consideration and understanding for parents, teachers, fellow students and the environment.
Resilience
Persists and recovers from disappointments and challenges with a mature and positive attitude
Integrity
Demonstrates Pride in Performance while positively contributing to our school through actions words and behaviours
Empathy
Treats others with kindness, understanding and sensitivity
Balanced
Templeton students are calm, reasonable and demonstrate sound judgement. They effectively balance their lifestyle between school, extra-curricular activities and friendship groups.
Confident
Templeton students are confident in their own abilities in a realistic and secure way. They believe in their ability to succeed and this belief stimulates action.
Principled
Templeton students act with integrity and honesty. They have a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.
Inquirer
Templeton students ask questions and have developed a natural curiosity about learning. They want to know more about the world and are willing to engage in explorations that will lead to discoveries.
Communicator
Templeton students choose their words effectively, understand their audience, and connect with them at the right time and place. They are clear and concise, with excellent listening skills.
Risk Taker
Templeton students reach out to new friends, volunteer for unfamiliar activities and step up to leadership positions. They readily move out of their comfort zone and embrace new challenges.
Knowledgeable
Templeton students demonstrate a sound knowledge of all curriculum areas. They have a clear understanding of their place in the world, and this informs their thoughts and actions.
Caring
Templeton students are responsible citizens who show empathy, kindness, compassion and respect to the needs and feelings of others.
The Three Pillars
The Three Pillars of our school pedagogy are Literacy, Numeracy and Inquiry. We believe in direct, explicit teacher instruction in Literacy and Numeracy, with an increasing focus on Inquiry as students progress through the school. We invest heavily in teacher aides and student support in the junior school, with a focus on establishing a strong foundation in Literacy and Numeracy for students in years P-2.
Curriculum Framework
Our Curriculum Framework is based on the understanding that students learn best by being engaged and active in their learning. Our philosophy of providing our students with a broad and well-balanced educational experience ensures that each student can explore and release their individual talents. This philosophy is supported by our extensive range of extra curricula offerings. Specialist classes in Chinese, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, ICT, Library and Physical Education, ensure that all Templeton students can learn in varied ways. Through these opportunities, our teachers aim to create experiences that inspire students to learn and to continually challenge their personal best.
Templeton Instructional Model
Informed by the Victorian Curriculum, our Instructional Model is based on The Three Pillars. Our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meet weekly to analyse student data, identify student, group and cohort point of need, and plan lessons for The Three Pillars.
Our lessons are highly structured, with a clear Learning Intention, Success Criteria, tuning in and explicit instruction. Teachers monitor student progress with formative and summative assessment and anecdotal notes. Teacher and student reflection concludes each lesson, followed by assessment, feedback and Victorian Curriculum Reporting in June and December.
Inquiry
Bringing all of our practice together is our Inquiry program. Inquiry inspires curiosity and creativity while facilitating student agency and voice. It connects our curriculum by providing context and purpose for our direct and explicit teaching pedagogy. Our curriculum stems from what we BELIEVE – pride in every aspect of our performance as teachers, students and community members. Our school values of Respect, Integrity, Empathy and Resilience are how our students THINK; these values guide student welfare and discipline and shape the mindset of our future adults. Our teaching and learning is designed to build skills and knowledge that culminate in a Templeton student that embodies all attributes of our Learner Profile – Balanced, Communicator, Confident, Risk Taker, Principled, Inquirer, Knowledgeable and Caring. These attributes are what our students DO.
The School Improvement Team (SIT) builds teacher and leadership capacity and drives a culture of learning at the school. The SIT forms an integral part of the leadership structure of a school, undertaking the crucial role of developing, overseeing, and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) each year. It has responsibility for leading the strategic planning process, providing clear and achievable goals and targets. The team comprises representatives from across the school and has a shared understanding of the role the SIT plays in supporting, driving, and monitoring improvement. The SIT supports the school leadership team to build teacher and leadership capacity and strengthens the culture of learning at the school; the school review process underlines this responsibility.
SITs support the school leadership team throughout the school review with their deep understanding of the progress made against the AIP. The SIT actively engages and focuses the school and its community in a shared purpose for improvement through their dedication to improving student outcomes. Members of the SIT may be called upon to assist in the preparation of the pre-review self-evaluation (PRSE). They may for example:
- be called to lead or support staff in the collection and analysis of data and evidence
- request collection of student responses and data or lead student, staff, or parent forums.
Following the school review, the SIT leads the development of the new School Strategic Plan. They do this with the school community, assisting in the creation of clear and achievable goals and selection of targets. These goals and targets are operationalised each year through the AIP, for which the SIT is responsible.
Marc Crilly
SIT Leader
Aidan Schanssema
Numeracy & Inquiry
Andrea Edwards
Welfare
Janice Siladi
Junior School
Anastassia Sibonis
Middle School
Ayse Bavage
Literacy
Di Hynes
Middle School
Kaspar Sussman
Senior School
Year 5 & 6
Year 5 & 6
Victorian High Achievers Program
The Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP)
The Victorian High Ability Program focuses students on tasks that stimulate critical thinking, problem solving and creativity – enriching their understanding of English and Mathematics. The program does not focus on accelerating students through core Victorian Curriculum content, instead students will be pushed out of their learning comfort zone to become critical thinkers.
The Victorian High‐Ability Program (VHAP) is delivered online and students engage with the program in both synchronous and asynchronous learning with a teacher using Virtual Schools Victoria. As part of the program students complete the following tasks:
- Synchronous Learning
Over 10 sessions, they will attend one 55‐minute synchronous online lesson per week with their online teacher.
- Asynchronous Learning
Outside of the allocated time, students will complete further activities. It is anticipated that this will take students approximately 30‐40 minutes per session.
Student Selection
Only students who have been selected by the Department of Education and Training are able to participate in the program. As part of the selection process, the Department will analyse student achievement data to assess student readiness and ability to participate in this program. Selected students will only be offered a place in up to one course each term. This is to balance the load on students of additional course work outside of core subjects and to minimise the impact of missing more than ten regular classes per term.
Students will be invited to participate across multiple years if they are deemed eligible.
COURSES
Patterns: From Symbols to Secrets (primary mathematics Years 5 – 6)
This course will encourage students to discover that mathematics is not about ‘getting to the answer’, by demonstrating there are often multiple solutions and multiple strategies. Students will explore concepts that are not usually covered in the primary mathematics curriculum, such as number patterns, alternative numeral systems and cryptography. They will be pushed to view mathematics as a process of exploration, and encouraged to ask questions, make conjectures, and test ideas.
The Power of the Pen (primary English Years 5 – 6)
This course will help students explore the purpose and impact of writing. They will consider a world without writing, examine the history of writing, and have the opportunity to extend their story writing skills. They will engage in narrative masterclasses focused on plot, character, setting, perspective, voice and genre. They will explore humorous and optimistic texts, the difference between writing to control and writing to empower, and the ways in which writing can change hearts and minds.
Year 4
APSMO Maths Problem Solving
Maths Games and Maths Olympiad
Extension and Enrichment Programs
At Templeton we offer extension and enrichment programs for eligible students in Mathematics: Maths Games in Year 4 and Maths Olympiad in Years 5 and 6. The students will be involved in Mathematics Rotations at the same time as these programs so they are not withdrawn from their daily classroom program.
The Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) are unique in that they focus on the students’ ability to solve mathematical problems in a creative manner – as opposed to simply reaching a solution using a prescribed method.
The APSMO Maths Olympiad has been operating in primary schools since 1987 and high schools since 2003. Each year thousands of schools participate in the competition from around Australia and New Zealand.
The Maths Olympiad and Maths Games are an ideal complement to the school curriculum. The main aims of the competitions are to:
- Introduce students to important mathematical concepts
- Teach major strategies and develop flexibility for problem solving
- Foster creativity and ingenuity and strengthen intuition
- Stimulate enthusiasm and enjoyment of mathematics
- Provide for the satisfaction, joy and thrill of meeting challenges
Xiaomei Lin
Chinese
Robin Miao
Chinese
Templeton’s Chinese language program is run by Mrs Xiao-mei Lin and Mr Robin Miao. Our Year P – 6 students attend full immersive language lessons once a week in our LOTE Room. Due to the high number of students at Templeton with an Asian background, we also run an extension program to further develop our students’ Language skills.
Geoff Dawson
ICT
Mark Johnson
ICT Technician
Our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program has been running at Templeton since 2000, when Les Boag, Keith Foster, Mark Johnson and the School Council built our Computer Lab in the main building. The Computer Lab is still evolving, incorporating the latest technologies for our students.
In 2022, all year levels have been refitted with Promethean Smart Boards, 40 laptops in classrooms, and 30 laptops shared. One of the benefits of 2020-2021 Remote Learning was the up skilling of students in online learning, as students accessed our Blogs and Google Classroom every day.
Our ICT program is designed to not only extend the skills of children in word processing, presentations and educational games, but provide opportunities to explore web building, animation and movie making.
Jennie Glembin
Library
Robin Miao
Library
“It’s going to be all right, sir,” Harry said over and over again, more worried by Dumbledore’s silence than he had been by his weakened voice. “We’re nearly there … I can Apparate us both back … don’t worry …”
“I am not worried, Harry,” said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water.
“I am with you.”
J.K Rowling
The Templeton Primary School Library is the learning hub of our school. It is home to a vast collection of non-fiction and fiction texts, teacher resources and the Edupass server room. The Library was renamed the Elizabeth Jones Memorial Library in honour of former staff member Elizabeth Jones, who passed away in 1987.
Pam Wood
Performing Arts
Kristy Phang
Performing Arts
Our Performing Arts program is run by Mrs Wood and Ms Phang from our School Council funded centre located near the Top Junior Playground. The program incorporates music, performance and dance, while Grade 2-6 students also have the opportunity to learn specialised instrumental music lessons. In Term 3, Grade Prep learn Bush Dancing, culminating in a Bush Dance in the GP Room. The Grade 2 cohort conducts a performance night in Term 3.
The Grade 6 Musical is the highlight of every year at Templeton, with our Grade 6 students always delivering a spectacular night of entertainment. Led by Pam Wood, Megan Hall and the Year 6 Team, Performing Arts has staged a Musical every year since 1996. Students audition in November, followed by rehearsals beginning in February. At the end of Term 2, our students deliver the performance at Forest Hill Secondary College.
Bongo Bandits
2023
Sherwood Hoodies
2022
Tut Tut
2021
Tut Tut
2020
Rock Bottom
2019
Porridge
2018
Superstan
2017
Bongo Bandits
2016
Sherwood Hoodies
2015
What a Knight
2014
Pirates of the Curry Bean
2013
Go for Gold
2012
Kids in Paradise
2011
All's Well That Ends Swell
2010
Jurassic Lark
2009
Kids at Sea
2008
Danger Kids
2007
Choc-o-Block
2006
Dog Gone Crazy
2005
The Cat and the Riddle
2004
Calamity James
2003
Masquerade
2002
Bats
2001
Kings
2000
Man of Steel
1999
Holes in Soles
1998
Currawong Creek
1997
Rat Race
1996
Josh Maroney
Physical Education
Xiao Jin
Physical Education
All students at Templeton are assigned a House, named after one of four Australian Sports Legends. Throughout the week, students are awarded House Points for good behaviour, academic achievements and sport. Every Friday at assembly, our House Captains announce the winning House for the week. Points are accumulated throughout the year, with the winning House awarded the House Trophy. Our House Captains are elected every year from Grade 6. These students lead their House in all sporting events at the school.
Our PEEP program is designed to extend the sporting ability of some of our Grade 5 and 6 students. Students have the opportunity to learn a rotating selection of exciting sports such as surfing, ninja warrior, rock climbing, kyaking, bubble soccer, high ropes and water skiing. Students’ past behaviour, sporting ability and maturity are taken into account when earning a position in PEEP, with our Physical Education teacher recommending students for final selection by the Principal.
*Term 1 2023
*Term 2 2023
*Term 3 2023
*Term 4 2023
Jane Jelley
Visual Arts
Xiaomei Lin
Visual Arts
We offer a stimulating visual arts program which encourages creative and imaginative ways of thinking. Students have the opportunity to express their knowledge, ideas and feelings in an individual and expressive way. We inspire the development of a strong sense of aesthetic appreciation, and skills and techniques in a range of media in all students.
