Curriculum

Fruitvale’s curriculum

Underpinning our curriculum at Fruitvale is our Five R’s:

• RESPECT - We all deserve the best from each other.

• RESPONSIBILITY - We all work to create the best for each other.

• REFLECTION - We all think about what we do and how we do it to do it better.

• RESILIENCE - We come back from our mistakes, failures and experiences stronger.

• RISK-TAKING - We put our heart and mind on the line believing challenge will grow us.

These values are at our core. They allow us to be safe in our teaching and our learning and open up the possibilities in our world. All of our learning community know our Values and feel their impact everyday.

Student voice is informing our curriculum. We want kids who are excited about what they are learning at school. We want kids that feel that their world is valued in the classroom and that their voice is an important part of the work they are doing and the way we evaluate the work they are doing. We assess our teaching on the way we connect to our students. Science is the learning area of focus for our curriculum this year. We have spent a lot of time with Literacy(and that's not going away...at all) By the end of this year we will have renovated our science curriculum: Incorporating Garden to Table, Incorporating technology where and when it is the best choice for extending learning, using everyday experiences to unpack what science can teach us about the world we live in.

The Arts:

Wherever possible we incorporate the arts. Music, Dance, Visual and Language arts power what we do. Kids love to be immersed in the creative process; whether it's online, mathematics, a picture or a dramatic production so alongside most of what we do or integral to it is a creative process

Literacy:

Oral language development and fluency is the basis of all literacy achievement. We believe experiential learning and regular classroom programmes that are challenging, supported by home, are language rich and have high relevance for young learners are extremely important. We are achieving very well in literacy. Writing has been our literacy focus for the past five years or so. This year we move into a more detailed examination of our practices in Science. Literacy will often be motivated by scientific study this year, which will be exciting, as we look to strengthen what work has been done. The staff have had extensive professional development and more is happening as you read. We expect to consolidate the gains made and continue to build the repertoire of opportunities for highly motivational learning that the students currently have. 

Numeracy:

All Fruitvale teachers are Numeracy trained. Children study Maths every day in class and are tested regularly to ensure we understand their progress and what needs to be done next. Numeracy is highly equipment and language based, particularly at primary school. We ensure all classrooms have access to all the equipment they need when they need it.

Rigorous systems ensure that progress is maintained and that those falling behind are picked up and supported. We expect children to reach beyond their curriculum levels and most do. You can help at home by introducing mathematical concepts into your conversation in your home languages.

Whether at the shops or setting the table or doing the bills for the month, there are extensive daily opportunities to encourage mathematical thinking. We hold at least one community evening a year as an opportunity for parents to come in and understand how they can support their child's learning of the math curriculum. 

Inquiry:

'Give a family fish they will eat for the day, teach a family to fish and they will eat forever'

We believe that if we can connect the learning children need to acquire, to the skills for acquiring it, they will be able to feed themselves into the future. Our Inquiries are planned across the school each term. Our inquiries incorporate all of the arts. We love the children getting in and using art to create and celebrate learning. They culminate in a celebration that each term reflects uniquely the focus of the Inquiry.

Most often the community is invited to these 'Celebrations of Learning' and they are a lot of fun for the students as well as a chance to show off what has been studied for the period. Look out for the dates for these celebrations in the newsletters, on Facebook and on the community calendar. If you are using SEESAW you will be invited via this means and of course dates and times can be accessed on this site.