Extra Curricular

Health and Physical Education promotes an understanding of physical activities, movement, food and nutrition, health, safety, human development and human relationships.

At St Francis of Assisi we believe it is important students develop an early awareness of their own health, wellbeing and physical abilities. We believe in a program which imparts accurate knowledge, fosters desirable attitudes and develops positive practices in relation to both health and physical education.

The Health and Physical Education Program is taught by both the classroom teachers and two specialist teachers. During formal lessons, a variety of skills are taught to students providing opportunity to develop different skills.

Physical Education areas include:

• Fundamental movement patterns
• Coordinated actions of the body
• The concept of fitness
• Physical activity
• Growth and development
• Effective relationships
• Identity
• Safety
• Food and nutrition
• Sportsmanship

Students are allocated in a house team upon entry to the school. These houses are Mackillop (Red), Mannix (Green), Chisholm (Blue) and Polding (Yellow).

At St Francis of Assisi, our Science program nurtures students’ curiosity and respect for creation. We focus on developing scientific knowledge and skills across four key areas:

• Biological Sciences: Understanding living organisms and ecosystems.
• Chemical Sciences: Investigating materials and their properties.
• Earth and Space Sciences: Exploring our planet and its place in the solar system.
• Physical Sciences: Examining forces and energy in the natural world.

Our curriculum encourages hands-on learning from Prep to Year 6. Students engage in experiments, observations, and investigations that allow them to test ideas and draw evidence-based conclusions. By linking scientific concepts to everyday experiences and the world around them, children develop a deeper understanding of how natural and physical processes shape their lives. Through these immersive learning experiences, they foster critical thinking, collaboration, and ethical decision-making, building both confidence and a lifelong appreciation for science.

At St Francis of Assisi The Arts enable students to develop their creative and expressive capacities by learning about the different practices, disciplines and traditions that have shaped the expression of culture locally, nationally and globally. Students are both artist and audience in the Arts. They make and respond and learn to appreciate the specific ways this occurs in different disciplines.

Through engaging in The Arts students are entertained, challenged and provoked to respond to questions and assumptions about individual and community identity, taking into account different histories and cultures. We cater for The Arts through the explicit teaching of:

• Drama
• Dance
• Music
• Media Arts
• Visual Arts

The Arts curriculum is aligned with the documentation of Victorian Curriculum.

Digital Technologies is a key component of our curriculum at St Francis of Assisi. It is taught in classrooms, the Computer Lab and the Library Resource Centre. This provides students with a range of engaging experiences using current and emerging technologies. We provide safe access to digital educational resources which promote educational excellence through development of students’ knowledge, skills, understandings and application of digital tools. The one-to-one laptop program in Years 3-6 provides for a rich learning environment that has the potential to promote, enhance and transform the learning of the students. We aim to teach students to develop new thinking and learning skills, to create multimedia products, to develop more productive ways of working and solving problems and to communicate their ideas.

To ensure all staff and students have access to appropriate tools for digital learning, some of the key hardware includes:

• Epson projectors or 60+ inch smart televisions in every classroom, for projecting/displaying a paired teacher laptop
• One laptop per student taken to and from school each day (Years 3–6) under our 1:1 Laptop Program
• A set of approximately 50 centrally located, ready-to-use laptops for Year 2 students
• 6 iPads per Prep class
• 6 iPads per Year 1 class
• A fully equipped computer lab with 30 desktop computers
• Desktop computers in the library resource centre
• A fully equipped robotics lab including:
  – 25 laptops connected to external monitors
  – 25 Bee-Bots
  – 25 Spheros
  – 25 Lego EV3 Mindsotrms kits
• Digital cameras, flip cameras and 360-degree cameras available for classroom use
• EasiSpeak microphones available for class projects
• Laser printers located throughout the school
• Four Toshiba Universal ‘Follow Me’ printers located in key, high traffic buildings in the school
• Two MakerBot 3D printers for design and prototyping activities
• A Digital Video Content (DVC) System that includes screens throughout the school to showcase student work and multimedia learning artefacts

At St Francis we offer an in-house instrumental music program that aims to provide students with the opportunity to learn an instrument during school hours. We offer tuition in keyboard, piano, guitar, drums, violin and singing. The students are taken out of class for a half hour group (max. of three) or individual lesson with highly trained instrumental music teachers.

Students are encouraged to take internal or external exams (AMEB, ANZCA etc.) and are given the opportunity to perform in school recitals and take part in a variety of other school events.

We also strongly encourage our senior students enrolled in instrumental music lessons to participate in a music ensemble throughout the year. To participate in an ensemble is to use your current skills in playing your instrument/singing, and combine these with other students’ skills. It extends a student’s music experience, broadens their repertoire, and gives the students the opportunity to meet other students who share their passion in music. These ensembles occur during lunchtime and before or after school at no extra cost to parents.

Click to download the enrolment form below. Print it off, fill it out and return it to the school office.

Instrumental Music enrolment form

Passion Projects value the importance of student voice and choice. Student motivation is increased when students have the opportunity to work with contemporary tools and practises to solve problems.

Passion Projects at St Francis of Assisi School is an inquiry approach to learning, Year 6 students have the opportunity to question, look for answers and demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways. Students investigate areas of interest that honour curriculum learning areas such as Health and Physical Education, Technologies (Design and Digital), The Arts and Science. Students will participate in the design process and use creative and critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and reflection and evaluation skills to design, construct and use and evaluate various products.

Students will develop 21st Century learning skills through this explorative, hands-on and active approach to learning. They will use various materials and tools. After completing the specialist program in Year 5, students in Year 6 can elect to study 2 of the following subjects (one per semester).

The 6 Passion Projects are:

• Visual Arts
• Robotics
• Kitchen Garden
• Performing Arts
• STEAM and Design (Billy Carts) 
• Health and Fitness (Bike Education)