ENGLISH
At Creswick Primary School, we pride ourselves on teaching an English program based on evidence-informed practice.
We teach a program that incorporates oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. In our Junior Unit (Prep to Grade 2), our program is weighted heavily towards teaching students to read and write the ‘code’ of the English language through systematic, synthetic phonics. From the very first days in Prep, students begin to learn the letter sounds (the code) so that they can read and write simple words early on. Students participate in daily handwriting lessons where they are explicitly taught how to write letters using the correct formation and direction. Students also engage in fluency practice through daily ‘fluency pairs’ to build automaticity with their reading.
In our Senior Unit (Grade 3-6), students use the knowledge they have learnt about a range of subject matters to read and write about increasingly complex topics. Novel studies offer rich content that engages students and provides multiple opportunities to respond to texts through both oral and written tasks. Students are also taught to write in different genres, allowing them to express what they have learnt through writing.
Spelling
Our evidence-informed program, Spelling Mastery, provides students with a structured and sequential approach to spelling. The program uses phonemic, morphemic, and whole-word strategies, with carefully selected word lists and cumulative practice to support long-term learning. Sessions occur for 4 x 25 minute sessions per week and are in addition to our other Literacy programs.
We teach a program that incorporates oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. In our Junior Unit (Prep to Grade 2), our program is weighted heavily towards teaching students to read and write the ‘code’ of the English language through systematic, synthetic phonics. From the very first days in Prep, students begin to learn the letter sounds (the code) so that they can read and write simple words early on. Students participate in daily handwriting lessons where they are explicitly taught how to write letters using the correct formation and direction. Students also engage in fluency practice through daily ‘fluency pairs’ to build automaticity with their reading.
In our Senior Unit (Grade 3-6), students use the knowledge they have learnt about a range of subject matters to read and write about increasingly complex topics. Novel studies offer rich content that engages students and provides multiple opportunities to respond to texts through both oral and written tasks. Students are also taught to write in different genres, allowing them to express what they have learnt through writing.
Spelling
Our evidence-informed program, Spelling Mastery, provides students with a structured and sequential approach to spelling. The program uses phonemic, morphemic, and whole-word strategies, with carefully selected word lists and cumulative practice to support long-term learning. Sessions occur for 4 x 25 minute sessions per week and are in addition to our other Literacy programs.
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INTEGRATED CURRICULUMOur Integrated Curriculum is a knowledge-based curriculum that is carefully sequenced and cumulative from year to year. The Integrated Curriculum is closely linked to our literacy teaching and the content forms the basis of what students read and write about. The Integrated Curriculum units cover all aspects of the curriculum.
In Term 1, our students learn about Being Healthy and revise our school expectations and values through our Start-Up program. Our Start-Up program is essential to remind and/or establish with our students ‘the way we do things’ at Creswick Primary School. Following this, students commence a science unit, How Things Work, that is based on Physical and Chemical Sciences. The next unit that spans to the end of Term 1, and into Term 2, is Looking Back on Australia. This unit is heavily focused on Australian history, geography, civics and citizenship. The remainder of Term 2 is focussed on The Worlds’ Ancient Civilizations. These history and geography units help students to build an understanding of how early civilisations impact today's life. Throughout Term 3, through the mediums of Music, Dance, Drama and Media, our students explore Classic Stories and Fairy Tales and Fables and the Classics. Term 4 allows students to explore Living Things on Earth through our biological and earth space sciences unit. The end-of-the-year unit is all about Our Community and allows students to engage with the local and wider community of Creswick itself. |
MATHEMATICS
Our Mathematics program is grounded in evidence-informed teaching and learning practices. Lessons follow a carefully sequenced, structured, and cumulative approach, ensuring that students develop deep understanding across all areas of the mathematics curriculum.
Each lesson begins with a Daily Review, providing students with regular opportunities to revise and revisit previously taught concepts. This practice, based on spaced and interleaved learning, supports students in transferring knowledge to long-term memory, improving both retention and fluency.
Mathematics lessons are delivered using the Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) model, where teachers:
- Clearly explain and model new concepts and skills (I do)
- Support students through guided practice (We do), and
- Provide time for independent application in an interactive and responsive environment (You do).
Our comprehensive curriculum is structured around the six interrelated strands of Mathematics: Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability (introduced from Level 3)
We support all students to achieve a high level of mathematical proficiency by ensuring strong foundations are built early. Just as phonics and fluency are essential to reading, number sense and automaticity are key to mathematical success. These foundational skills equip students to confidently solve unfamiliar problems, interpret data, and apply measurement, leading to mathematical mastery. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure all students become confident, capable, and independent mathematical thinkers.
Each lesson begins with a Daily Review, providing students with regular opportunities to revise and revisit previously taught concepts. This practice, based on spaced and interleaved learning, supports students in transferring knowledge to long-term memory, improving both retention and fluency.
Mathematics lessons are delivered using the Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) model, where teachers:
- Clearly explain and model new concepts and skills (I do)
- Support students through guided practice (We do), and
- Provide time for independent application in an interactive and responsive environment (You do).
Our comprehensive curriculum is structured around the six interrelated strands of Mathematics: Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability (introduced from Level 3)
We support all students to achieve a high level of mathematical proficiency by ensuring strong foundations are built early. Just as phonics and fluency are essential to reading, number sense and automaticity are key to mathematical success. These foundational skills equip students to confidently solve unfamiliar problems, interpret data, and apply measurement, leading to mathematical mastery. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure all students become confident, capable, and independent mathematical thinkers.
SPECIALIST PROGRAM
At CPS, our specialist subjects are led by a team of experienced teachers. The specialist subjects we offer at Creswick Primary School from Prep to Year 6 are Indonesian, Physical Education, Visual Art and Digital/Design Technology.
Indonesian
The Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – Indonesian program follows the Victorian Curriculum and is taught by a specialist teacher trained in Indonesian language instruction. Each class participates in a one-hour Indonesian lesson every week. The aim of learning Indonesian is for students to acquire communication skills in Indonesian and for them to develop an understanding about the role of language and culture in communication. Learning a second or third language provides students with enormous benefits and opens them up to a broader way of communicating and thinking within the classroom and when viewing the world around them. Indonesian lessons explicitly teach both language and culture through a variety of engaging methods, including language games, listening tasks, and written and spoken activities linked to specific topics.
Physical Education
The Physical Education program follows the Victorian Curriculum and is taught by a specialist teacher, with each class taking part in a one-hour lesson every week.The aim of the Physical Education program is to encourage students to increase physical activity and promote healthy engagement and exposure to a variety of sports to the best of their ability. Fundamental movement skills are explicitly taught and applied in minor game settings. Students also participate in events such as Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming, and other sporting activities, which offer a range of opportunities to experience different sports and promote positive participation and sportsmanship.
Visual Art
The Visual Arts program follows the Victorian Curriculum and is delivered by a specialist teacher through one-hour weekly lessons for all classes from Prep to Year 6. Each lesson encourages creativity, experimentation, and self-expression. Students explore a range of materials, techniques, and processes to create unique artworks while developing their understanding of the Elements of Art - line, shape, colour, texture, value and space. These elements are explicitly taught and applied in every artwork, helping students build essential artistic knowledge and skills.
Through hands-on experiences, students engage in a variety of art forms including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and printmaking. Visual Arts at our school fosters confidence, imagination, and curiosity, while supporting students in expressing ideas and emotions visually. Student work is proudly displayed throughout the school and celebrated in whole-school events, showcasing the creativity and growth of our young artists.
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts program at Creswick Primary School follows the Victorian Curriculum, encompassing the disciplines of Drama, Dance, Music and Media. It is delivered by a specialist teacher through one-hour weekly lessons for all classes from Prep to Year 6.
In each discipline, creativity is fostered alongside the development of knowledge and skills unique to it. The distinct languages, knowledge, and practices of each arts discipline in the Victorian Curriculum enable students to play, explore, question, challenge, and imagine new possibilities.
Making and responding provide the integral structure of the curriculum, and it requires students to actively participate in classes. Through making, students develop their knowledge, understanding, and skills in arts practice, in a discipline or across disciplines. Through responding, students explore, reflect upon, and interpret artworks and the practices used to create them. They view the presentation of arts and design works in different places, periods of time, and cultures.
For example, acting out a script, using props to enhance storytelling, moving their body to various music styles, creating dance moves to selected music, and handling instruments and audio/visual equipment. Students share their work in formal and informal settings to a selected audience, such as their class, their cohort, or the school.
Indonesian
The Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – Indonesian program follows the Victorian Curriculum and is taught by a specialist teacher trained in Indonesian language instruction. Each class participates in a one-hour Indonesian lesson every week. The aim of learning Indonesian is for students to acquire communication skills in Indonesian and for them to develop an understanding about the role of language and culture in communication. Learning a second or third language provides students with enormous benefits and opens them up to a broader way of communicating and thinking within the classroom and when viewing the world around them. Indonesian lessons explicitly teach both language and culture through a variety of engaging methods, including language games, listening tasks, and written and spoken activities linked to specific topics.
Physical Education
The Physical Education program follows the Victorian Curriculum and is taught by a specialist teacher, with each class taking part in a one-hour lesson every week.The aim of the Physical Education program is to encourage students to increase physical activity and promote healthy engagement and exposure to a variety of sports to the best of their ability. Fundamental movement skills are explicitly taught and applied in minor game settings. Students also participate in events such as Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming, and other sporting activities, which offer a range of opportunities to experience different sports and promote positive participation and sportsmanship.
Visual Art
The Visual Arts program follows the Victorian Curriculum and is delivered by a specialist teacher through one-hour weekly lessons for all classes from Prep to Year 6. Each lesson encourages creativity, experimentation, and self-expression. Students explore a range of materials, techniques, and processes to create unique artworks while developing their understanding of the Elements of Art - line, shape, colour, texture, value and space. These elements are explicitly taught and applied in every artwork, helping students build essential artistic knowledge and skills.
Through hands-on experiences, students engage in a variety of art forms including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and printmaking. Visual Arts at our school fosters confidence, imagination, and curiosity, while supporting students in expressing ideas and emotions visually. Student work is proudly displayed throughout the school and celebrated in whole-school events, showcasing the creativity and growth of our young artists.
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts program at Creswick Primary School follows the Victorian Curriculum, encompassing the disciplines of Drama, Dance, Music and Media. It is delivered by a specialist teacher through one-hour weekly lessons for all classes from Prep to Year 6.
In each discipline, creativity is fostered alongside the development of knowledge and skills unique to it. The distinct languages, knowledge, and practices of each arts discipline in the Victorian Curriculum enable students to play, explore, question, challenge, and imagine new possibilities.
Making and responding provide the integral structure of the curriculum, and it requires students to actively participate in classes. Through making, students develop their knowledge, understanding, and skills in arts practice, in a discipline or across disciplines. Through responding, students explore, reflect upon, and interpret artworks and the practices used to create them. They view the presentation of arts and design works in different places, periods of time, and cultures.
For example, acting out a script, using props to enhance storytelling, moving their body to various music styles, creating dance moves to selected music, and handling instruments and audio/visual equipment. Students share their work in formal and informal settings to a selected audience, such as their class, their cohort, or the school.