During the year the students will engage in several units of work. Class teachers advise parents on which units are being covered at the start of each term. Each class begins the year with a focus on the school's history and our Marian charism. This is used as a basis for developing a class covenant.
A Catholic covenant is a solemn or written promise that is a shared vision and collective understanding of an expectation of appropriate behaviours. It is negotiated and written by the class to ensure all students have a common understanding and ownership. They develop an individual vision of how they will Know, Love and Serve together.
Each unit involves an inquiry approach and draws on the student’s understanding of their own life context, and that of believers through time. The deep learning and ‘big ideas’ are supported by scripture and draw on content from the sub-strands of Beliefs, Sacred Texts, Church and Christian Life.
Focus Areas
The significance of personal and communal prayer and worship
Students explore how faith is shared and strengthened in communities of believers through personal and communal prayer and worship, including Eucharist, the Psalms and Sabbath rituals, prayers and the writings of Saints.
Mary’s role as mother of Jesus and mother of the Church
Students explore what they can learn about Mary, mother of Jesus and mother of the Church through Marian prayers, the Rosary, litanies and the story of Mary in Scripture. They focus on using these for their own experience of meditative prayer.
Formation of Conscience - Informed Decisions
Students consider how believers turn to scripture as a foundation for understanding how people of faith are called to live and as a means of developing an informed conscience. They learn that it is important to use multiple texts to discern and understand how these authors have contributed to this in different faith communities.
Gospel writers and their audience
Students investigate the four gospels and how each was written with a different faith community in mind. They gain an understanding that the purpose of the four gospels is to assist readers to understand all that God has done through Jesus in order for people to live lives of faith.
The action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers
Students investigate the action and names of the Holy Spirit as described in Scripture. They learn about the Sacrament of Confirmation through words, symbols and actions that link to the Holy Spirit and explore the gifts and fruits of the Spirit in the lives of believers.
Living Jesus’ commandment of Love
Students investigate how believers live according to Jesus’ new commandment of charity (love) and make and act upon informed moral choices. Using the Decalogue and Beatitudes as guiding scripture assists in the formation of conscience. They develop and explain a personal choice or action that demonstrates how Jesus’ teaching can apply to the world today.