Your Child

Image of the Child

The 'Image of the Child' is a concept in the educational philosophy of Reggio Emilia and at St Paul Lutheran School. It is about how we view children, which influences how we interact with them.

At St Paul we believe that all children are inherently curious intuitive, creative, playful, and unique.

We recognise that these children come to school with their own passions, experiences and perceptions of the world and are capable of initiating and generating their own learning, and personal and social growth.

This image of the child shapes our relationships, values, and practices as we work to create a safe and inclusive school culture.

We will be clear and respectful in our expectations and language and be ready to celebrate and restore relationships in the Lutheran tradition of grace and love.

We will strive to create environments where curiosity, mistakes, and challenges are embraced and children feel valued and connected.

We will create opportunities for children to explore and pursue individual and collective interests, as well as aspirations for learning.

We Support the Image of the Child through...

Learning Approach

St Paul Lutheran School fosters a love of learning and creates opportunities for children to explore and pursue individual and collective interests through an inquiry-based approach to learning. Inquiry learning builds on the child’s instinct to discover and explore and promotes ownership of the learning process. As each child progresses through school, teachers build on prior learning through our whole-school approaches to learning. This ensures each new year level is the natural next step in the child’s learning progression.

Play

St Paul Lutheran School believes in the power of play for children's learning and development. We provide many opportunities for play within the classroom and outdoors. Whether building out of cardboard, wood or blocks, role-playing with costumes or toy figures, playing card games or working together in our dedicated outdoor Nature Play zone, our children actively participate in play regularly, stimulating their physical, social and emotional growth. By providing playful opportunities to engage with learning, we can address the Australian Curriculum in an authentic way that is meaningful for our children.

Uniform

At St Paul Lutheran School, children wear sports uniforms every day to feel comfortable and free to move and express themselves, which helps them learn effectively.

Learning Environment

Our carefully curated learning spaces are designed with children in mind, considering factors like lighting, sensory input, and furniture arrangement to create a focused and successful learning environment for children.

Curriculum

St Paul Lutheran School teaches the Australian Curriculum through an inquiry-based, playful approach in all learning areas, including:

English

Mathematics

Humanities and Social Sciences

The Arts

Health and Physical Education

Languages (German)

Extra Curricular

St Paul Lutheran School offers a diverse array of opportunities designed to nurture and enhance children’s interests beyond the standard curriculum.

In addition to the classroom experience, we offer:

St Paul Lutheran School offers Performing Arts lessons as part of the curriculum and individual performance opportunities through our Reception and Year 1 Christmas Concert, the Year 2 to Year 4 Concert and the annual participation by our Year 5 and Year 6 children in SA Schools Challenge. Children can participate in all aspects of performance, including scripts, props and stage management. The St Paul School Choir is available for interested children, and individual music lessons for violin, piano, drums and guitar are offered during school hours.

School camps provide opportunities for children to develop mentally, socially and physically outside of the school environment. Camps are particularly important for children in the junior primary years transitioning to upper primary years and older children preparing for secondary school. Similarly, our immersive school excursions align with curriculum learning, and help children make lasting connections with their education.

Children at St Paul Lutheran School are encouraged to start public speaking early on in their school journey. They develop their speaking skills through in-class sharing, school assemblies, concerts, Chapel and opportunities such as the Junior Voice Committee.

Children at St Paul Lutheran School have the opportunity to develop leadership skills throughout their schooling. Starting with small class responsibilities in junior years, children can progress to roles such as Junior Voice Committee, Community Leaders and School Captains as they advance. Peer leadership is also emphasised, with older children mentoring younger ones. These relationships often form strong bonds that last throughout the children’s schooling.