Our Learning
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Manor Lakes
The pedagogical aim of this school is the development of inquiring minds through learning and teaching approaches that endeavour to empower students to be lifelong learners. Along with Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), OLSC follows the Vision for Instruction with a strong focus on explicit teaching. Within the personal learning programs, students are provided with the opportunity to develop skills as empowered learners who have the capacity to think and know how to learn.
English
Our approach to literacy is one where students have opportunities to develop reading, writing and communication skills, essential to effectively engage with all areas of their learning. Guided by the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, our two-hour English block focuses on using quality mentor texts to provide students with exemplary models from which to build their vocabulary, their understanding of how and why texts are constructed and their love of reading. They are encouraged to make connections to text, to share their thoughts and opinions, to demonstrate their comprehension and to develop their reading fluency. Through explicit teaching in writing, students learn of a variety of genres and develop their skills at both sentence and whole-text levels.
Our junior students engage daily with the Little Learners Love Literacy Program which provides them with an explicit and systematic approach to synthetic phonics. The middle and senior students use the PhOrMeS program to build their understanding of word reading and spelling through phonology, orthography, morphology, and etymology. Our literacy intervention sessions centre around the evidence-based programs of MiniLit Sage for the Year 1 and 2 students and MacqLit for our Years 3 to 6 students. These provide effective and sequential teaching of reading skills to small groups of students, who require further support.
Mathematics
Teaching is based on the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, with a minimum of four lessons per week. The lesson structure includes daily review, checking for understanding, explicit teaching using the gradual release model of “I do, We do, You do”.
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Assessment of learning in mathematics includes Maths Online Interview (MOI), Progressive Achievement Test Maths (PATM), Essential Assessment (EA), independent tasks and checks for understanding.
Inquiry
Many areas of the curriculum are taught throughout the inquiry cycle, these include; Media Arts, Health, Civics and Citizenship, Economics, Geography, History, Science, Design and Digital Technologies.
Teaching is based on the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, with information and skills explicitly taught and opportunities for students to explore areas within the subjects.
Intervention & Extension
At our school, we are dedicated to recognising and responding to the unique needs of every student. By providing tailored support, we ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Our commitment to inclusive practices empowers learners to reach their full potential and experience success in a supportive community.
Multiple intervention and enrichment programs are run throughout the school. Formal literacy intervention programs include Minilit Sage and Macqlit. Programs to enhance social and emotional learning in our students include the Incredible Flexible You Social Thinking Program and the Zones of Regulation.
eSafety
We believe the teaching of cyber safety and responsible online behaviour is essential in the lives of students and is best taught in partnership between the school and home.
We partner with Inform and Empower to create safer and more positive online experiences for every child.
Mandarin
The children at OLSC participate in a weekly LOTE lesson with a specialist teacher, which is guided by the Victorian Curriculum. The language currently offered across all levels is Mandarin.
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The aim of these lessons is for students to communicate in a language other than English, as well as develop intercultural awareness.
Physical Education
Children are encouraged to learn a variety of individual skills including ball handling, skipping and dance. Modified team games are also played where the emphasis is on safety, participation, teamwork and good sportsmanship.
The Year Five and Six students participate in Summer and Winter interschool sports.
Each year, the students compete in a whole school Athletics Carnival. Students from senior and middle years may then have an opportunity to progress to the District Athletic Sports.
Visual Arts
Our students work as individuals and in teams, to explore different aspects of our world through various forms of Visual Art.
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Learning about visual techniques and skills of local and global artists supports students to develop their own artworks with an understanding of distinctions between art and culture. Students explore different perspectives to develop and expand cultural understanding, critical reasoning and practical skills.
Performing Arts
Performing Arts involves learning about voice, drama, music and dance. Many different activities are offered throughout the year to develop the skills of voice projection, dramatising emotions, rhythm, beat and body movement.
A musical production will be held in 2025, the first in quite a while. All students take part in the production program, in some form. This experience for our students develops and celebrates our acting, dancing and singing skills. We are very proud of our students who performed in ‘The Lion King’ in 2017. We look forward to presenting the Performing Arts talent again in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
STEM
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is an approach to learning and development that integrates four disciplines to foster problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking skills. Students are regularly posed with a problem, working through problem solving strategies both independently and in teams to develop solutions.
Digital Technologies
Digital technologies at OLSC includes our bring your own device (BYOD) program with our Prep to Year Two students using iPads and our Year Three to Six using Chromebooks.
The students are taught a variety of unplugged, software and applications to assist their learning in all areas of the curriculum, coding and networking information.
Camp
Camps are offered from Year 4 to Year 6, alternating between an educational curriculum link and an adventure camp. Camps are designed to enhance and complement school-based learning, and to develop communication, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. Over the past few years camps have included;
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Manyung, Mt Evelyn and Anglesea YMCAs
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Sovereign Hill
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Urban Camp
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Log Cabin Camp
Swimming
In 2024 OLSC partnered with our local Kingswim pool to deliver our two week swimming program. The swimming program is offered to all students in Prep to Year 3. The program includes 45 minute lessons each day for a fortnight, with students and parent helpers walking down to the pool and back.