Specialist Programs

Oatlands Primary Schools offers a comprehensive and enriching specialist program to all students.

The ARTS

Oatlands Primary School offers an innovative and creative Arts program encompassing both the Visual and Performing Arts. 

In Visual Arts, students are given the opportunity to work with a wide variety of techniques including:

• Colour theory and mixing

• Printing

• Clay-pich, slab and coil work.

• Collage

• Construction

• Painting

• Textiles

Each year we complete an Artist Study which involves learning about the work, style and expression of the selected artist. The students create their own unique piece inspired by the artist.  Students have the opportunity to share their work in a variety of ways including:

• Corridor displays

• Art blog

• Biannual Art Show

• Extended art class is offered to selected Year Six students

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

At Oatlands Primary School, the aim of the Physical Education Program is to instil a life long commitment to the overall health and well being of our students. Students participate in activities that foster friendship, listening, sharing, helping, negotiating and caring. Individual, partner and group work situations are experienced in all are areas of the program.

In physical education sessions, students participate in a comprehensive skills based program that provides them with a sound base for participation in future sporting activities, and in the development of a healthy lifestyle. Areas of the program are: Ball Skills, Movement Education, Athletics, Cross country, Swimming, Fitness, Minor games for grades prep–two and and Major Games for students in grades three-six.

District Sport

Oatlands Primary School is a member of the Edwin Flack District Sports Association and competes in summer and winter inter-school matches in the following sports:

Softball, volleystars, rounders, football, basketball, kickball, T-ball, Kanga 8s cricket, soccer and netball.

We also participate in District Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals. Students have the opportunity to try out for Victorian Primary School teams and to represent our school at District, Divisional, Regional and State Championships.

DIGITAL and Design TECHNOLOGIES

The Digital and Design Technologies Program enables students to become confident and creative developers of digital solutions, through the application of various digital devices and systems, as well as specific ways of thinking about problem solving.

Students are exposed to a range of hands-on learning opportunities, engaging with real-world problems and tasks, using Google Chromebooks and a range of other digital devices.  The Technologies program has been designed to provide practical opportunities for students to explore the capacity of digital systems to systematically and innovatively transform data into digital solutions through the application of computational, design and systems thinking. Students also are given opportunities to build their collaborative work skills, whilst design and creating in groups, where problem solving is an integral part to having success.

Our Technology sessions provide students with engaging and varied learning opportunities including:

• Google Chromebook 1:1 program during Digital Technologies sessions

• Robotics (BeeBots, Spheros, Ollies)

• Virtual Reality Google Expeditions headsets

• 3D printing

• Lego Robotics (MindStorm)

• Coding (Scratch, Code Club)

• Google Apps for Education/G-Suite (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Sites, Slides, Mail)

• Using The Engineering Design Process

• Food Technology - theory and practical cooking sessions

LANGUAGES

Oatlands Primary School offer two languages to students, Italian and Japanese.  Our specialist language program provides students with learning opportunities to acquire communication skills in Japanese and Italian. During these sessions, students develop an understanding about the role of language and culture in communication. 

Learning languages broadens students’ horizons about the personal, social, cultural and employment opportunities that are available in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. The interdependence of countries and communities requires people to negotiate experiences and meanings across languages and cultures. 

READING RECOVERY

Reading Recovery is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for first graders experiencing difficulties in Literacy. Reading Recovery complements the Literacy programs that operate every day in our classrooms.  A Reading Recovery teacher designs a Reading and Writing program to meet each individual student’s particular needs.  

Reading Recovery lessons consist of a variety of experiences designed to help children develop effective reading and writing strategies and continues until the child can read within or above the class average. Students are taught to use independent reading and writing strategies with daily one-to-one lessons of thirty minutes. The series of lessons runs for 12-20 weeks with a specially trained teacher.

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL)

Oatlands Primary School runs an EAL intervention program for students in Years 1, 2 and 3.

EAL learners are involved in a targeted support program to help them in the initial stages of learning English.

Our program focuses in immersing students into the English culture and language by working on consolidating and reinforcing skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing, and by giving students’ a chance to use a range of language functions important for working and playing with others.