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The
Junior School at Villanova aims to provide a nurturing yet challenging
experience of schooling which is specifically suited to the developmental needs
of boys in Years Five and Six.
  
The Junior School at Villanova aims to provide a nurturing yet challenging experience of schooling which is specifically suited to
the developmental needs of boys in Years Five and Six.
As with each of the College’s sub-schools the Junior School has its own precinct on the north-western side of the College campus.
The Junior School is a community within the larger College community and caters specifically for the needs of boys in Years 5 and
6, whilst still sharing in the life of the College as a whole.
Boys’ Education
A key aspect of education at Villanova is the attention given to the particular needs of boys at different stages. Junior school teachers
work to provide boys with a sense of belonging especially by encouraging friendships amongst the boys themselves and among parents
and staff. These are particularly important to boys at this stage of pre-adolescence.
Junior School staff are aware of the particular challenges for boys at this stage of their lives, such as the need for peer friendships
and the need to promote self-esteem, as well as the need to manage basic feelings such as aggression, frustration and hurt.
Activities both within and outside the classroom respond to the specific needs of boys at this age. These include opportunities to
express themselves and build up ties with their classmates through sport and practical music and drama activities. The College seeks
to provide opportunities for as many boys as possible to participate in sporting teams. Details of the co-curricular program and the
camp program are provided elsewhere in this prospectus.
Leadership opportunities are provided for junior school boys by their generally being apart from secondary boys. Older boys are
encouraged to take care of the younger Year 5s. On the other hand interaction with Middle and Senior School boys, especially Year
12s who have leadership positions within the College, gives them the opportunity of getting to know older boys who can provide
suitable role models for them. Opportunities to relate to adults, both men and women, outside their own family are important at this
age and the excellent gender balance amongst primary teachers promotes this.
Curriculum
This experience of schooling encompasses not only the formal curriculum structured around the eight key learning areas of Religious
Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Studies of Society and the Environment, Technology, the Arts, and Health and Physical
Education, but also addresses the social, emotional, physical and spiritual development of students through activities and programs
within and outside the classroom. The Villanova Curriculum Framework describes our beliefs, our values, and our aims for each
Villanova student.
In the Junior School years the College offers a wide and varied program to its students. A practical ‘learning by doing’ approach
in music and drama has caused interest in these subjects to blossom. All students are involved in computer studies classes and the
workshop program. Specialist music, drama and design and technology teachers take these classes. The Junior School has its own
separate area in the College library and its own teacher-librarian. Junior students may also access material from the Upper Library.
Pastoral Care & Student Development
Our approach in Pastoral Care and Discipline is to encourage students’ personal development and the development of self-discipline
through building strong, supportive relationships between students, and between students and their teachers. This relationship focus
is central to the Augustinian ideal of a strong community and is the basis for our Restorative Practices approach to behaviour
management. Restorative Practices emphasise meeting the responsibilities that come from being a member of a supportive
community and provide a means for students to develop personally, emotionally and socially in a safe environment.
Each Junior School student is a member of a Class group with their Class Teacher. This Class group is the basis of the Pastoral Care
approach in the Junior School.
The Head of Junior School, the College Counsellor and Pastoral Care Worker form the Pastoral Care Team for the Junior School.
With the assistance of the eight Class Teachers, the Pastoral Care Team aims to provide an environment in the Junior School which
best encourages the development of the boys as individuals as well as members of the community.
The Pastoral Care team, in collaboration with the House Coordinators and specific members of the College Leadership Team, provide
for the boys in the Junior School a developmental program of leadership and personal development that connects seamlessly with
the other stages of the program in the Middle and Senior schools.
The annual Class Camp Program is a key part of this developmental program. These camps each have the
common goals of:
• the growth of personal self-confidence and independence,
• the development of co-operative group living skills,
• allowing the boys to experience the challenge and joy of outdoor activities.
Teaching and Learning
Our teaching and learning approaches are based on an understanding of learning derived from recent research in the fields of
cognitive science and psychology, are informed by our understanding of the specific learning needs of young pre-adolescent males
and are infused with an understanding and appreciation of an authentic Augustinian pedagogy.
The specific model of learning that we employ is based on the Dimensions of Learning framework developed by researchers at the
Mid-Continent Regional Education Laboratory (McREL). This model adapts readily to enhance our understandings of a particularly
Augustinian approach to education.
Our five Dimensions of Learning are described as:
• Developing positive attitudes and perceptions
• Acquiring and integrating knowledge
• Extending and refining knowledge
• Using knowledge meaningfully
• Using productive habits of mind and heart
These Dimensions and the many cognitive skills involved in them are developed in all courses of study and allow for a skills-based
integration across the curriculum from Year Five through to Year Twelve, but this cross-curricular approach is particularly evident
in the Junior School since the majority of curriculum in these Year Levels is approached in an integrated, seamless manner.
Staff
The Head of Junior School has specific responsibility for the pastoral care of boys within the school, as well as a shared responsibility
for pedagogical leadership and staff formation.
In the pastoral care role, the Head of Junior School is assisted by the College Counsellor, the College Pastoral Care Worker and the
Class Teachers in the Junior School.
The coordination of curriculum and teaching and learning in the Junior School is the responsibility of the Junior School Curriculum
Team, consisting of the Head of Junior School, the Junior School Curriculum Coordinator, the Junior School Religious Education
Coordinator and the Vice Rector - Curriculum. The Vice Rector - Curriculum has collaborative responsibility for ensuring the
effective articulation of learning programs across the Junior, Middle and Senior schools.
In addition to their Class Teachers, students have the benefit of regular classes with expert specialist teachers in Music, Art, Drama,
Health & Physical Education - all in specialist facilities. Experienced Learning Enrichment teachers assist students with difficulties
and also conduct enrichment and extension programs throughout the Junior School.
Class and specialist teachers in the Junior School meet regularly to plan and work collaboratively with the Pastoral Care Team and
the Curriculum Team to ensure coordinated programs and a common approach.
The Junior School Precinct
The Junior School precinct is physically separate from the Middle and Senior School precincts to give students a sense of security
and ‘ownership,’ and includes the home rooms dedicated to Years Five and Six. The Junior School precinct consists of the
classrooms, play areas and sporting facilities on the western side of the College campus.
Students in the Junior School have access to the Whinstanes playing field (on the corner of Eighth and Main Avenues) for outdoor
learning activities and recreation. Traffic-light controlled access to the Little Langlands fields also provides for recreation and
sporting facilities close to classrooms.
In addition to classrooms and specialist Art, Music and Drama rooms in the Junior School precinct, students in the Junior School
also have access to shared facilities across the school including state of the art computer laboratories; the theatre auditorium; a fully-equipped gymnasium; science laboratories; pool; extensive music facilities; sports fields; and the primary library.
Parent Involvement
The College believes that the education of students requires a strong partnership between the school and the family.
From such a belief comes a commitment - and an invitation - to encourage parents to become fully involved in the
community life of the College.
The Head of Junior School, and the Junior School teachers value and invite open communication between the home and
the school. It is through this ready communication that the best outcomes can be obtained for students.
Informal and Formal Communications
Newsletters
The College publishes its Newsletter every Thursday of term. This Newsletter contains important information for
parents on Community events and issues. In addition to this College Newsletter, from time to time the Junior School
sends home its own Newsletter with information related just to Years 5 and 6.
Parent-Teacher Information Evenings
Early in each academic year, Parent Information evenings are conducted for each class. These evenings are a chance to
meet the teacher and to open the lines of communication. At these meetings, parents can expect to receive an overview of
the work the student will be doing throughout the year and, importantly, begin the process of working with the teacher to
ensure the best outcome for the student. Individual meetings can be arranged following the information evening if more
detailed conversations are needed at this stage.
Academic Reports
The Junior School issues formal written Academic Reports twice yearly at the end of each Semester, indicating the
student’s achievement in each of the assessed subject areas in plain language. These reports describe the student’s levels
of achievement against standards set for his Year Level.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
A further opportunity for formal parent-teacher communication is offered at the end of first Semester. At this time,
parents can review the progress their son has made in the first half of the year and, together with the teacher, make plans
for the continued support of the students in his learning for the second Semester.
Informal Contact
Throughout the year teachers may make informal contact with parents to discuss a particular issue, and parents are
invited to similarly make contact with either the Head of Junior School or the class teacher to discuss any issue. One
convenient form of this informal communication is the use of the student diary where a teacher might write a short note
for the boy to show his parents.
Parent Participation
Parents are invited to become part of the day-to-day community of the College and close relationships between staff,
parents and boys are a mark of the College.
The Parents and Friends Association plays a vital part in the life of the College and has various sub-committees,
including the Sports Club, the Music Committee and the Second-Hand Uniform Group, amongst others. These parent
committees, to which all parents are welcome, support the College in many areas. In fact, Catholic schools such as
Villanova cannot survive without the extra support of these groups and activities. These groups not only support the
work of the College, but also provide friendships and support among parents themselves, and ensure a constant open
channel of communication with the College. It is expected and hoped that parents be involved in some of these spheres
each year.
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