Overnewton Anglican Community College encourages and supports its students as individuals to achieve at optimum levels
At Overnewton the basis of providing support for our students is set firmly within the concept of individual differences. All students have individual needs and as a College we recognise that students with additional needs may need support to participate in the mainstream curriculum. The notion of providing students with access to an inclusive curriculum from Years P-12 is highly valued. It is part of the professional commitment of teachers at the College to cater, to the greatest extent possible, for individual differences in learning. This applies to students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties and also to gifted students.
All students at Overnewton are provided opportunities to optimise their learning potential. High potential learners are ensured academic rigor and appropriate social and emotional care through support from Gifted Education. A College-wide Head of Talent and Potential supports teachers in nurturing academic development through personalised learning provisions in the forms of extension, enrichment, and acceleration to complement the curriculum, utilising an integrated and inclusive approach to learning.
All Overnewton students have access to extension through a differentiated curriculum as part of their regular learning program. A differentiated curriculum is a program of learning that offers a variety of entry points for students who differ in learning ability. In a differentiated curriculum, teachers offer different approaches to what students learn (content), how students learn (process) and how students demonstrate what they have learnt (product).
Enrichment extends the classroom learning into optional, academic opportunities. Overnewton Anglican Community College provides a diverse range of enrichment opportunities for students at the College, which may include:
Philosophy in the Junior Years - Junior School Students have the opportunity to discuss and explore life’s big questions. This program, based on a Children’s Philosophy approach, allows students to uncover the bigger questions behind favourite illustrated texts.
Coding for Beginners - Selected Junior School Students are invited to participate in this lunchtime program, which aims to challenge and engage Junior School students through learning basic coding skills on iPads.
APMSO Mathematical Olympiads - Selected Year 4 and Middle School students take part in the APSMO Mathematical Olympiads and face the challenge of completing 5 contest papers throughout the year. Students are registered as a team and complete the papers individually.
Da Vinci Decathlon - The Da Vinci Decathlon is a day long inter-school competition that challenges selected Year 7 students in ten different disciplines; Science; English; Cartography, Art and Poetry; Mathematics; Philosophy; Creative Producers (which involves a production); General Knowledge; Code Breaking; and Engineering. Participants have the opportunity to develop their skills and work in research and development teams towards the achievement of a common goal.
UNSW’s ICAS assessments - Throughout the year, selected Overnewton students participate in the UNSW’s ICAS assessments in English, Mathematics, Science, and Computer Skills. The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) are independent skills-based assessments with a competition element. Students from over 20 countries including Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the USA participate in the ICAS each year.
Debating and Public Speaking - The College offers a rich variety of Public Speaking and Debating opportunities through the Co-Curricular ‘Be Heard’ shield.
Extension refers to in-class learning opportunities that are developed for individuals and groups of students. Extension opportunities broaden the curriculum to develop knowledge, application, thinking skills and attitudes to a degree of complexity appropriate to the students’ developmental level. While extension opportunities may have some adjustments to the pace of learning, the primary focus is on enhancing depth and complexity of learning. Teachers are supported in developing extension curriculum for appropriate students by the College Head of Talent and Potential. Students may be extended through individualised programs with specific goals and strategies identified each semester, and through group based programs to guide a unit of learning, for example, the Australian Mathematics Trust Enrichment Program for Year 5 and 6 students. All Year 9 students are provided the opportunity to select a Depth Studies extension elective, in Science, Literature or Humanities.
Students in Year 9 and Senior School, where appropriate, have access to accelerated learning in specific subject areas. At the end of the year, selected Year 8 students are invited to enrol in the Years 9-12 Accelerated Mathematics Program. Students in Senior School have the opportunity to study some Unit 1 and 2 VCE programs whilst in Year10 and some Unit 3 and 4 programs in Year 11. Acceleration into VCE program is subject to criteria based on Year 9 performance.
Differentiation, enrichment, extension and acceleration opportunities are available for our students in other curriculum areas within the College, such as the Visual and Performing Arts.