At St Mary’s Catholic College our fundamental aims in the area of teaching and learning are to:
- accommodate the learning needs of all students.
- encourage students to become self motivated learners and always give of their best.
- ensure that all teachers keep abreast of current teaching and learning methodology.
- access all available resources that will facilitate the teaching and learning process.
St Mary’s Catholic College has, as an essential part of its curriculum philosophy, a commitment to a sense of community, to the Gospel values, and to the education of the whole person. All students are provided with a broad, balanced, quality, contemporary curriculum which takes into account the needs of students of differing abilities and backgrounds and seeks to provide for all students an enriching school experience which develops their potential. In accordance with the dictates of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), the curriculum for candidates studying in Years 7 through to 10 provides courses of study in each of the eight Key Learning Areas of:
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Additionally, in a Catholic school, students study from the KLA Religious Education. Mandatory Key Learning Areas will be provided during each year with the provision for the study of a range of electives. Academically, the curriculum provides a sound basis in the sciences and the humanities through the compulsory study of courses in both these areas throughout Years 7 to 10. In the first two years of secondary schooling students will experience an introduction to courses that are deemed electives in the latter part of the secondary school. This practice is based on the principle that in the education of the whole person the individual needs to be aware of the full range of options available to him/her in any direction. Once the range of options has been experienced in Years 7 and 8 students have the opportunity to develop their interests and skills by choosing electives in Years 9 and 10. These electives can be chosen from a wide range of both Board Courses and School Courses.
Compressed Curriculum in Stage 6
The Senior Curriculum offered will follow a ‘compressed’ model which is a NSW Education Standards Authority endorsed method of delivering the Preliminary and HSC curriculum over a truncated period. Instead of students studying six subjects across the traditional two year period, they will complete the Preliminary and HSC courses for three of their subjects in one year and the following three subjects during their final year of high school. This model of HSC delivery allows for a broad range of subject offerings, including vocational courses and school-based traineeships, where required.