School Initiatives

Kitchen Garden Program

2015 was our implementation year of the Kitchen Garden Program. Our Year 4/5 classes were involved in both a graden and kitchen program. Our Garden Coordinator taught children and supported them with the planting, maintenance and harvesting of fresh produce. Our kitchen coordinator worked with children and volunteers on designing a menu and cooking healthy option meals. We look forward to continuing to build on the program in the coming years.

Please feel free to come to the front office to purchase our 2015 Virginia Primary Kitchen Garden cookbook for some great recipes.

Habits of mind represent a set of dispositions that bring about success with a focus on the learning process, the skills and attitudes needed. Children have the belief that they are able to be successful.

Children need to develop a growth mindset, a belief that they can learn to be more intelligent, improve their abilities and develop their talents. Children learn how to develop a growth mindset.

To be able to use Habits of Mind successfully we want children to move away from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Please see the attached information to further support your understanding of Habits of Mind and developing a Growth Mindset.

Habits of mind

The Habits of Mind are an identified set of 16 problem solving and life related skills.

“We want our children to develop those habits that lead them to become lifelong learners, effective problem solvers and decision makers, able to communicate with a diverse population and to understand how to live successfully in a rapidly changing, high tech world.” (Art Costa)

Habits of Mind provide a shared language and common approach of ways to behave intelligently, think effectively and foster success. At VPS we are at the on the journey of infusing Habits of Mind and making it a fundamental part of our school culture and aspects of the curriculum.

Student Wellbeing

Well-being is integral to the learning process; well-being is about feeling well, functioning well, achieving one’s best and enjoying learning. At Virginia Primary school students’ wellbeing is a high priority and is addressed in numerous whole school, class and individual activities. We believe ‘together is better’ and in being proactive in supporting students rather than re-active.

The school’s values, culture and many strategies and events match with the Save the Children Australia’s Global Peace School Program, as developed by the United Nations, partners with educators, schools, parents and communities to integrate child rights, peace building, global awareness, and social inclusion concepts across the curriculum, classroom and wider community. Thus, in 2010 Virginia Primary school was accredited as a ‘Save the Children Global Peace School’. The whole-school approach has enabled children and their families to understand the rights and responsibilities enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It empowers children to be active citizens in their own lives and in the lives of others, locally, nationally and internationally.

Our school is one of 13 schools which provide an outstanding model of ‘good practice’ that inspire the development of similar teaching and learning practices in other schools and communities.

Save the Children Global Peace School

Virginia Primary School has had a strong history of valuing cultural diversity. Early history of the Virginia Community ‘lies on traditional Kaurna land. The non-indigenous settlement of Virginia dates from the 1850’s when land in the district was first taken up by immigrants from the British Isles. Following World War 2, immigrants from Southern Europe came to the area.’ At present, the largest migrant population in Virginia is Vietnamese. The area is known for market gardens, many of which were established by post war migrants, a process aided by the transfer of many farms from Fulham Gardens in Adelaide’s West during the 1950’s.

The cultural diversity within the school community includes a high percentage of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and almost 50% of children learning English as an additional language.

‘Children have the right to enjoy their own culture, religion and language, even if these are not the same as most people in their country and they have the responsibility to respect other people’s culture, religion and language.’ – Save the Children Fund.

Consequently, cultural diversity within our school community is a reflection of our wider community. Through a consultative process with the school community to determine our school values, the inclusion of valuing diversity was perceived by the community to be imperative. In addition to the values, the school aims which are the broad statements of what we aspire for children to gain from education at Virginia Primary School, reflect our commitment to a global perspective;

• Feel safe at school and enjoy learning
• Live the school values of caring, respect, fairness, achievement and diversity
• Have a sense of belonging within the community
• Get along with others, resolve problems peacefully and repair relationships,
• Contribute to making the school and the world a better place.

The school’s values, culture and many strategies and events match with the Save the Children Australia’s Global Peace School Program, as developed by the United Nations, partners with educators, schools, parents and communities to integrate child rights, peace building, global awareness, and social inclusion concepts across the curriculum, classroom and wider community. Thus, in 2010 Virginia Primary school was accredited as a ‘Save the Children Global Peace School’. The whole-school approach has enabled children and their families to understand the rights and responsibilities enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It empowers children to be active citizens in their own lives and in the lives of others, locally, nationally and internationally.

Our school is one of 13 schools which provide an outstanding model of ‘good practice’ that inspire the development of similar teaching and learning practices in other schools and communities. Our school seeks to;

• Promote values and actions that contribute to developing a respect for children’s rights, global awareness, and a culture of peace and social inclusion in the curriculum, classroom and wider community;
• Promote child rights, peace building, global awareness, and social inclusion concepts throughout official school curricula;
• Engage students and educators in participatory, creative learning approaches to child rights, peace building, global awareness, and social inclusion issues, and in particular issues that impact children, within the classroom;
• Engage and support students as advocates for children’s rights and ambassadors for peace within the classroom and wider community;
• Engage with the school and wider community to promote child rights, peace building, global awareness, and social inclusion concepts through  celebration days and other events.