Primary

Wellbeing

Our approach to strengthening wellbeing is outlined in Care@Clayfield, our whole school wellbeing framework. 

Strong values are modelled by staff and reflected in the behaviours of the students. At the core of our learning are Profiles, where students are encouraged to strive to be:

Inquirers - They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable - They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers - They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognise and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators - They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled - They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. 

Open-minded - They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring - They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers - They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced - They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective - They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

Transitions

The smooth transition from Primary to Secondary is of paramount importance. To this end, Year 6 is made up of a variety of specialist teachers, which closely mirrors the Secondary model, assisting with the transition process from Primary to Secondary School. Year 6 forms part of the Pastoral Care vertical system which exists in the Secondary School, where students are grouped with multi age peers within their House. Consequently, this will enable the girls to lead the Primary School and form relationships with students and staff of the Secondary School.

Spiritual Life

In our Christian learning community, Christian values underpin all that we do, and students attend weekly Chapel services as well as being involved in weekly Christian Education classes. Clayfield College is a school of the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, nevertheless we welcome students from a range of Christian denominations and other faith traditions and celebrate the richness of our community’s diversity. Chapel Services are held weekly in the Primary School and are designed to serve the needs and interests of students. The Chaplain and Assistant to the Chaplain generally plan and conduct services. House Chapel Services, held on Sunday afternoons, encourage families associated with each of the six Houses to come together once each year.

House System

Each student from Prep to Year 6 will be allocated to one of the six Houses: Ashburn (green), Campbell (blue), Gibson (gold), Henderson (red), Radcliffe (aqua) and Youngman (purple), and remains in that House for all their schooling at the College. The placements are usually made so that the number of children in each House, at each year level, is as close as possible. Brothers and sisters are placed in the same House as their siblings.

Star Badges

In 2015, the College instigated a system for recognising long term membership of the school community. The Clayfield College star badges provide physical recognition and celebration of a student’s time at the College. Students will receive a badge after spending four years at the College, then a second badge after eight years, and a third after twelve years. Students who have attended the College for their entire schooling, that is from Pre-Prep or Prep through to Year 12, will receive a fourth star.

Student Leadership

Student leadership encompasses a broad range of formal and informal activities beginning with daily opportunities in Pre-Prep and Prep. The aim is to give as many girls and boys as possible the opportunity to develop leadership skills and to help them learn that responsibility goes with the privilege of leading their peers.

With student agency, a focus of the Primary Years, students in Years Prep – 6 are given the opportunity to be Class Leaders and Student Representative Council leaders. These form the main leadership positions in each class. Positions change each semester and the expectations and responsibilities increase as the students grow and mature. In the final years of Primary School, students have the opportunity to nominate and stand for Primary School Captain and House Leader selection. Year 6 Class Leaders host weekly Assemblies and House Leaders are responsible for organising House Chapels, House Plays, leading their House at Interhouse Carnivals and a variety of initiatives. Chapel Monitors are also selected each semester. Students in the upper years may also be chosen as Music Group Leaders, Environmental Leaders and Library Monitors. Year 6 students may also undertake a formal application process for the eight Andrews Cup Captain positions.

A roster system for all Year 6 students to be involved in the Helping Hands program allows the Year 6 leaders, during recess and lunch, to be available to help settle any little arguments, spot out any trouble or identify any students who look like they may need some assistance. All Year 6 students receive training to help equip them with the necessary skills to assist them in this important position. The three main themes of the training are Spot it out, Sort it out and Speak it out.

Peer Buddy Program

The aim of the Peer Buddy Program is to provide an opportunity for students across different year levels to develop relationships with younger or older students. Teachers plan peer learning experiences to occur for at least one interaction a term. The Year 6 students work with Pre-Preps and the Preps with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation's Better Buddies Framework. Through Better Buddies, children in their first and last year of primary school buddy up and learn the values: caring for others, friendliness, respect, valuing difference, including others and responsibility. In addition, all children in the school learn these values through formal and informal activities, including their interactions with the mascot Buddy Bear, a giant, fun-loving and caring purple bear. For more information see www.betterbuddies.org.au.

Care@Clayfield

At Clayfield College we prioritise wellbeing in all contexts within our community.

Philosophy & Frameworks

Curriculum

The Primary School at Clayfield College is a warm, nurturing and inviting coeducational environment where the staff pride themselves on the implementation of differentiated programs and quality learning experiences. In our coeducational environment girls and boys share in the joy of learning together, developing mutual respect and understanding for each other. We celebrate our students working and learning together, where gender equality and opportunity is promoted, in both academic and co-curricular activities, reflecting the most realistic and authentic learning environment. The needs of students in Primary School are considered distinct and therefore our programs are centered around their social, emotional and cognitive development and are pivotal in the teaching and learning pedagogy in the Primary School. 

Clayfield College uses several guiding sources of curriculum implemented across Prep–Year 6. These are: The Australian Curriculum, the QSA Essential Learnings for Year 1 to Year 6, and the QSA Early Years Guidelines for Prep. For the Australian Curriculum, eight learning areas have been implemented. These are English, Mathematics, Units of Inquiry - Science and Social Science (History & Geography), The Arts, Languages Other than English (Spanish, Chinese), Health & Physical Education and The Technologies.

In addition to these subjects, the following lessons are undertaken at the Primary Level:

Bush School

In Term 3, Prep students study Living Things as part of their Unit of Inquiry. As an experiential experience, students explore nearby bushland area and are immersed in their environment. This Bush School learning study is a chance for students to build their creativity, curiosity and resilience in a unique environment. Students co-construct risk assessments with their teacher and collaboratively share their ideas, bringing the outside world into the classroom.

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Christian Education

Opportunity is given for students to explore their own understanding of faith and how it provides a basis for the choices they make and the relationships they foster. The students engage in a variety of learning activities and continue to develop confidence in using their Bibles to find passages of Scripture relevant to the learning task.

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Personal Development

Together with the core principles of Care at Clayfield, teachers undertake the implementation of the Kidsmatter Program for a lesson each week. This program focusses upon the personal development of students. 

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Foundations

Wellbeing and Foundations enables the delivery of curriculum designed to address the social, emotional and cognitive needs of our students at each stage of their development. Wellbeing and Foundations incorporates a focus on the beliefs and behaviours of highly effective learners, as well as targeted units of learning relating to the themes of wellness, relationships, safety and purpose. Through a focus on self, others and service we provide our students with an understanding of themselves, their peers and the broader community. Issues of cyber safety, bullying prevention, self-compassion and healthy choices are directly addressed using external expert presenters and our own teachers.

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Learning Support

The Learning Support and Enrichment Department works across Prep – Year 6. There is a focus on early identification and remediation of learning difficulties. Through a variety of mechanisms, including year level testing and individual assessment, students’ learning is assessed. Learning Support teachers and Teacher Aides assist children requiring learning support and enrichment both within the classroom context and through withdrawal programs.

MiniLit (Meeting Initial Needs in Literacy) Program
This is an evidence-based, explicit and effective early literacy intervention program for teaching reading to students in the Early Years. MiniLit is a small group researched-based program that is delivered by trained staff. It focuses on the five key elements of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Students are taken out of class for intensive lessons 3 times per week as part of the program. Upper Primary students who require assistance with their literacy, follow the MacqLit Program. This targeted reading intervention program, focuses on phonics and word identification to ensure skills are taught within the context of authentic reading experiences.

English as an Additional Language
EALD is designed specifically for indigenous, migrant and international students within Clayfield College, for whom English is an additional language or dialect. The EALD department works closely with teachers to support students across curriculum areas by developing their skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

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Gymnastics

In Prep and Pre-prep students undertake a gymnastics lesson with Delta Gymnastics once per week. 

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Our Primary curriculum offers a wide curriculum to meet the needs of all students. Students are enriched academically via differentiated learning practices in all classes and across all subject areas. In addition, students in Years 3–6 can elect to participate in the ICAS Science, Mathematics and English competitions. Primary School also provides opportunities for students to become involved in specific Gifted and Talented Programs, including additional competitions, workshops, performance opportunities and excursions.

Co-Curriculum

As a coeducational primary school, we provide a broad range of co-curricular activities so that each child can discover his/her gifts and talents and ultimately 'Let their Light Shine'. The co-curricular programs on offer are extensive and provide opportunities to undertake new challenges and try new activities ranging across sport, music, visual art, drama and charitable activities. Interest, learning, enthusiasm and commitment are vital ingredients of involvement in these additional activities.

Clubs

Some activities or clubs are organised and directed by the Primary School teachers and these activities are provided at no cost to the students. They include: ICT Gurus, Building Club, Lego Club, The Arcade, ICT Club, Environmental Club, French Club, Craft Club, Batter Up, Art Box and Cricket Skills

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External Providers

External groups provide after school activities which are user-pays. These include Clayfield Swimming, Shaw Park Tennis, Speech & Drama, Delta Gymnastics, Brainways, AFL QLD- Auskick, Go Sports, Milo Cricket, Brisbane Roar, Rookie to Reds Rugby, Lego Bricks 4 Kids, Chess Mates and Code Camp.

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Music

There is ample opportunity for students to be involved in the extensive Music program at Clayfield College, through membership of various choirs and ensemble groups, which provide many performance opportunities. For more information about the fantastic music program at Clayfield College, please visit musicatclayfield.weebly.com.

Information regarding the Instrumental Music Program (Years 2 to 12) at Clayfield College is available here. All Instrumental Music students new to Clayfield College are required to complete an audition upon commencement.

Clayfield College has a long history in outstanding Music Education from the foundations of Pre-Prep all the way through to Year 12. We value music education as it not only provides students with a creative outlet and musical development, but has been proven scientifically to improve brain development, brain neuroplasticity, literacy and numeracy patterns as well as assisting with muscle and fine motor skills. The College’s music education is based upon the Kodály Methodology, established by Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodály and the philosophy that music is a right and should be accessible to everyone. Clayfield College has an exciting instrumental and vocal co-curricular music program and we would encourage your daughter/son to be involved in the many activities we provide. More than a third of the students at Clayfield College are involved in the Co-Curricular Music Program. 

Choirs 

There are two un-auditioned choirs at Clayfield that are open to all students in the Primary School. Each choir has multiple performance opportunities throughout the year.   

Piccolo Choir - The Year 2 and 3 choir. All students are welcome to participate. Piccolo Choir performs in a variety of events throughout the school year, including the Opus Concerts, at Primary Assemblies, College Fair, Grandparents’ Day,  and the Primary Presentation Day.  

Campo della Voci - The Year 4, 5 and 6 choir. All students are welcome to participate. Campo della Voci performs in a variety of events throughout the school year, including the Opus Concerts, at Assemblies, College Fair and the Primary Presentation Day. At times, the choir performs at external events. 

Ensembles 

The band and string ensembles at Clayfield cater for each level of students’ musical development.  Students learning at the College or externally are welcome to audition for a position in an ensemble. Each ensemble has multiple performance opportunities throughout the year.   

Wind Orchestra - Intermediate woodwind, brass and percussion students perform in this orchestra. Wind orchestra performs at many school events, including Opus Concerts, College Fair, and an external competition. They also combine for an annual workshop and concert with Brisbane Boys’ College.

Vivo Strings - The beginner string ensemble for students in Years 2 – 5. Vivo strings perform at an Opus Concert, College Fair and in an external competition. 

Corelli Strings - An intermediate string ensemble for students in Years 3 – 6. Corelli strings perform at an Opus Concert, College Fair and in an external competition.

Year 3 Strings Program - All Year 3 string students spend one 40 minute lesson per week learning a string instrument in a class setting. The four instruments that are part of the program are Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass. These students perform for their parents in an open classroom and for the Year 2 students at the end of the year. Many students then choose to undertake private instrumental tuition on their instrument and join the beginner string ensemble the following year: Vivo strings. 

Beginner Band Program - The Beginner Band Program gives students in Years 5 and 6 the opportunity to learn a new instrument. Students will be provided a school instrument and learn in a group environment free of charge. Halfway through the year after students have learnt all the required basics they will form a band to play in a variety of performances.

Learning a Musical Instrument

All students who enrol in the Clayfield College Instrumental Program are expected to participate in an instrumental ensemble to further enhance their ensemble performance skills. Owing to Clayfield College’s emphasis on supportive skill development and individual student improvement upon their instrument, tuition is available on woodwind, brass, percussion (from Year 5), piano and string instruments (from Year 2) and voice (from Year 6) at the College. Each instrument requires very different specific skills and ensemble involvement is more rewarding for all involved where students are improving consistently with the assistance of the specialist Instrumental tutors at Clayfield College.   

Private Lessons - These are most beneficial in giving your daughter/son the focus of the teacher’s expertise. Students are expected to participate in a college ensemble. Terms and conditions of this program are stated on the Private Tuition enrolment form. Students are prepared for Trinity College/AMEB exams if desired. Duration: 30 minutes each week.

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Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Education Program aims to provide challenges which extend each student beyond his or her perceived limits physically, emotionally and psychologically. Students in Years 4, 5 and 6 engage in two or three day camps at either Camp Mapleton or Noosa North Shore where they move outside their comfort zones, participate in team building, make new friendships, develop leadership skills and practise decision-making and problem-solving, all of which develop independence in a safe and supportive framework. All outdoor education experiences are facilitated by experienced and accredited specialist staff, and supervised by College staff.

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Canberra

In Year 6, students visit Canberra for a 3 day tour of the nation’s capital, underpinning their studies in their Unit of Inquiry on Government.

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Sport

Clayfield College has a long tradition of sporting success and providing avenues for students to realise their potential at all levels of participation. 

Sporting Associations
A focus of the sports program at Clayfield College is to provide an opportunity for boys and girls who have talent and determination in a particular sport, to pursue representative pathways.

We are member schools of the Andrews Cup and Britton Shield Sports Associations. Both associations provide interschool competition for students in Years 2 to 6 in both individual and team sports throughout the school year.

Andrews Cup is the premier girls sporting association offering students in Years 2 to 6 the opportunity to represent their school in the core sports of swimming, cross country and athletics. Depending on student interest from year to year, Clayfield College is also represented in gymnastics, basketball, tennis, football, touch and cricket.

The Britton Shield is a boys sporting association for students in Years 2 to 6. The Britton Shield has five member schools; Ipswich Junior Grammar, Clayfield College, Ambrose Treacy College, Moreton Bay Boys College and St Peters College Indooroopilly. The boys represent Clayfield College in touch football, cross country, football (soccer) and cricket.

Andrews Cup
Established in 1938, the Andrews Cup Sports Association now comprises ten member schools sharing similar values and traditions which support active participation of primary school girls in healthy sporting pursuits. Girls in Years 2-6 compete in athletics, cross country, gymnastics, netball, softball, swimming, tennis and touch.

Andrews Cup Metropolitan Meets 
Clayfield College girls in Years 2 - 6 also have the opportunity to participate in a range of Andrews Cup Metropolitan (Metro) Meets. The Andrews Cup Association provides an informal lead-in season to the formal Andrews Cup competition events. The Metro Meets focus on skill development, with increased opportunities for student participation and competition.

City District, Regional and State Sport
Students who excel in various sports have the opportunity to trial for City District teams. From these competitions, students may then be selected into Regional and State teams.

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Elite Sports Program

Clayfield College offers an Elite Sports Program, which currently caters for students across a range of sporting disciplines. Students accepted into the program are Queensland or Australian representatives, who are endeavouring to maintain excellent academic results. The program is designed to assist these students in finding a balance between their studies and their sporting commitments, by providing time throughout the week for study or homework, and in a number of cases, the opportunity to train during school time.

The Elite Sports Program is available once students reach an Elite Performance Level in their chosen sport. Participation is subject to completion of an application for inclusion into the program and the development of a personalised academic program to meet the needs of each athlete.

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International Tours

Students in Years 5 - 8 have the opportunity to go on the China Tour where they visit the cities of Beijing and Jinan. The group visits two schools, Fang Cao Di Primary School and Shandong Normal University Primary School, where the students engage in formal assemblies, and lessons like calligraphy, paper cutting, and Kung Fu. The Clayfield students perform Australian songs or dances and other presentations. A busy cultural itinerary is undertaken during the eight-day study tour which includes iconic attractions such as the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and the Beijing Zoo and Aquarium.

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Service Learning

Primary School students and their families assist with service learning opportunities. Clayfield College is committed to giving our students an awareness of and developing empathy for members of our community who are not as fortunate as themselves. Some of the charities that have been supported include Genes for Jeans Day, RSPCA, Mater Little Miracles, Epilepsy Foundation and the Pyjama Foundation.

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