Many support and enrichment programs also operate at Chiltern Primary School to ensure that all students are extended and supported and given every opportunity to exhibit continuous academic and social progress.
Support Programs
Reading Recovery Reading Recovery is a school program that offers special assistance to children whose literacy skills are slow to develop. Students in Year 1 who are having difficulty learning to read and write are given the opportunity to participate in the Reading Recovery program. Each day the student will participate in a 30 minute individual session in addition to their daily regular classroom instruction in reading and writing.
Peer Mediation Training is provided for our senior students to assist with minor incidents that may occur in the school playground. The peer mediators follow specific guidelines when assisting their peers to solve any problems or concerns.
Buddies All students are involved in a Buddy program that runs across the school. Each week activities are organised by the senior partners that involve working together and sharing ideas. Activities have included tree planting, games, card making and sharing stories.
House CaptainsAll students are placed in one of three Houses, Anderson, Bartley and Conness for the duration of their time at Chiltern Primary School. Every year the members of each house elect 2 House Captains from the senior students. The elected House Captains are responsible for organising sporting events and activities, participating at school assembly and representing the school at school and community events.
Junior School CouncilOne of the key elements of learning responsibility is to have the opportunity to think about and discuss items which will directly affect our daily situation. Two representatives from each class are chosen by their peers to form the Junior School Council. This group meets regularly to discuss issues of concern among the students and to plan activities and community fundraisers. The children are always enthusiastic and take their positions very seriously. Issues discussed may be resolved at meetings or can be referred to the staff or School Council. Some of the activities undertaken by the Junior School Council include Footy Colour’s Day, Latipsoh Day breakfast, Crazy hair day etc.
Assembly Every Wednesday morning at 9am is the start to our weekly school assembly. The beginning of the assembly always involves the students, teachers and parents singing our National Anthem. The assemblies are run by senior students, with various representatives introducing speakers to the group. Assemblies include:
- Upcoming events and activities
- Celebration of birthdays within the school
- Presentation of Student Achievement Awards, where teachers can recognise the efforts of their students
- Students presenting their work
- Items from Junior and Senior Choir or classroom musical items.
Indigo Junior Shire Council
Indigo Shire has set up an Indigo Junior Shire Council to give children the chance to be personally involved in our democratic process and to give them a chance to have a voice in local government. One child from Chiltern Primary School is a member of the Indigo Junior Shire Council. Our Junior Councillor attends meetings where issues relating to young people are discussed with the aim of improving services and opportunities for young people in the Shire. The meetings mirror those of the Senior Council, following similar processes, with the Junior Councillors reporting back to their respective schools.
A religious instruction program is held weekly from February until December. Each class is taken by an accredited instructor for half an hour per week. Children not attending Religious Instruction are supervised in other classes. A written request for exclusion from Religious Instruction is required from parents.
Maths Share is a simple but effective program that builds children's skills, attitudes and confidence in mathematics with the help of parents. Maths Share is made up of activities for parents and children to do together, using everyday materials found around the home. This program is carried out over a 5 week time period. Information to further explain the Maths Share Program and the role of parents in supporting their children in this program will be provided during the year.
Homework is considered to be an important part of the children's learning program. Homework is a way for parents to find out about the work children are doing at school, good training for future study and a way to consolidate and extend work done in class. A certain amount of homework may be set for all children on a weekly basis. This may include;
- for infant classes - a small amount of reading each night
- for years 2/3; reading, spelling and maths tables plus a maximum of half hour per week of general work.
- for years 4/5/6 the same as years 2/3 with a maximum of one hour of general studies per week.
This is a program of 6 sessions for senior students that covers physiology and relationships as an extension of the Health and PE course. External presenters are invited to present some of the material.
This program is a specialised program to deal specifically with Grief and Loss when needed. For many students it can assist them deal with divorce and death within a family.
Transition Programs
Prep Orientation To ensure we make the entry into school as happy and enjoyable as possible we plan a transition program for pre-schoolers. This involves a Pre-schoolers visit to our school to visit our classrooms, visits by their selected Year 5 buddies to the Pre School and half-day and full day orientation sessions where children participate in activities which give them the opportunity to experience the school routine.
Year 6 Transition During Terms 3 and 4 all Year 6 students are given the opportunity to visit the secondary school they will attend. School visits by teachers and students from the secondary schools also visit to speak to Year 6 students about programs that will be offered and to answer any concerns or queries that they may have regarding this important time in their schooling.
Cross Country Skiing Program This optional program is conducted annually and is offered to students in Year 5/6. It is run in conjunction with staff and students from Middle Indigo P.S., Barnawartha P.S. and St. Joseph’s Primary School in Chiltern. Students are offered the opportunity to visit Falls Creek and participate in activities related to cross country skiing. Trained teachers and parents introduce students to the skills and challenges associated with this form of sport. We also access the expertise of a teacher from the Bogong Outdoor Education Centre. One of the aims of the program is to give students a Nordic experience that may lead to their involvement in this sport as a leisure pursuit in the future. Students are offered to opportunity to attend one, two or three times each ski season. The program has been operating successfully for approximately 15 years and is a valued part of our Sport Curriculum at Chiltern Primary School.
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Swimming Program As part of the school’s physical education curriculum a swimming program is conducted at the end of the school year. The Pool management charges admission to the pool if students do not hold a season’s ticket.
District Sport Chiltern Primary is a member of the Beechworth and District Sports Association. The association is made up of Beechworth P.S., St. Joseph’s Beechworth, Yackandandah P.S., Stanley P.S., Wooragee P.S., Mt. Carmel Christian College and St. Joseph’s, Chiltern. Students in Years 4 – 6 are offered the opportunity to participate at an inter-school level in swimming, athletics and cross country running. Successful students may then progress to Zone Carnival held in Wodonga and possibly onto to State Championships in Melbourne. As part of our membership of this association our school manages the annual Swimming Carnival held at the Chiltern Pool. The support of other schools and our local school community makes this a very successful and enjoyable event each year. Membership of the Beechworth and District Sports’ Association offers students the opportunity to compete at an elite level and thus further develop their skills in swimming, athletics and cross country running.
Winter and Summer Carnival Students from Years 4 – 6 compete annually in the Wodonga and District Sports Association’s Summer and Winter Carnivals. The school has been participating in both of these events for many years and has a proud tradition of involvement. Participation in the Winter Carnival has seen us enter teams in football, netball, newcombe and tee ball. Parents, teachers and other community members have helped teams prepare for these events each year and it is great to see so many parents support the students by coming along as enthusiastic supporters on the day. This year the netball ‘B’ Division team were overall winners in their division on the day. The trophy from this division is proudly displayed at the school. Participation in the Summer Carnival has seen the school enter kanga cricket and tennis competitors. An important aspect of our involvement on these days has been our association with Rutherglen High School who have provided past students of our school to act as umpires in the kanga cricket carnival. Participation in both of these Carnivals form an important part of the Sport Program offered at our school.
Sailing Program We are members of the Wodonga Sailing School Club working closely together and with the AWYC (Albury-Wodonga Yacht Club). Our group own six X3 sailing boats. Students in Years 5 & 6 have the opportunity to be challenged, learn new skills and fine tune team work to enjoy the recreational pursuit of sailing.
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Excursions and Camps Throughout the school year students will be involved in a range of excursions to compliment classroom programs and their learning experiences. On some occasions whole school excursions are planned. A school camps program is also in place and depending on the need school camps are also planned as an extension of the PE program.
Choir At the moment Chiltern Primary School has two choirs. One being a senior choir and the other a junior choir involving children from year Prep – Year 3. The children rehearse once a week and perform at such events as the Performing Arts Festival, trips to the Nursing Home and at assembly.
Drama As part of our school’s Arts curriculum a drama program is offered to give all students the opportunity to develop their creative skills and display their talents and learning in another manner.
Energy ChallengeThe Chiltern Energy Challenge has been conducted annually over the last three years as part of our Science and Technology curriculum. It is modelled on the RACV Energy challenge held at Maryborough each year. The Chiltern Energy Challenge involves students in designing, creating, testing and modifying pushcarts and crafty water designs. The crafty designs must be powered by an alternative power source to fossil fuels. No dry cell batteries are allowed. Each group of competitors is also expected to give a presentation explaining their design process, problems encountered and strategies used to solve these problems. Students also take on responsibility for promoting, organising and running the day. In the past we have hosted schools from Corryong to Stanhope at our Challenges. It is always great to see excited students proudly display their designs and make modifications as they go. It is also pleasing to listen to students plan their next design taking into account the knowledge gained from participation each year.
The aim of the Challenge is participation, it is not a competition and awards are not given. Schools receive a certificate of participation and a photo album of the day to recognise their achievements. We feel the Challenge is appreciated by the students and thoroughly enjoyed by visiting students each year.
Arts Festival Annually our students participate in the Wodonga and District Schools Arts Festival. This involves participating in vocal, movement or instrumental items. Students also contribute artworks for the combined Visual Arts Exhibition.
Computer Access Students at Chiltern Primary School are provided with access to the latest in information technology. They have daily access to a comprehensive computer network and to notebooks linked through a radio network. The school has a current computer to student ratio better than 1 : 4.