Beyond the Curriculum
Every student is unique, and their learning journey will reflect this.
To respond to the individual needs of each child, we offer a variety of interactive and varied learning experiences in every classroom. These experiences come from many learning models, including direct instruction, lessons centred around the individual child and group or whole class activities.
One of our proudest achievements is being listed as the school with the highest academic ranking in our local area. Due to our fervent pursuit of academic excellence that underpins the child, we have received outstanding feedback from parents, the community and experienced above average results with NAPLAN over the past two years.
School Wide Survey
It is vital that we continue to provide the highest quality curriculum for our students and therefore conduct a yearly survey with parents. This gives each family the opportunity to reflect and comment on a range of elements at BCS and provides invaluable feedback.
Our last survey, indicated that there was a very high level of satisfaction among parents when asked about clear communication, excellent offline and online resources for reading and mathematics. This complemented the general sense of children feeling happy and excited to attend school every day.
Berowra Christian School is registered with the NSW Board of Studies. Teaching the NSW Syllabus, we focus on outcomes for each of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) throughout Kindergarten to Year 6 within a biblical context. Lessons are led by committed staff who have the heart to instill life values, Godly principles and eternal truth. We also pay particular attention to the following areas of the curriculum that we believe strengthen students’ learning and development, social and lifelong learning skills.
Creative Arts
We are incredibly blessed to have art teachers from both the teaching and parent body who provide an exceptional standard of art education for our students. This invaluable resource ensures that students receive the highest quality tuition and mentorship from experts in the field, increasing their understanding and appreciation of art and developing lifelong skills to produce their work.
During their time at BCS, children have access to a broad range of artistic style and media and are encouraged to add their decorations to the rooms throughout the year. This diverse arrangement of works produces colourful, reflective and creative presentations and gives each student a sense of pride and ownership in their learning environment.
Throughout the year, students are encouraged to enter competitions which expose them to age appropriate opportunities to extend their abilities and individual style.
While most teachers at BCS include a drama component in their programs, the opportunity for Drama to be showcased is in our Whole School Musical, which is presented biennially at our end of year Thanksgiving Service. Each child from Kindergarten to Year 6 is encouraged to be involved either as a chorus member or props/ backstage helper while the senior year children take on leading roles.
In past years, the musical has often related to the birth of Jesus. Previous productions have included ‘The Bethlehem Project’, ‘Three Wise Men and a Baby’ and ‘Wise Guys & Starry Skies’.
Due to the dedication and talent we have at this school, we have been able to resource the production of a new musical production of ‘Jonah’, written by our very talented music teacher, Mrs Lindsey Forster.
BCS offers a number of possibilities for children to explore their creativity through music. Music classes are attended by children once a week, along with the opportunity to take part in our choir and band activities.
To deepen our student’s musical appreciation, they are encouraged to attend events organised by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Musica Viva. We invite a variety of musical groups also to perform at the school and this allows students to learn from musicians working in many musical genres and with instruments, they may not otherwise have exposure to.
Outdoor Education
Outdoor education at BCS isn’t just about sport and being physically healthy. As students move through the grades, their participation in outdoor education continues to strengthen the school’s core values: To build students with a sense of identity, purpose and community spirit.
Grade appropriate excursions are conducted throughout the year. Students attend local and regional incursions and excursions, squads and multi-grade activities which give them the opportunity to try a variety of sporting and outdoor competitions. It might all seem like fun and games, but these activities help them to develop leadership skills, teach them the power of collaboration and show them the importance of looking out for one another.
Your child will have regular opportunities to visit places like Taronga Zoo, the Sydney Aquarium and the Community and Road Education Scheme. There are always new and wonderful educational facilities to experience, and we continue to source the best outdoor education programs within Sydney and the region to support our student’s personal growth and development.
We have also had visitors from Jump Rope for Heart and students have a fantastic time competing against each other and raising funds for heart health and research. This increases their awareness of the world around them and that they can make a difference by being an active participant and encouraging others to do the same.
Sport
Children develop skills in a broad range of sports, both individual and team, up to National representation. BCS provides many opportunities for our students to represent the school in sporting events, which include cricket, soccer, netball, cross-country, gymnastics and tennis.
Berowra Oval, local tennis courts and bush tracks are utilised for extended play and sports sessions throughout the year. In the coming years we will be developing plans to expand our property footprint and this will increase the variety of sporting activities we will be able to provide.
The school year gets off to a flying start with our swimming program for all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 culminating in our Swimming Carnival which takes place at Hornsby Aquatic and Leisure Centre in February. This is a great day of fun and fellowship as our school community cheer and encourage their children in the team and individual races, and catch up with each other over a ‘cuppa’.
Our other significant in-house sporting event is our Athletics Carnival. The students are divided into teams choosing a country to represent for the day. These ‘countries’ then compete with each other in track and field as well as novelty events.
Having achieved top places in our school carnivals, many children have gone on to represent BCS at the Christian Schools Zone Carnivals, always doing us proud with the spirit in which they compete. In the past, we have had children go on to State and National levels in both Swimming and Athletics.
Other Opportunities
Senior Grade Camps
Each year our Years 4 – 6 go away to camp for three days. We run on a 3-year cycle and these classes will visit Bathurst one year, Canberra the next and the challenges of Camp Somerset on the Colo River in their final year at BCS.
For many students, the arrival of Camp Somerset is anticipated with great excitement. They hear about the antics their older peers get up to and all the mud, games and fun they have and how going to camp is the best way to complete their years in primary school. From kayaking and mudslides, to playing Base 7 and participating in the Talent Quest, the children learn about leadership, collaboration, teamwork and supporting one another .
Expanding Student Growth Beyond the Curriculum
So many other opportunities exist for children to experience a broad range of activities. These include ‘Run for Bibles’ and 4-hr Famine fundraisers, ride/walk to school days and participation in UNSW English, Maths and Science Competitions. Year 5 and 6 also have the opportunity to represent the school in an inter-schools Debating Competition in Terms 2 and 3.
Every student needs exposure to the world around them and this is taken very seriously at Berowra Christian School. We prayerfully schedule age appropriate experiences for students, introducing them to community groups such as The Bible Society, Right to Life and Healthy Harold that help them develop a healthy identity, grow in their capacity to give to and support others.
Contact Us!
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