Head of Junior School’s Welcome
Ms Geneva Clayton, Head of Junior School, gives an insight into the warm and welcoming environment here at TIGS Junior School.
Junior School
Why TIGS Junior School
Exceptional Teaching
Exceptional Teaching
We have a high calibre of teaching staff and we invest in our staff through regular professional development to ensure they give our students the best education possible.
Results
Results
TIGS Junior School is the top performing primary school in NAPLAN test results in the Illawarra and Kiama regions, with the highest average score per student in both 2018 and 2019.
Individualised Learning
Individualised Learning
Learning is intentional and targeted, with each child understood and a programme designed specifically for them. Our programmes are differentiated, flexible, adaptive and responsive, allowing for the fluid nature of learning, ensuring that all students receive what they need at every stage in their learning process. Their ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ is determined by a number of sophisticated tools, including our innovative MAP tool and teacher expertise, which allows us to see how students have grown and what they have demonstrated mastery of, mapping out their next steps, ensuring that all students flourish in our context.
Christian Values
Christian Values
As a school founded on Christian values, we promote an understanding of Jesus and the Christian faith in our students. We give them opportunities to explore the Biblical view to their learning, provide opportunities to engage in Christian service and stewardship and encourage them to become faithful stewards of our world.
Gifted and Talented
Gifted and Talented
We provide personalised pathways to ensure maximum learning growth for every student, every year. Knowing our students and responding to their needs ensures that all students are catered for. We have particular expertise with students who require learning support and those who are gifted learners. The Learning Enhancement team work alongside classroom teachers and students to provide intervention and support. Students have a designated classroom teacher, and move fluidly within cluster groupings in literacy and mathematics programmes, which operate across each year group. This allows students who have mastered concepts to work well above their grade level. Acceleration also takes place in subject areas or whole grade skipping depending on the needs of the student. We utilise innovative assessments tools to track individual academic progress and growth which informs programming decisions and next steps.
International Standard Curriculum
International Standard Curriculum
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) provides our Junior School with a rigorous and challenging curriculum framework. It enables students to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are necessary to engage fully in their day to day studies, and most importantly to become lifelong learners.
Caring and Inclusive Environment
Caring and Inclusive Environment
Our Pastoral Care programme supports your child as they imagine and achieve. In the classroom, children are taught to think for themselves, take responsibility for their learning, and explore local and global issues and opportunities in real-life contexts. By the end of Junior School, our parents look on with pride at the incredible knowledge, passion, and international perspective that their children have developed.
Co-Curricular
Co-Curricular
Our acclaimed co-curricular programmes set the stage for rich engagement and fulfilment, providing your child with choice and flexibility to pursue their unique interests and talents. Your child will be challenged to become a great leader through a combination of academic, art, sport, Christian service, outdoor education and cultural experiences.
Take A Virtual Tour Of Junior School
Start your tour through the Junior School Campus, to see some of our facilities and have an insight into Junior School Life.
Academic Programmes
At TIGS, our academic co-curricular opportunities are renowned for enabling the intellectual potential of our students to flourish. Creative, engaging and authentic problem-solving activities of the highest order empower students to think critically, voice their ideas with courage and collaborate effectively as teams and individuals. Programmes incorporate the aspects of the curriculum including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Participants regularly enjoy interactions and success at local, state and international levels of competition. Academic programmes include:
- Maths Olympiad
- da Vinci Decathlon
- Tournament of Minds
- Debating and Public Speaking
- GATEway8
- Problem Solving Competitions
- Lego Robotics
- Code It Yourself Club
- Ethics Olympiad
- Chess
- Science Explorations
- Mathematics Enrichment
- Science UOW
- HICES Gifted and Talented Camp
- MakerSpace
Our curriculum is formed around the Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework. Through this, the natural curiosity of children is nurtured through six transdisciplinary Units of Enquiry. These themes promote deep conceptual understands and extend beyond subject discipline. These Units include:
- Who We Are
- How The World Works
- Where We Are In Place And Time
- How We Organise Ourselves
- How We Express Ourselves
- Sharing The Planet
From future problem solving, the tournament of the minds and community problem solving, we encourage and stretch our students’ capacity to look at the world around them, and use their minds to create a change they’d like to see or deepen areas of particular talent.
We construct our classes carefully so that children are cluster grouped with ‘like minds’ allowing them to benefit from working collaboratively with other students who approach learning in a similar way. At the same time, we ensure that there is the opportunity for mixed ability grouping as it is clearly understood that giftedness exists in many domains beyond those traditionally identified at school.
Our teachers are skilled in the delivery of a differentiated curriculum ensuring that we meet each learner where they are at and provide the scaffolding and challenge to allow them to reach their full potential.
Representative Sports
TIGS students have access to highly experienced coaches for various activities throughout the year. We work in partnership with local organisations to develop skills and appreciation for competitive sports. Students are given opportunities to train and participate in gala days and then progress through the representative pathways of NASSA, AICES, NSW CIS and NSW All Schools. Representative sports include:
- AFL
- Athletics
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Cross Country
- Equestrian
- Futsal
- Hockey
- Netball
- Mountain Biking
- Oz Tag
- Rugby Union
- Rugby League
- Snowsports
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Touch Football
- Triathlon
Co-Curricular Sports
TIGS has a wide range of sports programmes within the Junior School. From Cross-Country to Soccer, Hockey, Athletics, Swimming and Taekidokai – there is something to suit your child’s natural abilities and interests. The comprehensive programme aims to foster and enhance the School’s Mission and Values and broaden the educational experience of students. Every student has the opportunity to play sports for fun or competitively. A few of the programmes are:
- Infants Soccer Skills Development
- Tennis
- Rugby Union
- Futsal and Soccer
- Morning Swim Squad
- Netball
- Athletics
- Cross Country
- Basketball
- Snowsports
- Taekidokai Martial Arts
- Lunchtime Training
Arts Programmes
Our Arts programme offers a full range of experiences in music, singing, dance, drama and visual arts. Your child will have the opportunity to join one of our performance groups in music, theatre or dance. We encourage students to participate in performances where they build confidence, nurture self-expression and self-awareness, and develop collaboration, goal setting and time-management skills. Each year, our programmes become increasingly more diverse, as our students are provided with a variety of learning experiences ranging from Drama and Dance to Orchestra. The Arts Programmes include:
- Orchestras
- String Ensembles
- Concert Bands
- Cantilena Singers Ensemble
- HICES Music Festival
- Tech Crew
- Drama Club
- Dance Ensembles
- The Beat Boys
- Private Tutors
- Art From The Heart
- Art Club
- Creative Mindfulness
Outdoor Education
Our Outdoor Education Programme is a core part of the curriculum for Year 3 to Year 6 students and aims to foster physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual development. As students move through stages, the programmes become increasingly challenging, with a variety of learning experiences that aim to build upon their previous skills. Students are encouraged to step outside their personal comfort zone, in a safe and supportive environment as they develop resilience, teamwork, leadership and communication skills.
International Mindset
We have an international approach that integrates into all aspects of our school. It acknowledges that while we are based in the Illawarra, we also play an important role in a broader global community. We want our students to be able to look out at the world and if they choose to venture from our beautiful region, to do so with confidence and a deep understanding of the world they live in, so they can flourish in our increasingly complex society. The IB programme gives us the ability to educate our students with cohesion, a shared language and a clear and consistent approach. As an open enrolment school, we enjoy the benefit of teaching students from all faith and cultural backgrounds. This is founded on our Christian beliefs of inclusiveness, respect and acceptance.
Outside School Hours Activities
The school day doesn’t start and end with the school bell. For Junior School students, we have before and after school programmes through our Outside School Hours Care provider. This runs between 6.30am (before school) and 6.00pm (after school). Our school also offers extensive co-curricular programmes which run before and after school hours.
Considering TIGS Junior School For Your Child?
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