Senior School
Subject mastery, knowledge-rich dialogue, problem solving, and creativity typify our Senior School classrooms. The key skills of independence and interdependence are taught. These prepare the students to lead responsible lives beyond school and develop their ability to work in teams.
Socially responsible behaviour is encouraged and developed. Students are taught the behaviours that characterise an international perspective. They learn about themselves, their culture and traditions, and a range of views and perspectives from the world in which they live.
Difference is enjoyed and celebrated.
Year Five
Year Five is an exciting time for students as it marks their transition to Senior School. At this stage, students are encouraged to become more independent learners and take on additional responsibilities. Each class gets to vote for their Green Team and Student Representative Council (SRC) members. These elected representatives act on behalf of their classmates, giving students a voice in the decision-making process and fostering leadership skills.
Year Five students also play an important role in mentoring younger peers, particularly the Foundation students. They meet with their Foundation "buddies" every fortnight, offering guidance, support, and assistance with activities like the Perceptual Motor Program (PMP). This mentorship not only helps the younger students adapt to the school environment, but also instils a sense of responsibility and empathy in our Year Five students.
A typical day in the classroom includes core curriculum lessons of r2L, PhOrMeS, w2L and Numeracy. During Read to Learn and Write to Learn students engage in content based on history, geography and civics & citizenship curriculum and develop their fluency, comprehension and grammar. PhOrMeS is our spelling program whereby the focus is mainly on the morphological meaning of words and the students use this knowledge to improve spelling and broaden their vocabulary.
Daily Numeracy lessons are a priority in Year Five and these lessons follow a similar structure. We complete daily New Waves Mental Maths questions to improve our fluency and problem solving skills. All topics are reviewed frequently and there is a major emphasis on knowing multiplication facts fluently.
In addition to the core subjects, all Year Five students participate in specialist classes each week, including Health & Physical Education, Science, Music, Visual Arts, and Mandarin. These classes offer students a chance to explore a wide range of disciplines and develop their talents and interests beyond the core curriculum, providing a diverse and enriching educational experience. Every second year, the Senior students work together as a team to practise and perform the School Musical, and this is always a very memorable and rewarding experience.
Students in the Senior School enjoy participating in an extra weekly sports training session where they learn the rules and skills to play the various interschool sports. Sporting opportunities in the Senior School include swimming lessons, school and interschool athletics, cross country, summer and winter interschool sports, Hoop Time basketball tournament, and more!
Finally, one of the major highlights in Year Five is the three-day camp to Sovereign Hill where the children are immersed in early Australian history and attend an 1850’s Costume school. They also spend time exploring the Sovereign Hill village where they learn about daily life in the gold rush era, have a go at panning for gold, and attend the Aura Light Show.
Year 5 Camp to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
Year 6 Camp to Canberra, ACT
Year Six
For many reasons, Year Six will be one of the most important years of your child’s school life, both academically and personally. Year Six is very much a transitional year as the children reach the end of their time in Primary School and take their first steps towards Secondary School. It is a year where students increase their independence through teamwork scenarios, leadership experience, increased organisation, responsibility and more mature and open discussions with their peers and teachers.
Highlights in Year Six at BPPS include:
Leading and organising whole school events: Harmony Week activities, Foundation Family Fun Night, ANZAC Day ceremonies, Foundation - Year Three School Cross Country, National Science Day, Book Week parade, weekly assemblies, Visual and Performing Arts competitions, and much more!
Student-led groups such as SRC, ICT Club, STEM activities and Green Team.
Summer and Winter Inter-school sports, as well as many more sporting opportunities throughout the year.
Year Six Adventure Camp
Senior School Production (alternating years)
Big Day Out and Graduation end of year celebrations!
Year Six is a year full of memorable events and leadership opportunities that the students will cherish for many years to come. We love seeing our students establish themselves as positive role models in the school and the wider community. By the end of the year, we always feel confident that our students will thrive in the next chapter of their learning journey.
