Specialists

At Brandon Park Primary School we are one of the few schools that run a dedicated Specialist Science program. Every week students participate in a 50-minute lesson in a dedicated Science classroom. The science program is organised around four key learning areas, taught in term blocks; Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Earth and Space Science. We provide students opportunities to develop understandings of important science concepts and processes through a variety of investigations and hands-on experiments. We endeavour to link science learning to students every day lives to foster a love of science and inspiration to follow future careers in the STEM fields. 

Sample topics include:

Foundation - Basic forces, Day and Night, Living things, Properties of Materials

Year 1-  Light and Sound, Seasons, Living things, Properties

Year 2- Forces, Earth’s Natural Resources, Life cycles, Changes

Year 3- Heat, Earth Sun and Moon, Living things, Solids Liquids and Gases

Year 4- Forces, Rocks, Life cycles, Properties

Year 5- Light, Our Solar System, Adaptations, Solids Liquids and Gases

Year 6- Electricity, Natural Disasters, Living things, Changes

In addition to weekly science classes, BPPS offers a range of extra-curricular science activities.

• Each year we hold a ‘Science Day’ run in conjunction with National Science Week. The senior students plan and run science activities (on a rotational basis) for the rest of the school to participate in based on the theme provided by National Science Week.

• We endeavour to engage the community by holding a Star Gazing night to coincide with Earth and Space Sciences. Families are invited to join us on the oval and gaze upwards, observing star constellations, moon phases, planets and an International Space Station fly over.

• Each year four Year 6 students are selected to participate in the prestigious John Monash Science School ‘Little Scientists Big Science’ program. The program’s aim is to engage young students in science and give them an opportunity to develop and broaden their scientific communication skills.

• In 2021 we facilitated students entering the Victorian Science Talent Search for the first time. It is an annual competition open to all Victorian students that encourage independent self-motivated project work. Students with a keen interest in science choose their own topic and present their findings in a variety of ways (posters, inventions, photos, written stories and working models to name a few).

• In 2019 our school had the opportunity to participate in live ‘Curious Kids’ workshops with academic experts from The Conversation; an Australian news and perspectives website. We had zoologists come to present a workshop on animal adaptations and answer inquisitive student questions.

We are looking to reinstate our partnership with a microbiologist from Monash University (when Covid-Safe). In past years students have been grossed out by observing the microorganisms that lived on our hands and were enthralled by the process of sublimation - observing the chemical reaction between water and dry ice.

Coding and Robotics

Research confirms that learning accelerates when children make connections across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. STEM is a transdisciplinary approach where students develop key skills including problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and independent thinking.

At BPPS, our students can work with our Cubit bots. Cubit is an easy-to-use, powerfully simple product that brings together robotics, coding, engineering, mathematics, and science-based inquiry to inspire and nurture the next generation of inventors, creators, and builders.

Students have the opportunity to work with the Cubit bots within specialised lessons and during lunchtime club activities. They can code the bots to complete movements, sounds and light shows and use high frequency sensors and light and temperature sensors.

— The Curious Kids Project —

Brandon Park Primary School offers a comprehensive music program for students in Foundation to Year Six. Programs and activities within Music include a Year Three to Six choir, school production and many other performance opportunities. Music is taught in a dedicated space constructed in our new community hub building.

In Music, students develop their understanding of musical elements and their impact on the way music is perceived. Students grow in their ability to read and write music, and to present this in many different ways visually, including notation and pictorially, and in the performance of made and improvised music. They perform to audiences using their voices, instruments, digital instruments and movement.

The early years of Music focus especially on the Kodály Method for learning, where students learn to understand and develop their voices in a musical context. Their own singing voice is a foundation for their music learning, where they participate in many singing activities, songs and games to build the foundation of musical element knowledge. As students grow, they improve to be critical listeners of the music they hear and build their aural skills.

As students enter the later years of their school musical experience, they grow in their competency and skills when playing musical instruments and reading and writing their own musical pieces. They also have the opportunity to participate in the school production showcasing their acting, dancing and singing talents.

Students at Brandon Park Primary School are involved in LOTE sessions in Mandarin based on the Victorian Curriculum. The students participate in a weekly 50 minute Mandarin lesson where they learn about the Chinese language and culture. There is a focus on language skills – listening, speaking, viewing, writing and reading. Students learn about aspects of Chinese culture and language through the means of basic greetings and gestures, singing, stories, role-play and a variety of Chinese crafts. They develop an understanding of the connections between languages and different cultures throughout the world. The students participate in different Chinese celebrations such as Lunar New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Middle Autumn Festival.