Our Programs

Lismore Primary School offers a range of programs to cater for the diverse learning needs of students. We value cultural diversity and strive to provide an inclusive and versatile curriculum with a strong focus on the core subjects of English and Mathematics. At Lismore PS we also place a large focus on Health & Wellbeing and the Positive Education philosophy. Information technology is integrated into all curriculum areas. As a global community we utilise the Cisco WebEx to connect with local, national and international communities.

SYNTHETIC PHONICS

Lismore Primary School uses the Sounds Write approach to the teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness. Sounds Write is a highly structured, multi-sensory, incremental and code-oriented, instructional approach to teaching children to read and spell. The Sounds-Write program provides fast and effective teaching for children at all levels. It teaches all key elements of conceptual understanding, factual knowledge, and the three essential skills of blending, segmenting and phoneme manipulation necessary for learning to read and spell. It does so on a daily basis until all children achieve the automaticity that underlies the fluency of every successful reader.

VCOP & THE 6 + 1 TRAITS OF WRITING

VCOP creates a positive ethos towards writing for all students Foundation to Year 6.

The methodology is; ‘if they can’t say it, they can’t write it’. With talk and communication an imperative element of the program.

Students are encouraged to be ambitious, up-level their work and focus on the elements of VCOP in their writing. By Highlighting these areas as ‘goals,’ there has been a direct link to improved writing skills.

What is VCOP?

V= Vocabulary. Students are encouraged to use ambitious (wow) words

C= Connectives. Understanding how words are used to connect sentences, ideas and paragraphs together

O= Openers. Using powerful openers to engage our readers

P= Punctuation. The Power of correct punctuation is explicitly taught

The Six plus one Trait is a way of teaching, modeling, and assessing the instruction of writing. The Six Traits of writing are Voice, Ideas, Conventions, Organisation, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Presentation. It creates a common vocabulary and guidelines for teachers to use with students so that they become familiar with the terms used in writing. It develops consistency from grade level to grade level.
The Six Traits model allows teachers and students to focus on one or two elements of writing at a time creating a more manageable and effective way for students to learn how to write. It also is a means of providing specific feedback to students through the assessment of their writing. The Six Traits help both the student and teacher identify the areas of writing that the student needs work at improving. Good writing must incorporate the Six Traits. The “Plus One” trait is the presentation of the writing piece. This is the trait that is considered for all writing, but not specifically or directly taught as the other traits are.

MATHEMATICS

Lismore Primary School believes in a hands on approach to learning where children are immersed in practical and meaningful mathematical experiences. A daily focus on ‘mental maths’ allows students the opportunity to develop quick automatic recall of important mathematical facts.

AUSLAN

We are very fortunate to have an Auslan teacher visit our school every Wednesday to provide the learning of sign language to our students.

MARC (MOBILE AREA RESOURCE CENTRE) & MACC (MOBILE ART CRAFT CENTRE) 

The core curriculum at Lismore Primary School is enhanced by visiting specialists including the MARC and MACC vans. The MARC van allows students and staff the opportunity to borrow resources and books while also providing focused library studies to students from Foundation to Year 6. MARC visits our school on a weekly basis.

The MACC van enhances the Arts curriculum through providing an array of art experiences and opportunities for students across the school. MACC visits our school on a fortnightly basis.