Specialist Subjects
Somerville Primary School provides a range of specialist classes where students engage, learn and reflect on their social and academic development. By developing the ‘whole child’ students have the opportunity to perform on stage, building on fundamental physical skills, immerse in a different language and create wonderful art pieces. These skills are often on show at school and community based events.
Auslan
Students at Somerville Primary School learn Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as a Language Other than English (LOTE). It is taught from Prep to Six as part of our specialist program. Auslan was introduced in 2024 as a new learning area so students have been developing their background knowledge of fundamental signs needed for everyday communication (for example, the alphabet, numbers, greetings, colours etc). Students learn to communicate in Auslan through asking/answering simple questions, sharing information about themselves or topics they are familiar with. They share stories in Auslan and use Auslan to communicate in games. Lessons also involve developing understanding and respect for other people/cultures/languages, appreciation of diversity and openness to different perspectives and experiences.
Performing Arts
At Somerville Primary School we like to provide as many opportunities as possible for our students to shine. All students attend weekly Performing Arts classes where they have the opportunity to engage in learning opportunities related to Drama, Music and Dance.
We focus on collaboration, giving constructive feedback, being a supportive audience, stepping outside our comfort zone and reflecting on our experiences in order to build on our knowledge and improve next time. Every student has frequent opportunities to participate in plays, dance, voice and instrumental performances.
Outside of their weekly Performing Arts lessons, students may also choose to take private music lessons or join our school Christmas choir (Term four only) or join Wakakirri. Wakakirri rehearsals are run weekly, and there are opportunities for dancers as well as backstage crew.
Art
Visual Arts lessons include ideas, skills and lots of hands-on work. We are inspired by artists from all over the world and discuss their work in detail. We learn about art elements including design, colour theory, layering, texture, line and movement and use these in the work we create. Our program includes drawing, painting, sculpture and construction, weaving, photography and mixed media. We often get to use our skills in our own creative ways. Our focus is on BEING creative artists and developing our skills and ideas rather than producing perfect work. Art at SPS is awesome!
Physical Education
In Physical Education we spend time growing our physical skill set, confidence, health knowledge and teamwork. We love to play fun and engaging games that are active and make us think! We learn different sports such as soccer or football and we practice different roles within a team. We are all growing to be confident players and work towards understanding gameplay tactics. We enjoy many events such as Cross Country, District Lightning Premiership days, Athletics Day, Family Fun Night and many more. Every year we strive to develop a love of health and movement within students.
