Background Information
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For my final educational placement, I attended Austin Cove Baptist College (ACBC) in South Yunderup, a co-educational college, which commenced in February 2011. The College is situated in the Austin Lakes development just east of Mandurah and provides a high standard of education in a safe, caring and positive environment within a Christian context.
Student Population The College began with 351 students in February 2011 from Kindergarten to Year 8 and has quickly grown to 630 students from Kindergarten to Year 11. The College will progress to Year 12 by 2015. When fully developed, the College will cater for 450 students in the Primary School and 760 students in the Secondary school. There are approximately 430 students in the Primary School. Ethnic Mix The school population has a broad multicultural and ethic mix, with families representing South Africa, The Netherlands, Africa, Great Britain, Ireland and Asia Staff There are approximately forty Primary School staff, comprising teachers, assistants, pastoral care, youth workers and administration workers. Academic Philosophy Work Hard: At Austin Cove Baptist College (ACBC) students are reminded that smart kids do not always finish first. It often comes down to commitment and hard work. Infuse Urgency: Most students only work hard a few days before a piece of work is due because that is when it becomes urgent. ACBC teaches students to break work up into smaller pieces, infuse urgency into the small tasks and get the work done on time. Never Give Up: Courage is not the absence of trials, it is the conquest of them. Winners are those who push through when times are tough, when everyone else is giving up. That is when success is the sweetest - ACBC encourages students to never give up. Year 6 Class I was placed in a year 6 class with 30 students - 13 boys and 17girls. The classroom included children from a variety of cultures. One of the male students is hearing impaired and requires a listening device to ensure he is receiving all the lesson information. I have had to check for learning to ensure that he is understanding the lesson content, and to place him at the front of the classroom so that he has visual site of my lesson delivery. The classroom has an interactive whiteboard and 3 computers for students to engage with. Special Programs Austin Cove Baptist College offers a wide range of creative Arts subjects, which include drama, visual arts, music and graphic art. A special physical theater program has been set up, which engages students in acrobatics, gymnastics, aerial techniques and back stage production (including script writing, props and set design/manufacture). This year, Austin Cove Baptist College is presenting a major drama presentation to the parents and community called 'Bugsy'. The production takes the whole year to plan, choreograph, produce stage sets and complete all rehearsals College Standards ACBC is a school that values commitment to Courage, Persistence and Respect. This means that students show care, consideration and respect for others at all times. They are required to uphold the standards of the College in personal demeanour and in academic and sporting endeavour. There is a strong behaviour management system for students to follow. This fundamental philosophy benefits the students, for example, there is a zero tolerance to bullying, no mobile phones in classrooms, no graffiti or public damage. It therefore challenges a minority of students to conform to this private schools standards. |
