Our School
About Rosewood Downs Primary School
Rosewood Downs Primary School is located within the community of North Dandenong, approximately 5 kilometres from the commercial centre of Dandenong and 40 kilometres east of the Melbourne CBD.
Currently in its 43rd year, Rosewood Downs now accommodates approximately 304 students in unique architecturally designed buildings, complemented by extensively landscaped grounds.
The school has a high percentage of students from multi-cultural backgrounds with 47% of students representing some 36 different ethnic groups. The great majority of these students are Australian born and reflect the strong multi-cultural influence on the past development of the area.
Rosewood Downs is structured around four units each housing four teaching areas. These open plan units have evolved into flexible learning spaces designed for the needs of the group of children occupying them. Outside spaces also become a crucial part of this flexibility and include our vegetable gardens; indoor/outdoor classroom areas for stories, play readings, investigations and craft activities; a performing arts area attached to Unit B, and quiet areas for eating, contemplation and non-physical activity. Other features include our internal courtyards that create a sense of light and openness, and bring our gardens indoors. The specialist areas of Music, Physical Education, Information and Communication Technology, Library and Art are independent classrooms.
We offer a comprehensive and rigorous school curriculum and have a strong emphasis on the overall health and wellbeing of all our students. We are a KidsMatter school and teach social and emotional learning as part of our curriculum. We are also very proud to be a partner school of The Resilience Project.
Rosewood Downs has created a friendly, caring and purposeful, responsible and cooperative school climate where children, teachers and parents work together towards the realisation of common goals.
Units
Unit A is our very exciting and active junior school unit. It consists of three Prep classes and an area specifically set up for dramatic and Developmental Play. We have worked hard to create an engaging and safe learning space to help ease that transition into school life for our Prep students.
Every day is full of hands-on learning in Unit A! Our students participate in a number of valuable learning programs including Letters & Sounds workshops, literacy rotations and mathematic lessons. We also have an extensive Social and Emotional Learning program that teaches our students personal values, social skills and resilience.
Our Prep students also have a number of specialist subjects outside of the classroom including physical education, music, art and LOTE.
In Unit A we teach our students how the brain learns through our Think Plus program. We also use growth mindset language to help students persevere when faced with challenges in their learning. Students know that they have to ‘keep trying’ and/or ‘practise’ in order to reach their learning goals.
Prep students have the choice of playing out in the yard with the whole school, or retreating to their own Prep playground that is located right out the front of the unit. This is a safe place for all the students to play, where they can enjoy spending time with other students their own age.
Our Prep students take part in a Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) every week in addition to the normal physical education lesson. This program aims to give students experiences in seeing, hearing, and touching through carefully sequenced activities such as hopping, climbing, balancing, crawling, throwing, catching, and sliding.
As well as learning through formalised lessons, Rosewood Downs PS believes it is important that children also learn through play. Our Prep students experience hands on and interactive activities through Developmental Play. These activities are designed so students can play a variety of fun and educational activities, which allows them to develop oral language and social skills.
In Prep, our students are paired with a Grade 5 as part of The Alannah & Madeline’s Better Buddies Program. The older students help their Prep buddies to feel safe, valued and connected to their school community here at Rosewood Downs.
Unit B is a very exciting unit and our senior students are actively involved in a variety of extra curricula activities throughout the year.
Grade 6s take their leadership roles and responsibilities very seriously. We have student leaders in the following areas; School Captains, Junior School Council Officers, House Captains, Art Captains, Music Captains, Sport Captains and Environmental Captains
Our Grade 5 students are always enthusiastic to take on their roles as buddies for the new Foundation students. They understand their responsibilities and are always there when the foundation students need a helping hand.
The whole Unit also attends a camp to the city. Over 3 days and 2 nights our Grade 5 and 6 students take part in many activities including vistis to the Shrine, the MCG and the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
The teachers in Unit B are also very passionate about supporting, challenging and extending their students’ learning. Students are nominated for accelerated Mathematics and Literacy program which is being run by teachers from Lyndale Secondary College.
As Unit B contains Rosewood Downs’ senior students, we have created strong ties with surrounding secondary schools. These include Lyndale Secondary College and Cawatha College.
The Grade 6 Transition Program provides students with the opportunity to experience many aspects of secondary school life. Activities throughout the year include:
- Lyndale Science- participation in regular science lessons held at Lyndale Secondary College
- Open Days – students attend full days at Carwatha P-12 College and Lyndale Secondary College, taking part in a variety of secondary school subjects
- Orientation Day – students spend a day at the secondary school they have been accepted into for Year 7
- Excursions to see musicals performed by local secondary schools in the lead-up to the performance of the Rosewood Downs musical
Each year, we have a school musical in which all Grade 6 students actively participate. This provides students with a rewarding and engaging experience in their final year at Rosewood Downs. The musical also has strong links to many aspects of the literacy curriculum.
Whilst the musical is presented and performed by the grade 6 students, it is really a whole school collaboration. Many of the other grade levels take part in a variety of musical activities that promote and enhance the performance, particularly the grade 5s who make programs, badges, tickets and work out the economics.
In Unit C we have created an exciting and engaging atmosphere for our Grade 2, 3 and 4 students.
Every day we focus on hands-on experiences allowing our students to explore different ways of learning. Our students participate in a number of valuable learning programs including Guided Reading groups, Maths Workshops and Big Write sessions. We have an extensive Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program that teaches our students personal values, social skills and resilience. Along with our SEL lessons, students also practice Mindfulness several times a week using the programs Smiling Mind and Mind Yeti. Mindfulness helps our students to build their stamina as well as recognise and control their own emotions.
All Unit C students enjoy an extra hour of physical activity throughout the week. The Grade 3 and 4 students participate in Unit C sport where they learn to follow rules and work as a team playing different mini-games. The Grade 2 students have the opportunity to participate in weekly Platoon sessions with their peers from Unit D allowing them to practice and develop different sporting skills.
Unit C has their very own garden attached to the back of the unit, which is maintained and looked after by the students. Responsibilities include planting new crops, weeding, harvesting, and taking care of the chickens and collecting the eggs they lay. All students participate in our Kitchen/Garden program which includes weekly rotations that involve gardening, cooking and learning about our natural environment and sustainability.
All students in Unit C attend a camp during Term 2. Our Grade 3 and 4 students attend Camp ADANAC over three days and two nights during the month of April. Our Grade 2 students attend Camp Oasis overnight during May. The students have the opportunity to participate in many fun activities while at camp such as the flying fox, giant swing, archery, hut building, camp cooking, candle making and a visit to the Reptile House. Camps are an integral part of the school curriculum as they enable students to explore, extend and enrich their learning and social skills development, in a non-school setting.
Every Term, Unit D children investigate a topic from of a variety of subject areas such as Humanities, Civics and Citizenship, Science and the Arts. These topics allow children to explore and understand the relevance of the world in which they live. During the course of the year, Grade One’s focus on topics such as My Australia, Wings and Things, Light and Sound, Spot the Difference and in Grade Two, their topics will be Our Australia, Smooth Moves, All Creatures Big and Small and All Mixed Up.
All students in Unit D partake in a weekly Social and Emotional lesson (SEL), on Monday mornings. Our focus includes topics such as Courage, Positivity, Resilience and Emotions. These lessons allow children to develop their emotional intelligence, resilience and social skills and are an important part of our curriculum. They link closely with many of our school programs, including ThinkPlus, Kids Matter and The Resilience Project. Along with our SEL lessons, students also practice mindfulness several times a week using the programs Smiling Mind and Mind Yeti. Mindfulness helps our students to build their stamina and recognise and control their own emotions.
Unit D continues to have a weekly session of Developmental Play and the children are always looking forward to these sessions. Our Developmental Play lessons incorporate toys to develop creativity, problem-solving skills and important social skills such as cooperation and teamwork.
An important part of our school life is the Camping program. Our Grade Two students head to Camp Oasis in Mt Evelyn for their first ever overnight stay and the Grade Ones join them for a day visit. Camps are an integral part of the school curriculum as they enable students to explore, extend and enrich their learning and their social skills development, in a non-school setting. The students have the opportunity to participate in a number of fun activities, including the flying fox, crate climbing, candle making and a visit to the Reptile House.
Stomp Dance Company are back at Rosewood Downs in Term 3 and all Unit D students have the opportunity to participate in several fun and energetic dance workshops. These workshops are run by the highly trained and skilled Stomp Dance Company instructors and focus on improving fitness, co-ordination, motor skills and teamwork. The Life Education van also due in Term 3 provides our students with a program that develops social skills necessary for effective decision-making, communication, negotiation and peer resistance. It also touches briefly on drug education.
The Unit D teachers look forward to working with all our students and families for an exciting, busy and productive year.