University Immersion Report: St Felix Catholic Primary School

This immersion report provides a detailed analysis of St Felix Catholic Primary School, located in Bankstown, Sydney, one of Australia's oldest Catholic schools. The report begins with a site description, including its history dating back to 1853, demographic information, and governance under Sydney Catholic Schools. It then explores observed teaching and learning practices across various subjects, such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, and art, providing specific examples of classroom activities and lesson objectives. The report further considers the conditions shaping these practices, emphasizing the influence of the Australian Curriculum in designing lesson plans to meet the diverse needs of students, including those with disabilities or for whom English is a second language. The report also highlights the school's commitment to creating a safe and supportive learning environment, guided by clear policies and professional learning programs. The document concludes with references to the Australian Curriculum and Sydney Catholic Schools websites.

Running Head: SOCIOLOGY 1
Immersion Report
Name of University

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Immersion Report
Description of the site
St Felix catholic primary school is located in the Bankstown area of Sydney and is one of
the oldest Catholic schools in Australia. Its foundation can be traced back to 1853 when Sydney
was yet to be organized into parishes (Sydney Catholic Schools, 2020). St Felix started as an
elementary school and was supported and funded by the government over the years. During the
many decades that followed, the school closed and reopened several times due to the stringent
standards laid down by the governments for private schools. Initially, when the Josephite Sisters
took control of the school, the classes were held in the original St Felix Church, and the number
of students remained low. Gradually the school expanded to accommodate the growing number
of students, especially after World War II, when migrants poured in from Europe. The natural
increase of local population and extensive immigration led to a higher number of students in the
St Felix catholic primary school (Sydney Catholic Schools, 2020).
Conditions have improved for the school with substantial government funding and
employment of qualified teachers. Today, St Felix is seen as an integral part of the Australian
education system and is a well-resourced systemic school for boys and girls. Mrs. Fran Bonanno,
the current principal, is an able leader under whose guidance the school continues to nurture and
enjoys a wonderfully supportive community (Sydney Catholic Schools, 2020).
As St Felix is a catholic school, most children are from Australian families with a
Catholic affiliation. Still, enrolments from students from different communities, ethnicities, and
nationalities have increased. Apart from the Australian-born native English children, there are
students from New Zealand, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and others. The local families can easily
access the low-fee Catholic school and provide a great quality of education for their children.

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The school encourages learning through diversity and develops personalized plans for students
with different needs. For many English is a second language, and there are students from
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and there are students with disabilities. The
hard-working educators look after different interests and abilities of students and make sure that
every student feels welcomed in school. The development of each child is supervised, and their
weak areas are worked on in their learning with the help of teachers.
The school staff employed at St Felix school is qualified and experienced and develops
new strategies to teach the Curriculum with professional learning and effective questioning
techniques (Australian Curriculum, 2020). The school aims to create a safe and supportive
learning environment for all students in the school community. There are clear and well-
established policies that govern all Sydney Catholic schools, and St Felix primary school follows
those regulations and procedures with direction and clarity. Sydney Catholic schools are known
for their high-quality professional learning programs within a nurturing Catholic environment.
Students enjoy a wide range of opportunities that strengthen their academic, social, and
emotional wellbeing.
The purpose is to develop a high-quality curriculum for all students that addresses their
individual learning needs. Teachers develop learning programs based on the Australian
Curriculum and on the individual interests and learning needs of the students.
Description of practices observed
Based on the observation of the teaching and learning practices observed in the school,
the learning conditions for staff and students are satisfactory, and there is consistency amongst
teachers. There are higher involvement and communication between teachers and pupils, and that
fosters a positive climate.

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Practice Description
Reading Group Reading lesson objective- develop reading skills and learn new
words
The teacher and the small group of children sat together on the
floor. The teacher held a story book in her hand and was reading out
to the children, showing them pictures from the book. The children
were interacting with the teacher and looking at the pictures. They
were learning new words based on the story. They responded when
the teacher asked them the name of an object or character from the
book.
Writing Writing lesson objective- develop cursive writing skills
Children were participating in a workshop focused on cursive
writing and were give practice books. The teacher showed them on
the blackboard as to how to write those letters ins slanting motions
and follow the patterns carefully with a steady hand. The children
started by writing one line in their practice book and were corrected
by the teacher wherever they made a mistake. After completing the
full page, each child was called by the teacher to get his page
signed, and those will good writing skills were given stars.
Mathematics Mathematics lesson objective- develop the understanding of greater
than and lesser than
Teacher developed an interest in the class by telling the students
that they are going to learn something new and interesting. She
made the signs of “<” and “>” on the blackboard. Students were
given practical examples by the teacher by comparing objects from
the class, like beads and blocks. Next, the children were given a
worksheet with fill in the blanks here they needed to fill the signs
“<” and “>.”
Science Science lesson objective- develop the understanding of Five Senses
The teacher gave instruction to the lesson and showed the different
parts of the body to see, smell, touch, taste, and hear. She gave them
some popcorns and some napkin in a small bowl. Each child was
asked to look at the popcorn, its color, and shape and thus learn the
importance of seeing with eyes. They were asked to touch the
popcorn and feel the texture with then hands and fingers. Then, they
were asked to smell the popcorn and describe the smell. Next, they
were asked to eat the popcorn and how they tasted. The whole class
was asked to close the eyes and focus on the sound made by the
class when eating the popcorn
Art and craft Art lesson objective- develop the skill of mixing paints

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The children sat in groups of two and were excited about the Art
lesson. The teacher showed them how to mix two different colors
and get a new color. The teacher asked them the name of the colors
like Red and Blue and how the two mixed together to get Purple.
She showed them how Blue and Yellow, when mixed together, can
give Green color.
Children were given some sheets of paper and colors and make new
colors. There was a great deal of noise and excitement in the class,
and children were walking around the classroom with their painted
papers. The teacher was helping the students and showing them how
to mix the colors.
Considering conditions shaping the practices
What is taught in schools, and how it is taught is an essential part of successful
pedagogies and outcomes. Australian Curriculum is planned to meet the needs of all students,
average, gifted, and those with disabilities so as to meet the diverse needs. Australian schooling
promotes equity and excellence so that its students can become confident and successful learners.
As the needs, capabilities, and interests of individual students vary, the schools and teachers are
expected to design well-planned Curriculum and lesson plans to meet those diverse needs
(Australian Curriculum, 2020).
Catholic Schools remain committed to providing a safe and supportive learning
environment to its students. It encourages all the school community members, the teachers, and
the parsons to come together to make the students feel supported and secure for improved social
and emotional skills. St Felix catholic primary school is a good example of that. Teachers do in
the classrooms, and how involved are the students can lead to poor, good, or great outcomes.
Teachers refer to the Australian Curriculum to plan their lessons and learning programs in the
school. At the same time, they assess the current levels of learning and interests of the children
and make adjustments to the learning program as and when necessary. They follow the policies

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and influencing practices of the Australian Curriculum to provide stimulating learning
experiences and ensure an effective learning program. They get involved with the children, and
the quality of teaching and learning in reading, math, writing, art, and science is very good in
primary school.
The teachers follow a methodology to ensure learning, and after an introduction, the
students get involved in the class activity and share experiences with each other and the teacher.
There is a flexible approach to learning based on previous understandings of each student, and he
is motivated by the teacher to modify or challenge new skills and understandings. The role of the
teacher here is to work as a tool to facilitate learning and provide an understanding of new skills
and knowledge. Teachers use questioning to keep the students interested and motivate them to
answer. Group work allows better interactions among the whole class and can serve the various
pedagogic purpose in a clear direction. The learning environment in the above case allows the
students to interact freely and develop the skills of answering questions, asking questions, and
participate in in-class activities.
It is the essential guidelines and policies set by the Australian Curriculum and the policy
framework that works as a guide for the schools and teachers. Along with promoting excellence
in teaching and learning, the objective is to t meet the learning needs of all students with well-
trained teachers, well-planned lesson plans, and effective teaching methods.

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References
Australian Curriculum. (2020). St Felix Catholic Primary School. Australian Curriculum Edu,
retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/mathematics-
proficiencies/illustrations-of-practice/st-felix-catholic-primary-school/
Sydney Catholic Schools (2020). St Felix Catholic Primary School. Syd.catholic.edu, retrieved
from https://sites.google.com/a/syd.catholic.edu.au/stfbankstown/