St Gerard's School

At St Gerard's, we believe every child has a right to a good education that brings the best in the child and helps him / her achieve maximum potential. Our programs are designed with utmost care to provide children with a holistic education that includes academic, physical social and emotional development.

St Gerard's is one of a handful of pre-schools that provide mainstream pre-school education as well as a special needs program with inclusion for children with learning difficulties. Learning should be fun. St Gerard's programs emphasize experiential learning through exploration and play, based on sound academic foundations.

Every child has the inalienable right to a good education that helps the child reach his or her maximum potential. At St Gerard's, we aspire to provide children with a holistic educational experience that focuses on academic, physical, social and emotional development.

We believe:

• That children should be valued as individuals;
• That children need to feel safe, supported and happy all the time;
• That PLAYING and TALKING are the ways in which young children learn about themselves and the world around them;
• That all learning should be meaningful and fun;
• That children are actively involved in learning;
• That children learn through hands-on experiences;
• That children learn through taking risks, making mistakes and celebrating success;
• That what children CAN DO rather than what children cannot do are the starting points in their learning;
• That learning should cater for the needs and interests of individuals;
• That the process of learning is more important than the end product;
• That children develop their Spiritual, Social, Emotional, Physical and Cognitive skills at differing rates;
• That aspects of a child's development are equally important and interwoven;
• That children need time and space to produce work of quality and depth;
• That children need to develop a sense of responsibility for their own learning;
• That children who are encouraged to think for themselves are more likely to act independently;
• That children learn from everything that happens to them and do not naturally separate their learning into subjects;
• That parents are the first educators of children and have a vital part to play in the establishment of their child's learning environment.

We tailor our programs to provide our pupils a strong academic foundation supplemented by behaviour management to equip them for mainstream schooling or pursuit of vocational skills. Our programs start with Early Intervention for young children from as early as 2 years old, followed by the Nursery program and the Pre-School Kindergarten program to prepare children for entry into mainstream schools. We hope to develop mature, independent individuals with the necessary academic foundation and life skills to life independently, hold jobs and pursue happiness.

We recognize the critical role that parents and care-givers play in the development of a special needs child. We extend our resources to parents and care-givers in the form of Parent Training and Education programs to help parents cope with the challenges of raising their special needs children.

Our Goals

• To foster the development of a healthy self-image which will assist the child to regard themselves as children of God, people who are important, good friends of classmates, good learners and eager participants in Preschool and whole school activities.
• To ensure that each child in our care fees safe, secure and loved.
• To develop in each child an active curiosity about the world and an enthusiasm for learning based on their own personal satisfaction and involvement.
• To provide opportunities for the children to build fundamental skills and acquire new information and knowledge.
• To provide opportunities to enable children to be expressive and creative through the use of language, physical activity, play materials, art and music.
• To develop the "whole child" socially, emotionally, spiritually, cognitively and physically.
• To ensure that parents and teachers work together in the interests of the individual child.

St Gerard's School is committed to fostering a strong home/preschool connection by creating a process of open, honest communication with you about your child 's experience and development at our school. Parents are full partners in a team approach when working with children. This includes a continual exchange of information between you and our staff. Family involvement, shared decision making about your child's experience in school, and support of family life are a vital part of our program.

Excellent communication is crucial to the success and well being of any institution, family or school. At St Gerard's, we work hard to partner with you and communicate with you clearly and often. If you would like to meet with your child's teacher or the Principal, please feel free to contact them. The Parent-Teacher Communication Book serves as another channel of communications between the parent and the teachers. Reminders, suggestions, questions, concerns can be conveyed on a daily basis through the communications book.