The junior years

Connection with others, intellectual growth and time in nature define the junior years at Tatachilla Lutheran College.

These essential ingredients prepare our youngest children socially and emotionally for a lifetime of personal growth and fulfilment.

The teachings of early childhood theorist Loris Malaguzzi resonate powerfully in the junior years and underpin the unconditional positive regard the college has for all children, who are viewed as competent and active contributors to the world. We meet them where they are, respond to their ideas and value their abilities.

Class sizes in the junior years are small to give our youngest students a greater level of one-on-one attention and care from their teacher and ensure that they have every opportunity to find their personal voice in a classroom setting. Small classes also increase classroom participation and have a positive impact on student initiative and social connection.

Play and togetherness are utilised throughout the junior years as a vehicle for learning and to hone skills in literacy, numeracy and fine and gross motor movement. Play at Tatachilla includes games with rules, construction activities, scientific experiments and free dramatic play. To that end, all children from Reception to Year 6 have access to a range of beloved outdoor play spaces, including our seasonal creek, mud kitchen, climbing trees, mini beast garden, bush tucker garden and our 3.4-hectare Tatachilla EcoSanctuary.

These kinds of activities give students in the junior years the opportunity to practise their skills in decision making, problem solving and investigation and contribute significantly to their cognitive development. 

Throughout the junior years, there is an emphasis on ‘learning how to learn’ – a key lifelong skill – as well as meaningful classroom interactions between teachers and children and exploring the curriculum in a way that is relevant to the needs of children. Our teachers take the time to understand the unique range of experiences, feelings and relationships that each child brings to the college and how these can be used to ignite learning and joy.

Each year level from Reception to Year 6 embodies a unique and sequential life concept that provides a platform for intellectual and emotional growth. Children undertake activities that explore their specific concept and give them a better understanding of the world around them and within them:

• Reception: connection 
• Year 1: continuity
• Year 2: change
• Year 3: community and perspective
• Year 4: sustainability and biodiversity
• Year 5: challenge
• Year 6: leadership

Music ignites bigger, better brains

At the Year 4 level, all students participate in the junior years’ band program to help them build skills in musicianship, cooperation, planning, concentration and memory.

The program involves free instrumental tuition in groups during class time, led by the college’s acclaimed music teachers.

Research shows that playing a musical instrument in the junior years enhances students’ brain function, academic performance and ability to work as a team.