High potential and gifted education

Our teachers find potential and nurture our students to be the best they can be:

• Teachers engage in regular, evidence-based professional development focused on identifying high potential and gifted students from all cultural and language backgrounds, including students who may be twice-exceptional or masking their abilities.
• Vincentia Public School uses a range of identification strategies, including achievement data, observations, work samples and parent nominations, to ensure that high potential students are recognised and provided for within the classroom and school environment
• Identified students are clustered together during class planning, to ensure opportunities for peer learning with like-minded students and stronger teacher differentiation
• Talent development opportunities exist across all four domains of high potential and giftedness, with students being given regular opportunities to find and hone their talents

Each student has different abilities. Teachers respond to each student’s ability by providing extra challenges and extension activities to keep learning exciting and engaging.

• All English and Mathematics lessons are expertly differentiated to meet the needs of all students, and feature meaningful enrichment and extension opportunities for high potential students. This occurs through differentiated content during explicit teaching, streamed classes where appropriate, and tiered success criteria where students have daily opportunities to extend their learning and reach challenging goals.
• Across other Key Learning Areas, programs feature enrichment and extension activities developed around Bloom’s Taxonomy, a framework that promotes higher order thinking and challenges students to use their critical and creative thinking skills in new contexts
• Our Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction (APCI) runs withdrawal programs focusing on mathematics enrichment and extension for high potential students in Stage 1

Every student is individual, so opportunities are flexible and diverse.

• Students deepen strengths through debating and public speaking competitions, and STEM and coding pathways
• Talent is celebrated through our school choir and Code Club exhibition
• Leadership grows through SRC, Year 6 leadership, library monitors and our buddy mentoring program
• Daily life invites curiosity and belonging, with the library available at lunch, as well as Chess Club and other interest-based groups
• Sport matters too, with carnivals, interschool gala days, district and regional sports trial opportunities, as well as differentiated Physical Education lessons.

Opening doors to wider experiences

Our students can participate in a wide range of state wide opportunities that aim to extend and enrich student potential

• Premier’s Debating Challenge
• NSW Arts Unit Poetry Slam
• NSW Arts Unit Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition
• Premier’s Reading Challenge
• Far South Coast Dance Festival
• BBLC Public Speaking Competition
• Shoalhaven Choral Festival
• Bebras Challenge