Lake Illawarra forms a focus for the school and its community. The coastal environment provides the major forms of recreation for the students and their families. The school is located in a changing dormitory suburb of Wollongong, within the Shellharbour City Council precincts. The school has a very strong focus on literacy, numeracy and student welfare. It is best summarised by the statement in our school crest as a "caring and sharing" place of learning. This focus drives our approach to our students and our interaction with the community. This school is concerned with developing a positive, caring student who strives to achieve his or her potential. The students are encouraged to achieve by the school actively assisting in their ability to set realistic but high expectations and goals. To attain this, the School endeavours at all times, in every way it can, to develop the students levels of knowledge, self discipline, social and academic skills. The school community has the expectation that its students will be well taught in a nurturing, caring environment by highly competent teachers so that they will achieve to the best of their abilities.
Teachers at Lake Illawarra South understand and develop teaching programs in a 21st Century classrooms. Students are learning a variety of skills including cooperation, decision making and being an aware global citizen. The effective use of technology as a tool to support student learning is vital in building a 21st Century school.
Staff have been working with students and the school community to build an understanding of the value that access to technology makes in improving student outcomes. As a result, student engagement has increased and they are driving their own learning. Parents are involved through discussion and a sharing of work through displaying student achievements via online resources such as Weebly, Facebook and the school website. The school community supports "Bring Your Own Device" and all children have access to technology provided by the school.
A move towards Inquiry learning has utilised this technology as it gives access to a broader range of information as well as engagement with the broader world. Inquiry learning has increased engagement as they take on different roles such as researcher or director as part of their learning process. The "whole child" is a strong focus of Inquiry learning as it enables teachers to differentiate learning for all students.
Development of the L3 Program into Stage One is building a solid base for independent learning in the early years. Teacher capacity has been developed to differentiate learning opportunities for all students. Best Start data reflects increased success in early literacy skills in all students and is establishing a solid foundation for future learning.
The whole child pedagogy has been built into utilising the Positive Behaviour for Learning welfare structure. A consistent approach throughout the school K-6 in a positive way builds self esteem and more confidence when taking risks in learning. The school is using PBL to build rapport and collegiality amongst children, staff and parents. The school is in its second year of PBL and has already noted the reduced suspensions, detentions and incidents in the playground and classrooms. Signage with our three values is becoming more dominant around the school.
