Blackheath Public School opened in 1885 in a small wooden building with 30 children. Today, the school has nearly 350 pupils and many excellent resources to provide quality programs designed to meet the needs of all students.

The school is organised into 3 Stages. This enables the staff to operate in a collaborative team of 4 or 5 teachers, preparing and planning a wide variety of relevant learning experiences for their students.

All children are individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. They grow and learn at different rates and in different ways. By progressing through Stages over a period fo 2 or 3 years, children are able to move at their own pace to achieve the necessary outcomes.

Blackheath Public school is striving to provide an education which ensures all children leave our school being literate and numerate. Our experienced and dedicated staff work hard to provide good learning experiences for all the children.

Literacy is an essential part of life. It enables us all to interact, communicate and make sense of the world. Many opportunities are provided for students to develop good literacy skills.

In Kindergarten, telling news may be a child's first experience of public speaking, whilst children in Stage 3 will have the opportunity to participate in formal debating.

To foster positive attitudes towards reading and writing, many different programs are used, such as the Home Reading Program and the Home writing Program.

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Numeracy

Providing a vital foundation in mathematical skills is one of the top priorities of the teachers at this school, irrespective of background and ability. Emphasis is placed on learning the basic facts and operations of mathematics, including the memorisation of tables. Students who do well in Maths are encouraged to participate in State and National competitions.

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Technology

Our society changes rapidly, and that is partly due to technology. Students need to be able to use calculators, computers and the Internet effectively. Children enjoy using technology because opportunities are provided to trial solutions, mistakes can be made and easily amended, and can lead to unexpected results that encourage further exploration.

Blackheath Public School is equipped with networked iMac computers to provide ample opportunities for students to learn and research.

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Science

Science is the learning area in which all students learn about natural and man-made environments by investigating, designing and by using technology.

Science education emphasises first-hand experience, investigating, designing, problem solving and clarifying. Students' projects are displayed in the school hall.

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Student Representative Council

Our S.C.R. is a group of students representing each class from 1 - 6. The representatives are elected from each class each semester, and bring forward in fortnightly meetings any issues expressed to them by their peers. The president gives a report to the principal.

The S.R.C. provides an opportunity for students to express opinions, make decisions and achieve positive improvements in our school.

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Peer Support

Peer support is a learning program that encourages children to resist negative peer pressure, to care for each other and to follow a healthy lifestyle. It provides older students with opportunities to develop leadership skills as they lead small groups of students through activities based on enhancing their self awareness, self-esteem, communication and coping skills.

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A happy and safe Playground

A playground policy has been developed to ensure our playground provides a variety of games and activities for the children. Our playground has basketball and hand tennis courts, a sandpit and adventure play equipment. Senior students are rostered as playground prefects to help younger children in the playground.

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Recognition

Student achievements are celebrated at our school. Awards are presented regularly at Stage assemblies. Participation and achievement in sport, dance, debating, english, maths and science competitions are celebrated at a whole school level, as are our involvements in environmental and recycling projects. Involvement in activities such as these develop self esteem, social responsibility and well being.

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Visual Arts

Blackheath has a strong tradition of visual arts. Children's work is displayed throughout the school. A small sample of our student's creativity can be seen on the Art page of this site.

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Parents

Parents are a valuable resource to our school and can provide expertise in many areas to support our staff and benefit our students. Parents help in classrooms in many ways, such as listening to children read, helping to write stories, assisting with craft, art and social studies.

Outdoor activities such as excursions, sports and environmental education rely on parents' participation, as do the canteen, school disco's and fund raisers.

Parents are involved in decision making through the School Council and Parents and Citizens Association.

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Children have many opportunities to learn and participate in a wide variety of sports.
Each Friday, depending on the season, Stage 2 and 3 students are involved in sports such as swimming, gymnastics, hockey, volleyball, cricket, touch football, soccer, basketball, softball, cross-country running. Our school regularly fields teams and contestants in various tournaments and carnivals.

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