Specialist Programs

Our Programs

Enriching our curriculum

Music

with Ms Rocca

Visual Art

with Ms Osborne

Physical Education

with Mr Deocampo

Science

with Ms Michell

Italian

with Ms Rocca

Music.

Music is an integral part of Tate Street Primary School. Music has the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging students to reach their creative and expressive potential. Students are listeners, composers and performers. Music learning has a significant impact on the cognitive, affective, motor, social and personal competencies of students.

At Tate Street Primary School every student from grade prep to grade 6 has one weekly classroom music lesson. During these lessons, students have the opportunity to play instruments including hand drums (djembe), marimba, ukulele and more. Students sing and play games to become familiar with musical concepts and enable them to practice skills in a fun and engaging manner.

Tate Street has a well-developed music performance program which includes yearly bush dances with student bands, regular assembly performances, a biennial Winter Solstice Arts Festival, and graduation and Christmas events.

The MarimbaTaters, a marimba performance group of students in grade 4 to 6, is the culmination of a sequential program of learning which students can begin in grade 2 with the Training Taters group. The MarimbaTaters perform at music festivals, corporate events and school events. The band is available for workshops and performances.

Tate Street has a visiting piano teacher who delivers lessons during school time, a lunchtime singing group, and is a participant in the Just Brass program which enables students to access an instrument and lessons on brass instruments.

Performing at CresFest 2024

Performing at the Government School's Principals Conference 2024

Visual Art.

The Visual Art program at Tate Street Primary School endeavours to create an environment where students can express themselves and develop their imaginations while learning new skills and techniques that encourage growth in fine motor skills and creative thinking.Students are given the opportunity to use many different drawing and painting mediums as well as explore three-dimensional art materials including Papier Mache and Modroc and wire sculptures.

We aim to build confident creators who show resilience for the learning process, celebrating trial and error within this process.Some art events at Tate Street Primary include the bi-annual Winter Solstice celebration where students work collaboratively to create paper lanterns and other two-dimensional displays for the community to view during the event. We also participate at the Geelong Show where a selection of student artwork is displayed alongside other schools in the Geelong region.

Physical Education.

Using our extensive grounds, including an oval, basketball and netball courts, and well-equipped stadium, Tate Street PS offers a fun and challenging weekly Physical Education program to all year levels.

Tate Street students participate in many sport activities, including:

CROSS-COUNTRY
BASKETBALL
DISTRICT SOCCER
STAFF VS. STUDENTS AFL
SWIMMING LESSONS
LIGHTNING PREMIERSHIP SPORTS
SCHOOL-WIDE AFL DAY
INTER-SCHOOL ATHLETICS
BIKE EDUCATION

Science.

At Tate Street Primary School, Science is taught as a specialist subject across Year levels Foundation to Year 6. The program aligns closely with the Victorian Science Curriculum, where each term a different strand is explored: Chemical Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science and Biological Science.

In Chemistry, students have the opportunity to learn about materials and their properties, chemical and physical changes, and whether these changes are reversible or non-reversible. In Earth Science, students learn about normal and extreme weather patterns; the effects of weather on the landscape; the water cycle, and natural disasters. In Physical Sciences, students investigate how objects move and the forces that effect or change their movement. During our space units, students explore the solar system and learn about space exploration, and the significant people that have contributed to our knowledge of space. In Biology, students have the opportunity to learn how to identify and classify different aspects of their surroundings and about the needs and adaptations of living and non-living things. Our bi-annual chick hatching program is extremely popular with the students, who help to raise several of the chicks to incorporate into our schoolcoop.

All activities are as hands on as possible, with some open-ended tasks where students can investigate and inquire about the subject being explored. Digital technologies, such as iPads are utilised, both as research tools and to record results of experiments or investigations.

Aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) as well as Sustainability are also employed to investigate and create meaningful experiences that students can apply in a real-world setting. Our beautiful outdoor garden area is an extension of our Science classroom, providing many learning opportunities and extra curricula groups to operate, such as our lunchtime Gardening Club, and our student Planetater Sustainability Group, who run our school-wide compost and chook program.

Italian.

We are thrilled to announce that starting in Term 1, 2026, our school curriculum will expand to include Italian as a core component of our Languages program.

Italy is a global leader in art, design, gastronomy, and history, and we believe that introducing our students to this "musical" language provides a unique window into both the ancient and modern worlds. Our goal is to foster a genuine curiosity about global citizenship while equipping students with practical communication skills.

What to Expect in the Classroom

Our 2026 program is designed to be immersive, engaging, and age-appropriate, focusing on two key pillars:

Language Foundations: Students will begin by mastering the building blocks of the Italian language—phonics, essential greetings, and sentence structures—allowing them to build confidence in their speaking and listening skills from day one.
Cultural Exploration: Language is inseparable from culture. Students will journey through Italy’s rich heritage, exploring everything from the traditions of the Roman Empire to the vibrant festivals and regional cuisines that define Italy today.