Ethos

Focus on the individual child is experienced in the broader context of family, school and the Church. Moral and spiritual growth in the Christian faith will underpin the pursuit of academic excellence and the acquisition of life skills, helping to develop the individual character of each child.

Education is the principal responsibility of parents. The school will provide assistance to parents, nurturing the family such that the school experience is extended into the home. The personal example of educators and parents is critical in the formation of the child in all respects. Children will flourish, where parents and teachers themselves grow in virtue. For the Christian, education never ceases.

The Orthodox Church proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ. The solemnity of prayer and the joy of community create an environment enabling children to appreciate the love of God for His creation. The moral perfecting of student, family and school grows out of this experience.

The children will begin each day with prayer in the School Chapel, and they will be encouraged to attend Liturgy on Sundays together with their families. The school chaplain is the school priest. He prays with and for the entire school, and guides students and parents to interact with the world around them with compassion, always choosing a path grounded in Christian conviction.

The mission of St.Sava College is to develop an understanding and recognition of unchanging truth and to nurture virtue in the souls of both students, staff and the parental body by immersion in a classical curriculum and historical Orthodox Christian spirituality, drawing from the centuries old tradition of the Serbian and other Orthodox peoples. Our students will be prepared for higher education, service vocations and for continuance in the sacramental life of the Church – for Eternity.

As an Orthodox Christian school, St Sava College will enable its students to:

• enjoy a caring, safe and loving learning environment
• maximise individual potential in the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills as the basis for a continuing love of learning
• understand the integral value of self-discipline and academic rigour
• enjoy the broadest and deepest context of their cultural heritage
• live the fullness of the sacramental life of the Orthodox Church and come to the knowledge that the Truth – Christ Himself, is sovereign and unchanging

St.Sava College will become a comprehensive school for boys and girls from K-12. The school day will begin and end with prayer allowing students to ponder the metaphysical realm of earthly existence.

The academic program, at St Sava’s will be developed to provide an excellent educational experience in every classroom every day, while catering for the diverse needs of all children.

The academic program will be structured around two key elements: rigorous implementation of the Australian Curriculum, with an appropriate balance of knowledge and skill-based content, and high quality, evidence-based teaching and assessment. It will combine the best of traditional and modern educational practices.

The early years of school will have a strong focus on the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy without compromising other important curriculum areas such as learning about our Saviour Jesus Christ, the wonders of the created world and its people and cultures. Literacy and numeracy teaching will be based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence to ensure that all children are achieving at an appropriate standard.

Literacy teaching in the early years (Foundation to Year 2) will comprise the essential components of reading and spelling, including explicit and systematic teaching of phonics, as well encouraging enjoyment of reading and writing through children’s literature and structured teaching. Numeracy teaching will instil in students a strong understanding of the fundamental numerical concepts, facts and processes that provide the basis for mathematical proficiency.

The progress of students will be regularly monitored so that any children requiring extra support can be identified early and provided with appropriate intervention. With high quality classroom teaching and effectively targeted support, almost all children will have the literacy and numeracy skills required to successfully engage with the curriculum in upper primary.

The primary school years from Year 3 to Year 6 will continue to use evidence-based methods for teaching more complex abilities in literacy and numeracy, as the demands on these skills increase. In Years 3 to 6, students’ knowledge of the Biblical narrative and the experience of prayer, history, geography, science, music, and art will be expanded and deepened, establishing a strong knowledge base for their transition into high school. Pedagogy will be an evidence-based combination of explicit teacher-directed instruction and student-driven inquiry.

Teachers at St Sava’s will be carefully selected and appointed on their ability to meet the school’s high expectations of academic achievement in a thoroughly Christian context. All teachers will be provided with professional learning opportunities to continually develop their expertise and to foster spiritual connection in relationships with students, parents, and peers. Teachers at St Sava will be familiar with current educational research evidence and practices. St Sava’s will cater for students with a wide range of educational needs and gifts, using the services of allied professionals where required.

A child’s school life is a formative experience, both academically, spiritually, and socially. St Sava’s will provide the excellent education that will help children to discover meaning and purpose and to become productive and contributing Orthodox Christians in the context of vocation, family, community, and Church.

We believe that the Christian life is lived and expressed through faith in the authority of the Bible, in the personal and corporate worship of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and according to Her timeless Tradition.

We believe that there is one PATH TO LIFE, one vision, one understanding which incorporates all aspects of life, whereby, faith, education and worship lead us into a reality which is beyond the purely sensory – into the spiritual realm. This is experienced by students and staff in fully participating in the liturgical life of the Church.

We believe that prayer, the breath of the soul, is essential to the spiritual, mental, physical, and social development of our students. Evidence of Baptism is a condition of enrolment.

We believe in a structured curriculum which will resonate with Christian teaching, assisting children to experience life and creation, developing an Orthodox worldview. One which calls us to rejoice in the gifts God bestows upon us, and cautions us to be aware of the human tendency to weakness leading to possible sin. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8

We believe that each student is a responsible individual created by God and that the College must provide opportunity for each student to be educated according to his/her uniqueness and to grow spiritually and academically. “Form the soul of your son now, and the rest will come later” St. John Chrysostom,

We believe, testify and aim for teachers to be imitators of Paul, as indeed he is of Him.

We believe that education must be more than merely a preparation for worldly success; it must also be a path to virtue, a sanctification of the mind, body, and soul for a well-ordered life. Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6  We believe  that parents, Church, and College must work towards harmonious integration.

We declare that St.Sava College is rooted in the Orthodox Christian Faith. The Orthodox Church finds its beginnings with Christ and the apostles and continues an unbroken tradition through two millennia. The word “Orthodox” literally means “right belief” or “right worship.” The Orthodox Church carefully guards the truth against all error, to protect its flock and to glorify Christ.