Religious Education

​​​​See also:  Religious Life of the School​​

At Star of the Sea, the Vision for Religious Education is the centre of our focus.

The schools and colleges of the Archdiocese of Brisbane a​spire to educate and form students who are challe

nged to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and who are literate in the Catholic and broader Christian tradition so that they might participate critically and authentically in faith contexts and wider society (‘Shape of Religious Education’ 2013).

There are two distinct dimensions to Religious Education; there is the classroom teaching of the learning area, Religion, and there is the faith development that is encouraged through the Religious Life of the School. These two dimensions complement each other.  Click here to discover information about the Religious Life of Star of the Sea School​

Religion Curriculum

The second dimension of Religious Education is the teaching of Religion.  It is structured through the use of the Religion Curriculum P-12, Archdiocese of Brisbane. Teachers use a range of strategies and resources to engage the students with the content of the curriculum.

Catholic schools have extra time allocated for the teaching of Religion. This is 2.5 hours per week in addition to the​ time allocated to other learning areas which is similar to government schools.

It is organised according to the following strands:

Sacred Texts - This strand explores the ongoing loving relationship of God with all of creation. Students are challenged to see that they are a part of this story by deepening their awareness of these sacred texts and discovering how they provide inspiration, guidance and strength for their own lives.

Church - This strand explores the Church as both human community and spiritual community, p

ast and pre

sent, and how the Church is called and challenged to express the continui

ng presence of Jesus Christ in the world.

Beliefs - This strand explores foundational Catholic Christian beliefs and teachings and how these have found expression over time. Other major religions are also explored.

Christian Life - This strand explores the foundations for Christian moral living, how this is expressed through action for justice, and ways in which morality supports the lives of believers. Students are challenged to make life giving choices for themselves and others and to respectfully participate in a variety of prayer experiences (2013)​


Planning

The APRE and PLL plan with teachers at least once each term to brainstorm knowledge, understanding and skills from the Religion Curriculum. Teachers use the RE Planning Checklist to ensure all relevant components are covered, including the Line of Sight, Scope and Sequence, Unit Planner, Assessment and Moderation. Teachers share planning with parents in a number of ways throughout the year including through our Parent Portal, School Newsletter, Parent Teacher Interviews, Assemblies, Celebrations of Learning and Showcases.


Moderation

At Star of the Sea, teachers participate in 3 levels of moderation. 

 Moderation within the planning process

  • Develop clarity of curriculum intent (cognitions) through planning discussions
  • Determine and record the evidence of learning that is to be collected through the learning cycle in alignment with the achievement standards
  • Use the OCAA standard elaborations as a tool to determine the extent of knowledge, understanding and skills that students will demonstrate (including collective understanding of

Moderation within the teaching and learning process​

  • Provide the learning opportunities required for students to develop and apply the agreed upon knowledge, understanding and skills across degrees of quality
  • Collect evidence of learning and assess against the achievement

Moderation to make judgement

  • Use the agreed upon body of evidence against the OCAA standard elaborations to assist in making judgements
  • Use school processes and protocols to moderate student samples based upon agreed criteria that align with the achievement standards

​Reference: Brisbane Catholic Education

Teacher Consistent Judgement opportunities:

Teachers participate in moderation both with teachers from our own school and teachers from neighbouring schools to ensure that assessment and marking is fair and consistent.








© Brisbane Catholic Education, Star of the Sea Primary School (2024)​