Religious Education

At Cana Catholic Primary School Jesus is central to all that we do.  As a community who prays, works and shares together, we strive to live by the teachings of the Gospel and by Jesus’ example.  Through liturgy and prayer, ministry and giving, we live up to the words of Mary at the Wedding at Cana – “Do What Jesus Tells You”.

Religious Education Curriculum

Our Religious Education Curriculum is integrated with all aspects of the child’s education and is reflected in the entire life of our school. This includes Religious Education Lessons that are taught daily as part of the children’s regular classroom program. One of the main aims of the Religious Education Curriculum of our school is to help children understand that being a Catholic is a way of life, not just a subject taught at school.

Through our teaching we aim to:

• Engage our students in rich and meaningful experiences to encounter God.
• Help students to experience a deepened relationship with God through prayer and positive relationships with others.
• Broaden students understanding and love of the Church and the Catholic Traditions,
• Find new ways to express the Gospel as alive and authentic.
• Create an explicit dialogue between Catholic faith and the diverse cultures and lives of our students.
• Offer interactions that demonstrate and opportunities that live out, Jesus Christ’s teaching and mission.
• Nurture the understanding that all humans are made in the image and likeness of God and therefore we must always preserve and uphold the dignity of others.
• Build a sense of community and global connection so that students identify the call to serve others in a just world.

Cana implements the Religious Education Curriculum Framework as directed by the Archdiocese of Melbourne.  In conjunction we use the To Know Worship and Love series provided by the Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese together with our school based Religious Education program

The learning structure of the Religious Education Curriculum encompasses:

Three strands of learning

• Knowledge and Understanding – seeking truth
• Reasoning and Responding – making meaning
• Personal and Communal Engagement – living story

Five content areas

• Jesus and Scripture
• Church and Community
• God, Religion and Life
• Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments
• Morality and Justice

Godly Play

Godly play is a form of storytelling, that uses a sensorimotor style that allows students to go beyond just learning about God. At Cana we believe that through Godly Play students encounter God within biblical stories, where children can bring their own experiences into dialogue with God.