Welcome to Year Five at Cornerstone Christian College.

The College takes great pleasure in introducing class teacher, Miss Sarah Durell.  Sarah has taught at Cornerstone for the past 3 years, and comes to us with an impressive array of qualifications.  She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Curtin University, as well as a Graduate Diploma of Education in Primary Teaching from Murdoch University.  Sarah also completed Certificate IV in Ministry (Youth) from Tabor Bible College.  Each of these uniquely qualifies her for her work at Cornerstone.

Sarah thoroughly enjoys the variety that each day holds within her classroom. She believes that each student in her care is completely unique and individual in both their academic capacity as well as in their method of absorbing content.  Sarah is very creative and uses this to her student’s advantage.  She ensures that the material she presents to her students is taught in a variety of ways.  This has the advantage of providing each child with the opportunity to grasp and understand the material in a manner that engages with their style of learning. 

In the Year 5 class, group work and collaborative learning is used in every lesson so that students can learn from one another, share ideas, and develop positive group work and social skills.  In Sarah’s words; “We complete many hands on experiences in each subject area, and the more creative and interactive, the better!”  Emphasis is placed upon the development of real life language and numeracy, involving whole class activities as well as small group and individual programs to cater for each student’s individual learning needs. 

As with all year groups, the Year 6 class operates within the guidelines of the Curriculum Framework which identifies a number of outcomes which children should demonstrate.  Additionally, all students can access the Overdrive Program if extension work is deemed appropriate.  Alternatively, the expertise of the Leaning Support Centre is available to assist individual students when necessary.

Year Five is a year of growth where students become more independent and self motivated in their approach to their schooling. Sarah focuses on cementing past concepts and building on a student’s foundational knowledge, particularly in language and mathematics.

Sarah delights in the glimpses she sees everyday of a child’s personality, which can give a small picture of who they may grow to become in the coming years.   Year 5 is an exciting age where students are close to entering the middle school years and therefore their steps in independence are so critically important. 

Sarah is passionate about her students reaching their personal best in their education and works hard to help deliver this outcome.