Star of the Sea School is based on Catholic values and Catholic beliefs about learners and learning. We begin from the premise that we are made in the image and likeness of God, particularly embracing the values of our Marian charism including faith, compassion, service and empathy. We recognise every person as being a lifelong learner, who is like others in some ways but is unique in other ways. We believe that: Jesus gives meaning to life and learning; every person can learn successfully and opportunities for learning encompass the richly diverse aspects of all life experience.
Religious Education at Star of the Sea School follows the Brisbane Catholic Education Curriculum (P-12) (2020) which promotes a Model for Religious
Education. Two very important dimensions of a Catholic school are brought together in this model: firstly, the classroom teaching and learning of Religion (the academic subject of Religion), and the teaching of people to be religious in a particular way (the Religious Life of the School).
At Star of the Sea, the subject of Religious Education is taught, drawing on the Catholic Christian tradition in ways that are mindful of local contexts and the ecumenical and multi-faith realities of contemporary culture.
The Religious Life of the School is how the Catholic Faith is lived and experienced each day. This dimension permeates the culture of the school and is evident through the school’s Vision, Mission and Values statement; student involvement in classroom prayer, liturgies and Masses; and the promotion of Social Justice initiatives such as supporting the work of Caritas, Catholic Mission and St Vincent de Paul.
Star of the Sea School recognises that the educational dimension and the faith formation dimension of religious education are inextricably linked and both are vital components in educating the whole child – guiding and inspiring them to reach their potential.
Being a new school, in 2026 the Religious Education program at Star of the Sea School will be part of an explicit improvement validation process for our Religious Education curriculum to be endorsed. This will then be reviewed every five years with the intent of providing commendations and recommendations from the review committee.
Teaching and Learning of Religious Education
The classroom teaching of Religion offers experiences that nurture the faith life of young people and develop their religious literacy so they may participate critically and effectively in the life of their faith communities and the wider society. Brisbane Catholic Education’s Religion Curriculum P-12 (2020) describes core content and scriptures to be taught at each year level that develop ideas and
understanding of the Catholic Christian faith in an age-appropriate way.
Religious Education is explicitly taught weekly in our curriculum. Our teachers of religion are accredited to teach the subject, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills and understanding to teach concepts accurately and appropriately to their students.
Students study Religion under the four strands of Sacred Texts, Beliefs, Church and Christian Life. These strands are interrelated and their content is taught in an integrated way.
- In Sacred Texts, students become familiar with the Old and New Testaments, learning to understand the authors and intended audiences of these texts. They are assisted to comprehend how the texts relate to modern day living.
- In Beliefs, students learn the significance of Christian and Catholic beliefs and their relevance to contemporary life.
- In Church, children learn to create and engage in a variety of forms of prayer, liturgy and rituals. In conjunction with the candidates’ families, the Sacramental Program for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Communion is run by the Parish. However, the sacramental program is strongly supported by classroom Religion lessons.
- In Christian Life, students are led to develop moral understanding and reasoning. They are assisted to recognise that the Bible is the Catholic guide to moral living and to acknowledge the importance of prayer and sacraments in the development of moral life.
When teaching Religious Education teachers use an inquiry model and pose Fertile Questions for students to explore and answer. Young people should not be seen as merely passive recipients of religious education. Increasingly they have responsibility to choose and actively participate in religious education suited to their age, faith development and personal needs.
The experience of Christian belief and values being lived out within the daily community life of the school and their being explicitly presented in a variety of more structural learning situations (both within the broad curriculum and in formal Religious Education lessons) provide for this development.
The school's Religious Education program consciously seeks to identify and provide for a range of activities and situations that will achieve this. This process helps students become more active in the process of learning.
© Brisbane Catholic Education, Star of the Sea School (2024)