What are Opportunity Classes?
Opportunity classes cater for High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) students who may otherwise be without sufficient classmates at their own academic and social level. Students sit a placement test and if successful will usually have to leave their current school to enrol in an opportunity class for Years 5 and 6.
Opportunity classes are part of the department’s offerings for High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) students providing:
1) specialist school settings that cater to their intellectual ability
2) classes with peers who have similar academic ability
and
3) an environment that supports their emotional wellbeing and social development
HPGE students can be found across diverse socio-economic, language and cultural backgrounds and geographic locations.
Research shows that grouping HPGE students together, benefits their academic progress whilst also being good for their emotional well being. Having like-minded friends with similar ability levels, makes school a more enjoyable and enriching experience.
For more information, download the fact sheet below.
Opportunity classes and selective high schools fact sheet
Mona Vale Public School recognises the four domains of giftedness as identified in the NSW Education Department's HPGE policy. Opportunity Classes are integrated into the Stage 3 program and the leadership structures of the school.
What are the Four Domains of Giftedness?
Intellectual
The intellectual domain of potential refers to natural abilities in processing,
understanding, reasoning, and the transfer of learning.
Creative
The creative domain of potential refers to natural abilities in imagination, invention and originality.
Social-Emotional 
The social-emotional domain of potential refers to natural abilities in self-management and relating to and interacting with others.
Physical 
The physical domain of potential refers to natural abilities in muscular movement and motor control.
The Department’s Policy draws on Françoys Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent DMGT 2.0 (2009).
The Gagne Differentiated model identifies Talent Development as a key component in the facilitation of the teaching and learning of HPGE students.
What is Talent Development?
Talent Development is the guiding of students through stages of the learning cycle from novice to mastery. Mastery refers to expertise, exceptional performance and accomplishment or outstanding achievement in a subject area or domain. A student striving to achieve this level of mastery will exhibit deep knowledge, allowing them to develop transferable skills that can be utilised across a number of domains.
What does Mona Vale Public School provide?
Our enthusiastic and committed team of teachers promote a learning culture of enrichment, engagement and empowerment. We work collaboratively and share our expertise to create a dynamic culture of learning that includes:
teaching and learning programs that develop resilience, motivation, effort, and perseverance
a supportive learning environment.
provisions including access to flexible curriculum options
What are our OC students empowered to do?
The many enrichment opportunities provided at Mona Vale Public School mean that students are encouraged to:
take risks in their learning
identify and develop their strengths
enjoy opportunity for student voice and choice in their learning
utilise future focused skills including - critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical and intercultural understanding.
accept the challenge to strive for excellence
Examples of enrichment opportunities at Mona Vale may include:
Maths Olympiad (academic)
PPSSA Zone, Regional and State Representation (physical)
Band, Choir, Drama, Dance Festivals (creative / social-emotional)
Great Minds Think Project (creative, academic, leadership, social-emotional)
Dorothea Mackellar Writing Competition (academic)
Mentoring with Year 6 OC class once a week (leadership, social-emotional)
Mentoring with the Support Unit classes once a fortnight (leadership, social-emotional)
Buddy Program with Year 1 (social-emotional)
Inter and Intra School Debating (academic, leadership, social-emotional)
Northern Beaches Young Writers Competition (academic, creative)
Gough Whitlam Institute " What Matters" Writing Competition (academic)
Public Schools Literary Writing Festival (academic)
Red Room Poetry (academic)
Mona Vale Public School Writing Festival (academic)
Project-Based Learning* e.g. Bush to Bowl website design (creative, academic, leadership, social-emotional)
*Project Based Learning allows students to gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time investigating and responding to authentic, engaging, and complex questions, problems, or challenges.
For more information please click on the links below.
High Potential and Gifted Education Policy