Middle School

Teaching and Learning in the Middle School

Middle School teaching teams work with the following goals in mind:

SetTING a Safe emotional Climate

Teachers and students work together to implement strategies that set a safe emotional climate, such as jointly formulating an acceptable set of classroom rules. Teachers watch for and respond to verbal and non-verbal behaviours.  For example, they notice hesitation and provide students with enough time to respond to questions. To secure positive student-to-student and student-to-teacher interaction, home-room groups are selected based on students’ own emotional and moral intelligence.

CreatING a rich learning environment

Our homerooms are visually rich learning environments. Examples of students’ work are proudly displayed, bulletin boards are visible, projects and posters hang, and art supplies are plentiful. A room that stimulates students’ visual senses provides an engaging place for learning and teaching.

Teaching the mind-tools and skills of life

Teachers have made a commitment to attend professional development in teaching the skills that students need to become smart thinkers. Our teaching teams focus on teaching students the skills of thinking:

Middle School Curriculum Year 7 and Year 8

The following table shows how subjects are aligned with the Victorian Essential Learning Standards in Year 7 and Year 8.

The number following each subject name indicates how many school periods are allocated to that subject every week.  Each period is 75 minutes in length.  There are 4 periods per day.

History and Geography are studied on a semester basis and students have the same teacher for both subjects.

In Year 7, the tutorial program forms an integral part of your child's English studies.  In Year 8, the tutorial program is integrated with the study of Humanities.

Year 9 and 10 students take a common CORE of studies and choose ELECTIVE subjects according to their interests and abilities. Detailed course descriptions are issued to students at the end of Years 8 and 9

The courses offered in Years 9 to 12 may vary to some extent from year to year, depending on the total number of students, the demand for a subject and the availability of staff.