The Four Overarching Themes of Teaching and Learning in the Middle School
Scotch is committed to being a leader in teaching and learning. There are four common themes across the curriculum from Year 7 to Year 9. They are:
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Sustainability in the 21st Century - the understanding of current issues and events as they relate to a sustainable future in both local and global contexts. An appreciation of the common threads in human experience and shared values in our world, the impact of scientific and technological inventions and breakthroughs on our lives and the moral and ethical debates that surround these changes, and underpinning all of this is the necessity of environmental, political and societal sustainability
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Health and Well-Being - related to issues involving one’s own and others’ long-term physical and mental health, the enhancement of self-awareness and self-esteem and one’s identity, the pursuit of personal happiness and one’s contribution to the development of positive relationships with others
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Information Communications Technology – the appreciation of the existence and use of different information systems, technologies and modes of communication that impact on our lives and the ways in which ICT can benefit and empower or confound and undermine human beings. They are taught how to research, analyse and reflect on information and knowledge they gather about the world they live in
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Creating and Making - the creative capacity of people: to conceive and communicate ideas, to use creative and abstract thought, to plan, organize, solve, and to work independently or interdependently in order to create and make products of various sorts valued by ourselves and/ or others. Students are explicitly taught the learning approaches skills, techniques and methods of effective learning they need to express their ideas
The Middle School Curriculum
Our school’s curriculum is dynamic, engaging and demanding. We believe that the school curriculum should be broad with built in choice to accommodate as many students as possible and that it should be reviewed regularly. Adapting curricula to take educational advantage of rapidly evolving Information Communication Technologies and digital information resources has established a national reputation for Scotch. Integrated use of computers across the curriculum enhances the contextual development of skills in keyboarding, word processing, desktop publishing, data processing, information access, multi-media applications and visual literacies.
All students will study the following core subjects within the 8 learning areas:
English Studies of Society & Environment
Mathematics Physical Education and Health
Science Home Economics
Design & Technology Dance
Art & Design Dance
Drama Environmental Science
Music Philosophy
Serving the Community Project
Students study French and Japanese unless they require literacy support.
At different stages, assessments are carried out to objectively evaluate students’ progress in areas of literacy and numeracy. If the need arises, specialised individual programs can be arranged to meet the specific needs of those in need ofextra learning support. Students from Years 7 – 10 are also identified to participate in the Extended Learning curriculum, called the ‘Argyll’ program.
Aims & Beliefs
At Scotch we do all we can to optimise learning outcomes for students. We tap into our understanding of the nature of early adolescence and use this knowledge to inform the construction of the curriculum and learning environment. Students are challenged daily to consolidate basic skills, engage with new ideas and to apply knowledge to tasks which often demand the innovative use of ICT.
Our co curricular program is without peer. It involves the students in a rich and diverse range of experiences from sporting contests and carnivals, to musical and dramatic performances to debating and chess competition to serving the community through a well organized service project.
We believe students need:
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to enjoy learning that challenges them
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to develop a positive self concept
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to belong and be accepted by their peers
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to experience success
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a curriculum and methodology which is relevant to their lives
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to develop personal values
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positive and supportive relationships with significant adults
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to be resilient
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to grow towards independence
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to adjust to some profound changes
The Middle School ethos is captured in the words: Learning, Belonging and Fun.
Student Wellbeing
The House system at Scotch fulfils a very important part of the Student Wellbeing Program. The relationships formed between the student, the Mentor and Head of House and the parents are vital to meeting the needs of each individual child.
All House staff are friendly, compassionate people who have the best interests of children at heart. The Middle School Houses are vertically grouped such that there are Year 7, 8 and 9 students in each, and in approximately the same number. This has proven to be a successful structure.
Many positive relationships will be developed in the student's first year on the Torrens Park campus. All students are placed in a House, the names of which reflects our links with Scots heritage, and remain in that House throughout Years 7 - 9 and on to the end of Senior School .
The Mentor and/ or the Head of House meets the student and parent before the child enters the Middle School. A plan with goals is established and subsequently monitored by the Mentor and HoH who develop a personal interest in each student's academic progress, social development, behaviour and general involvement in school activities. The Mentor and Head of House encourage individual development and provide support as appropriate for each student. The Head of Middle School, the School Counsellor, the Health and PE staff, the Chaplain and College nurse also have input into the Student Wellbeing Program.
Students of this age value having their own space and to this end we have a designated Middle School precinct adorned with middle schoolers art which is exclusively their place during Mentor period and recess and lunch times.
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