The St Andrews Middle School curriculum is designed to help our early adolescent learners cope with the many changes which occur during the middle years while also allowing them to make the right choices about the subjects they need to study to follow their chosen career paths.
Core Programme
All students in the Middle School from Years 7 to 9 study English, Christian Studies, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education (PE), Studies of Society and the Environment (SOSE) and participate in sport. This enables all students to be well-prepared and to make informed choices for study in the Senior School.
Year 7
To allow a smoother transition from Junior to Middle School, Year 7 students have the same teacher for a number of subjects. This means they have at least one teacher who knows them and their learning needs well. This teacher takes the Year 7 students for ‘Core’, which includes English, SOSE and Christian Studies, and is also one of their Learning Advisors. The development of organisational, time management, homework and social skills required to help students cope with the increased pace and higher expectations of the Middle School is also a key focus of this teacher. For Mathematics and Science, the Year 7 students have specialist teachers.
In response to early adolescents’ need for increased variety and to give them access to expert instruction, Year 7 students also have specialist teachers for Art, Music and PE. In addition, they choose one subject per semester (two per year) from the Elective Programme and choose either Japanese or German as their LOTE subject. Year 7 students also benefit from a voluntary co-curricular trip to Canberra and the Snow Country each year where they consolidate their learning about the Australian parliamentary system.
Year 7 students have their own classrooms, which are a ‘home base’, as well as their own Middle School lockers and play area.
Core Subjects
- Christian Studies
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Studies of the Society and the Environment
- ICT
- Japanese/German
- Visual Arts
- Music
- Physical Education/Sport
Year 8
In Year 8 students normally have two main teachers (one for English/SOSE and one for Mathematics/Science) and choose 3 subjects each semester (6 each year) from the Elective Programme. They also study either Japanese or German.
Core Subjects
- Christian Studies
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Studies of the Society and the Environment
- Japanese/German
- Physical Education/Sport
Year 9
In Year 9, students move towards having one teacher for each of their core subjects (Mathematics, Science, English and SOSE), which is similar to the structure in the Senior School. Additionally, they choose 3 subjects each semester (6 each year) from the Elective Programme. They also study either Japanese or German as one of their electives should they want to carry on with their language studies.
Core Subjects
- Christian Studies
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Studies of the Society and the Environment
- Physical Education/Sport
Middle School Elective Programme
One of the most distinctive aspects of the St Andrews Middle School curriculum is the Electives Program. While all students study a core program which consists of English, Mathematics, Science, SOSE, LOTE, PE and Christian Studies, they are also able to opt for a large range of electives in other key learning areas over the three years of Middle School.
The Elective Programme allows students an opportunity to get a taste of the subjects they may be interested in studying in the Senior School. It also allows them to try out some subjects they may not have studied previously. As they progress to advanced levels, students are able to specialise more, gaining the essential prerequisites for their Senior School subjects. The programme also offers talented and gifted students many opportunities to engage in a much higher level of tuition than a more traditional curriculum structure allows.
The electives cover a wide range of key learning areas including:
- Science (including sport science, Mythbusters, biotechnology, It’s Electric)
- Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) (electives include animation, web publication and movie making)
- The Performing Arts (including dance, drama and music)
- The Visual Arts (including painting, sculpture, photography and ceramics)
- Business (including running a business and financial literacy)
- Design Technology (including electives in electronics/robotics, graphic design, and workshop skills)
- LOTE (choice of German or Japanese)
- Health & Physical Education (including touch excellence, sport science and health electives)
- Home Economics (cooking, nutrition and textile options)
- Gifted & Talented (including the opportunity for individual project work in an area of individual student interest)
- Learning support (for profiled students with specific learning or behavioural needs)
The richness of the Middle School Elective Programme is particularly valuable for a number of reasons, as it:
- Allows for extension, excellence and enrichment of gifted students
- Allows students to have a greater choice and variety in subject selection which helps to motivate students
- Encourages a progressive development of skills across key learning areas
- Takes into account student interest, another important factor in enhancing student engagement with learning
- Encourages students to develop their passions and expertise in particular subjects, while at the same time allowing them to take calculated risks, explore and try subjects they may not have tried previously.
Middle School Electives Booklet for download