Middle School News
It was a pleasure to finish Term 1 with our Middle School and whole School Assemblies to congratulate students achieving the PRIDE Awards, School Value Awards and High Achiever Awards.
Our school values, (PRIDE - P = Positive Relationships, R = Respect, I = Integrity, D = Dedication, E = Excellence), set out our expectations of all members in this school community, including the principal, all school staff, parents/guardians, students and visitors. It respects the diversity of individuals in our school community and addresses the shared responsibilities of all members in building a safe and respectful school community. Students displaying these values will continue to be recognised and awarded with an individual Value Award presented at the end of term assembly and/or with our school PRIDE point system.
Middle School Value Award Winners
Year 8 |
|
Positive Relationships |
Jayana Dos Santos |
Respect |
Joseph Futterleib |
Integrity |
Adawynn Hughes |
Dedication |
Emily Newton |
Excellence |
Elleanore Bowden |
Year 9 |
|
Positive Relationships |
Josh Michael |
Respect |
Samuel Wakefield |
Integrity |
Baylee Jones |
Dedication |
Sarah Davies |
Excellence |
Bligh Wilson |
PRIDE Certificates
Year 8 |
|
Bronze Certificate |
8PIP1 Coline BANAS Pepper BATTEN Sikachra EYRE Jack FAGAN Joseph FUTTERLEIB Riley MATTNER Charlotte MOORE Emily NEWTON Ebony REYNOLDS Lachlan RICKARD Dakota SOLBERG-STANFIELD Chloe WATLEN Zeanna WATLEN Tanner WRIGHT
8TTS4 Maylea CARPENTER Jesse HUMPHRYS Josh MAY Tess RANA
8BRC1 Brandon AMOR Kristy BAKER Elleanore BOWDEN Shylah DARBY Jayana DOS SANTOS Bella GRIFFITHS Nakita HENSTRIDGE-HEDAUX Adawynn HUGHES Sebastien HUGHES Connor MASON Molly MCARDLE Denise NELLAS Jorja PAGE Jack PIKE Jorja SCHUTT Zaria SPYRO-TOYE Jay SULLIVAN Krystal TAIT Lily TILLER Shae WOOD Flynn YOUNG Rihanna ZANKER |
Silver Certificate |
8PIP1 Ebony REYNOLDS Chloe WATLEN
8BRC1 Elleanore BOWDEN Shylah DARBY Adawynn HUGHES Sebastien HUGHES Connor MASON Molly MCARDLE Denise NELLAS Jorja SCHUTT Lily TILLER |
Year 9 |
|
Bronze Certificate |
9SST1 Lara DUNSTALL Darcy HARBROW Cheyanne HORNBY Madison LITZOW Brooke MCARDLE Asha MEAD Janna MOJARES Irish PAGADUT Zen TAYLOR Jack TILLER Danwel URMENITA Taylah WEST Jason WILKEY
9UPA1 Sarah DAVIES Emma HAMDORF Ryan MARCH Chelsea MASON Samuel WAKEFIELD Bligh WILSON Henry WOIDT
9JIP4 Trae BARTER Emily CURNOW Alex EVANS Abbey FAGAN Rachel FELTHAM Daniel HIDDEN Dahli JACOBSON Samantha LOCKWOOD Jackson MCARDLE Joshua MICHAEL Natthen OLIVER Hamish PIKE Jai THOMPSON Dylan WILLIAMS |
Silver Certificate |
9SST1 Darcy HARBROW Madison LITZOW Brooke MCARDLE Irish PAGADUT Zen TAYLOR
9JIP4 Abbey FAGAN Rachel FELTHAM Dahli JACOBSON Samantha LOCKWOOD Joshua MICHAEL Dylan WILLIAMS |
Certificates of Achievement are presented to students to acknowledge their academic success at the end of each term. Middle School students who received the High Achiever Certificates to acknowledge excellence in their overall performance for the Term 1 reporting period were;
Year 8 |
|
High Achievers |
Maylea Carpenter Joseph Futterleib Tess Rana |
Year 9 |
|
High Achievers |
Emily Curnow Sarah Davies Abbey Fagan Rachel Feltham Dahli Jacobson Madison Litzow Samantha Lockwood Lucy May Brooke McArdle Janna Mojares Irish Pagadut Taylah West Bligh Wilson |
Next term, students will again be awarded as High Achievers and can also be awarded with Improver Certificates, which are awarded to students to acknowledge a significant improvement from the previous reporting period.
Introducing our new Middle School and Year 10 Structure in 2022
For many years, research has shown that during the early years of secondary school, students make the least progress and have the highest level of disengagement towards their schooling. With our Year 7s starting in 2022, we thought this was an ideal time to reflect on our current Middle School structure, seeking out our strengths and looking for areas of opportunities that will lead to improvements for student learning and engagement.
In 2020 our leadership and staff team reviewed the latest research on Teaching Middle Years, focussing our attention on the adolescent years of schooling. Pendergast (2005) states that recent studies have highlighted the importance of encouraging and sustaining young people’s effective engagement with learning, particularly during the ‘middle years of schooling’. Relevant research indicates that insightful and thoughtfully applied educational practices in ‘middle years’, can significantly affect the development of the habit of lifelong learning. The SACE Board is also examining how to help students thrive in life beyond school through educational change and student transformation (see in link below).
https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/thrive/downloads/SACE_Board_Strategic_Plan_2020-2023.pdf
To hear from all stakeholders, we held wide consultation processes over the year with staff, parents/guardians, feeder schools and the wider school community. Through listening to all stakeholders, acting upon suggestions and acquiring knowledge from the latest research; together we created a Middle School structure at Balaklava High School that will continue to support our school vision, SACE strategic plan and school motto.
School Vision
Through the highest quality teaching and in a caring learning environment, students are inspired and supported to achieve their best so they can thrive in their life beyond school.
Motto
Excel today to challenge the future.
We are extremely excited to begin our new Middle School Structure in 2022 and know we have a strong foundation to continue to inspire and support our students to thrive.
Year 7 & 8
#lessons/week |
Semester One |
Semester Two |
7 |
Local and Global Perspectives (English & HASS) |
Local and Global Perspectives (English & HASS) |
4 |
Maths |
Maths |
4 |
Science |
Science |
3 |
Health & PE\SHine |
Health & PE |
3 |
Food & Fibre - Ag |
Food & Fibre - Home Ec. |
3 |
Digital Tech |
Tech Studies |
3 |
Performing Arts |
Visual Arts |
2 |
French |
French |
1 |
Pastoral Care\Child Protection Curriculum |
Pastoral Care\ Child Protection Curriculum |
HGP teacher for 2 subjects
Teacher 2 – 2 subjects
Teacher 3 – 2 subjects
Teacher 4 – 1 subject
Year 9
#lessons/week |
Semester One |
Semester Two |
4 |
English |
English |
Only for 2022 and in 2023 it will become Local and Global Perspectives |
||
4 |
HASS |
HASS |
4 |
Maths |
Maths |
4 |
Science |
Science |
3 |
Health & PE\SHine |
Health & PE |
3 |
Studio (SACE credits) |
Studio (SACE credits) |
3 |
Choice |
Choice |
3 |
Choice |
Choice |
2 |
Pastoral Care\ Child Protection Curriculum |
Pastoral Care\ Child Protection Curriculum |
YEAR 10
#lessons/week |
Semester One |
Semester Two |
4 |
English |
English |
4 |
HASS |
HASS |
4 |
Maths |
Maths |
4 |
Science |
Science |
3 |
Health & PE\Shine |
Choice |
3 |
Studio (SACE credits) |
Studio (SACE credits) |
3 |
PLP |
Choice |
3 |
Choice |
Choice |
2 |
Workplace Practices\ Child Protection Curriculum |
Research Practices\PLP catch up. |
Some of the changes include:
1. Integrated subjects – Local & Global Perspectives, Food and Fibre
Performing Arts at BHS is a perfect example of how well subjects can be integrated into one subject. Middle Years experts are close to unanimous in their support for middle years curriculum designs that move beyond the single-subject approach. In particular curriculum integration has been repeatedly recommended as especially suited to the middle years. Curriculum integration has appeal in the middle years because it holds potential for students to gain a holistic or big picture view of topics under investigation, so it harmonises with real life and avoids artificial divisions between subjects (Beane, 1990, 1997)
Local and Global Perspectives: Through an interdisciplinary approach Local and Global Perspectives enhances the study of English, History, Geography, Business and Economics and Civics and Citizenship all underpinned by a strong focus on literacy. Students will have the unique opportunity to undertake tasks that combine content, skills and perspectives from a range of these areas of study. These integrated tasks will be undertaken alongside traditional subject specific tasks and skill building activities. This dynamic approach will build our students’ ability to successfully transfer skills from one subject to another, which according to the SACE Board of South Australia, is a key element to a thriving secondary learner. For instance, the ability to express an opinion in a structured and persuasive manner, is important not only in a range of subjects at school but is also a fundamental skill in advocating for one’s rights and being an active citizen of an ever changing local and global community.
Through Local and Global Perspectives students will gain an awareness of their place in an interconnected world, drawing upon the lessons of the past while building student confidence to tackle the challenges of the present and future. Students will gain an awareness of self as a member of interconnected and overlapping communities and how this influences responses to local and global issues.
Food and Fibre: In Balaklava High’s Middle School Food and Fibre subject, the combination of Agriculture and Home Economics gives opportunity to strengthen students’ knowledge and understanding of the processes involved in the whole production chain of food and fibre. Students will build strong practical connections between paddock to plate as well as understand the properties of materials through a farm to fabrics learning approach with a focus on local industries including poultry, sheep, horticulture, pigs and dairy.
2. Studio (SACE credits)
Students in Year 9 and 10 will choose from a number of different studios offered each year, where they will have the opportunity (in blocks of 3 lessons/per week) to develop the knowledge and skills needed to think critically and creatively to thrive in their life now and beyond school. Areas of learning will extend beyond the content delivered from the Australian Curriculum.
Elements of a thriving learner include;
- Lifelong learning
- Deep understanding and skilful action
- Ability to transfer learning
- Agency
- Human connectedness
- Belonging
(For further information on each element visit https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/thrive/)
3. Choice subjects from Year 9
Students in Years 8 and 9 at BHS currently study a set selection of subjects with no individual choice. In this new structure, they will now be given the opportunity to choose subjects that they would like to study in more depth in Year 9.
If you have any questions about the following structure, please feel free to contact Sonia, Carena or myself.
Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au
Michelle.Pudney209@schools.sa.edu.au
Carena.Brookes219@schools.sa.edu.au
Michelle Pudney
Middle School Assistant Principal