Lakes Grammar middle school prospectus

Middle School

PURPOSE VALUES

To educate and enable young people to flourish and achieve their aspirations for life.

Faith Courage Wisdom

Compassion Justice Integrity

WELCOME

Lakes Grammar middle school is specifically designed to provide students from Years 5-8 with the learning experiences and wellbeing supports that are vital and unique to this stage in their lives and their growth.

Our middle school staff work with innovation and collaboration to provide an environment that enables our students to flourish and an environment where students are challenged and encouraged to realise their full potential both in and out of the classroom.

The ‘STRIVE’ program across Years 5-8 provides comprehensive academic, beyond the curriculum and wellbeing programs where students have the opportunities to be creative, connected and character focused. The middle school environment experiences are deliberately designed to enable and support their academic and personal growth in a safe and supportive environment where students can flourish. Students in Years 5-6 (endeavour program) will have the opportunity to continue to master content specific skills in core subjects, alongside access to specialist teachers and rooms for subjects such as technology, science and music. Students in Years 7-8 (prosper program) can explore their passions, take on leadership roles and move seamlessly to thrive in their final years of study. These early adolescent years are exciting, but also challenging for students and we work alongside our students and families to navigate them confidently.

We warmly encourage you to visit Lakes Grammar to experience the opportunities that await your child.

As head of Lakes Grammar middle school, it is a pleasure to welcome you to our wonderful school. Here at Lakes Grammar we have a dedicated team of educators who are committed to providing our middle school students with a rigorous and engaging learning experience.

Our middle school is a place where students are encouraged to explore new interests, develop their talents, and grow into responsible young adults. With a comprehensive curriculum that includes a wide range of academic subjects, elective courses, and cocurricular activities, our students are given the opportunity to discover their passions and pursue their goals with determination and perseverance.

Head of Middle School

As a middle school, we recognise that this is a unique and important time in your child’s life. We pride ourselves on creating a safe and supportive learning environment where every student can endeavour and prosper. Our faculty and staff work tirelessly to help students achieve their full capacity by providing personalised attention, academic support, and mentorship. We work closely with families to ensure that every child has the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Whether you are a new student or a returning one, we are excited to have you join our community of learners at Lakes Grammar middle school. We are proud of our students and their commitment to excellence, and we look forward to helping your child strive for success in all aspects of their lives.

Mrs Deborah Clancy Principal

Ms Cynthia Jobe-Parker

ENDEAVOUR PROGRAM

Years 5 and 6

The endeavour program seeks to create independent learners, self-managers, leaders of self and others. The program is designed to foster students’ skills, confidence and growth.

To assist students in reaching their full academic potential and transition from junior school to middle school, students have a homeroom teacher; their primary subject teacher. In addition to a homeroom teacher, students have a specialist teacher or teacher mentor for mathematics, science and technology, modern language: Chinese and creative arts. Students will spend time in our specialist facilities and studios for science, music, visual arts, drama and technology.

An essential part of the endeavour program is the independent learning class, where the teacher acts as a learning coach. The focus of this class is on students working on a major project where they are taught explicitly the key learning dispositions and skills to improve their learning power. Students are taught skills to become resourceful, resilient, reflective and collaborative learners.

Students in the endeavour program are introduced to and assisted in setting personal and academic goals in their eportfolios on Schoolbox.

Subjects taught:

• English

• Mathematics

• Global Citizenship (History, Geography, Christian Religious Education)

• Modern Language: Chinese

• Science and Technology

• Creative Arts

• Health and Movement Science

ENDEAVOUR CURRICULUM

ENGLISH

The English programs are designed to allow students to delve deep into how texts create meaning. Students study varied textual forms to understand how meaning is shaped, conveyed, and reflected. The program is designed to develop students’ oral language and communication skills, vocabulary, spelling, reading fluency and comprehension, digital transcription and handwriting so students can create sophisticated written texts.

MATHEMATICS

The mathematics program is designed to develop students’ confidence in working mathematically through developing their skills in number and algebra, measurement and space and statistics and probability. The program aims to develop students’ understanding of mathematical concepts through explicit instruction and student investigation and increase fluency.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: (CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY)

The global citizenship program incorporates Christian religious education, history and geography courses. This program enhances our students’ understanding of the world by developing their knowledge of the environment in which they live in, of the past and the Bible where they explore various topics, including Christian ethics and language, which provides opportunities for moral and spiritual development.

MODERN LANGUAGE: CHINESE

Learning a language opens our students’ minds and fosters our students’ intellectual and emotional development. We encourage our students to communicate and engage with their local global community through learning the Chinese language.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Through access to our specialised science and technology facilities, students will learn the skills and understand what it means to work scientifically. They will conduct scientific investigations and design and produce solutions by learning about the living world, material world, physical world, earth and space and digital technologies.

CREATIVE ARTS

Creative and performing arts in Years 5-6 is designed to inspire and enable understanding and accomplishment in the visual arts, music, drama, and dance. It offers students opportunities for personal expression, enjoyment, creative action, imagination, emotional response, and the creation of shared meanings. In the longer term, learning in the creative arts assists students in their lifelong learning and assists students to participate in and contribute to cultural life, to become informed consumers of the arts and culture, to empathise with others, and to consider a range of career paths.

PROSPER PROGRAM

Years 7 and 8

The prosper program aims to consolidate the skills, knowledge and understandings students gain in key subject areas before they transition into senior school at the end of Year 8. English and mathematics classes are graded based on students’ achievements from the previous year. Students move away from having a homeroom teacher to having specialist teachers for their subjects.

Students in Year 8 choose an elective to study from: drama, music, visual arts or Chinese. Classes for science, technology, music, visual arts and drama are small and are taught by specialist teachers and students have all classes in specialist rooms for these subjects. In Year 7, the technology program sees students further develop their coding skills and learn how to use 3D and 2D design software. In Year 8, students are introduced to engineering, agriculture, and food technology.

The independent learning class continues to be a key part of the middle school program. In this class, students will focus on producing a major project from a chosen key subject area. Students will continue to learn the skills to become confident, resilient, and self-directed learners, preparing them for the senior school’s intellectual and emotional demands.

The prosper program begins to teach students key study and organisation skills and increases the student’s responsibility to set academic and personal goals in their eportfolios on Schoolbox. Students are assisted in acting upon feedback to improve their knowledge, understanding and skills in all key learning areas.

SUBJECTS

CORE SUBJECTS (YEARS 7 AND 8)

• English

• Mathematics

• History

• Geography

• Science

• Health and Movement Science

• Technological and Applied Studies

• Music

• Art

• Chinese

ELECTIVES (YEAR 8)

• Music

• Drama

• Visual Arts

• Performing arts

• iSTEM

PROSPER PROGRAM

Years 7 and 8

ENGLISH

The English program is focused on students developing a love of language so they can understand and reflect upon how language creates meaning. The focus in Years 7 and 8 is on expanding the range and complexity of the texts which our students respond to and create. Students engage with literature from Australian and beyond, including the rich voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. A strong focus on creating and analysing imaginative and analytical texts builds a strong foundation to build upon in their senior years. Students gain confidence and expertise in the processes of writing through creating texts in written, spoken and multimodal forms.

MATHEMATICS

The prosper mathematics program objective is to provide challenge and promote mastery of the foundational mathematical concepts. Our mathematics program allows students to learn to work mathematically through learning how to use the following processes in an interconnected way: communicating, understanding fluency, reasoning and problem solving. The sophistication of working mathematically develops with each stage and our prosper program focuses our students on developing increasingly sophisticated thought processes that will assist them to solve complex problems in their senior years.

SCIENCE

Science in Years 7 and 8 continues the process of teaching students how to think and work scientifically. Students at Lakes identify questions and problems that they can test or research scientifically. They select and use appropriate strategies and technologies, understanding and skills to generate creative plausible solutions to identified problems. Individually and collaboratively they plan and conduct a range of first-hand investigations, including fieldwork both on and off-campus where they analyse the interactions between the living and non-living world.

HISTORY

The prosper program sees history students focus on exploring how historians investigate the past through historical inquiry. They learn about the roles of historians and archaeologists and how they document the past. In Year 7, students use this knowledge to investigate the nature of ancient Australia. In Year 8, they explore the key features and characteristics of chosen societies and their way of life. A key part of the program is that students complete a major historical investigation task each year, putting their learning powered capacities into practice. These major projects are presented each year to our community at ‘The Night at the Museum’.

GEOGRAPHY

Within the prosper program, students study liveable places. They consider landscapes and landforms, including various local and international landscapes, investigate the nature of water scarcity, and assess ways of overcoming it. The program asks students to explore the effects of human activities, such as production, recreation and travel, on places and environments. Students then investigate sustainability initiatives and possible futures for these places. An important part of the program is fieldwork, where students can experience the concepts studied first-hand.

PROSPER PROGRAM

Years 7 and 8

HEALTH AND MOVEMENT SCIENCE

The prosper program sees students investigate health practices, behaviours and resources and propose actions to promote health, safety and wellbeing for themselves and others. They transfer and adapt solutions to complex movement challenges by performing specialised movement skills and selecting, applying and combining movement concepts. Students investigate and create plans to achieve movement and fitness outcomes.

TECHNOLOGICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES

The technology program in Years 7 and 8 is rich and complex, providing students with opportunities to develop creative solutions to identified problems and situations. In Year 7, students investigate material technologies focusing on textiles and learn about digital technologies. They develop code to build and test sport trackers, control robots, and work collaboratively using 3D printers and laser technology to design and build their own board game. In Year 8, students investigate engineering technology through the design and testing of CO₂ race cars and test aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. In agriculture and food technology, students learn about and actively participate in food production.

CREATIVE ARTS: MUSIC, ART AND DRAMA

The creative arts program reflects the development in technology in the creative arts space, including a stronger connection to cultural perspectives and authentic learning experiences with real world application. The program paves the way for students to experience a rich, differentiated learning experience, where our creative and performing arts classrooms are safe, inclusive and active learning environments. Our music, visual arts and drama students will develop their creativity and their creative potential.

MODERN LANGUAGE: CHINESE

Learning Chinese provides our middle school students with an opportunity to communicate and engage with the world and its people. Students learn Chinese by developing and applying their knowledge of the language and culture. They engage with the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world and develop respect, openness and empathy.

LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES AND SHARED LEARNING SPACES

LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

Technology is present at all levels of learning at Lakes Grammar. It is used to support access to the curriculum. It allows students to track their academic progress and it is also used to assist students to record their goals and achievements through Schoolbox.

Students bring their own device to school and we are committed to allowing students to use their computers in our classrooms. We are also steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that our online learning is used in a way that enhances their learning. Your child will be engaged in blended learning – an embedded and wellestablished teaching strategy here at Lakes Grammar. As a future focused school, we ensure our eLearning environment is relevant to the learning and curriculum within each classroom.

MANAGED DEVICE PROGRAM

When our students transition into the middle school they transition to a self-managed program. This instils in our students – choice and flexibility, personal responsibility and helps to personalise their learning. Our IT department will assist our students, however, your child will take full responsibility for their device ensuring it is appropriate for their course of study and is ready, fully operational and charged in time for class every day.

SHARED LEARNING SPACE

Our middle school students will have access to our shared learning space which is situated in the upper campus. This space houses our senior study area and library, and is a hive of activity at lunch where students often collaborate to complete assignments or to play interactive games.

After school the space is used to house our after-school study hall. Study hall is available to our students Monday-Thursday from 3.30-5pm. It is a time students can use to complete homework, assessments or to study. Each afternoon a specialised teacher is available from a nominated key learning area to supervise and assist students.

ACADEMIC CARE

The academic care program in an inclusive and diverse program which focuses on nurturing and developing our students’ character strengths and is shaped by our spiritual care and wellbeing framework. Our students in middle school develop age-appropriate values, beliefs and ethics informed by the Anglican approach to Christianity. We aim for students to flourish because of what we do, inspired by the way of Jesus.

Middle School students have a dedicated staff member as their Dean. They are responsible for the oversight of our students’ emotional and academic journey as they prepare for their transition into senior school.

A key feature of the academic care program is a dedicated academic care class in Years 5 and 6, which is year and college based. In Years 7 and 8, this class is college based. During these classes, students are immersed in our spiritual care model and Flourish@Lakes program. This program is based on the key principles of positive psychology with a focus on: positive relationships, positive emotions, positive health and positive connections.

Students will also learn about and hear from external speakers who are experts in the following areas:

• Respectful relationships

• Cybersafety

• Positive body image

• Anti-bullying

In both the endeavour and prosper program, students are given opportunities to serve and lead. Student school leaders are appointed in Year 8, along with college leaders. There are four colleges within the school:

• Lightfoot

• Ridley

• Tyrrell

• Cranmer

ACADEMIC DIVERSITY

Lakes Grammar is very proud to live and learn on Darkinjung land. As a school, we have strong links to our local Darkinjung local community. Our middle school is where our Aboriginal students are supported and encouraged to explore and express their culture. Our staff work with indigenous students and parents to support individual academic goals and overall wellbeing, and students are invited to join our cultural group, which meets regularly to celebrate and promote the Aboriginal culture.

We focus on fostering students’ strengths in an inclusive and supportive environment. We recognise that for students to achieve their very best, they may have different needs at different stages and may require enrichment or support.

This is where the academic diversity team comes into play. Students have access to outstanding staff who can support and adjust progress to suit a student’s physical, intellectual or wellbeing needs. The academic care team help unlock students’ strengths, pinpoint real talent, and offer support to ensure students personally thrive to ensure their pathway to the senior school is a positive and rewarding experience.

In the middle school program, your child will:

• Have access to small learning enhancement classes in English and mathematics if identified as needing support

• Have access to 1:1 assessment support classes if identified as needing some assistance

• Be the focus of discussion between educators and parents to ensure we are all working together to support and enrich identified students

• If identified as a gifted and talented learner, have access to extension and acceleration in key subjects and a learning mentor in the director of academic excellence.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

For a child to flourish they must be given opportunities to be themselves, to express themselves and feel unique. A dedicated comprehensive badge and achievement program allows students to set their own goals and turn these into achievements on their eportfolios on Schoolbox. Consistent involvement and commitment in the following areas sees students presented with bronze (1 year), silver (3 years) or gold (5 years) badges.

Students can choose to set goals and complete activities in the following areas:

• Academic acknowledgement

• Academic pride

• Academic connections

• Newcastle Anglican

• Service

• Leadership

• Cognito

• Sport

• S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)

• C.A.P.A (Creative and Preforming Arts)

COGNITO

Our Cognito program offers a rich and wide variety of cocurricular activities. It is designed to lead students into a land of learning, knowledge and challenge. Students are provided with a wide range of opportunities so they can explore an area of interest, apply their knowledge to real-world problems, to present to real-world audiences and to challenge themselves and learn new things.

Cognito activities may include:

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS

• School art exhibition

• Art club

• Choir

• Contemporary ensemble

• Drama club

• Drum ensemble

• Guitar ensemble

• Rock band

• Stage band

• Cognito reading challenge

• Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition

Enrichment Day and LGS Poetry Competition

• English Honours award

• Future Leaders writers competition

• HICES debating

• Kids’ Lit quiz

• Lakes illustration prize

• LGS spelling bee

• NAIDOC week activities

• Premier’s Reading Challenge

• Write a Book in a Day (WABIAD)

• Questions writing prize

• Reading challenge

• The Schools Reconciliation Challenge

HISTORY

• Australian History Competition

• The National History Challenge

HSIE

• The Australian Geography competition

• Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA)

• da Vinci Decathlon

MATHEMATICS

• HICES maths tournament

• Colin Doyle Memorial Prize

• Maths Olympiad

• The Sydney Academy of Chess

SCIENCE

• Australian brain bee challenge

• Build me a future

• Crystal growing competition

• Sleek geeks science Eureka prize

• RACI Australian national chemistry quiz

• Science and engineering challenge

SPORT

• Kickfit program

TECHNOLOGICAL & APPLIED STUDIES

• Aurecon bridge building competition

• NRMA future of transport challenge

• Textiles club

STUDENT-LED CLUBS

• Cognito book club

• Dungeons and dagons

• Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) Team

• Student Representative Council (SRC)

SPORT

Sport and physical activity are essential parts of the middle school program. Our students achievements and commitment to sport are celebrated each year at our dedicated sports awards ceremony.

Physical activity is vital for our students’ wellbeing, so every child is issued with a Fitness Passport on their eportfolios on Schoolbox where they will set personal physical activity goals and record their progress towards these goals.

In Years 5-8, students can participate in three sports carnivals – swimming, athletics and cross country. Students who are successful at these carnivals may be invited to attend the Hunter Regional Independent Schools (HRIS) carnivals, and success at these carnivals can see students selected to participate at the Australian Independent Coeducational Schools (AICES) and/or Combined Independent Schools (CIS) carnivals. At Lakes we have a broad range of sports which students can be involved in and represent the school for:

• Athletics

• Basketball

• Cricket

• Cross Country

• Equestrian

• Futsal

• Football (Soccer)

• Golf

• Hockey

• Netball

• OZ Tag

• Rugby

• Softball

• Surfing

• Swimming

• Tennis

• Touch Football

• Volleyball

Students in both the endeavour and prosper programs participate in weekly sports. This program is run by on-campus staff or external coaches who assist students in refining or learning new skills.

The Talented Athlete Program is also available to identified athletes. The program aims to develop our young athletes’ talents and skills. The program is by application, and if accepted, students have access to a sports nutritionist, physiotherapist and personal/fitness trainers over four terms per year.

The program includes the following sessions:

• Goal setting

• Fitness testing

• Sports nutrition

• Fitness training

• Injury prevention

• Team building

OUTDOOR EDUCATION & EXPERIENCES

At Lakes Grammar, we believe learning should not just be confined to the classroom. The middle school outdoor/experiences education program is designed to allow students to explore and develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to understand and identify with their surrounding environment and culture.

The five dimensions of outdoor learning include:

• Skills and knowledge

• Human – nature relationships

• Conservation and sustainability

• Health and wellbeing

• Civics and citizenship

YEAR 8

THE TOPS: STANWELL TOPS

• Experiential Learning

• Building self-confidence

• Team building

• Physical and personal challenge

YEAR 7

BROKEN BAY

• Team building

• Physical and personal challenge

• Environmental education

• Building personal relationships

YEAR 6 CANBERRA

• Global citizenship journey

• Developing understanding of civics

• Exploration of culture

• STEM

YEAR 5

MILSON ISLAND

• Global citizenship journey

• Exploration of culture

• Conservation and sustainabilty

• Creating stronger peer relationships

STRONG SCHOOL/PARENT PARTNERSHIP – SCHOOLBOX

For students to flourish there must be a strong partnership between parents/carers, the school and students. In the middle school our learning management system is Schoolbox. This is a place where we partner with our parents to assist our students to strive and flourish.

For students Schoolbox is a place where they can:

• Access their classwork

• View their timetable, assessments and school calendar

• View their assessment results and task feedback

• Track their progress

• Set goals and track achievements on their eportfolios

• Share learning moments and task achievements with their parents/carers.

For parents Schoolbox is a place where you can:

• View your child’s timetable

• View the school calendar

• Keep up with school news and events

• View your child’s assessment results

• Track your child’s progress and achievement against their peers in all subjects

• View your child’s goals and achievements.

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIPLOMA

Micro-Credentials

Micro-credentials are an important part of our evolving world. Micro-credentials allow our students to focus on demonstrating key character strengths which they can use to boost and improve their post school choices and opportunities in the senior school. Our middle school diploma focuses on three main areas:

• Cognito: Student involvement in the wider school community

• Connections: Student leadership and service skills to the school and wider community

• Challenge: Student achievement of personal goals.

Students earn points for their involvement in the three nominated areas from Years 5-8, which culminates in students receiving a:

• Gold Diploma (300 points)

• Silver Diploma (200 points)

• Bronze Diploma (100 points)

CONNECTIONS