MEN TONE GIRLS’ GRAMMAR
YEAR 9 CURRICULUM HANDBOOK 2025
We l c ome t o Ye a r 9
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome both students of Year 9 and their families to Mentone Girls’ Grammar for 2025. Our mission is to prepare students to aspire to excellence, to make a difference and as global citizens to rise boldly to the opportunities of their times. The School strives to be a leading, contemporary Australian school specialising in girls’ education.
Year 9 is also characterised by a wide range of exciting co-curricular and community service activities ranging from GSV Sport, House, Social Service and Performing Arts. All of these opportunities are aimed at providing students with the necessary skills and experiences to actively engage in their community as confident, independent young women ready to do their personal best as they rise to meet their challenges in the future.
All students in Year 9 will be undertaking their academic program within the F-10 Victorian Curriculum framework of essential learning.
The Year 9 program also involves a cross-disciplinary, inquiry-based program in which students undertake a range of term-based studies. This program is designed to expose students to a broad range of academic areas, to stimulate their interests, build their knowledge and broaden their skills before they make important decisions in the coming years about their VCE studies and future tertiary pathways.
Of course, a highlight of the Year 9 program is the cultural immersion, leadership and service-learning program which is encapsulated with an 11-day camp in Central Australia.
The students have access to the School’s impressive and contemporary learning environment, the Global Learning Centre (GLC). Students can undertake their academic program while accessing the world though their devices and working closely with dedicated, expert staff.
Your daughter will be well supported in her learning journey by her Tutor and her Head of Year. They carefully monitor every girl’s progress and work closely with parents to address any issues effectively and efficiently, always w ith the wellbeing of the student as their main concern.
We look forward to welcoming your daughter to Year 9 as she continues her educational journey at Mentone Girls’ Grammar.
Ms Lisa Hanlon Head of Teaching and Learning
Ye a r 9
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L e a r n i n g Co n t i n u um
Year 9 students are at a stage that is characterised by students broadening their horizons, focusing more clearly on particular areas of interest and giving some thought to their pathways after leaving school. During this year, students explore their interests and broaden their horizons. Students explore new ideas in depth, commonly in co-operation with their peers,in an environment where they are encouraged to take intellectual risks.
Student Expectations
Students at Year 9 are expected to work diligently, treat their fellow students and teachers with respect and be active and engaged members of the Mentone Girls’ Grammar community. This entails:
•Complete and submit assessments on their due date.
•Complete homework when required.
•Be actively engaged in the learning and seek assistance when required.
•Adhere to the uniform policy and wear the uniform with pride.
•Attend school punctually and inform the school in cases of lateness or absenteeism.
•Sign in at Student Services when arriving late or leaving early.
•Contact teachers when absent and organise to re-sit any missed class work or assessment tasks.
• Read feedback provided by teachers and seek clarification when required.
• Adhere to the School's eSmart policy and be responsible users of technology.
• Be organised - prepare for your class by undertaking due work, bring correct textbooks and other resources to class, ensuring that your laptop is charged overnight.
• Adhere to the correct uniform for PE classes.
• For any concerns, please see your Tutor or Head of Year.
Year 9 Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Structure
The Year 9 curriculum is based on the learning standards and content framework of F-10 Victorian Curriculum.
The Year 9 curriculum information is presented as Content Statements and Achievement Standards for each subject. The Content Structure statements identify the types of learning experiences that will assist the students in acquiring the required knowledge and skills as well as the relevant content that needs to be studied. The Standards identify the levels of performance with respect to what students should know and be able to do.
Year 9 students respond to a curriculum that has links with, and has meaning for, their lives. They relate to projects that are relevant to lifestyle or career goals. They also relate to projects that are learner directed. Students therefore, need a curriculum program that will prepare them for success in a world which is complex, rapidly changing, rich in information and communications technology, demanding high-order knowledge and understanding and is increasingly global in its outlook and infuences.
Core Subjects
Year 9 students undertake core subjects and they are strongly encouraged to undertake at least one language other than English. Core subjects are listed below and more detail can be found on subsequent pages.
•English/EAL
•Health and Physical Education
•Humanities
•Mathematics – Advanced/Mainstream
•Science
Spark Subjects
Students will undertake a range of term-based subjects, all of which have been designed to integrate relevant aspects of international awareness to ensure that they gain a greater connection and awareness of current global issues and challenges. These subjects provide opportunities to explore ideas in depth as well as engage in teamwork, creativity, planning and responsibility.
The subjects listed below provide an innovative range of creative experiences which will contribute to your daughter’s growth as a global citizen.
• Creative Arts
• Performing Arts
• Money Matters
• Food & Nutrition OR Languages
• AI and Automation
• Environmental Exploration
• Engineering Design
• Discovering Politics
• Mind Matters
The Importance of Languages
In Year 9, students may choose to continue with their language study.
strong cognitive skills, such as a better concept formation, mental flexibility, multitasking, and listening skills.
Year 9 Curriculum Overview
Academic Enrichment and Coaching Programs
Academicenrichmentandcoachingareanimportantpart of the Senior School co-curricular academic offerings
These sessions take place either outside of school hours or during lunchtimes and General Periods.
Our Head of Coaching and Enrichment programs and our Head of Library offer a range of additional support programs and Gifted andTalented programs including:
Maths Club
This club runs after school by our Senior School Mathematics staff and is available to any student who requires further assistance with classwork or homework. It is an invaluable opportunity for students to strengthen their numeracy skills.
DaVinci Decathlon
This is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.
Public Speaking and Debating
Our School is a member of Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) and our students regularly compete in competitions against other member schools. Students are provided with debating and public speaking tuition.
The Ethics Olympiad
The Ethics Olympiad provides schools with an unique opportunity to develop skills in critical thinking, collaboration and communication. The students (Eth-letes) are trained by a coach (usually a teacher at their school) in order to prepare for an Olympiad. Age-appropriate and objective ethical cases are released each year and are provided to participating schools well before the event. During an Ethics Olympiad teams engage with each other and teams from other schools on the relevant cases via Zoom.They work as a team to respond to questions while building and critiquing their own and others arguments.They engage with teams from other schools nearby, in other parts of the country and overseas.
Literary Magazine
Students are invited to contribute to our schools’ literary magazine, publishing their own works to the broader community.
Student RunTrivia
Our School leaders run trivia session to encourage collaboration across year levels and promote a love of learning.
Workshops
The Library runs regular workshops of interest to the students on matters such as fashion, illustrations, manga and comics.
Author Sessions
Students are invited to listen to visiting authors discuss their craft.
Career Planning at Year 9
At Mentone Girls’ Grammar career education takes account of the changing nature of the employment market,thefrequenttransitionsyoungpeoplemaketoday and the emphasis on developing transferable enterprise skills. Students develop the essential career development competencies in decision making, self-awareness, career management, career research skills and effective career planning.
During their post-secondary years, our students will be requiredtomarketthemselveseffectivelyandself-manage their own careers The approach to career development
implemented a comprehensive range of programs and eventstoenhancethecareerdevelopmentofitsstudents.
Role of Parents
Parents are encouraged to communicate openly with their daughters about their interests, abilities, and needs, their identity and career goals. Parents are welcome to make an appointment at any time with the Head of Careers & Senior Enterprise They are also invited to participate in subject information nights on the School calendar. Students and parents are encouraged to visit the Careers page on mConnect where the fortnightly Careers Newsletter can be found.
Careers and Careers Counselling
The Head of VCE & Future Pathways is available to all students and appointments are frequently made with parents or families to discuss career options, subject choices, tertiary course selection and pathways. Careers classes run in Semester 2 of Year 9 and Semester 1 of Year 10. As part of the Careers Education Program, students:
• Complete career interest measures.
• Learn how to use valuable careers research tools.
• Explore a range of careers and industries.
•Undertake self-awareness activities.
•Are counselled when choosing subjects for theirVCEprogram.
•Learn how to write a resume,prepare a cover letter and develop job applications skills.
•Research tertiary entrance requirements andapplication procedures.
Subject Descriptions –Core Subjects
Content Structure
The Year 9 English course provides students with a broad range of learning experiences designed to encourage them to become more confident, thoughtful, discriminating, and imaginative communicators as readers, viewers, writers, speakers, and listeners in both formal and informal situations. Students are encouraged to recognise and value the diversity of social and cultural backgrounds and opinions in our community, and to enhance their self-esteem through confident use of the English language in a variety of contexts, for different purposes, and audiences.
The course aims to develop students’ critical understandingandcontroloftheEnglishlanguagethrough the development of specific skills required for clear communication. It provides opportunities for creative self-expression through speaking and listening in a variety of contexts, creative and formal writing, analysis of issues, and analytical and persuasive essays. Students will develop skills in all fundamental areas of English expression.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative, and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, discussions, literary analyses, transformations of texts and reviews. They will consolidate their understanding of how to write text and responses, as well as analysing the choices made in adapting texts to different forms, such as a film version of a play. The course also aims to extend, challenge, and enrich student learning by fostering independent and confident writers.
Achievement Standards
The course draws on the key modes of the Victorian Curriculum, which are:
Reading and Viewing
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Assessment Methods
Students will be assessed in receptive modes (listening, reading, and viewing) and productive modes (speaking, writing, and creating). These include vocabulary tests; formal essays; creative responses; an introduction to comparative analysis; oral presentations; and multi-modal presentations. Criteria sheets are used, and students will be given comments for each assessment task.
Subject Descriptions –Core Subjects
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Content Structure
and apply strategies for maintaining a positive outlook and evaluating behavioural expectations in different leisure, social, movement and online situations. Students learn to apply health and physical activity information to devise and implement personalised plans for maintaining healthy and active habits. They also experience different roles that contribute to successful participation in physical activity, and propose strategies to support the development of preventive health practices that build and optimise community health and wellbeing.
The Health and Physical Education curriculum is organised by two strands and three sub-strands:
Personal, Social and Community Health:
• Being healthy, safe and active
• Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing
• Contributing to healthy and active communities
Movement and Physical Activity:
• Moving the body
• Understanding movement
• Learning through movement
Students will:
• Research and critique health information
• Develop and evaluate strategies to enhance health, safety and wellbeing
• Plan and investigate actions that promote health
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• Transfer understanding of movement concepts and strategies to create solutions to challenges
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Assessment Methods
Physical Education: Assessment methods include teacher observation of student performance in skill practises and games, objective measures of skill and
Health: Students are assessed through group assignments,
Subject Descriptions –Core Subjects
HUMANITIES:
Content Structure
Geography
History
Economics
Civics and Citizenship
Achievement Standards
This course is aimed at providing students with knowledge and understanding of Economics and Business, Geography and History, and Civic and Citizenship at Year 9 standard according to the Victorian Curriculum F-10 Students describe how resources are allocated and distributed in the Australian economy and the way economic performance is measured. They provide explanations for variations in economic performance and standards of living within and between economies.
Assessment Methods
Assessment methods include class activities, research projects, assignments, tests/examinations and oral presentations.
MATHEMATICS
Content Structure
Subject Descriptions –Core Subjects
Students will acquire mathematical skills and knowledge
everyday life. They will develop knowledge and skills in using Mathematics for further study, employment and interest. They will develop skills in interpreting and communicating quantitative and logical ideas in a clear and organised manner as well as learn to represent or model problems using the vocabulary and notation of Mathematics. Students will also expect an increase emphasis on exploration of mathematical concepts and use of technology, in particular, the CAS calculator.
Achievement Standards
Satisfactory completion of this subject aligns with attainment of the Standards contained in the Victorian Curriculum Mathematics at Level 9. Throughout Year 9, students study the three stands of the mathematics curriculum: Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.
Problem Solving and Reasoning to:
• Develop ways of presenting mathematical ideas.
• Choose correct ways to approximate and solve problems.
• Apply existing skills and ideas to new situations.
• Number and Algebra
• Indices
•
• Linear and quadratic algebra
• Linear and quadratic functions
• Financial mathematics
Measurement and Geometry
• Using units of measurement (length, area and volume)
• Pythagoras’ theorem
• Trigonometry
• Perimeter, Area and Volume
Statistics and Probability
• Types of variables
• Data representation and interpretation
• Measures of central tendency
• Measures of spread
• Probability of one and two step events
Integrated throughout the program are activities and support and develop the Victorian Curriculum capabilities, particularly Critical and Creative Thinking through investigations and problem solving experiences.
The appropriate use of ICT is supported through use of CAS calculators and computers.
Assessment Methods
This subject is assessed by topic tests, assignments, projects and problem solving reports, homework completion, and end of semester examinations.
Subject Descriptions –Core Subjects
SCIENCE
Content Structure
Science in Year 9 examines future global problems and students seek to provide possible solutions in a sustainable manner. Science is integrated with Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and endeavours to develop solutions to future food shortages, infectious disease prevention and increasing the effcacy of renewable energy.
Students will:
•Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically.
•Plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods, including fieldwork and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods.
•Select and use appropriate equipment, including digital technologies, to systematically and accurately collect and record data.
•Analyse patterns and trends in data, including describing relationships between variables and identifying inconsistencies.
• Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence.
•Evaluate conclusions, including identifying sources of uncertainty and possible alternative explanations, and describe specific ways to improve the quality of the data.
•Critically analyse the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems.
• Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations.
Achievement Standards
Science Understanding
This course is aimed at providing students with a knowledge and understanding of Science at a Year 9 level Standard according to the Victorian curriculum.
Assessment Methods
This subject is assessed in the following ways: practical activities, research assignments, classwork, unit tests and an end of semester examination.
S u b j e c t D
Languages
All languages must be taken for a year.
Content Structure
Students will compare aspects of life in France, Japan and China with those in multi-cultural Australia and other countries, as well as the impact of some of these aspects on the way people behave and use language. They will explore the extent and limitations of the language they have already acquired. They will develop strategies for maximising and extending their skills and their understanding of international culture. Students will have the opportunity to widen their interactions in order to exchange information and opinions on a variety of topics. They will be encouraged to employ strategies that ensure their language awareness, vocabulary and working knowledge of linguistic elements broadens.
Students will practise using French, Japanese and Chinese inanincreasingrangeofcontextsandbegintomanipulate the language to express their own personal meanings. They will use a range of strategies for varying and extending their communication. They will also consider audience, purpose and appropriate language for each communication task. Finally, class activities will include a wide range of listening,speaking,reading and writing tasks as well as tasks that integrate these macro skills with intercultural understandings and language awareness.
FRENCH
Achievement Standards
Communicating in French
The expected standards in this unit of work are related to theVictorian Curriculum F-10 for communicating in a language other than English,intercultural knowledge and language awareness.
JAPANESE
Achievement Standards
Communicating in Japanese
The expected standards in this unit of work are related to theVictorian Curriculum F-10 for communicating in a language other than English,intercultural knowledge and language awareness.
CHINESE
Achievement Standards
Communicating in Chinese
The expected standards in this unit of work are related to the Victorian Curriculum F-10 for communicating in a language other than English, intercultural knowledge and language awareness.
Assessment Methods
Students of French, Japanese and Chinese will be assessed by the teacher who will use summative and formative assessment procedures. These will be focused on Listening and Speaking skills, Reading and Writing skills and cultural knowledge.
Assessment procedures will include listening and reading comprehensions, grammar and vocabulary assessment tasks, conversations, role plays and oral tests, dictations, translations, written assignments and cultural projects.
S u b j e c t D e s c r i p t i o n s –
Spark Subjects
The Year 9 program involves a cross-disciplinary, inquiry-based program in which students undertake a range of term-based studies. This program of short courses is designed to stimulate the students’ curiosity, build their knowledge, and broaden their skills before they make important decisions in the coming years about their VCE studies and future tertiary pathways.
All students undertake the following Spark Subjects:
Creative Arts
Learn more about the world of art and design as you delve into your favourite art forms.
Performing Arts
Explore an area of performing arts of your choice –including dance, musical theatre, and acting.
Money Matters
Learn more about the world of commerce and complete a course of basic financial literacy to assist you in being a savvy consumer.
Food & Nutrition OR Languages
Students choose to either continue with their Language study or undertake a unit on the practical aspects (food preparation) and theoretical aspects (nutrition).
AI and Automation
Unearth the magical world of AI, learn how algorithms can analyse historical data and predict future outcomes, and explore the practical uses of AI in our everyday lives.
Environmental Exploration
Discover the beauty of the world around us and learn how the environment is shaped and changed by our interactions with it.
Engineering Design
Learn about the world of engineering, its practical applications and discover the engineering feats in the world around us.
Discovering Politics
An introduction to the wide world of politics - ponder what makes us the way we are, and discover how to make informed choices and decisions.
Mind Matters
Ponder the magical world of the brain and learn practical applications for brain training.
The Year 9 Signature Programs
Starting Strong Program
In week 2 of Term 1 the Year 9’s partake in a range of activities The aim of this week is to expose them to a variety of activities that improve peer dynamics, increase independence, enhance skills, educate about our surroundings and links to indigenous culture as an introduction to our Year 9 camp in Central Australia later in the year Participating in a city immersion day, fossil finding, Reach Foundation activities day, lifesaving education and activities at Mentone Life Saving Club and a tutor group connection day, the Year 9 cohort complete this week with a greater understanding of themselves, their peers, and the world around them.
Grit & Growth: The Year 9 Camp
The Year 9 Central Australia Camp is a cornerstone of our Year 9 Program. This cultural immersion, leadership and service-learning program is designed to deepen students’ understanding of Australia’s indigenous culture and to deepen their own personal connection to the land. Students fly into Alice Springs where they begin to enhance their cultural awareness, then travel through the Red Centre to explore the beauty and history of this remarkable region before spending time on country with an Aboriginal community to learn from the locals and support community projects.
Program highlights include:
• Exploring the ancient sites of Uluru and Kata Tjuta
• Student immersion in life on-country learning from the wisdom of indigenous elders
• Soaking in the breath-taking landscape of Kings Canyon
• Connecting with country and the local indigenous community
Of course, students also make lifelong memories with their classmates as they spend time camping under the stars.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award –Bronze
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is solely a co-curricular activity and is undertaken primarily in the student’s own time.
The following table summarises the requirements of the four components of the Bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme:
Service
3 months (minimum of 1 hour per week)
3 months (minimum of 1 hour per week)
3 months (minimum of 1 hour per week)
Also: one of Service, Skill or Physical Recreation must be extended for a further 3 months
Minimum of 2 days and 1 night of a practice journey and a qualifying journey
Service: primarily for others. A ‘service’ is an activity that a participant chooses to do for the primary purpose of
Skill: primarily for yourself, theoretical or practical The skill is typically of a non-physically demanding nature for the primary purpose of gaining or increasing her own knowledge using mental rather than physical ability Skill activities include Arts, collections and studies, communication, crafts, music and nature.
Physical Recreation:
Adventurous Journey: a purpose with a journey An ‘exploration’ is principally a focus on observing and collecting information relevant to a purpose. This must also include a journey component. The focus may include Aboriginal Culture, Aboriginal History, Native Foods and Medicines or the Impact of Tourism on Heritage sites. The tour undertaken by theYear 9 students can qualify as an Adventurous journey.
Once the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award has been achieved, students are encouraged to progress to the Silver and Gold Awards as they continue their studies inYear 10 and beyond. The Silver and Gold Award format is summarised as follows:
*Gold Award also includes a Residential Project of 5 days + 4 nights
For detailed information, please consult the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website at http://www.dukeofed.org.au/vic
Please note that participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program attracts an additional cost.