Head of Middle School Middle School
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major focus for this year has been the planning for the inclusion of Year 7 in Trinity’s Middle School in 2009. This has resulted in a revision of the academic and pastoral programs in place at the College. Staff members have worked very hard to produce programs Mrs Kerrie Fraser that will motivate Year 7 Head of Middle School students and it has provided a wonderful opportunity to share what is being taught in each of the learning areas.
Faith Development Faith Development is one of the guiding pillars of the College and we have greatly missed the guidance of Father McMahon. His passing was a great loss to the College community. Middle School students always enjoyed his visits during lessons and the support he gave them around the school. Members of Campus Ministry and the Religious Education team have worked conscientiously to provide the students with positive faith experiences. The Year 8 students found the Quest Retreat to be a powerful experience and made connections with their Year 11 ‘older brothers’. The Year 9 Galilee Retreat was also very successful where students were challenged to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. This retreat was held in a variety of locations this year and enabled all students to experience the retreat on the same day. Year level Mass occurred each term and a great deal of effort was made by Mr Theseira and Mrs Wheeler to ensure that students were well prepared for these celebrations. A highlight of the year for many students is their involvement with Christian Service. This provides them with the opportunity to express their faith through action. The Year 8 focus is on family and this is extended to the broader community in Year 9. The academic year concluded with the popular Advent Liturgy. Ms Eagling’s Communication and Performance students provided the actors for this ritual and their performances were outstanding.
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Academic Excellence Promoting academic excellence is a major aim of the College and a number of teams are working to improve what is done to assist students to achieve their potential. Many subjects encourage students to enter competitions and Trinity has had many awards throughout the year. An innovation in this area for 2008 was the involvement of Trinity students in the Western Australian da Vinci Decathlon for the first time. This event is an interschool gala day run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon. A team of eight students participated in activities in a variety of disciplines such as engineering, games of strategy, art and poetry to name a few. Academic excellence has been highlighted at Middle School assemblies with students talking about and displaying their work and competition award winners being acknowledged.
Students often struggle with organising their homework and study program. To assist students with this challenge all Middle School students have a Study Planner. This document is issued to all students at the start of Year 8 and can be used by these students throughout their time at Trinity because it is laminated and information can be erased. This planner will also be made available to Year 7 students in 2009. Some students were offered additional assistance at the start of the year to help with organisational skills. The Library has continued to foster the development of literacy with Mrs Allan’s very successful reading program for Middle School students. The use of the Library as one of the most valuable resources in the school has strengthened. In 2009 all Year 7 students will have an opportunity to complete a Literacy Information elective. This will assist students to locate, select, use, organise, present and evaluate information effectively and efficiently. The College is committed to improving students’ literacy skills and the work done by the Library staff supports this aim.
