Subjects offered:

Students in 5-8 derive learnings from the disciplines of:

• Religious Education
• The Arts (Performing Arts)
• The Arts (Visual Arts)
• English*
• The Humanities*
• LOTE – Italian
• Mathematics*
• Science*
• Health and Physical Education
• Design and Technology

(*Denotes an Australian Curriculum domain)

**From Year 7 students select electives in Design and Technology (Pre engineering, food, wood, metal), The Arts (Visual communication design, performing arts) outdoor education and environmental science.

Excursions:

Our Year 5/6 camps work on a two year cycle, meaning they attend Canberra in one year and then Ballarat on the alternative year.

The Year 5/6 students attend Ballarat in term 4. This camp provides an opportunity to visit Sovereign Hill and link their theoretical knowledge of the “gold rush” era to what they experience whilst at Sovereign Hill.

The Year 5/6 students attend Canberra in term 4. They further their knowledge of the Parliamentary process by attending both new and old parliament. They also attend the Australian Institute of Sport, as well as other key Canberra attractions.

The Year 7 students attend Harrietville in term 1. This is an opportunity for students to further develop new friendships and participate in various team building exercises and physical activities.

The Year 8 students attend Wilsons Promontory in term 4. Students undertake a range of water activities, bushwalks and hikes and further develop their independent skills.

Extra-curricular:

Students have an opportunity to participate in many extra curricular programs. These include:

• Public speaking (3-12)
• Debating (5-12)
• Maths competitions (3-12)
• Science competitions (3-12)
• Literacy competitions (3-12)
• School production (5-12)
• Sport opportunities (athletics, swimming, cross-country, football, netball, soccer, volleyball, golf) (5-12)

Transition:

Families in Grade 6 are offered the opportunity to complete further transition into Year 7. For our existing students, it can be as simple as undertaking a tour of the Year 7 area to ensure the student is aware of the structure of the room. For new year 7 students to the school, it can be a larger transition program where the student will spend some time within the Year ⅚ area to develop friendships and gain further knowledge of the structures around the school. The well being team, teacher advisors and class teachers discuss each of the students needs and, through communication with families, plot a transition program dependent on students needs. All students are offered an Orientation Day in early December. On this day, new and existing students attend the class that they will undertaking for the following year. Prior to this day, various transition times are offered.

Structure Of The Day:

8:50-9:10	Morning TA
9:10-10:00	Period 1
10:00-11:00	Period 2
11:00-11:30	Recess
11:30-12:30	Period 3
12:30-1:30	Period 4
1:30-2:20	Lunch Break Outside
2:20-3:10	Period 5

eLearning:

Students in the 5-8 area have access to their own personal device. Year Five and Six students are introduced to the 1:1 program at St. Augustine's through the use of their own Apple iPad. Students in Year Seven and Eight have their own Macbook Air.

Students regularly create ICT solutions through collaborative tools such as Google Drive, Docs, Slides and Classroom. Students are able to access daily notices, submit assignment results, their timetable and personal calendar through SIMON. Parents are also able to access this information through their own Parent Access Module (PAM).

Currently a group of Year Six students have volunteered to be apart of the 'Genius Bar.' These students have received additional training and help their peers in the classroom when they need it. This will expand to the Year Seven and Eight students in the near future.

Learning Spaces:

Each area of the middle school comprise of flexible learning spaces. There are areas within the flexible learning space for individual work, group work or whole class. Rooms, and doors, can be opened or closed, depending on the needs of our learners for that particular time and furniture is arranged to suit individual learning or larger group work. Being able to work independently or collaboratively are both important skills, so the need for flexibility in our spaces are required to optimise learning.