Middle School

Developing Self Identity

Students enter the Middle School in the year they are turning twelve and stay with the same class teacher throughout Class Six and Seven. The twelve year old begins to experience the end of childhood and the beginning of real individuality. By Class Seven, the students’ inner development can be thought of as a new ‘birth’ – the awakening of the rational intellect out of the rich, imaginative life of feeling which has been nourished and worked with throughout the primary years. They are developing an ability to weigh and consider issues and situations from varying points of view. Middle School introduces an integrated curriculum of mathematics, science, humanities, languages, arts, music and sports; all of which foster independent thinking and personal initiative. The developing adolescent learns the value of strong human connections and powerful artistic expressions as they begin to craft their own sense of self-identity.

Class Six

Developmental Stage

Class Six marks the dawn of adolescence, a time when intellectual consciousness takes root and the student’s feeling perception advances into the world of ideas. Students are now encouraged to think independently as their capacities for critical thinking and objective judgment are cultivated. Students are turning twelve years of age.

Curriculum

A widening curriculum meets and fosters developing capacities for expansive thinking and discernment. Academic pursuits including independent study, ancient history, business mathematics, astronomy and physics, all lay foundations for High School. Specialist teachers provide Bothmer, technical studies, gardening, music and Spanish. A week long camp on Kangaroo Island includes a geography, history and geology focus.

Class Seven

Developmental Stage

As an adolescent, the Class Seven student is guided thoughtfully through their inherent need to question and challenge the world around them. Students seek to assert their independence and find their place among their peers in the context of a safe and supportive environment. Students are turning thirteen years of age.

Curriculum

In history, mathematics, science and art, the Renaissance thematically underlies the Class Seven curriculum. Ideals of truth, beauty and balance offer a healthy counterpoint to the young adolescent’s tendency for cynicism. Bothmer, tech studies, gardening, music and Spanish continue. Trekking in the Flinders Ranges allows students an experience of discovery and vast landscapes, akin to the early Australian explorers studied in Class Seven. Challenges are met and overcome and students return from this rite of passage with new confidence and readiness for High School.