Year 9
Year 9 is a time of great opportunity for students of Heathmont College to develop a self-disciplined and more independent learning style. Students are able to choose units of study that more appropriately suit their individual needs and thus begin to shape their futures.
It is a time where young people, through the decisions they make in selection of studies and their level of commitment to learning, are able to develop greater self-confidence and sense of purpose. These middle school years are vitally important in preparing students with the key tools to be successful learners through the final stages of schooling – the better prepared, the greater the opportunities for the future.
Our expectation is that each student will focus on on-going improvement and enjoy an appropriate balance between intellectual achievement and personal, emotional and social development.
We are passionate about continuing to build a successful partnership between parents, students and ourselves. There is no question that to maximise the chances of success for students there needs to be trust, cooperation and effective communication between us.
The Year 9 Coordination team at Heathmont College consist of Hannah Quick and Marc Wright. Marc’s focus for this year is to oversee the new Year 9 Program, and Hannah will be handling the day to day issues of Year 9 Student life.
Dean Hewitt – Coordinator
Andrew Wright – Coordinator
Marc Wright – HIPE@Y9 Coordinator
The Curriculum
The curriculum is divided into 8 Disciplines. The Arts, English, Health & Physical Education, Languages Other Than English (LOTE), Mathematics, Science, Studies Of Society and Environment (SOSE) and Technology. Students undertake studies from each KLA as part of the curriculum and have the opportunity to specialise in particular areas as part of the additional units program. This handbook will outline the Curriculum units offered by the College. A variety of other documents such as Uniform Requirements, Wellbeing and Discipline Policies, General Organisation and Bell Times are contained in The Student Planner.
The College operates a ten day timetable to deliver the Curriculum. There are 40 periods of 75 minutes duration each cycle.
The College offers a wide range of co-curricula activities which students can be involved in. These include: Lunchtime Activities Program, Inter-House Activities, The College Band, College Production, Mathematics Competition, Science Competition, English Competition, Debating Teams, as well as the opportunity to be active in the general life of the College.
Year 9 Experiential Program
In response to extensive research and study of the learning requirements of students in the Middle Years, the College has undertaken a restructuring of the Year 9 Program begun in 2008 and to be completed over the next 3 years.
Why Change?
From survey results, other programs and student requests four factors have evolved as those being most successful in assisting students to learn.
- Greater personal connectedness to what is being taught choice
- That the learning is relevant to the students real world
- Students are offered a greater variety in the methods of delivery of work in the classroom
- To learn effectively, a student needs to be engaged fully in what he or she is doing
What are the OBJECTIVES of the Program?
- To provide students with skills for life
- To provide a program that is student centred in its learning.
What is the structure for the Year 9 program for 2008?
- Half year in HIPE@9 -24 periods a cycle and Elective Program -16 periods a cycle
- Half year of core subjects [24 periods] and Elective program [16 periods]
Year 9A-D will be in the Program term 1 and term 3Year 9 E-H will be in the program term 2 and term 4
What SUBJECTS are we doing?
- Pastoral Team- individual skill building and goal setting
- BIG QUESTION- Issues facing students in the 21st century
- Number Matters- applied Maths basic use of Maths in daily life and applied to real life situations
- Literacy Matters- forms of communication- writing, reading , listening, debating, opinions
- Healthy Living- nutrition, risk taking, mental health, physical challenges, improving relationships, {Personal development]
- Community connections- establishing effective learning teams and learning communities, volunteering, establishing links with local community groups
- TOOLBOX sessions- based on the needs of students to improve skills in literacy, numeracy, IT.etc
Student Leadership
Heathmont College offers students a myriad of leadership opportunities. These include:
Home Group Captains
Each home group elects one captain to represent the views of that group. They will form the basis of the Middle School Council. This Council acts as a forum for discussion of student issues and is supported by one of the Middle School Coordinators.College Leadership Council
Two Year 9 Level Captains are elected by their peers. They join the other Year Level Captains to form the Leadership Council that acts as a representative student body for the whole College.House Captains
Each House elects two captains at Year 9 to lead their peers in the various Inter-House activities organised throughout the year.Sports Captains
Each sporting team has a captain who is responsible for liaising between the team members and the staff member in charge of the team.Peer Mediation
Students have the opportunities to undertake a peer mediation program.Student Guides
Students have the opportunity to act as guides for Parents at Open Day, Parent/Teacher nights and other official College functions.