Junior School
Team
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Transition
The aim of the transition program is to welcome our year 7 students into the Brentwood community and to provide opportunities for them to develop confidence in their teachers, to make new friends and to learn together. Our 250 strong year 7 group is divided into ten home groups. To ease their transition and to promote a sense of belonging students are placed in classes based on their home group. The transition to secondary school is further enhanced through the participation of year 7 students in an innovative, integrated curriculum in English and Humanities within a new facility, the Thinking, Learning and Creativity (TLC) Centre. The TLC program runs for ten periods per week and the students are taught by a core team of teachers with support from specialist staff. The TLC teachers also take on the important role of home group teachers which is vital in developing strong relationships between students and their teachers.
Student Well Being
Happy, healthy, resilient students cope with the challenges of adolescence and life at secondary school. Student's sense of well being is a prerequisite for learning and a safe and caring environment is integral to this. Pastoral care begins with the home group teacher, supported by the year level coordinators and the Wellbeing Team. The year 7 home group teachers all teach in the TLC program and have a special interest in year 7. The year 7 home rooms are located close to one another within the TLC precinct. During home group assemblies, which are conducted at the start of the day and after lunch, students are helped to organise their student planner, to interpret and understand the timetable and to find their way around the College. Home group assemblies also help students to settle into the daily life of a secondary college by keeping them informed about school notices and events. Parents are encouraged to use the student planner to communicate with home group and class teachers or to phone the coordinators with any concerns. Teachers welcome meetings with parents, however, making an appointment is essential. Communication between school and home is an essential ingredient for learning.
Special Events
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During the first few weeks of the new school year all year 7 students participate in our peer support program. Year 10 students who have undertaken training as peer support leaders work with small groups of year 7 students during the first term. The aim of this program is to welcome year 7 students to the Brentwood community and to develop a buddy relationship with senior students.
- In term one a year 7 games afternoon and parents' barbeque is held to welcome new families into the Brentwood community. Parents can meet teachers informally and teachers can learn about their students and their families.
- Special activities are available during lunchtime in the library where students can play board games, join the chess club, meet with friends and read popular magazines and books. A homework room is staffed each day by maths teachers and is very popular with our year 7 students.
- The end of term two is the time for 'Music Madness', a whole school talent quest run by the SRC.
- Interested year 7 students may like to join the cheerleading team and/or develop their public speaking skills in the debating team. There are also many opportunities throughout the year to participate in competitions that are subject based.
- Lunch times can be challenging in a new school so we make special provision for this. Lunchtime netball, soccer and basketball competitions are run by our senior school leaders especially for year 7 students.
- The college participates in a comprehensive program of inter-school sporting competitions within the Waverley district and many lunchtime practice sessions are conducted by team coaches. Year 7 students are encouraged to participate in this variety of sports throughout the year.
Orientation Camp
Building confidence, trust and cooperation is a vital part of the transition process and the orientation camp aims to facilitate this. Leadership and participation are the key themes of the camp and all year 7 students are strongly encouraged to attend. Students and teachers have the opportunity to appreciate each other in an outdoor setting away from the school routine. New friendships are formed and a real sense of belonging begins to flourish.
Year 7 Curriculum
All students at Brentwood Secondary College are encouraged to set learning goals, to be reflective and to do their personal best. Our charter goals and priorities clearly articulate the aims of our teaching and learning program. The school day is divided into six, forty-eight minute periods. The year 7 curriculum is centred upon the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) and the year 7 students at Brentwood study subjects from each of the VELS Domains.
1. Thinking, Learning and Creativity Program
(English, History, Geography, ICT, Media)
2. Mathematics 5 periods per week
3. Science 4 periods per week
4. LOTE: Japanese or German 3 periods per week
5. Health/Physical Education/Sport Education 4 periods per week
6. The Arts: Music and Art - 1 semester each 4 periods per week
Students can elect to participate in the Instrumental Music program and/or voice lessons wherein students attend weekly music lessons and can join a band, ensemble or vocal group.
Years 8 & 9
Students undertake a core curriculum in year 7 and access vertically organised units of study in years 8 and 9. The most significant feature of this vertical model is the requirement for students to select units of study within carefully structured guidelines. The year 8 and 9 vertical curriculum structure allows for individualised accelerated learning programs for example a year 8 student may undertake year 10 mathematics. Year 9 students also have the opportunity to select from a number of high interest, interdisciplinary units called Extended Research Projects (ERPs) which encourage students to approach their studies from a different perspective. Examples of this are the Make-up and Soap Making unit in which a technology and a chemistry teacher team teach and students combine theory and practice to make popular products, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award which combines outdoor education and community service.