St Philip’s Christian College

Gosford

Middle School Handbook

2018

Table of Contents

St Philip’s Christian College

Welcome to St Philip’s Christian College – Gosford

Office Hours and Contact Details

Middle School Bell Times

The College Emblem

The College Motto

The College Mission Statement

The College’s Five Core Values

The College Prayer

A Short History of the College

Educational Philosophy

The School Structure

Junior School

Senior School

Middle School Approach to Learning

Middle School aims to…

Middle School Routines

Middle School Leadership

Middle School Pastoral Care and Core Teacher

Middle School Class Structure

Key Learning Areas

Subject Stationery Requirements

Term Dates

College Expectations

General Expectations

Personal Property Expectations

Safety Expectations

Classroom Expectations

Playground and College Grounds Expectations

Uniform Expectations

Special notes onuniform

Out of Uniform Days

Use of Digital or Cyber Media

Discipline Flow Chart

Positive Behaviour and Reward Flow Chart

Services and Facilities

Parental Responsibilities

Messages to Children

Parents on College Premises

MacBook Usage

College Property

Uniform Policy

Homework

Assessment Guidelines

Student Academic Misconduct

Presentation Night

Houses

Sporting Representative Carnivals

Parent Pick Up/Parking

General Information

Anaphylaxis

Common Childhood Diseases - Time at Home

Contagious Diseases

Welcome to St Philip’s Christian College – Gosford

We believe at St Philip’s Christian College Gosford that all of our students should experience certain things to assist them become lifelong learners. We want them to be safe and cared for; we want them to discover their particular combination of talents and abilities and how to use them to the full; and we want them to enjoy coming to school!

That is why the quality Christian staff at SPCC has committed themselves to providing a fully integrated Middle School at Gosford. This program helps the students stay well known as they go through the most dramatic growth periods in their lives, and as they make the transition from Upper Primary to Lower Secondary.

We believe this is the best way to partner with the Parents of our students, and we are therefore also motivated to train young people in the development of Christian values and a personal faith in God. In developing their God-given talents, our young people will be better equipped to serve others and to establish their unique places in the world.

We trust this booklet helps us have a clearer understanding of how this mutual commitment will work itself out in the daily lives of our students. Please partner with us as we continue using Macbooks in 2018.

Yours sincerely

Mr Ben Yap

Head of Middle School

Office Hours and Contact Details

College Address20 Narara Creek Road, Narara, 2250
Postal AddressPO Box 640, Gosford, 2250

Office Hours8:45 am – 4.00 pm Monday – Friday

Phone No.(02) 4331 4400

Fax No.(02) 4331 4499

Email

Student and Teacher’s Email

Website

Middle School Bell Times

The College Emblem

The College emblem depicts five loaves and two fish super-imposed over a cross. This insignia symbolises the value of every child (taken from the account of the young boy who gave five loaves of bread and two fish with which Jesus fed 5000 people.) All parts of the emblem are symbolic of a sacrifice for the wellbeing of others. Most important of all, the cross stands as a monument of the atonement won for us by Christ at Calvary and the power of the risen Lord for our everyday lives.The College Motto: The Way, the Truth and the Life (based on John 14:6)

The College Motto

Our College Motto is: The Way, The Truth, The Life. We believe that Jesus alone is the means by which men, women, boys and girls can come to know for themselves our Creator and Father God.

The College Mission Statement

St Philip’s Christian College will continue to provide quality education in a caring, secure and challenging learning environment based on Christian beliefs, values and practice.

The College’s Five Core Values

1.Christ First - we want to honour Christ in all things.

2.Serve One Another - we want to appreciate the unique God-given potential of each person.

3.Strive for Excellence - we want to aim to continually do our very best in our learning and serving.

4.Do what is right - we want to always behave in a Christian manner.

5.Build Community - we want everyone to know they belong because they know that they are respected and how to serve others.

The College Prayer

Almighty God, whom truly to know is eternal life,

Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ,

To be the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

That following in the steps of your Holy apostle, St. Philip,

We may steadfastly walk in the way that leads to eternal life,

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMEN.

A Short History of the College

St Philip’s Christian College Gosford is a non-denominational, independent, co-educational, Preschool to Year Twelve Christian School. Formerly Gosford Christian School, St Philip’s Christian College Gosfordhas provided quality Christian Education to the Gosford community for over twenty-five years. St Philip’s Christian College is based in the Hunter Region, and assumed ownership of the School in 2007.

Christian schooling continues to be highly sought after by a large section of our community because of the life giving values that permeate all activities and curriculum in our Schools.

At Gosford, as with St Philip’s Christian Colleges, we strive to work in partnership with parents to provide children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need to realize their God given potential in every aspect of their lives and to become productive members of their community.

St Philip’s Christian College Gosford is currently one of theschools operating under the governance of the St Philip’s Education Foundation Ltd. The other schools are Newcastle, Port Stephens,Cessnock, Narnia Christian Preschool, The Young Parent Program andthe DALE Special School.

The College is a member of the NSW Association of Independent Schools and the Hunter Region Independent Schools (HRIS), we have forged numerous with other Independent Schools locally and further afield.

Educational Philosophy

At St Philip's Christian CollegeGosford the aim is to provide an enriching and liberating education; an education that not only teaches, but transcends the discipline of gaining information and the acquisition of competencies, to the acquiring of a deep sense of the greatness of life and learning.

Attention is given to the development of the whole child through a balanced curriculum involving the academic, social, physical and spiritual areas. Nurture in the Christian faith is seen as vital to a student forming strong values, purpose and integrity.

The College believes that students need to be taught to gain their desire to achieve from noble purposes, for 'whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord', (Colossians 3:23). This is in contrast to learning that would be limited by the 'peer status quo' or the pursuit of selfish ambitions.

The College has a record of high academic achievement and students are daily encouraged to strive for the very best in all that they do. Every student is seen as a unique creation of God who is a person to be respected and valued, irrespective of their ability, background, age or standing within the College.

Whilst the College maintains a strong independent philosophy in its structure, it is educationally aware and progressive. Excellent working relationships among staff mean that innovations and effective changes can be adopted and implemented readily for the benefit of students. One current initiative with students in the one to one laptop program called ThinkSMART in Middle School.

Parents are considered to be strategic in the educational process and the College views it as essential that a good working relationship be established with the home. This relationship is most effective when parents are in full agreement with the policies and Christian ethos of the College.

The School Structure

In NSW, schooling is organised into stages. They are as follows:

  • Kindergarten is known as ‘Early Stage One’
  • Years 1 and 2 are known as ‘Stage One’
  • Years 3 and 4 are known as ‘Stage Two’
  • Year 5 and 6 are known as ‘Stage Three’
  • Years 7 and 8 are known as Stage Four’
  • Years 9 and 10 are known as ‘Stage Five’
  • Years 11 and 12 are known as Stage Six’

At this School, we have another structure that is designed to enable the Teaching and Learning Structures to be more responsive to the developmental needs of the students. They are as follows:

Junior School – Preschool and Kindergarten to Year 4. The focus of Junior School is for students to grow in a very stable learning environment where they develop great trust in their Teachers and in the foundations of what they are being taught.

Middle School – Years 5 to 8. The focus of Middle School relates to the change processes that young people experience at this stage of life (often called ‘emerging adolescence’). The onset of puberty has a direct impact on how students relate and think. Thus, in this stage, students are (a) encouraged to experience change in whom they relate to, through an ordered and progressive increase of specialist teachers (while still maintaining a core homeroom teacher); and (b) encouraged in asking questions about the foundations in which they have been taught. Students in Middle School not only get the opportunity to be explicitly taught areas for education that can be overlooked, such as preparing for an exam, but Middle School is intentionally made to be as engaging, motivating and fun as possible while still teaching and learning with maximum focus on achieving excellence.

Senior School – Years 9 to 12. The focus is on the students increasing their commitment to taking responsibility for their excellence in learning and their relationships. However, it also carries a strong Pastoral Care system where each student will be well known by at least one Teacher, even though they live in a world of specialists.

Middle School Approach to Learning

The Middle School caters for boys and girls from Years 5 to 8. Classes in 2018 at this stage comprise of fourclasses across 5 and 6 and four classes across 7 and 8.

The Middle School has a broad and enriching curriculum, catering to the whole child, but emphasising Literacy, Numeracy and Christian values. There is a strong tradition of catering for the whole child within Middle School, as well as identifying the struggles of those who need extra support, and creatively enriching those with particular talents. An enrichment program is a Core part of Middle School.

Middle School aims to…

Improve student learning outcomes

Research shows that in this age group many children plateau in their work and become disengaged in their learning. Great physical and emotional changes are occurring at this age causing students to struggle with the new demands. Sometimes family upheavals coincide with this. The middle years have been described by some as ‘the black hole’ when there is no specific intervention.

However, Middle School can be the most dynamic area of school life in motivation and engagement of students. It can be an exciting time where the basic skills established in Primary years are used purposefully and the personal study skills needed for the HSC are systematically established. What happens in Middle School can have a profound effect on the learning environment, personal expectations and culture of the whole college.

Improve the transition from Primary to High School

Many students struggle with transition. Either they get bored and restless in Senior Primary or they become overwhelmed, disorganised and disengaged in Junior High School. We plan to improve the transition from Junior School into Middle School and the graduation from Year 8 into Senior School.

Support students

CoreTeachers will be better able to uphold students in their care by dealing with problems relationally and immediately rather than putting students through complicated discipline red-tape. Homerooms will allow students a base to belong to. Students will make it their own and have the ability to leave bags and books in the room. They will no longer be ‘gypsies’ living out of their backpacks.

Middle School Routines

  • Students have a ‘homeroom’ where they leave their bags and base themselves for most lessons, including; English, History, Geography, Maths, Health and Christian Life Studies.
  • Other subjects are completed in Specialist rooms. Bags can be left at the homeroom and just books and pencil cases will be taken as needed, unless the students have a specialist class last period. Those specialist rooms for Stage 3 include Music, Drama, Art, PE and for Stage 4 include Music, Art, Science, PE and Technology.
  • Students line up outside rooms in two lines and are to wait quietly.
  • If students are remaining in the homeroom while Teachers change then they come out of the classroom and wait for the new Teacher to arrive.
  • Middle School is based in the Middle School Area during breaks and will share the canteen area and oval.
  • Middle School waits on the Basketball Court for the bus.
  • Rolls will be marked during each period. Teachers mark the roll electronically and parents are contacted (usually by automated SMS) if a student is absent. Students will meet with their Pastoral Care teacher during a designated Pastoral Care time, just before recess.

Middle School Leadership

There isa Middle School Leadership Team comprisingof students from Year 8. The students, along with staff input, nominate these students.

Responsibilities of students in the Middle School Leadership Team include:

  • Help to promote Middle School activities, and assist in the running of co-curricular activities.
  • Liaise with Teachers on some decision making through our Student Representative Council.
  • Assist in the running of Middle School Assemblies and other College Assemblies
  • Assist in showing new students around the school.

Middle School Pastoral CareTeacher.

The Pastoral Care Teacher is the first ‘port of call’ for students and parents. Pastoral Care Teachers are responsible for monitoring the wellbeing of students, following up absentee notes, overdue books, checking their diaries and uniform and other responsibilities.

Research suggests that students at this age need a Teacher who is a kind of ‘anchor’ for them in a turbulent sea. In early teenage years everything is changing rapidly, so it makes good educational sense to provide at least one secure Teacher, their Homeroom or Pastoral CareTeacher, who sees the student frequently, can follow-up difficulties efficiently and knows their strengths and weaknesses.

A Pastoral CareTeacher will be like a scaffold to help support students and bring out their best. One of the most powerful educational tools as a Teacher is to know students well.

Pastoral Care is now positioned after Period 2 of the school day, and this is an opportunity for Pastoral Care Teachers to regularly meet with their students. During Pastoral Care, their Teacher will pray with the students, discuss any events the students need to know for the day, read any announcements, collect and read any notes from parents, mark the roll, check diaries and assist in organising the students for the days’ activities.

Middle School Class Structure

As part of our ongoing review of school practice, the Middle School staff have reviewed how we can improve the organisation of Middle School Core Classes and how students have previously been placed in these groups.

The original objective for the current structure of Core Classes was based on learning styles. However, over time this has become somewhat greyed and Core Classes merged into becoming themed and interest based.

Restructuring the composition of students in Middle School is now based on the original design and philosophy (Learning Styles) and incorporating other variables, to create several ability groups within one class. The primary objective of this change is to promote and increase student learning and student wellbeing within Middle School.

The following factors have been considered in how students are allocated to particular classes:

  • Learning Style
  • Academic Ability
  • Learning Support Needs
  • Ability to be extended
  • Peer group
  • Teacher strengths

With regards to how students are allocated to particular classes, the focus will be on student need and teacher strengths in terms of the predominate style they teach in. It is expectedthat all teachers will use a range of pedagogical teaching strategies that engages students in a range of learning styles.

For example: Teacher A maybe a have their strength in employing kinaesthetic pedagogical style teaching and learning practices, however, it would be expected that Teacher A also employs teaching and learning practices that are both auditory and visual.