Middle School

YEAR 7 – ‘Our New Learning Community’

Year 7 Students are supported to develop their organisational skills, as well as their independent learning skills; Balwyn High School places a high value on formative assessment because it supports students to understand their learning progress as they play an active role in their learning. Most Year 7 students will access the laptop program and continue to develop their ability to incorporate digital technologies into their learning. Learning at Year 7 focuses on a range of core subjects including English (or English as an Additional Language), Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Physical Education and Health, Visual Art, Music and Language (either French or Chinese). Major events at Year 7 include the Student Transition and Enhancement Program (STEP), Year 7 Camp and a range of excursions. Developing strategies for positive wellbeing is prioritised through weekly tutorial lessons, clubs and committees, leadership opportunities and array of wellbeing incursions around self-esteem, positive relationships, mental health and more.

YEAR 8 – ‘Making a Difference’

Whereas students in Year 7 focus on building connections within their new learning community, Year 8 students focus on the impact that they can make on the lives of others. As active members of the community and as role-models, students participate in activities that nurture the attributes of successful learners and community members. Students in Year 8 have more agency with their learning as they select two elective subjects each semester, in addition to the core subjects from Year 7. Students’ elective choices include Drama, Media, Music, Food Studies and Computing. Major activities at Year 8 include the Making a Difference Program, Student Leadership, Music, Sport and much more, with an emphasis on civics and pathways education. Students also engage in a range of wellbeing programs, including the anti-bullying program Project Rockit, which supports students to use digital technologies responsibly as a respectful ‘digital citizen’. Year 8 students are widely represented in the huge range of clubs and other co-curricular activities offered at Balwyn High School.

YEAR 9 – ‘My Middle School Experience’

Year 9 is an important year in which students prepare for the transition to Senior School. Students are provided with purposeful opportunities to reflect on the contribution that their Middle School experience has made to their personal growth. They are supported to continue in their journey to become independent learners and creative thinkers. The highlights for Year 9 students are the time they spend in the City of Melbourne on the Careers Pathway Inquiry Experience, as well as their Morrisby ‘My Career Insights’ assessment and interview; both of these highlights support them to develop an understanding of, and to reflect on, future pathways. Year 9 students continue to study English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Health and Physical Education as core subjects, but they are also able to choose four of a wide range of elective subjects, such as Outdoor Education, Art, Drama, Nanotechnology, Robotics, The Writers’ Craft and many more. Furthermore, students are provided with a wide array of leadership opportunities as leaders of Middle School. Year 9 students graduate from Middle School with presentations to their Year 7 Tutorial Class, teachers and parents/carers about their growth and impact of their transition to Senior School.