At All Saints Middle School we aim to provide an atmosphere in which the development of relationships between all people involved in the students' learning is of primary importance, where a love of learning is encouraged and where experiences are relevant and purposeful. We also aim to provide a safe, stimulating and flexible learning environment which encourages:
- Learning to Live,
- Living to Learn.
Core studies prepared by teams of teachers within areas of learning will ensure progressive skill and concept development for all students. This interdisciplinary teaming refers to the organisational structure of a core of teachers assigned to the same group of students. Teaming provides the structure to support two essential aspects of middle school education: a positive psychological environment that allows flexibility, variety and heterogeneous grouping of students; and a structure to plan and deliver a curriculum that balances academic and social factors.
Teaching Strategies are implemented which:
- reduce the fragmentation of learning which can result from a traditional secondary timetable
- facilitate the teaching of critical thinking and interpersonal skills
- help students develop a unified view of their education
- empower teachers by providing opportunities to work together .
Because teachers share the same students and have a common planning period, they are able to respond more quickly to the needs of individual students through collaboration, meeting jointly with parents and designing units of work which foster the transfer of ideas among disciplines and increase relevance. During the middle years of schooling at All Saints, students undertake studies in the following learning areas:
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Studies of Society and Environment
- Languages: French, Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin)
- Health and Physical Education
- Home Economics
- Computing, Technology and Multi-media
- Christian Living
- Music, Visual Arts and Drama
- Creative Design
Each learning area places emphasis on:
- communication skills
- social skills and an understanding of the values, attitudes and practices which contribute to a Christian society
- planning and design skills and an understanding of the role of goal setting, reasoning, aesthetic judgement and imagination
- making good use of time and resources and ordering and monitoring tasks
- recognising the need for information, to know how and where to find information from a range of sources and how to evaluate, select and use it
- an understanding and appreciation of our environment
- technology as a tool to help access, manage, process and communicate information and to enable, engage and empower students in their learning
- the attitudes, knowledge, skills and work practices of an effective team.