It has been a tremendous start to the year in Middle School classrooms. I’ve been particularly pleased to see dozens of students waiting patiently, well before the bell goes in the mornings, eager for their learning to begin.
I’m grateful to all teachers who have started so well in the classroom. This is especially the case with our new teachers, who have brought fantastic ideas and energy to their Middle School classes.
There are several new elements in Middle School learning this year as we continue to refine our program. At Year 7, the Flourish program, running in the Chapel each Monday for two Houses at a time, challenges students to consider ethical and spiritual aspects to their lives and has already involved some real hands-on learning. The new Design subject has also been very engaging for Year 7s. In Year 8, our new Calibr8 subject has invited students to consider how they can be their best selves at school while equipping them with strategies for effective learning and citizenship.
In keeping with our school value of Growth, we want all students to strive to learn at every opportunity – and we want our teachers to recognise this, too. Therefore, we ask teachers to nominate one student in every class every term for an Academic Credit. This is not based on any particular assessment performance; rather, it is an acknowledgement of growth in that class.
We also celebrate outstanding achievement in the academic realm. To that end, we recently held our Academic Awards Assembly in which the top 5% of each cohort from 2025 was recognised for its excellence in summative assessments in 2025. These awards are exceptionally difficult to win and the recipients are to be commended for their success.
I have enjoyed asking students around the school what they have been learning so far; I encourage parents to do the same. I trust you’ll find the responses to be illuminating.
David Martin
Deputy Head of Middle School – Student Learning
