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Some parts of the newsletter may require a pdf reader
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Welcome from your Principal
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What is the ‘Middle School’?
The College is divided into three sub-schools; junior, middle and senior.The middle school encompasses students from Year 7 to Year 9. As with the other sub schools, the middle school has its own Principal, Deputy Principal and a number of Heads of Curriculum.
Why have a Middle School?
Research such as the Queensland Schools Longitudinal Study clearly supports a move to change the type of learning experiences that adolescents experience at school. Many other studies have shown that students in traditional settings often experience disengagement from learning, alienation and lack of success or challenge. Even naturally motivated students often appear to mark time as they wait to move to Senior.
The middle years are a very important time for children as they begin to shape their lives as young adults. This time is also difficult for many children as they try to cope with the physical and emotional changes associated with adolescence. It is compounded as they move from primary to high school, having to grapple with a new environment, new people and different rules and expectations. The security of familiar classmates, their teacher and ways of learning suddenly end and are replaced with new class groups, multiple teachers and learning in ‘shifts’ as they move from room to room. Students of this age group are also entering a time when they challenge their ideals they held as children due to the fact that they are now becoming adolescents. Often traditional High School models place students in Year 8 in a situation where they have less control over their learning then they did in Year 6 and Year 7. Our Middle School is designed to support students through structures, learning opportunities and relationships to meet the unique needs of students in this significant time of change.
What is ‘middle schooling’?
There are a number of key components that underpin our middle schooling strategies:
- Strong working relationships developed through teams of people who take part in the learning process together;
- A trans-disciplinary approach to curriculum which promotes connections between curriculum areas, relevance and interest of students, yet maintains academic rigour;
- Authentic pedagogy – the classroom practice, based on higher order thinking, real life relevance, communication, and learning and assessment occurring in a range of methods which match what has been learnt; and
- A supportive environment which challenges each student to work to their potential.
I welcome you to Jakaara Middle School at Upper Coomera State College and I wish you well on your learning journey. Please contact me on 5580 7555 or via email at sschu26@eq.edu.au if I can assist you further in any way.
Yours sincerely,
Sharon Schultz
Principal
Jakaara Middle School
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About Jakaara Middle School
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The Jakaara Leadership Team and Staff
Sharon Schultz , Principal, sschu26@eq.edu.au
Sonya Tremeer, Deputy Principal Yrs 7 & 8 , strem1@eq.edu.au
Michael Ogier, Deputy Principal Yrs 9 & 10, mogie2@eq.edu.au
Grant Webster, Head of Department Team A, gwebs11@eq.edu.au
Luke Higgins , Head of Department Team B, lhigg21@eq.edu.au
Rebecca Sochanik, Head of Department Team C, rsoch1@eq.edu.au
Katrina Ryan, Head of Department Team D, kryan30@eq.edu.au
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Middle School Philosophy
UCSC, Jakaara Middle School’s vision aims to develop life long learners within a supportive school environment by facilitating a negotiated curriculum and developing a holistic sense of well being.
Teachers will deliver curriculum in a conscious, flexible, negotiated manner that is challenging, relevant, realistic and enjoyable. Facilitating and encouraging the individual learner and demonstrating an understanding of the client as a learner in the adolescent phase of their life and sharing this experience with parents and the wider school community.
Students will negotiate their learning experiences and will develop through a diversity of opportunities and challenges which focus on enterprising, innovative metacognative skills and processes. Students will utilise these to develop a sense of themselves to discover their individual pathways and transfer this knowledge into Vocational Education or Senior studies.
The Middle School will recognise the issues of mental and physical health, social and relationship issues to empower students to take control of their own personal development of life skills in order to function as an active and valued member of society.
UCSC is committed to develop and maintain partnerships with parents, the wider community including local, national and international to ensure that all students’ needs are met and successes are celebrated.
Key Learning Areas and what each Team is currently studying
The documents below contain information regarding KLA's (Key Learning Areas) and assessment dates for each Team:
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