Middle School

Kim Thomas

Middle School Director

Term 1 has flown by, and students have made a fantastic start to the Middle School program. They are expanding their circle of friends and acquaintances, fostering a strong sense of community. To support positive student interactions, we held a Toolbox incursion, which provided strategies for navigating difficult conversations with friends. A key takeaway from the session was the phrase: “When you… I felt…”—a simple yet effective tool to help prevent unnecessary misunderstandings and friendship breakdowns.

Common Assessment Tasks

As Term 1 draws to a close, students are submitting their Common Assessment Tasks, which are due before the Parent Conferences in Week 10. Parents and students can check due dates and track submission status via the Compass app or website.

Looking ahead to Term 2 and beyond -

Year 9 Camp - save the date

Mark your calendars! The Year 9 Camp will take place at PGL Rumbug Campus from Wednesday, September 3rd to Friday, September 5th. Students will experience one night in a tent and one night in a cabin. Further details and a Compass event will be shared in late Term 2.

Year 9 Typing Club

We have introduced Typing Club, an online touch-typing course available to all Year 9 students. The link has been shared via the Future Directions class and the Student News Feed.

Year 10 Work Experience

Future Directions classes are currently focusing on essential workplace skills, including completing the safe@work modules required for work experience, CV writing, and job application preparation. Work experience can be undertaken at any point throughout the year.

Year 10 Northern Territory Camp - Save the date

Elwood College will once again be traveling to the Northern Territory in 2025! The trip is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th to Tuesday, September 23rd, including the first few days of the September school holidays. More information will be shared with students in Future Directions Wednesday 2nd April, along with an expression of interest Google Form. An online information session will be running for parents during Week 1, Term 2. 

Please note that this is an opt-in camp, not a whole-year-level event. The cost has previously been just under $4,000, covering all food, accommodation, activities, and transport—including flights to Alice Springs and a return flight from Uluru.