Middle School

Articles on this page:

• From 9EA Mr Eaton's Year 9 Home Group
• French Excursion to Le Paris Plage Crêperie
• Year 7 Drama - Circus Lesson

From 9EA - Mr Eaton's Year 9 Home Group

There is nothing quite like coming to Home Group and hearing Year 9 boys sharing about their faith with each other. I’m blessed and humbled to see God’s Spirit at work in these young men as they share openly about how God has revealed Himself to them and encouraging each other in their walk of faith. I’m reminded how frequently the Bible says that God’s grace is for all and that God often delights to reveal Himself through the youngest and least sophisticated. Occasionally in devotions I’m left wondering if I’m listening to a boy in my Home Group or a famous visiting preacher. Perhaps that shouldn’t surprise me if the same Spirit is at work in both. 

Part of the path of learning that we emphasise in Year 9, through The Rite Journey program, is facing and embracing our limitations and intentionally putting ourselves in situations where we will feel the end of our capacity and ability. We grow and mature as we face our limits, shortcomings and failures and bravely work through them. It’s so important that we all have times where we feel 'beyond ourselves' so that we can also find, by experience how God got us through to the other side of our imagined “impossibles”. 

Year 9 gives many opportunities for students to walk this path. Here are a few examples:

• Learning to build tarp shelters in preparation for a 24 hour solo camping experience

• Speaking before hundreds of fellow students in assemblies or excursions with other schools

• Sleeping in the open on concrete with a piece of cardboard for a mattress to get a small taste of homelessness

• Worshipping together with students from schools across Adelaide

• Feeling the vulnerability of learning a new skill like juggling and the satisfaction of mastering it

• Attending a live performance on the impact of WW2 with the ever present danger of being called to the stage to join in

• Hearing young children read each Friday morning

• Learning teamwork, coordination and problem solving through the “Stave Challenge"

• Supporting fellow students through an obstacle course blindfolded

And these were just the ones I happened to have photos of! 

Every day is full of challenges and choice points for our Year 9 students where we see God’s grace at work. Perseverance in studies. Kindness in difficult friendships. Apologies, restorations and cleaning up messes. Celebrations and achievements. All of this makes me come away from school feeling like I have seen God at work each day and fills my prayers with thanks.

French Excursion to Le Paris Plage Crêperie

On Thursday, 31 August, our students from the Year 8, 9, 10, and 11 French classes were given a special opportunity to immerse themselves in a French atmosphere at Le Paris Plage Crêperie. This unique experience allowed them to engage in conversations in French with the staff at Le Paris Plage and place their crepe orders in the same language.

The staff members were impressed by the proficiency of our students in the language and were equally delighted by the exemplary behaviour they exhibited throughout the visit. Bravo to our students for a job well done!

Neven Daoud 

French Teacher (Years 1-12)

Year 7 Drama - Circus Lesson