Year 9 Primus

Primus Project | City Program | Amazing Race

The first three weeks of term have been an intense introduction to Suzanne Cory High School for our new Year 9 students. They have been participating in the Primus Program: A series of activities designed to prepare them for the rigours of study, to build strong connections with their class and House, and help them to be active and resilient learners. This culminated in their Primus Projects and their City Week experiences.

The students researched learning psychology fields, such as creativity, emotional intelligence and effective learning environments. They also conducted surveys with their peers to profile the Year 9 cohort in relationship to their field of research. The projects demonstrated the skills they had developed throughout the program, particularly resilience when faced with tight timelines and how to operate in a team.

The City Week challenged them to be more mindful and connected with their community. The students were encouraged to demonstrate respect, aspiration and contribution, school values that we expect they will continue to embrace throughout their years at SCHS.

Reflections on Primus from Year 9 students:

‘I thought the Primus Project was fun at times. I felt that the material was very important and enjoyable. I am confident that it will help in my next four years of schooling.'

‘The excursions were very fun and eye opening and our first assignment of the year was very fitting. I am grateful for being at this school, especially after the Primus Project.’

‘I believe the Primus Program was useful because not just in our next few years but throughout our lives we will certainly face failures that we must overcome by using grit, growth mindset and everything else that we learned throughout this Program.’

‘For the first two weeks of school, us year nines have been participating in a program called Primus Program. The Primus Program was a very fun program and we did a lot of group and team-building activities over the course of the two weeks. I think it was a very good idea to encourage students to keep a growth mindset and teach them the importance of resilience because it will help everyone throughout our four years of high school.’

‘I really liked doing the Primus Project and learning about the different factors that make up a good learner. The activities we did were really interesting and unique.’

‘The Primus Project was a great opportunity for us to learn how to deal with setbacks and failure along our journey at Suzanne Cory High School. Not only did we learn about our specific topics, we learnt basics skills to help us survive in the outside world. We were able to work in teams and develop our relationships with our classmates.’

‘I found the Primus Program extremely beneficial and exciting. What I especially enjoyed was the experiences and skills we gained throughout our transition into the school; from learning about a Growth Mindset and a balanced lifestyle to developing teamwork and leadership skills.’