Middle School

HAYDN FLANAGAN

Head of Middle School

Term 2 is drawing to a close with an array of activities for Middle School students that focus on the Service, Adventure and Intercultural Awareness, pillars of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) philosophy.

A core aim of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is to help the students participate actively and responsibly within their community, and with heightened intercultural awareness. It pleases me to know that we are both; providing opportunities allowing our students to develop these skills, and seeing our students rise to the challenge, to initiate and take part in activities promoting such skill development.

Greece Cultural Tour

This week Mrs Tsiagalos, Mrs Spanos, Mr Patel and Mr Karakotis are taking 25 incredibly lucky Year 8 and 9 students to Greece for a three week cultural tour. Over the three weeks, students will visit many of Greece’s most important cultural sites including; The Acropolis, Monastiraki, The Ancient Agora, The Kallimarmo Stadium and Lycabettus Hill, as well as visiting Nafplion and cruising around the Saronikos Islands. The trip promises to be a life changing experience for many of our students, and we look forward to hearing all about it upon their safe return.

Blackheath and Thornburgh Exchange Trip

This Sunday Mr Gridley and Ms Cheung are taking 12 adventurous Year 8 and 9 students on our annual Blackheath and Thornburgh Exchange Tour. Blackheath and Thornburgh College is a coeducational School located in the remote town of Charters Towers in rural North Queensland run by Nigel Fairbairn, a former Assistant Principal at Oakleigh Grammar. The School has a boarding house that caters for students from remote cattle properties, which can be several hundred thousand acres in size. This means that the BTC students and the OG students have very different lives, offering a rich cultural exchange for both parties.

During the trip the students will visit the School, stay in the boarding house, and meet and get to know the BTC students, visit an outback cattle station, participate in an indigenous Australian cultural experience, have a tour of a local mine, and visit Townsville and Magnetic Island for some sun and snorkeling.

The trip promises to be a fantastic adventure for all involved, and we look forward to some great photos and stories on their return.

In Term 3, Oakleigh Grammar has the chance to return the hospitality by welcoming the Blackheath and Thornburgh staff and students, when they visit our School on their cultural tour to the “Big City”. We look forward to it!

Year 9 Cultural Diversity Week

Not to be outdone, Year 9 students not travelling to Greece or Queensland, will be taking part in the Year 9 Cultural Diversity Experience in the last three days of term next week. The experience is comprised of three days of excursions, taking students to three very different cultural centres in our own culturally diverse city. Students will visit the Melbourne CBD to be taken on a guided tour through the CBD celebrating the multicultural heritage of Melbourne, visit the Er You Buddhist Temple in Box Hill to learn about Buddhism and the Buddhist community, and visit the Islamic Museum and Mosque in Thornbury, to learn more about Islam and the Islamic community of Melbourne. This is a fabulous experience for the students promoting intercultural awareness and understanding.

Language Acquisition Lunch Excursions

This week selected Middle School Language Acquisition classes have headed up to Oakleigh for lunch, and to practice their developing language skills. The Year 7 and 9 Mandarin classes enjoyed lunch at local Chinese restaurant 'All Seasons', ordering their meals in Mandarin, and experiencing the tastes of the culture.

The Year 6 Greek class enjoyed lunch at Kentro, also ordering in Greek and enjoying the food. These experiences provide authentic learning opportunities for students, and help contextualise their learning by providing a real world application for the developing skills.

Lunch Lunch and Red Nose Day

This Tuesday our Middle and Senior School students were treated to a double celebration including a free dress day to celebrate Red Nose Day, and a gyro lunch with an outdoor concert during their lunchtime break, in aid of the Cancer Council. The students got to hear from School band, Room 109, get a glimpse of some of the performances being prepared for the upcoming ‘Night at the Theatre', and see our own Middle School Arts Captain, Jordi Thompson, shave his head, again in aid of Cancer research.

Thanks to Ms Morgan and Mrs Spanos for driving the event, and to the many people involved in making this such a fantastic and worthwhile day for the School, the charities, and students.

Wishing everyone a restful holiday break and to those travelling, safe travels.