The Hamilton and Alexandra College Newsletter

Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning 

Breadth

 

‘The height of the pinnacle is determined by the breadth of the base’.  Ralph Waldo Emerson.

 

Essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson knew that great achievements rest on strong, broad foundations. 

 

At The Hamilton and Alexandra College, we want students to be great thinkers, strong leaders, and confident speakers.

We want students to understand design principles, explore coaching as a way of setting and meeting goals, develop strong research skills, and be personally challenged by working in the outdoors.

 

We need our students to be aware of global issues, connected with the local community and optimistic about the future.

We believe it is important that our students study a wide range of subjects outside of the core curriculum in the Middle Years, which is why students are given the opportunity to learn a range of different skills in subjects as they prepare a pathway into Year 10-12.

 

It is great to learn skills and explore new interests. 

The College encourages students to tackle a range of subjects and our curriculum continues to evolve. It is responsive to State and National Curriculum agendas, as well as the interests and needs of our College community. We want to develop the talent and skills in each of our students. As a small Independent School, we have the capacity to work with each student and develop bespoke programs to meet their needs. This year we have introduced The Edge and Excel extension programs, that are led by Head of Middle Years Mr Ben Hawthorne and Head of Senior Years Miss Helen Reiher, respectively. The Year 10 Emerge program continues to offer students opportunities to lead, be challenged and grow in their knowledge of their future beyond school.

 

Some of our key learning interests this year include:

  • Improving writing skills from P-12, with The Writing Revolution program – Head of English, Mrs Belinda Nichols
  • Learning a language other than English – Chinese and French – Head of LOTE, Ms Yang Liu
  • Using design principles to problem solve – STEAM – Head of IT, Mr Peter Steer
  • Developing leadership skills through physical and team challenges – Head of PE, Mr Andrew Monk
  • Fostering a love of the creative and performing arts – Head of Creative Arts, Mr Ben Hiscock
  • Building confidence and agency in mathematics – Head of Mathematics, Mrs Deb Davis
  • Engage students with a broad view of the world through humanities, including a focus on entrepreneurship through commerce – Head of Humanities, Mrs Jody Ogle
  • Nurture curiosity in applied science, with a focus on innovation in Agriculture – Head of Science, Mrs Rebekah Bonnett
  • A directed reading program for all students in Years 7-10 supported by the English team - Head of Library, Mrs Kym Dempsey.

Day to day it is easy to lose sight of the pinnacle and the goal of schooling. We aim to help each child learn, grow and develop the skills they need to make a contribution to the people around them, both locally and globally. Only last week students from Years 7-12 attended Elevate Study Skills and worked though strategies to learn effectively.

 

I encourage our parents, students, and teachers to share the positive stories of learning and celebrate the amazing resources, teaching staff and programs we offer.

 

Susan Bradbeer

Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning

Another set of exceptional results in the National History Competition!

The Australian History Competition provides an opportunity for our capable historians to shine at a national level and this year our students have again done particularly well, with some outstanding individual results and an average across the board well above the state and national averages.  We congratulate all the students for their efforts and they should be very proud of themselves. 

 

The format for several years now has been that Year 7s and 8s sit the same paper, and Year 9 and 10 students sit a Year 10 based paper.  Each year level was graded differently, with consideration to what students have covered in their year level curriculum within the school environment.  The 2022 results showed an overall growth in skillset in the competition analysis.

 

The study of History extends way beyond facts or recall and at the College we are dedicated to developing each student’s ability to apply critical and creative thinking that focuses on historical skills, including terms, concepts, chronology, knowledge, interpretation, contextualisation and source analysis. 

 

National History Competition results for 2022:

  • High Distinction: Marianna Novikov (Year 7); Phoebe Baker and Harry Croft (Year 8); Annabel O’Toole (Year 9) and Hannah Croft (Year 10)
  • Distinction: Joshua Nagorcka (Year 8); Emma Donovan, Sophie Merrin, Olivia Rees and Ava Schroeder (Year 9); Fingal Jackson and Neve McClure (Year 10).
  • Credit: Libby Herrmann (Year 7); Finn Dennis and Harriet Nicholls (Year 8); Amelia Jackson, Olive Jackson, Kim Su-Rian, William Mackellar and Harry McDonald (Year 9); Lucas Barroso and Zoe Weinberg (Year 10). 
  • Merit: Amelia Bradbeer, Cairo Cullinane, Louis Lazzari, Millie Mould, and Tom Nagorcka (Year 7); Finn Dennis, Jude Hockley, Hugo Jarrold, Perry Maas-Geesteranus (Year 8); and Lachlan Veale (Year 10).

These students will receive their certificates either in a House meeting or at an upcoming Assembly.

 

Congratulations to all the participants.  The skills of History are also important in many other subjects, and the History Faculty plays an integral role in working with students to develop their analytical and academic abilities at a whole-school level. 

 

Margaret Simkin on behalf of Jody Ogle

Head of History (currently on leave).