Middle School
Catering for students in Years 7 to 9, the middle school teaching and learning philosophy centers on the education of the whole child and is designed to provide learning experiences that serve to educate, enlighten and empower young adults.
In addition to the academic and curriculum requirements, the Kimberley College middle school environment is designed to cater to the social and emotional wellbeing of students with students allocated to one of the following four 'boats', which provides a supportive atmosphere to succeed over the coming school years. Each boat comprises approximately 75 students from across years 7 to 9 with three teachers and a dedicated Head of Boat (HOB) responsible for pastoral care and wellbeing. Students will meet in their boats twice daily for pastoral care (PC) sessions. Boats include:
- Barada
- Jagera
- Lama Lama
- Maikulan
Students embody the values of the school and their boat, and represent them with pride in academic, sporting, and extra-curricular events. The Kimberley College community prides itself on the unique approach the middle school program offers. Our students are resilient, resourceful, and lifelong learners. We honour their talents, support their challenges, and celebrate their accomplishments.
Students engage in experiential learning through the thematic exploration of relevant topics. Kimberley College embraces thematic curriculum planning and project-based learning experiences that explore big ideas and allows students to engage with their learning in authentic and purposeful ways.
For students in Years 7 and 8, the middle school program features multi-aged classrooms or 'pods' with approximately 25 students per pod. Teaching teams coordinate learning experiences in each pod to drive a passion and enjoyment of learning. Year 7 and 8 students will attend an annual camp together.
All Year 7 and 8 classes take a total of 70 minutes (over one or two lessons) of Japanese - Language Other Than English (LOTE) each week as part of the curriculum.
Year 9 students work together in dedicated classroom spaces with a core teacher and subject specific teachers on the Year 9 curriculum to prepare and support their passage into Year 10 and the senior school.
In addition to the core subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, Philosophy, and PE, Year 9 students undertake a Rites of Passage Program, and two specialist subjects each term on a rotational basis. Specialist subjects for Year 9 include:
- STEM
- HASS (over 2 terms)
- Hospitality
- Industrial Design and Technology (IDT)
- Art
- Drama
- Dance
Based on the work of Dr. Arne Rubinstien, our Rites of Passage framework is embedded into the College curriculum and is designed to support teenagers as they navigate the challenges of transitioning from children into young adults. Throughout Year 9, students learn about self, community and 21st. century life skills including resilience, a growth mindset and having a purpose beyond self.
The program culminates with a Year 9 annual camp and special ceremony with parents and caregivers as the capstone events for the middle school before transitioning into the Kimberley College senior school.
The names of our middle school boats reflect indigenous language groups based throughout Queensland.