COURSES

Academic Program

Primary School - Prep to Year 6*

Our primary school is a community of learners which fosters relationships with parents, students and staff.  Students are encouraged to be responsible, take initiative and be active participants in their educative journey.  Students participate in a comprehensive and balanced curriculum program within the following areas: English, Mathematics, Humanities, Science, Health and Physical Education, Art and Music, Modern Languages (Mandarin and French), Technology and Religious and Values Education.

Students also have the opportunity to engage in a variety of additional activities. These include year level specific curriculum programs, house meetings and activities, and weekly chapel services.

The Core Plus Cluster Program is a manifestation of our commitment to differentiation and evidence-based practice. Highlighting the concept of teaching ‘stage not age’, learning at our school acknowledges the different developmental progress of each student. It accepts individual differences and focuses on the development of the whole child as an intellectual, physical, spiritual, social and emotional being. There is also a commitment to exemplary teaching and to empowering students to set and monitor their own learning through reflection, goal setting and feedback.

Core Plus Cluster comprises two components:

• The Core Program is the year level program which dominates the timetable
• In the Cluster Program, students can be grouped across the year level and in vertical groupings (PP-Prep, Prep-2, Years 3 and 4, Years 5 and 6). These groupings within the cluster are flexible. The Cluster Program has a numeracy and/or literacy focus. The specific focus of the cluster program (e.g. spelling, reading – guided reading, literature circles) will often change to reflect the whole school goal.

* St Margaret’s is CRICOS registered from Years 1 to 12. International students interested in enrolling for Prep may do so as a study experience for Term 4.

STEM Learning in the Primary School

From Prep, our primary students are engaged in coding applications and robotic devices are used to ignite and develop the girls’ science, technology and engineering acumen.

Specialist teachers such as our Primary Maths Specialist bring a higher level of expertise to the primary curriculum and further inspire students’ learning. A maker style space, ‘Atelier’, is part of the primary school. From paper craft to 3D printing, in this environment small hands will combine with youthful imagination to invent and construct, cultivating our students’ creativity, social-emotional capacity, innovative thinking, problem solving, skilled communication and design thinking. The Atelier space honours the innate curiosity of our learners through real-life experiences in food technology, tinkering, design, robotics, environmental studies, media studies, science and materials technology.

Secondary Learning – Years 7-12

In keeping with our philosophy of personalised learning, we offer a broad, balanced and flexible curriculum, designed to provide an optimal learning environment for each student.  We are focused on teaching our girls HOW to learn, with specialised programs based on effective learning techniques and critical and creative thinking skills. This leads to a deeper understanding of subject matter, which students can apply across their academic subjects and then transfer to alternative contexts.

Students in Years 7 to 10 are offered a wide range of subjects, providing a breadth of experience in all disciplines.  In Years 11 and 12, students are able to specialise in areas of interest with a view to tertiary study and postsecondary interests.

As St Margaret’s is a multi-pathway school, which personalises learning for each individual, the suite of subject offerings in diverse. It includes academiclly rigourous authority subjects as well as vocational options. This means that each individual can engage in the program which best meets her needs. The school works extensively with registered training organisations to ensure we provide a range of opportunities, including school-based traineeships, Certificate III and Diploma level qualifications. For VET courses specific to International Students please refer to the Curriculum Handbook Year 11 and 12 on the school website.

Years 7 and 8

Students study a broad core curriculum of English, Mathematics, The Arts, Science, Humanities, Health and Physical Education, Modern Languages and Religious and Values Education.

Year 9 and 10

Students study core curriculum subjects including English, Mathematics, Science, History, Health and Physical Education and Religious and Values Education. Additionally, students select three elective subjects (one Major and two Minors) that will be studied in both Years 9 and 10. Electives are organised into Majors (four lessons a week) and Minors (three lessons a week), allowing for a breadth of experiences to be offered to students.

Students choose from Major electives: French, Chinese (Mandarin), Music, Drama, Visual Art and Geography, English as an Additonal language and STEM.

Minor electives are:

Geography, Food and Design, Economics and Entrepreneurial Studies, Legal Studies, Physical Education, Digital Technologies, Music, Drama, Visual Art and STEM.

Year 10 students have the opportunity to apply to participate in the school’s Global Exchange Program, which allows them to study abroad for a term.

Years 11 and 12

Students will choose one of the following QCE pathways:

1. Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) pathway – students selecting this pathway must select five or six General subjects from the following groups:
   
   Group A (students choose at least one subject): English, Literature, English as an Additional Language
   
   Group B (students choose a minimum of two and a maximum of five subjects): Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, Digital Solutions, Economics, French, Geography, Mathematical Methods, Modern History, Physics, Specialist Mathematics. 
   
   Group C (students choose a minimum of 0 and a maximum of two subjects): Design, Drama, General Mathematics, Legal Studies, Music, Physical Education, Visual Art. 
    
2. Portfolio pathway – students selecting this pathway are not eligible for an ATAR. All students must select three General subjects from the following groups:
   
   Group A (choose one subject): English
   
   Group B (choose a minimum of 1 Diploma): Diploma of Business
   
   Group C (choose two ATAR subjects from Groups B & C)
   
   Group D:  Special Project – a school-based program will be offered to provide additional access to work, apprenticeship and study options

For more information about Learning at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, please CLICK THE LINK.