Middle School – Year 7-10

 

CCS Middle School Philosophy

A Focus on Purpose

“At the core of our CCS Middle School philosophy is the nurturing of growth in faith, academics, the arts, culture, technology, health, and sports. We create an environment where students can uncover their hidden talents, explore their paths, ask important questions, learn the tenets of our faith, and navigate early adolescence with support and encouragement.

We value leadership and service, implementing structures that help students develop their leadership skills, recognise their impact in the world, and find ways to foster positive change.

At CCS Middle School, we constantly reflect, refine, and evolve while remaining anchored in the traditions of our faith and school that serve us well.

In partnership with our parents, CCS students learn to appreciate that rewards come from effort and that true success is achieved through perseverance—trying, failing, and trying again. They discover that God has bestowed each individual with a purpose, which begins with becoming the best version of themselves as created by Him.”

James Rose
Deputy Principal

Leadership

Assistant Principal: Ian Groube

Team Leader in Year 7&8: Mrs Tarryn Rose

Team Leader in Year 9&10: Mrs Karina Anderson

Academics

Students in the Middle School continue their progress through the National Curriculum. At Year 7&8, emphasis is placed on the core Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Social Studies skills in Homerooms. Science is taught by specialist science teachers in our science labs. Other curriculum areas are catered for in our Middle School Modules programme. In Year 9, homeroom teachers teach their class for at least two subjects and their Life Lab [see below] while in Year 10, homeroom teachers teach their class for one subject, plus their Life Lab.

Monitored for progress

Students are regularly monitored for progress in the Middle School. This monitoring includes:

  1. Weekly ‘Learning Engagement’ and ‘Learning Attitude tracking’ leading to Motivation Awards.
  2. Termly Academic Summaries.
  3. Three Parent/Teacher conferences each year – Term 1,2, and 3.
  4. E-Asttle [diagnostic] testing in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics at key points in the year. This information contributes to a student’s OTJ’s [Overall Teacher Judgement’s] in the summaries above against the relevant target curriculum levels.
  5. Use of the Centre for Assessment Monitoring [CAM] tools with Canterbury University in Year 7 and Year 9

One, two and four above are available on the Secondary Parent Portal for review along with:

    • Daily student notices.
    • School calendar.
    • PDF files of current and past academic summaries.
    • Timetable and attendance information.
    • Current contact details (including requests for changes)
    • Pastoral content (in limited detail)
    • Recognition tracking (new in 2024)

Preparation for the National Common Assessment [CAAs] Activities

In Years 9 & 10, teaching and learning programmes begin to focus more intently on preparing students to sit the National Common Assessment Activities [CAAs] in Year 10. The CAAs are co-requisites for NCEA and establish that your child is working at or above the required Reading, Writing, and Numeracy levels that are required to gain NCEA from Year 11.

Character Development and Puberty

Puberty can be a difficult time to navigate. Year 7’s and 8’s going through these changes can present as different people at times – with parents left wondering ‘what happened to the child they knew in Year 6’. Our experienced Middle School teachers are well able to support parents as they navigate this changing time with their children.

By focusing on character development, our students can learn to apply themselves to the best of their capabilities across multiple areas including their academics, service, sport, music, the arts, and culture.

Middle School Christian Educational Philosophy

Underpinning our educational endeavours are four key foundations.

  1. Christ is our Saviour.
  2. We are the ‘body of Christ’.
  3. We have a purposeful Christian culture.
  4. We are all made in His image.

The Narratives and Verse we live by

Within the classroom, teachers weave biblical concepts into their teaching through the lens of narrative and verse. Narrative is God’s way of helping us see His hand in our lives. The verse is His Word and is the standard by which we can interpret the curriculum and the wider world around us.

Homeroom based ‘Life Lab’ – Supporting the Christian Development of Every Student

All students in Year 7-10 are part of a Homeroom based Life Lab.

Life Lab times are scheduled three times per week for 30 minutes a day where they cover the Christian aspects to Learning, Serving, and Growing in God. In Years 7&8, Homeroom Teachers often weave this time into their wider programmes to capture the opportunities to discuss learning through a Christian World View lens.

The following chart models how this can be achieved.

Timetable

The following graphic shows the individual period by period timetable for the Middle School and Senior School. In Year 7&8, periods are often combined into ‘homeroom’ time for the purposes of theme studies and other cross curricular activities.

Anti Bully Programmes

In Year 7&8, students are given agency to report any bullying behaviour through the ‘Bully Box’ reporting system. This system levels the playing field by empowering those who may see themselves as victims of bullying to ‘take some action’ against the protagonist. Reports are ‘mapped’ so we can see trends developing and get to the source of any concerns as quickly as possible.

In Year 9 & 10, the Kia Kaha programme runs. Kia Kaha enables students to develop strategies for respectful relationships where bullying behaviours are not tolerated.

Overall Secondary Curriculum Map – Combined Middle School and Senior School