Year 7
All students are welcomed through a comprehensive transition program that begins well before day 1 and extends into the year of commencement. Experiencing the supportive, inclusive environment, discovering what to expect, understanding the routines and processes, being assigned to a House, learning about the great range of opportunities on offer, and meeting caring staff and friendly peers all makes for a positive, happy start.
Our Year 7 students primarily occupy a discrete physical space on the campus. This provides an ideal context for their learning and development as a cohesive, cooperative cohort. They are supported by a dedicated Junior School Principal, a Leading Teacher, two Year 7 managers and an Individual Education Plan co-ordinator. There is also a friendly ES Staff Member available in Junior School to greet and guide them as they need.
The focus at Year 7 is for students and teachers to work together to create the safe spaces and learning conditions that promote holistic growth and optimise outcomes for everyone. Integral to this is explicit positive education input and expert attention to individual learning needs.
The relevant, engaging and rigorous curriculum inspires success in all its forms. At St Helena, excelling is all about achieving your personal best. Understanding that, makes daring to achieve big things not just possible, but the norm. Our regular celebration of learning progress has fostered a culture in which, according to our students, it’s genuinely ‘cool to be clever’.
It’s in this first year of secondary college that students begin to engage with the possibilities for their future learning. Through STRIVE, students complete step 1 of their Career Action Plan. The ‘I Discover’ curriculum helps students discover their strengths and talents. Students also undertake a specialised subject in Digital Skills that helps them navigate learning with a laptop as well as digital literacy and safety to ensure they are conscious of how to manage their use of technology.