Middle School Report

by Mr Michael Busscher, Director of the Middle School 

Welcome back to everyone in the Middle School. I hope that you have all had a wonderful holiday. This is also another opportunity to remind all of our parents that Term 4 requires ALL boys to wear school shorts and to also have a College Cap available for Physical Education lessons, being conducted outside. With blended learning continuing for the next three weeks we will be offering sports activity afternoons to help the boys reconnect with each other and enjoy some shared experiences. Unfortunately the Year 9 Camp to the Grampians has been cancelled as we are not permitted to run Camps, Excursions or Incursions at this point in time. If the rules are changed in the remaining weeks of this term, we will look at some form of alternative experience to replace the camp. Community Service has also had to be cancelled so we will be looking at alternative options to keep the boys engaged when we are back at school full time.

In your son’s last term in the Middle School it is vital that he continue to grow in his level of maturity as he is about to experience greater demands on self-care and self –motivation when he moves into the Senior School. Simply put, your son needs to begin to work harder than he has ever worked before so that he begins to understand how hard, he in fact, can work! This is not unlike the experience of training; so that we are best prepared for the rigor of the game ahead. The final Year 9 Examinations are the educational game I am referring to here and thus the culmination of their hard work will ultimately improve their chances of achieving success. To assist your son to be best prepared for his examinations; may I suggest the regular reminder of completing homework and the further extension of completing class and homework, that being actually studying/revising materials covered throughout the semester, needs to be undertaken with some clear purpose in mind on an increasing regular occurrence. Year 9 boys should begin to be working towards 90 minutes of homework/study per night.

Some other major dates of note for the Middle School students include: The Year 9 Examination period starting Monday, November 29 until Friday, December 3 which will be the final day in Year 9 for your son concluding at 3.25pm. This day will include with our Middle School Awards and Year 9 Graduation Ceremony.

Finally, the 2022 timetable is well underway and despite some Year 9 boys facing the difficult task of having to modify their original subject choices, due to class space unavailability and subject selection clashes, we appear to be getting closer to a successful transition into the Senior School for 2022.

As always I hope that all of our boys achieve the success they are busily working towards throughout this, their last term in the Middle School.

Mr Michael Busscher

Director of Middle School