Middle School

The middle years of schooling are the most exhilarating and challenging time in a young person’s life. These are identity forming years where adolescents will undergo physical and emotional changes that will shape their attitudes, their values and beliefs as they prepare for their journey into adulthood. Our Middle School teachers are specially trained to support early adolescents as they take on new challenges and explore the world around them with increased curiosity.

Learning and Teaching

Walford’s Middle School curriculum offers rigour, balance and challenge, providing a structured transition between the Junior and Senior years of schooling.

At Walford, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, delving richly and deeply into concepts that are linked to globally relevant, real-life situations.

During the middle years, students will study a core of subjects that include English, Science, Mathematics, Humanities, the Arts (Drama, Visual Arts and Music), Health and Physical Education, Chinese/French, and Digital and Design Technologies.

Further to the core subjects, Middle School students undertake an exciting array of electives that have real-life application. These include business start-ups, philosophy (ways of thinking and knowing) and community service learning projects.

Middle School Subject List

Wellbeing, Engagement and Belonging (WEB)

During the adolescent years, it is vital that we help students develop a growth mindset along with the social and emotional capabilities needed to flourish in an ever-changing world. Wellbeing underpins all learning and permeates every aspect of school and life. However, like our academic program, our wellbeing framework is thoughtfully and intentionally crafted providing challenging and rewarding opportunities for learning and growth.

When your daughter enters the Middle School, she will have her own mentor who will support, guide and encourage her academic and personal growth. She will see her mentor every day so that she can be assisted to maintain a healthy, achievable schedule, develop her study habits and be encouraged to participate in the myriad experiences available to her within and beyond the classroom in a balanced way.

The mentors work in partnership with the Heads of House, School Counsellor, wellbeing curriculum coordinator and the Heads of School to provide a “wrap around approach” that supports the emotional needs of students during these fundamental years.

When students feel empowered their wellbeing thrives. Unique and central to Walford’s wellbeing framework is our student wellbeing committee. This committee of student representatives from across all year levels, works closely with the School’s wellbeing professionals to co-create the content of the formal wellbeing program, ensuring that the topics covered are responsive to the real life needs of students at any given time. The School engages psychologists and key experts throughout the year to ensure that the topics explored are grounded in evidence based research.

Fundamental to wellbeing is a strong sense of belonging and connection within the school community. In addition to their adult mentors, all students in Years 6 and 7 and new Year 8 and 9 students will each have a peer support leader, an older girl in the school who is trained to provide support and encouragement that helps to build the confidence of their younger peers.

Leading and Leadership

Our world needs leaders who are confident, agile to change and capable of solving complex problems and it is critical that we help prepare tomorrow’s leaders, today. Nurturing and growing the leadership capabilities of adolescents so that they can influence change is underpinned by our school motto Virtute et Veritate – “With truth and moral courage”, reminding us that leadership is about bravely standing up for that which we know to be ethically right and true.
Students are strongly encouraged to lead at Walford in a range of formal and informal roles. Some of these roles include:

  • Student Ambassadors
  • Middle School Committee Representatives
  • Student Wellbeing Committee
  • Sporting Ambassadors
  • Road Crossing Monitors
  • Student buddies
  • Smith Family Student2Student program
  • Student Mentors (orchestra, choir, bands)
  • Sport Coaches
  • Junior School Umpires

Beyond the Classroom

In addition to the many co-curricular opportunities available, the Walford Middle School encourages students to be active in a range of initiatives that encourage agency and self management, challenge thinking, grow friendships and are fun.

The knowledge and thinking of students is enriched through participation in a variety of competitions and experiences throughout the year. These include:

  • Extension Mathematics
  • Tournament of Minds and the da Vinci Decathlon
  • Festival of Ideas
  • Year 8 Start Ups – small businesses are brought to life at school
  • Enrichment pathways and accelerated subject study
  • Walford Literary Festival

Healthy attitudes towards sport and recreation are fostered throughout the Middle School along with opportunities to build performance capabilities through the co-curricular program and the following activities:

  • Year 6/7 Drama Production
  • School Musical
  • Sports Centre lunchtime activities
  • Interschool collaborations

Students are involved in many outreach programs through the year with the holiday mentoring program with KickStart for Kids a highlight.

Explore Walford

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