What is junior secondary?
Junior secondary at Mountain Creek State High School encompasses Year 7, 8 and 9 and responds effectively to the specific developmental needs of young adolescents, (predominantly 11 to 14 year olds). Like all students, young adolescents have a range of personal, intellectual and social needs. With the onset of puberty, there are also particular physical, emotional and cultural needs that should also be addressed. Mountain Creek State High School’s Junior Secondary provides opportunities for young people to learn and grow in ways that acknowledge and respect this unique and special phase of their development.
Mountain Creek State High School’s junior secondary curriculum incorporates the following principles:
- The curriculum should be relevant, and have a ‘connectedness’ to the real world of the student.
- Learning should be exciting, and engage the student at a personal level.
- Learning experiences should be intellectually challenging and motivating.
- Students should master the skills and knowledge to prepare them for future challenges.
- Cooperative learning should be encouraged, exploiting the positive potential of peer group influences.
- Transition from primary school to junior secondary, and from the junior secondary into the senior school should be seamless.
- The social development and participation of all students is a priority.
- Information and communication technology strategies should be used to encourage higher order thinking skills.
- Teachers should work collaboratively in professional teams.
- Teachers should demonstrate an extensive range of effective pedagogical approaches.
Curriculum
Mountain Creek State High School has seen the introduction of three innovative tiers into Junior Secondary to ensure quality education outcomes for all students. These tiers include the:
Year 7
All students in Year 7 study the same curriculum. Subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Health and Physical Education, Japanese and Spanish, Arts (Art, Drama, Music) and Production Design Technology. Focus students may be exempt from language study.
Year 8
All students in Year 8 study a core curriculum. Subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Health and Physical Education, Japanese and Spanish. Students are also given the opportunity to select one elective subject for each semester. Focus students may be exempt from language study.
Year 9
All students in Year 9 study a core curriculum that includes English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, and Health and Physical Education.
A broad range of elective subjects supplements the Year 9 core curriculum. Students study 4 elective subjects (2 electives each semester). Please refer to the Year 9 subject selection handbook for more detailed information on each subject area.
Transition from primary school into junior secondary
In Term 3 of each year, Year 6 students enrolling at Mountain Creek State High School visit the school and participate in a Transition Day.
The Head of Department Junior Secondary and student services staff visit the feeder schools in Term 4 to talk to the students and staff to collect data which will assist in providing an appropriate junior secondary program which caters for the full range of students.
Transition from junior secondary into the senior school
The junior secondary curriculum challenges, motivates and extends junior secondary students, and prepares the junior secondary student for senior schooling. The junior secondary curriculum is based on ACARA and a core and elective curriculum program, which will provide students with the knowledge and skill levels necessary to cope with senior schooling.
Assessment and reporting
Assessment tasks are designed in accordance with the students level (Zenith, Aspire, Focus Groups). Students are well practiced in multiple choice, short answer response and written tasks (short and extended pieces utilising a variety of genres) and are hence well prepared for testing undertaken in their senior schooling years.