Middle School
“The chief symptom of adolescence is a state of expectation, a tendency towards creative work and a need for the strengthening of self-confidence.”
Dr Maria Montessori
About the Middle School
Our Middle School learning environment caters for students from ages 12 to 16 years, the equivalent of Years 7 to 10. In our Middle School environment, every stage of a child’s journey is important, however in most cases adolescence (12 to 15 years old or Years 7 to 9) is the most challenging and transformative.
It is a period marked by major social and physical development, enhanced self- awareness and critical thinking, and growing independence and responsibilities. It is a time when young people evolve their knowledge, identity, and direction in life.
Therefore, schooling that is purposefully designed for adolescence is so important and advantageous to students in this age group.
As Brisbane’s only Montessori school, our Middle School is an offering like no other. We blend the Montessori pedagogy with the Australian and Montessori National curriculum to help students develop holistically and academically to be independent, responsible, problem-solving adults.
At our Middle School, we wholeheartedly believe that a purposeful Middle School program, designed for the needs of adolescence, will help nurture, protect, and guide our next generation through these exciting and challenging formative years.
A Montessori education is truly different, and our difference is what we champion.
Students in our Middle School charter their own destinies in a safe, nurturing environment working among their peers in a close-knit community. They experience a meaningful, challenging integrated curriculum and engage with interesting subjects that allow self-expression, critical thinking and project-based work. They also learn about community service and have the opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh and Bridge Award Schemes. They form life skills through experiences provided through outdoor education and a range of camps.
Curriculum
Our Middle School students learn from an academic curriculum that comprises of the Montessori National Curriculum mapped against the Australian National Curriculum. This builds a high level of understanding and solid foundation to progress to a senior secondary education.
The Montessori elements of our curriculum, designed to prepare students for life beyond school, enable our students to develop well-rounded skills that can be applied in the real world. Students work independently in a three-hour work cycle as opposed to a regulated time per subject developing self-direction, time management and prioritising skills. We believe this encourages an engaged and full learning experience, which reinforces freedom (to choose) with responsibility (to fulfil expectations)
Our Middle School curriculum is extremely learner centred, with a flexibly constructed and collaboratively organised and integrated curriculum. Our Middle School students are ethically aware and community orientated and develop life skills that you can’t grade on paper.
The program provides leadership development opportunities for all students. As such, this innovative program embodies the essential elements of high-performing organisations. We believe this real-world approach is hugely beneficial to our students, irrespective of what they ultimately do or where they end up in the world.
Peace Education
Peace education is the essence of our learning, where students learn conflict resolution, grace and courtesy, mutual respect and gain humanistic knowledge.
Production and Exchange
Production (chickens, ducks, bees and gardens)
This area of study helps students to learn holistically and supports social and moral development, team cohesion and leadership, and provides a sense of purpose, responsibility, and problem-solving opportunities. Students study variety ways of collecting produce that will be sold in the school community markets through vegetable and herb gardens, bee products and eggs from chicken / ducks.
Exchange (market stalls, car wash, staff lunches)
Unique to a Montessori environment, these activities enable students to have real-world learnings in both manual and intellectual work. Likened to economics and accounting studies, students complete interdisciplinary studies and learn principles of supply and demand, and sustainability and basic fundamentals of setting up and running a small business.
Digital Technology and Design
Technology takes on both digital and physical forms within the Middle School curriculum, with a strong continuation of the fundamentals learnt in Upper Primary. Along with utilising Arduino, coding robots, 3D design and printing, students are also introduced to more complex woodworking skills for design. Web development with HTML, CSS and JavaScript is introduced, with game development and interactive story writing and quiz creation also an exciting part of the curriculum.
Music
Our Middle School students are encouraged to hone their skills in playing music throughout their music curriculum.
Students begin to complete research on music history and instruments, as well as how an instrument is made and what impact has it had on music composition. Technology is incorporated within Middle School music lessons, as our students are encouraged to compose and record their musical pieces via a range of software and platforms.
Middle School students are also encouraged to perform their musical compositions to younger classes, which fosters a wonderful sense of community within the school.
Creative Expression
Creative expression gives students the opportunity to physically and creatively express themselves through Music, Language, Arts, Dance, Drama and Pottery. This enables them to explore their identity, values, interests and talents. Our students get to participate in all creative activities either to find their own strengths and passions or just give things a go in a safe and risk-free environment of being judged by peers. We celebrate the individuality and uniqueness of each person.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics)
This is project-based, integrated curricular is delivered by general and specialist staff and includes elements such as digital technologies using 3D printers, Lego Mind Storms, Arduino, Coding and basic software design, as well as film and media. These are creatively integrated into our core subject areas which demonstrates that basis of Montessori philosophy that nothing exists in isolation, and everything is connected in the web of knowledge.
Duke of Edinburgh and Bridge Awards
We offer the internationally recognised youth development program, which involves students setting individual goals and working towards them in physical recreation, skill, service and adventurous journey activities. Although community service is one of the four important aspects of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, it also fits in with the Montessori pedagogy of the students learning about contributing to their community with a purpose. They get to mentor younger Montessori students by reading with/to them or assist parents in running the P&F Café as examples.
Outdoor Education and Extracurricular
Students can choose to participate in a range of sports, as well as Film and Media, Art, Dance, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh program.
In addition, every year students experience camps, whether an Outback tour, a Canberra trip or a school campout. The Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food is a 5-week course that is run annually for our students, where they learn how to cook fresh and healthy meals, basic knife skills and cooking processes, setting them up with the life skills for the future. Whole-of-school activities include the book fair, the school dance, the art fest and carnivals such as sports day and the cross-country run.