What our students say about Fintona

At the end of camp we came back with smiles on our faces and pains in our muscles, plus memories that will last forever!

Ella

Middle School Programs

Laying foundations for the Senior years

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Year 5 and 6 Programs

Fintona's Middle School programs have been designed to ensure that students are well equipped to enter their Senior School years with confidence, good study habits and an independent approach to learning. The curriculum for Middle School students involves the Primary Years Program (PYP) for students in Years 5 and 6, before commencing a more traditional secondary schooling model for Years 7 and 8. The PYP values the importance of learning through inquiry, while ensuring that fundamental skills in literacy and numeracy are further developed.

All classes are conducted on the Tourmont Senior School Campus. Years 5 and 6 Programs The Years 5 and 6 programs are delivered by a single teacher who teaches English, Mathematics and Science. Girls also participate in Outdoor Education, Art, Drama, French, Music and Physical Education, all of which are delivered by specialist staff. A brass and woodwind ensemble program is offered for the first semester of Year 5, and all students in Years 5 and 6 are members of the Years 5-6 Choir. Year 5 students visit Sovereign Hill for immersion into a Unit of Inquiry and Year 6 girls travel to Canberra.

Year 7 and 8 Programs

Students in Years 7 and 8 are introduced to a system which combines core subjects with a wide range of specialist studies. They are taught by highly skilled teachers across a broad range of subjects in a learning program that builds knowledge, understanding and skills that are essential for the students' immediate and future education. Students complete compulsory studies in the areas of the Arts (Drama, Music and Visual Art); English; Humanities (Geography and History); Information Technology (IT); two languages other than English (French, Indonesian or Japanese); Mathematics; Physical Education; and Science.

The inquiry model of learning, which underpins the Years 7 and 8 curriculum is continued in the Explorations Program. Fintona's Explorations Program aims to provide opportunities for students in Years 7 and 8 to extend and apply the knowledge, skills and concepts taught within the curriculum outside the traditional classroom.

Our Life Skills program allows students to hear from and talk to experts in the areas of physical changes, building personal relationships, healthy lifestyle, stranger danger, emerging individuality and relationships with family and friends, drugs, emerging sexuality, conflict resolution, and the cyber world. A Study Skills program provides strategies to guide students with organisation and time management.

Drama, Music, Sport, Outdoor Education and Leadership opportunities further add richness and breadth to the Middle School curriculum by providing experiences that stretch each student, build self-esteem and allow deeper friendships to be formed. In this stage of their educational journey, the girls feel enthusiastic about their learning and are solidly prepared to enter the rigours and demands of the Senior School.

Resource Centre

Middle School students have access to the Senior School Resource Centre and are encouraged to enjoy, develop an appreciation of literature and to explore a variety of genres. Opportunities are provided for class reading, personal choices, and participation in a variety of literature-based activities, including Book Chats (Years 5-6), Literature Circle (Years 7-8) and the Lounge Lizards reading club. Students in Years 5 to 8 have periods each week in the Resource Centre incorporated into their English timetable. Students also have access to a wide range of print and online resources that support the research requirements of the Middle School programs.

More information

Click here to download the Middle School Curriculum Handbook which contains further details about our Middle School learning programs.

For more information on our Middle School programs, contact the Registrar on (03)9830 1388 or request a copy of our prospectus.

To apply for a position, simply download a copy of our Application Form by clicking on the Enrolment button below.