From the Head of Middle School

At our last Assembly we presented Certificates of Academic Excellence to 40 boys in Year 8 who had earned these awards based on their Semester 2 reports last year. Academic Excellence Awards recognise a broad and sustained approach to academic achievement by a student. The criteria for the award is quite simple. In the MYP, all eight end of semester subject levels are a mark out of 7. A Certificate of Academic Excellence Award is earned by a student who achieves an aggregate of 30+ marks across any five subject areas. Academic Excellence Awards continue into Year 9 and beyond and form a part of the Academic Honours qualification a student can receive in Senior School.

Certificates of Academic Excellence begin at Year 7. Our next presentation of Academic Excellence Awards will be early in Winter Term following the Semester 1 reports.

Most families have attended a Scotch Open Day, many more than one. This Friday is our annual Open Day and Year 8 students have a special role. As a part of their Leadership programme, Year 8 boys are prepared and then given the opportunity to promote their school. Pairs of boys escort a family around the College, showing off the facility but more importantly showing off themselves, their character, their empathy, their pride and different aspects of their Scotch story. Countless new families tell us the guided tour of the College by the student was the determining factor in sending their son to Scotch. How does this link to our Leadership programme? Beyond the physical leading of visitors around the College, our Year 8 leaders are helping others to make a decision, choose a course of action. This is an important concept in our leadership programme: a good leader helps others to take control.

For the next four weeks our Year 7 students and their Homeroom teachers will be heading down to our Outdoor Education Centre, 'Moray' near Dwellingup. They will come back tired and dirty, this includes the teachers, but having had a ball camping, canoeing, bush walking and climbing on the ropes courses. We learn a lot about ourselves, and each other down at Moray.

I look forward to seeing you at this week's Assembly where our guest speakers will be Harry Clark and Eli Blackburn, both in Year 7 and both with an important question to ask.

Mr Richard Ledger
Head of Middle School