Middle School students bring life and energy to the College.
Middle School is an energetic and active time of rapid change and development in the lives of young people.
Our School
At St Philip’s Christian College Cessnock we seek to harness and enhance this energy as our students grow into the people God has gifted them to be.
Our Middle School provides students a supportive environment where they are encouraged to engage in a range of endeavours designed to broaden their experience of life, develop a healthy level of independence and fulfil their potential across a range of subject areas.
Our Staff
The staff of our Middle School are hand-picked and have a passion for this age group. They recognise that early adolescence is a critical developmental period in a person's life. Staff members embrace the challenges associated with adolescence and help nurture students through this phase of life. Accordingly, programs, environments and experiences are designed to cater for and respond to such changes. Students are encouraged to take risks and support one another as they learn more about God, themselves, each other and their world.
Our Routine
The arrangement of the school day for each grade provides students with a gradual transition to greater levels of cooperation, independence, responsibility and self-management throughout their time in the Middle School. In Year 5, students spend the majority of their time with their Pastoral Care teacher. This balance progressively changes through Year 6 & 7 until, in Year 8, students move between classrooms and specialist subject teachers much more frequently.
Our Purpose
Throughout the Middle School years, Pastoral Care teachers retain a vital and central part of each student’s experience. This pastoral relationship is fundamental to who we are. It allows the interactions between teachers and their students to be one of a mentor and coach rather than disciplinarian. Pastoral Care teachers are more easily able to guide students to make wise choices as they navigate their way through the hazards of adolescence.
Our aim is to have students graduate Middle School as engaged, self-directed, independent learners.
Students who have a great depth of resilience and are accepting and tolerant of the differences of others. Students who have a faith in Jesus, a firm understanding of themselves and the world they live in.