Academic Program

Gold Creek School is organised into three sectors: Primary School (Years K-5), Middle School (Years 6-8) and Senior School (Years 9-10). Each sector has its own Deputy Principal and is organised in such a way as to best meet the needs of the age group it serves. Ensuring a rich and varied curriculum is a goal of Gold Creek, with staff focused on providing for the needs of students.

The pursuit of academic excellence is fostered and promoted through a range of specific programs. Our Accel program which caters for students through a range of extension activities including Mathematics, Science, English and Music runs across the school. In the senior school, Accel courses are run both as part of the pathways program and in conjunction with core Accel programs in the areas of Mathematics, Science, English and SOSE. Accel Pathways courses, which run over a semester, include Accel English (Popular Culture, Journalism), Accel Science (Scientrific), Accel Mathematics (Mathemania), Accel SOSE (Psychology), Accel Arts (Music, 2D Visual Art) and Accel ICT.

GOLD CREEK PRIMARY SCHOOL: PRE-SCHOOL TO YEAR 5

Gold Creek Primary Site caters for students from Pre-School through to Year 5. Students work in modern, comfortable, flexible-space classrooms while pre-school students are accommodated in a purpose built facility adjacent to the Primary Site.

Gold Creek offers an integrated curriculum drawing learning tasks from all Key Learning Areas. This enables students to make connections between subject areas making learning more meaningful and relevant. Students are taught specific skills through individualised programs in Literacy, Numeracy and Information & Computing Technologies.

A unique feature of the Primary Site is that it is a shared facilities school with Holy Spirit School. The two schools share a library, the gymnasium, the playing fields and the canteen. The uniform of both schools is virtually identical. Children from both schools play together and have the opportunity of doing many activities together. There are many advantages for all our students and teachers in working in this cooperative, sharing environment. A real advantage of sharing with Holy Spirit is that all of our students have access to magnificent library and sporting facilities.

Kindy Handbook (doc 97kb) Parent Handbook (ppt 206kb)

GOLD CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL: Years 6 to 8

The Middle School is student-centred and fosters collaboration and team-building between teachers and students. In our Middle School, students are assigned to a home class in which they will have many of their lessons. The number of teachers assigned to each class is kept to a minimum in the interests of consistency and the building of effective educational relationships. In general, students will have a home-room teacher as well as some specialist teachers. The number of specialist teachers gradually increases as the student progresses through the middle years and into the senior school.

Year 6 students work predominately in their Home Room on integrated units of study with specialist PE and Science teachers as well as participating in Pathways courses (Languages - French, Music, Drama and Art/Tech) which students rotate through.

Year 7 students are again predominately in Home Rooms working on integrated units with specialist teachers for Science and PE, as well as their Pathways courses (Language – French, Wood/Metal, Art, Music, Drama) which are selected.

Year 8 students are transitioning into the senior (9-10) program and spend less time in Home Room integrated units and more time with specialist teachers including Maths, Science and PE, as well as having increased access to Pathways courses (Art, Wood/Tech, Cooking, Music, Drama, Textiles, Dance) which are selected..

This model allows teachers to know students well and we believe that teachers who know students well can teach them well. The students also relate better to their teachers as well. This strong relationship has beneficial results for student learning, teacher planning, and class management.

The School has a consistent and cohesive school wide curriculum. See the Curriculum link below for more information.

Our Middle School is built upon a teams based approach rather than a faculty model. Teachers work in year level teams (eg Year 7 team) with other teachers that collectively provide expertise in all subject areas. The teams are distinguished by teachers working with their peers to address the learning needs of students within the same year level. They plan and develop curriculum together to best meet the needs of their student cohort.

As many 11 and 12 year olds are entering puberty, our Middle School program commences at Year 6. The program is deliberately designed to cater for students who are going through this challenging stage of early adolescence. Consequently, the needs and characteristics of young adolescents are taken into account. Our Middle School program is forward-thinking, outcome-based and devoted to excellence in classroom instruction. This innovative approach, combined with up to date resources and facilities provide excellent learning opportunities for students.

A significant feature of our Middle School program is the relationship students have with their teachers and vice versa, as mentioned above. Another important principle is student motivation and engagement, which comes about through the relevance of what they are learning and the embedding of ICT across the curriculum.

Middle Schooling is a logical and meaningful transition program between Primary School and the Senior High School years (Years 9-10).

The School has clearly established, consistent student welfare procedures based on restorative practices and a social skills program. See the Student Development and Welfare page for more information.

Curriculum K – 8

Rather than divide into discrete Key Learning Areas (subjects) taught in isolation, student learning is centred around integrated units of work which encompass the Key Learning Areas (English, Mathematics, Studies of Society and the Environment, Science, The Arts, Health/Physical Education, Technology, Language Other Than English). This enables subjects to be linked making learning more meaningful and relevant.
Accel in Middle School
ACCEL Performance Band
Students in Year 6, 7 and 8 are eligible to apply to be part of the Accel Performance Band. This learning sequence focuses on providing the opportunity for students to develop their skills on their chosen instrument in an ensemble setting. It involves the practical application of theory and musicianship. Students will attend full band rehearsal and/or sectional rehearsals during this time. The Gold Creek Concert Band will perform at events outside and within the school community, such as Floriade, the school fete, our feeder schools and a possible tour.
Mathematics
Students in Middle School may also apply to be a part of the Mathematics extension group. This program offers students the opportunity to participate in a number of extension mathematics programs. The programs are designed to stimulate, encourage and develop mathematically interested and talented students from Years 5 through to Year 9. It aims to provide challenge and enjoyment in mathematical problem solving.

Students will undertake a two hours program as part of their Mathematics program. The program will be in three parts

An ongoing phase focusing on mathematical problem solving both individually and in groups.
Entry in the Mathematics Challenge. This challenge is organised by the Australian Mathematics Trust. The challenge runs over a three week period between April and May. It consists of four problems which students are able to discuss in groups. The cost of Challenge is $8.00 per student.
Entry to the Primary Mathematics Olympiad. This is a team based competition and runs from May to September. The cost of entry to the competition is $7.00 per student

In the Senior School a core and pathways model exists where students complete study in the core areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Studies of Society and Environment. In Year 1O these are offered at different levels to best cater for student ability and interest. Students also pursue six pathways courses over a four semester (2 year) period. These are broadly grouped into the domains of Business, Industry and Technologies, Leadership and Physical Pursuits, Creative and Expressive Arts, Information and Communication Technologies and Accel. One Physical Education unit per semester is compulsory and students are also required to complete a Health unit.