St Martins Seniors – Year 7 & 8

Early adolescents enjoy learning about what is important and meaningful to them in an environment where they have some choice and a real say in what and how they learn. There also remains an emphasis on developing skills to a high level in literacy and numeracy. The curriculum delivery programme includes the following:

  • Careers education
  • Enterprise
  • Global citizenship
  • Cultural diversity
  • Changes in global events, politics, and economy
  • Relationships and changes at puberty
  • Treaty of Waitangi
  • Sustainability
  • Key competencies

Through our inquiry-based learning programme, students learn questioning, critical thinking, and problem solving skills within the context of topics that are meaningful and purposeful for them. Our Year 7/8 Student Curriculum Team meets on a regular basis to develop and drive our inquiry learning contexts each term. All these skills are critical for students to become independent, active, and responsible learners. All students need these skills if they are going to become adaptable, confident, and lifelong learners.

Every student has many new and different learning experiences to challenge and extend them. Every student has opportunities to develop areas of strength and talent and to strive for excellence in these areas – whether it is in academic subjects such as Science and Mathematics, or Music, Art, Performing Arts, Leadership, Technology, ICT, or Sport.

Year 7/8 Enrichment Learning Opportunities

In addition to the core curriculum that is taught everyday in classrooms, students have the opportunity to take part in activities that help to enrich and extend their learning in a range of areas.

Senior Interchange

Each class will participate in two rounds of senior interchange over the year (Terms 1 and 4). Subjects operate on a two-week rotation, meaning that students experience four different senior interchange subjects during each round. Some of the subjects include Visual Arts, Science, Geography, Careers Education, Outdoor Education, Forensic Science and ICT.

Language Interchange

There is also a language interchange programme, where students learn the basic language and culture of four languages over a two-year rotation: Japanese, Chinese Mandarin, Spanish and French.

Extras

Students have the opportunity to take part in a multitude of external activities, such as Young Writers, inter-school Rotary speech competition, the bi-annual Lincoln Science Fair, Cantamath, Otago Times Spelling Quiz and Current Events Quiz, Lit Quiz, Young Leaders Conference, winter sport, zone and Canterbury level sporting events.

All of these activities encourage students to strive to achieve their personal best and to be able to share their learning and achievements in a context outside of the regular classroom setting.

Year 7/8 Senior Success Awards

While in the Year 7/8 syndicate, each student has the opportunity to develop areas of strength and talent, ad to strive for excellence. We encourage and celebrate student success through our Senior Success Award badges. The badges fall under five categories:

Academic         The Arts           Sports            Community           Leadership

The Senior Success Awards are given to students to acknowledge and celebrate student success in a range of areas. The badges are worn proudly on the senior jackets.

Students can become eligible for a Senior Success Badge through a range of activities and achievements, for example, completing three Home Learning Challenges from one category, demonstrating leadership within the school community and/or achieving success in sport, academic and/or the Arts. Application forms, with full eligibility criteria, can be obtained from any of the Year 7/8 teachers.

St Martins senior students have a special senior jacket that is just for them. The Senior Jacket Committee were involved in the uniform redesign in 2012, and was the result of ‘student voice’ and community consultation. The jacket can be purchased from the office or online.