Great Scot - The Scotch Family Magazine - Issue 149 December 2016 Great Scot - The Scotch Family magazine issue 149 | Page 18

Middle School

Upper School

Mr Pino Cutinelli – Head of Middle School

MR PINO CUTINELLI
HEAD OF MIDDLE
SCHOOL

MR TIM RAYNER
HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

Developing a real sense
of connection
Our Middle School program is based
on the generic skills we want our boys
to acquire, including thinking, learning,
organisation and communication. These
core skills drive our curriculum both
within the classroom and in the many
extracurricular programs boys undertake.
Our boys are encouraged to be
critical thinkers, to be sceptical about
opinions and values that may be
biased or based on stereotypes, and
to be creative in their own responses to
problems they see in the world around
them. Responsibility for their own
learning is likewise enforced in every
classroom interaction. Teachers guide
and facilitate learning, but it is the boys
themselves who engage closely with their
subjects and self-direct the focus topics
they wish to pursue in greater depth.
In life, as in school, organisation is
key to reducing stress and managing
workload. The record book is an
invaluable aid for parents, boys and
teachers to map homework and
outcome tests for each subject; and as
the year progresses, boys become adept
at planning their weekly study programs.
Finally, but possibly the most
important skill the boys acquire, is the
ability to communicate clearly and
effectively with the important people
in their lives: teachers, parents, their
peers in school and outside school,

16

Mr Tim Rayner – Head of Upper School

and other older boys. Public speaking
opportunities, the peer support program,
and open discussion in every class help
boys to assert their opinions in a safe and
supportive environment, both in class
and in extracurricular activities.
As the boys go about their academic
program, each day they are encouraged
to marry these skills with their interests
and thoughts. At this stage of the year
we see boys have established a clear
link with many aspects of their school,
from musical interests and sporting
commitments to passions about
fundraising for a charity group.
On Family Day we saw many aspects
of boys’ interests, from artistic skills to
sporting ability. Interests of a different
kind were displayed by boys of 8EG, Mrs
Emma Gates’ class. These boys showed
that they were well able to organise, plan
and run a stall on Family Day to support
their chosen charity group.
Each form group in Year 8 had been
asked to outline a business plan and
submit the plan in a presentation format.
The successful group was then enabled
to run their stall on the day, implementing
a basic business model. The skill
set shown by the boys was certainly
commendable, and we look forward to
running this project again in the years
ahead.

The skill set in our Middle Years enables
boys to understand themselves and
their abilities, developing their sense of
place in the wider school community.
In History classes, boys made creative
models of trebuchets (medieval military
engines for hurling stones); in Science,
they designed a new amenities block.
The models the boys made out of Lego
pieces were innovative; and when they
explained their purpose to me, they were
clearly very proud of their work. Through
these interactions and the many activities
they have undertaken, I could see how
the boys had made tangible connections
between our curriculum and the generic
skills program.
The boys have so much to be proud
of, and now they can continue to develop
their interests with confidence, looking
forward to their classes because of
the real sense of connection they have
developed within their school. However,
the level of ‘newness’ does continue for
us in Middle School. The variety of ages
and stages of development among the
boys makes this period of educational
transition rewarding and exciting for
staff, parents, and especially for the boys
themselves.

Encouraging
and supporting our
boys’ good ideas

ABOVE: BOYS RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL.

There is no doubt that many school
environments are very structured and organised.
We have our timetables, we have our scheduled
events, and we respond dutifully to the bells
which signify the order of our school day.
Teachers and boys measure the passing of the
day by numbered periods, not just by the clock.
Processe