Year 9 is widely recognised as a specific stage in children’s development where there is the most notable transition from childhood to adulthood. To support students through this transition, curriculum targeted at Year 9 students typically has an emphasis on connectedness between ideas and concepts across disciplines and provides deep engagement with opportunities for higher order and critical thinking. Project Based Learning (PBL) is used widely to support a collaborative and flexible learning experience, while other structures are designed to facilitate student voice and the strengthening of personal agency.
In Year 9 at Salesian College Sunbury, our students take part in our ‘Year 9 Retreat’ program. Each Year 9 student spends one term of the year in the retreat program, where they are removed from the traditional classroom and curriculum setting. This enables them to explore issues of personal identity, healthy relationships and their place in the adult world.
Hallmarks of the program include community service, mental health and wellbeing awareness, global citizenship and environmental stewardship. Students are also challenged to push beyond their limits through extended physical activities, culminating in a five-day camping expedition.
In the spirit of Don Bosco, our dedicated Retreat staff and low teacher-student ratios provide students with an opportunity to flourish in a safe and supporting environment.
