Secondary School

Years 7 & 8

In Years 7 and 8 the curriculum is structured to transition students from primary to secondary level with a focus on emotional, physical, spiritual and academic development. Students are encouraged to think critically, create and engage with a broad curriculum. A range of co-curricular programs, such as a robust Peer Support Program, help to transition Year 7 students into secondary school. Maths continues to be streamed to support and extend students. English classes are gender split to allow for reading material and teaching styles to be tailored to engage the students and build strong literacy skills. Year 8 students also take part in Invictus, a program that explicitly teaches students about wellbeing; about how to recognise their own emotions and how to cope with them, how to find purpose, how to find and maintain resilient relationships.

Year 9

The comprehensive curriculum at Years 9 and 10 responds to the developmental needs of students through a range of co-curricular activities as well as a varied academic program. Students are able to choose electives in Year 9 which gives them a wider choice in their own education. All Year 9 students also take part in the Challenge Program, which builds on the Year 8 Invictus program and encourages students to discover their potential and the possibility for growth outside their comfort zone.

Year 10

In Year 10, students begin to choose options and pathways for higher levels of study. All students may apply for an early VCE Unit 1 and 2 subject. VCE extension classes in Year 10 are taught by highly qualified and specialised teaching staff who endeavour to stimulate and extend all students. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and learn skills to navigate their way through the inevitable greater workload.

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)

Our VCE program offers a broad range of subject choices that allow students to pursue their interests, and at the same time provide opportunities and learning pathways to continue with their choices of tertiary education. Subjects offered for VCE may vary slightly from year to year and are dependent on student choices. Subjects are offered from maths, sciences, humanities, arts, technologies and language. Individual VCE program advice is offered to all students on an ongoing basis to ensure success, support and wellbeing. Small VCE class sizes allow for a high level of monitoring, support and personalised tutorial-style teaching.

Learning for living

While the Junior curriculum is designed to allow students to experience a broad range of subject and to discover their strengths and interests, the VCE program allows students to pursue their specific interests and to set up a solid foundation for tertiary study and beyond.

Character for life

VCE curriculum follows VCAA requirements and study designs, but Christian values and ethics continue to be central to all study.

Requirements

Yr 11 students study 6 subjects. Yr 12 students study 6 subjects, but one of these may be completed in Yr 11 as part of the Extension Program.

All VCE students at Nunawading Christian College study Texts and Traditions, culminating in an in-depth study of the book of Luke, allowing the Special Character of the school to be experienced right to the end of VCE.

VCE extension program

All Year 10 student are given the opportunity to study a Year 11 VCE subject as part of their Year 10 program. This gives them experience and insights for how to best approach their subjects remaining Year 11 subjects the following year and allows them to finish one Year 12 subject when they are in Year 11. High-achieving Year 12 students may choose to enter a University Extension subject, completing a first-year undergraduate subject while in Year 12

Year 9 Challenge Program

Improved understanding of the needs and characteristics of the Year 9 students has led to a redesign of experiences planned for this year level at school. The Year 9 Challenge, a new direction grounded in research, has been implemented at Nunawading Christian College with positive feedback from students and parents.

Discover your potential

Every Year 9 student at Nunawading Christian College participates in the Challenge Program. The program encourages students to discover their potential and the possibility for growth outside their comfort zone. Practical activities combined with personal reflection helps each child discover more about themselves and look beyond themselves to the needs of others.

Our mission has four major components:

1. Engage our students in a variety of experiences for stretching, growth and consequence.
2. Establish foundations for decision-making based on Biblical values, the 16 Habits of Mind and the power of community.
3. Equip our students with ‘street-smarts’ for significant living in the suburban, urban and outdoor ‘wilderness’ realms of life.
4. Empower our students to dream big, activate their dreams and make an impact at their age, now and for evermore.

At NCC we are committed to create lasting positive change at an age that for some students can be riddled with uncertainty, lack of motivation, disrespect and other behavioural issues. This program caters for every student, challenging them above and beyond their current limits.

It is intentionally aimed at Year 9 students in their development through a changing and challenging time of their lives.

We believe that we cannot grow without challenges and through them we learn. The program is year-long and specifically Biblically values-based. It aims to walk alongside students through a year of developmental awareness to equip them with the characteristics that are needed to not only survive in this world but to make a positive contribution. It encourages the role of mentors as extra guidance in the life of each student.

Activities throughout the year include:

• $20 Talent - All students will be given $20 cash in early Term 1. In keeping with the Parable of the Talents Jesus told as recorded in Luke 19:12-27, all students have until the end of Term 2 to turn their $20 into as much as they can as a donation towards their Community Volunteering placement.
• Physical Challenge - Students will have a timeline to increase their ability to complete a mystery physical challenge (Term 1).
• Soapbox Challenge - Students will have 4 months to prepare their own speech or presentation or recite a passionate speech from history of their own topic and choice (related to Challenge program and learning) for an elective chapel period in June.
• Urban days - Students work in groups on a range of activities, and reflect on group function and behaviours that assist effective group function. Skills and behaviours necessary for exploring and undertaking activities in the urban environment will be developed.
• Outdoor camps - students participate in a range of outdoor activities throughout Victoria and a major camp each year at Philip Island.
• Community volunteering - students are required to volunteer at a local community organisation for 4 days throughout the year.

Year 10 Cambodia service trip

Nunawading Christian College partners with International Children's Care Cambodia each year. Our Year 10 students work alongside ICC volunteers to serve through art, running hygiene programs teaching English and much more.

While in Cambodia, our students work on a range of projects and have the opportunity to experience the local culture. Some of the activities include:

• Visit a local program feeding over 70 children every night who live on the streets
• Teach English at Light of Hope Children’s Village
• Lead worship at Light of Hope Children’s Village
• Paint murals at Light of Hope Children’s Village
• Run hygiene classes for local villages
• Visit significant Cambodian landmarks to understand the horrific events in the country’s recent history
• Visit local sustainable NGO’s in Cambodia and listen to presentations about their projects.
• Are responsible for fundraising for ICC and finding a sponsor for a child for 12 months from their trip.
• Meet their sponsor child at Light of Hope Children’s Village.

Invictus Wellbeing Experience

All of our secondary students participate in four years of well-being programs from Years 7-10. We believe that developing a sense of self is vital to understanding how we learn and carry ourselves through an ever-changing modern world. The Invictus Experience offers students the ability to focus on their psychology, their environment and each other.

Throughout the secondary journey, students are involved in four key elements of the experience:

• Journey
• Network
• Master
• Serve

In each of these elements students undergo a variety of learning experiences both on campus and off campus as they learn to navigate a variety of challenges that develop their agency and voice. Invictus explicitly teaches students to recognise their own emotions, regulate emotions, find meaning and purposeful living, maintain resilient relationships and serve the communities around them. It also prioritises a brave, curious and compassionate mindset that develops thinkers with empathy and creativity.

When our students finish secondary school we want them to be empowered with a sense of purpose and kindness that will change the world around them.

Student Leadership Opportunities

Each of our students has a limitless number of leadership opportunities during their journey through secondary school. We have three key areas of student leadership that develop our students' agency, voice and professional skills. These are:

• Student Representative Council
• School Captains and Prefects
• House Captains

Students can apply to be SRC members from Year 7 and have the opportunity to attend a variety of professional leadership courses. We also prioritise student leadership in our assembly and chapel programs. Our student leaders demonstrate what it means to proudly represent our school to the community and other schools at functions throughout the year.

Careers Program

Subjects offered at VCE level are determined by the interests of the Year 10 class as they prepare to enter their VCE.

This means that the subject line up will vary from year to year. Students may access subjects through external providers such as the Victorian School of Languages, TAFEs, Distance Education Victoria and VETiS providers.

Career support at NCC includes

At Year 10 level all students participate in:

• A week long work experience placement of their choice
• career testing and debriefing
• information sessions on how to use the Job Guide to identify qualifications needed for specific careers
• information session on how to use VTAC Course Search to explore tertiary courses and to identify pre-requisite subjects at VCE level
• individual subject choice counselling in consultation with the student’s teachers.

Further Career Support

• All Year 10 and 11 students attend a career expo, where they can explore an extensive range of career and course options.
• At Year 11 and 12 level, subject selection advice continues to ensure maximum success, wellbeing and support.
• A brief career test is offered to Year 12 students to help clarify options and to equip students with the language needed to identify their workplace strengths and weaknesses.
• Parents and Year 12 students are asked to attend a VTAC information session where student are supported in the tertiary courses selection and application process.
• A career newsletter is emailed to all Year 10, 11 and 12 students each fortnight, informing them about tertiary opportunities, information sessions and general career events.

EISM Sport

NCC Secondary students participate in the weekly Eastern Independent Schools of Melbourne sporting competition. Our students compete against other independent schools sports teams in a variety of team and individual sports including:

• Touch Football
• Volleyball
• Tennis
• Table Tennis
• Cricket
• Soccer
• Futsal
• And many more

After school and lunch time training sessions are often arranged by teachers to help students to develop their skills and team dynamics for competition.

Recently, our junior and senior boys touch football teams were EISM premiers in their division. And our EISM senior boys volleyball team were also premiers.