From the Head of Middle School - Mrs Fiona Long

Our College ‘Momentum’ document outlining our strategic direction for the next couple of years uses the metaphor of ‘Building Living Cathedrals’ when talking about the foundations we are building for our students as we aspire to achieve our mission statement of ‘Making disciples of Jesus Christ, educated and equipped for any future’. 

In Middle School, as we seek to equip students for ANY future, one that is potentially uncertain and full of careers and possibilities that haven’t even been invented yet, we have begun implementing a program in Year 9 called 21C which focuses on skills that are crucial for the 21st century. These are not new skills by any means, but rather skills that have previously been considered valuable, soft skills which are rapidly becoming hard, non-negotiables now and into the future. These are skills that are also addressed in curriculum areas, but 21C is a time where we can be intentional in identifying these skills, focusing on their importance and seeing them as not compartmentalized to a particular subject area, but rather transferable across the board, and also relevant to life outside of school. 

So far this term we have spent time building an understanding of what 21st-century skills are and acknowledging their importance. We have also brainstormed some potential project ideas to delve into next term that will put these skills into practice and also enable ‘faith in action’ opportunities. 

Finally, we have spent some time looking at leading and organizing ourselves, as well as some study sessions. While these are less glamorous 21st-century skills, there is no doubt that in this time of ‘information abundance’ as highlighted in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration of December 2019, that students need to learn these skills in order to achieve future success harnessing the myriad other 21st-century skills.

The 21C teachers and I really look forward to unpacking this program with the students, as well as drawing connections with current programs and curriculum areas, as 2021 unfolds.