LEARNING AT KOLBE. FUTURE READY.
VISION FOR LEARNING
Underpinned by the philosophies and principles of contemporary learning theories, along with a thirty-year history of innovative teaching and learning, Kolbe’s ‘Vision for Learning’ paints a picture of who we are in our classrooms and beyond.
With Christ at the centre of all we do, we aspire to plant seeds of Courage, Faith and Excellence in an environment that is aspirational and future focused, where students are challenged with learning opportunities that are relevant, rigorous and robust.
We favour experiences that foster deep learning and provide opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving. The world our young people will enter into is rapidly changing; therefore, we are committed to cultivating an agile learning culture that embraces evolving technologies and fosters curiosity and passion. Our contemporary spaces are used with intention and flexibility, and allow our students to learn both independently and collaboratively.
While data informs our teaching practice, assessment is embedded and purposeful. Students can access content and demonstrate learning in a variety of ways, while high expectations challenge them to progress. We believe that learning is dynamic and should be responsive to the needs of students; therefore, our pedagogy is culturally responsive and grounded in the knowledge of our students’ stories. All students’ learning is celebrated.
Through active partnerships with our families, we recognise and honour that we are all stewards of the Kolbe Story, and with this in mind, we support everyone in our community to think courageously, act with kindness, and love generously.
CURRICULUM
Religious Education
Religious Education is a compulsory learning area at our College, with students attending timetabled classes throughout their high school career.
Our students’ journey in Religious Education begins in Year 7 with a focus on the two men who are at the centre of our story: Jesus and St Maximilian Kolbe. It is through their examples that students first learn the tenet of sacrifice. In Year 8, students explore the meaning of community, which segues into the personal development topics studied in Year 9. Year 10 students are immersed in the concepts of freedom and justice, which prepares them for the General and ATAR-level Religious Education courses that explore more contemplative topics in Year 11 and 12.
Our annual retreats are important aspects of the Religious Education programs at the College, with students reflecting on a different theme each year. The Year 11 and Year 12 Retreats are pivotal and significant events for our senior school students. They are often transformational for students, as the activities are designed to forge the year-group bond and reinforce the burgeoning maturity of our young people.
Design and Technology
In Design and Technology, the journey of thoughtful creation starts in Year 7, when students are immersed in opportunities to build their concept design and workshop skills. With the use of 3D sketching and dimensioning techniques, students use cutting-edge technologies, such as laser printers and cutters, to bring their ideas to life.
Design and Technology
In Design and Technology, the journey of thoughtful creation starts in Year 7, when students are immersed in opportunities to build their concept design and workshop skills. With the use of 3D sketching and dimensioning techniques, students use cutting-edge technologies, such as laser printers and cutters, to bring their ideas to life.
From Years 7 to 10, courses in the Design and Technology learning area include Graphics, Metals, Wood and Jewellery Design, all with a focus on developing drawing skills using Google SketchUp and CAD.
Senior school courses invite students to hone their competency with more sophisticated designs and materials. With an emphasis on skill-sets recognised in professional and trade-based industries, these courses allow students to maximise their post-schooling pathways.
English
From an exploration of historical literature to the modern language of film and social media, our English courses focus on building and refining students’ capacity to interpret texts in sophisticated and in-depth ways.
English
From an exploration of historical literature to the modern language of film and social media, our English courses focus on building and refining students’ capacity to interpret texts in sophisticated and in-depth ways.
Beyond studying the interesting texts that feature in the English courses we offer, students also have the opportunity to be crowned the KED Talk champion in the Year 8 public speaking competition, enjoy live theatre during the Bell-Shakespeare incursion, earn a place in the Year 10 Extension course (a precursor to Year 11 and 12 Literature Studies), and walk the red carpet at the K-Fest Documentary Awards. From exploring plays, debates and feature films to picture books, novels and documentaries, English at Kolbe is an interesting journey of analysis and creation, where students are taught how to recognise and challenge the ideological perspectives found in the visual, written and spoken word.
Humanities and Social Sciences
Where else but during HASS classes do students go from ancient civilisations to Australian landscapes? From the stock market to state capitals? From World War II to weather hazards?
Humanities and Social Sciences
Where else but during HASS classes do students go from ancient civilisations to Australian landscapes? From the stock market to state capitals? From World War II to weather hazards?
In Years 7 to 10, students are introduced to the four disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) learning area: History, Geography, Economics, and Civics and Citizenship. These disciplines provide our students with deep and diverse knowledge and experiences from which to draw in later life. From making mediaeval dioramas in Year 8 to taking part in a United Nations conference in Year 10, students learn how the world works in many different ways.
Having had a taste of all HASS disciplines in the early years, students can choose to pursue Modern History, Economics and/or Geography at ATAR level in Years 11 and 12. These courses pave the way for future lawyers, policy makers, politicians and cartographers — all exciting career options that draw from the HASS learning area.
Health and Physical Education
Movement is the essence of life and the basis of our Health and Physical Education (HPE) learning area at Kolbe.
For Year 7 students, HPE begins with a focus on personal development and relationships, helping students to develop coping skills and manage their stress levels. Also on offer is an array of sporting opportunities, such as Australian Rules Football, netball, lawn bowls and triathlons. With courses divided into Movement & Physical Activity and Personal, Social & Community Health, students explore both the physical and social aspects of the human body.
As students enter the senior school years, course offerings keep getting better, with Marine Studies and Outdoor Education available in Year 10. In Marine Studies, students get to experience snorkelling, surfing, fishing and surf rescue, while in Outdoor Education they are immersed in archery, bushwalking, martial arts and sailing.
The opportunity to pursue Physical Education Studies at ATAR level introduces students to the more complex psychological, biomechanical and physiological concepts that underpin the sport, leisure and recreation industries. Senior school students also have the opportunity to complete a Certificate II in Sport and Recreation, which provides the skills and knowledge connected to coaching, the Bronze Medallion qualification, and event planning and coordination.
Home Economics
Home Economics is a practical and creative learning area. In our Textiles courses, simple skills, such as button-holing and patchworking, lead to more advanced fashion design tasks in later years.
Home Economics
Home Economics is a practical and creative learning area. In our Textiles courses, simple skills, such as button-holing and patchworking, lead to more advanced fashion design tasks in later years.
In Food Science, students’ skills are enhanced in the areas of food production, presentation and service, and local and international cuisines are explored. The courses in Years 9 and 10 pave the way for the Certificate II in Hospitality, available to senior school students, in which learning to make barista-style coffee is a highlight (and a marketable skill!). Kolbe’s Hospitality students build a portfolio of practical experiences by cooking and catering for a range of important College events.
Year 10 students have the option of completing a childcare course, which serves as a precursor to the Children, Family & The Community course on offer in Years 11 and 12. This course opens the door for further studies in social work, child care, education and other community service endeavours.
Languages
Ciao! Konnichiwa! Besides the fun of being immersed in different cultures, learning another language is a stimulant for students’ growing brains, building new neural pathways and connections as they learn. At Kolbe we offer opportunities for students to study Italian and Japanese.
Languages
Ciao! Konnichiwa! Besides the fun of being immersed in different cultures, learning another language is a stimulant for students’ growing brains, building new neural pathways and connections as they learn. At Kolbe we offer opportunities for students to study Italian and Japanese.
The chance to explore a new culture, new language and new community arms our students with a broader perspective of the world, and builds their confidence and skills through linguistic and cultural interactions. Our immersive overseas tours to Italy and Japan allow for unforgettable experiences for students of our Language courses.
Senior school students who pursue Italian have the opportunity to partake in our school exchange program with the Liceo Classico Properzio d’Assisi, while students who study Japanese have access to similar experiences with Keio Futsubu School in Tokyo.
Mathematics
Mathematics at Kolbe is rich in problem solving and investigation as students explore the patterns and relationships that numbers provide.
Mathematics
Mathematics at Kolbe is rich in problem solving and investigation as students explore the order, patterns, and relationships that Maths provides.
From Year 8, three pathways in Mathematics are offered to better cater for students’ individual learning needs, as more complex and abstract topics within number, algebra, measurement, geometry, and probability and statistics are explored. Understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning skills are further developed and applied to real world contexts, while excursions and incursions like the MAWA Have Sum Fun competition, the UWA Aspire Maths activities and the Australian Mathematics Competition add creativity and challenge to this already dynamic learning area.
For senior school students, the pathways diversify again with the three ATAR courses, Mathematics Applications, Mathematics Methods and Mathematics Specialist, and the Mathematics Essential General course, as well as Foundation Mathematics. The Mathematics courses offered, provide the opportunity for students to prepare for post-school options of employment and further training, or for a range of disciplines at university.
Performing Arts
In Year 7, students experience the full gamut of the Performing Arts learning area, allowing them to explore the three main disciplines: dance, drama and music. For those with a passion for music, a scholarship program is available, and Music is an elective that can be pursued throughout a student’s high school career.
In Year 9, Musical Theatre is added to the elective offerings, alongside perennial favourites like hip-hop and street dancing. In Year 10, our Dance students partake in the rewarding experience of exploring the art form with students from Rockingham Beach Education Support Centre and the children from the Rockingham Early Learning and Child Care Centre (RELACCC). The filmmakers among our students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in workshops from the FilmBites Academy.
Senior school students have the option to pursue a Certificate III in Music Industries, a Certificate III in Dance, or a Certificate II in Creative Industries, which provides them with experience in lighting and set design.
The College’s musical production is the culminating and highly anticipated event for all Performing Arts students and teachers. We have recently staged Grease (School Edition), Matilda, Wizard of Oz, Annie and Little Shop of Horrors, which were all sell-out spectacles.
Science
The Year 7 Science curriculum explores the vastness of earth and space. Chemistry, physics and biology topics are also studied, giving students the chance to work in our well-equipped science labs.
Science
The Year 7 Science curriculum explores the vastness of earth and space. Chemistry, physics and biology topics are also studied, giving students the chance to work in our well-equipped science labs.
As students progress through Years 8 and 9, their learning becomes richer and more hands-on, with many entertaining and interesting experiments and demonstrations on offer.
In Year 10, three pathways are open to students based on their middle-school results. These pathways vary in focus, with Pathway 1 offering more project-based learning and support, while students following Pathway 3 are prepared for the rigours of Physics, Chemistry, Psychology and Human Biology at ATAR level.
Science Week is always a highlight of the year during which our intrepid Science teachers wear science-related fancy dress and entertain students with the wonders of liquid nitrogen and the sodium acetate tower competition — a challenge in which heat, water and sodium acetate crystals are used to create a supersaturated solution that crystallises and forms interesting tower shapes.
Visual Art and Media Art
Visual Art and Media Art, alongside Performing Arts, are part of The Arts learning area.
At Kolbe, students’ art experiences are elevated through a range of courses, media, tools and visiting guest artists. After studying Visual Art and Media Art in Year 7, students then have the opportunity to pursue Sculpture Design, Studio Focus and Sound Design in Years 8 and 9. These genres are varied, offering experiences such as clay sculpting, watercolour painting, collage, print screening and working with acrylics. Media Art immerses students in the Adobe Suite, allowing them to learn and develop editing techniques with After Effects and Photoshop.
The highlight event of the year for Visual Arts students (along with Design & Technology students) is the Forge Exhibition, when all the amazing art pieces created by students during the school year are put on display during an evening vibrant with music (supplied by our Certificate III in Music Industries students) and delicious food (catered by our Certificate II in Hospitality students). This event truly encapsulates the learning, creativity and collaboration that we pride ourselves on at Kolbe.
To find out more about our Learning Areas, subjects and opportunities, please visit Kolbe Course Central Middle School or Kolbe Course Central Senior School.