Students experience a learning program which is broad but allowing for some choice with elective subjects included.

• The Religious Education learning program follows the curriculum structure set by the Diocese of Sale.
• There is a significant focus on literacy and numeracy with additional class time focussed on English and Mathematics.
• Student’s study 4 semester long electives:
  • 1 Arts based elective
  • 1 Design Technology based elective
  • 2 other electives from all options available to Year 8 students
• Extension Academies are available (semester elective) for students who have a high level of interest in a particular area as well as performing above standard. An application process applies for admission into an Extension Academy.
• To meet student needs and offer more choice and flexibility within the learning program some Religious Education and Extension Academy subjects are studied as classes with both Year 8 and Year 9 students included.

WHEN SELECTING ELECTIVES PLEASE NOTE:

SUBJECTS WILL ONLY RUN WHERE THERE ARE SUFFICIENT NUMBERS AND THE SUBJECT CAN BE STAFFED. STUDENTS SHOULD CAREFULLY CHOOSE RESERVE SUBJECTS IN THE EVENT THAT A SUBJECT WILL NOT RUN.

Year 8 - Religious Education*

In Year 8 Religious Education, students will explore and articulate the colleges Catholic Identity through the lenses of our school mission, patron Saints and community. Students will deepen their understanding of the topics of healing, relationships, and the environment, inspired by the Catholic tradition, multiple faith perspectives and the influence of wider society. Students will form their own meaning of topics explored, engaging in a classroom of dialogue and encounter.

*Students may apply to do the elective options of Cantabile or Youth Ministry in place of Core RE. See the RE Elective Options for more information.

Future Directions
Students continue to study Religious Education as a Core Subject in Year 9. They also have the potential to enrol in elective courses: Youth Ministry or Cantabile.

Year 8 - English

In Year 8 English, students communicate with a range of audiences through many contexts. They look at the Australian Story and how they fit in. Students study a range of Literary texts. These texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within real-world and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Students will also study how to create persuasive texts as well as analyse how others persuade.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 English.

Year 8 - Mathematics

Year 8 students continue to develop and consolidate their numeracy skills in a variety of mathematical concepts from the Victorian Curriculum. Students are given the opportunity to work through Year 8 Mathematics concepts whilst also closing gaps in their learning through differentiated learning modules. Students are provided with many and varied opportunities to become confident, creative, and effective communicators of Mathematics.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 Mathematics.

Year 8 - Advanced Mathematics*

Year 8 students who are working above standard are invited by the College to participate in the Advanced Mathematics course. Students are given the opportunity to accelerate through the mathematics curriculum through the completion of mathematical modules, collaborative problem-solving tasks, and discovery projects. Students are provided with many and varied opportunities to become confident, creative, and effective communicators of Mathematics.

*This subject is studied with Year 9 students of the same ability

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 or 10 Advanced Mathematics.

Year 8 - Science

In Year 8 Science, student learning focus is on explaining phenomena involving science and its applications. Students classify different forms of energy, and describe the role of energy in causing change in systems, including the role of heat and kinetic energy in the rock cycle. Students link form and function at a cellular level and explore the organisation and interconnectedness of body systems. Similarly, they explore changes in matter at a particle level, and distinguish between chemical and physical change. Students make accurate measurements and control variables in experiments to analyse relationships between system components and explore and explain these relationships using appropriate representations. They make predictions and propose explanations, drawing on evidence to support their views.

Future Directions
This unit leads to Year 9 Science and can lead to VCE Chemistry, Biology, or Physics.

Year 8 - Health and Physical Education

In Year 8 Health and Physical Education, students learn how to enhance their health, safety and wellbeing and to contribute to building healthy, safe and active communities. Throughout the course, students are involved in practical and theory-based classes where they learn to understand how our body works, changes and challenges of adolescence, movement skills and patterns, drug education and nutrition.

Future Directions
This unit leads to Year 9 Health and PE and the options of choosing Year 9 Fitness and Training or applying for the Sport Academies.

Year 8 - Humanities

Humanities includes Geography, Business and Economics, History and Civics and Citizenship. Humanities provides a framework for students to examine the complex processes that have shaped the modern world. Students learn to investigate responses to different challenges faced by humans and the environment.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 Humanities, Year 9 History, Year 9 Crime and Punishment or Year 9 Business and Economics.

Students wishing to apply for either 8/9 Cantabile or 8/9 Youth Ministry must complete this application form.

Year 8/9 - Cantabile*

In Year 8/9 Cantabile, students will be involved in theory and practical classes, building their knowledge on servant leadership through music ministry in the school and wider community. The concepts studied will be reflected in the hymns prepared for and sung at Campus liturgical celebrations and other events. Emphasis on breathing technique, musicianship and other performance skills will be explored. Being part of Cantabile will mean that students will lead music ministry at a variety of school events, requiring out of hours commitment.

*Students must complete an application process to be considered for this elective Religious Education studies. Please ensure you complete the form that will be shared on the Year 7 & 8 Student TEAMS pages to be considered.

Future Directions
Students continue to study Religious Education as a Core Subject as they progress through the College. They can also apply to continue in Cantabile or apply to enrol in Youth Ministry in the place of Core Studies.

Year 8/9 - Youth Ministry*

In Year 8/9 Youth Ministry, students will explore the Catholic faith through a hands-on approach to leading liturgical celebrations. This subject is an opportunity for students to develop their leadership skills and promote student voice in the faith life of the college. Students will explore recontextualisation and dialogue with our diverse school community to create and implement engaging and meaningful Catholic Identity events. Students in this subject will need to be committed beyond normal class time to help prepare and lead liturgies and events.

*Students must complete an application process to be considered for this elective Religious Education studies.

Future Directions
Students continue to study Religious Education as a Core Subject They can also apply to continue in Youth Ministry or apply to enrol in Cantabile in the place of Core studies.

Year 8 - Languages: Arabic

Learners understand and use features of the Arabic sound and writing systems and make connections between spoken and written texts. They use appropriate pronunciation and intonation when communicating and interacting in a range of contexts and apply spelling rules when writing in Arabic script. Students use written and spoken Arabic to exchange information about their personal worlds and to express feelings, likes and dislikes.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 Arabic.

Year 8 - Languages: Japanese

This subject covers the study of the Japanese language. It focuses on the development of basic vocabulary, sentences patterns and all three alphabets. A focus on food, animals, hobbies, and entertainment are the key components of Year 8 Japanese class. Through the study of Japanese language students develop their skills in oral and aural language, reading and writing. Students also develop their ability to analyse and interpret comprehension tasks relating to their daily lives.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 Japanese.

Year 8 - Languages: Spanish

Students work both collaboratively and independently in Spanish, using modelled and rehearsed language to express meaning and interact with others. Students build their knowledge of Spanish spelling conventions to pronounce words with increasing accuracy and use intonation to distinguish between statements. Students read, view, and listen to simple texts and reflect on intercultural perspectives when responding to them. They create and present their own texts, applying their knowledge of English grammar to Spanish, making connections with terms such as ‘verb’, ‘adjective’, noun’ and ‘agreement’ that are used in English learning. They further their understanding concepts such as grammatical gender and verb conjugation, as well as specific Spanish writing conventions, such as inverted question and exclamation marks.

Future Directions
After Year 8, languages become an elective option. Satisfactory completion of Year 8 Spanish gives students a sound foundation to proceed to Year 9 Spanish.

Year 8 and 9 Arts: Drama

This subject covers two key genres in performance, Tragedy and Comedy and focuses on the development of skill learned in Year 7 (for those who studied Drama). Through the study of specific forms of Tragedy and Comedy students develop their skills in understanding role, character, and theatrical conventions, while manipulating expressive skills. They research and examine the historical, social, and cultural contexts behind these styles and their impact on performance. Students also develop their ability to analyse dramatic performance, explore meaning and interpretation and evaluate actor ability within their own and other’s work.

This subject can be studied in Year 8 and in Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Year 9 or 10 Drama and VCE Theatre Studies in future years.

Year 8 and 9 - Arts: Music Performance

The Music curriculum aims to build the confidence of our students to be creative, innovative, thoughtful, skilful, and informed musicians. Through active participation, students develop skills to listen, improvise, compose, interpret, perform, and respond with intent and purpose. Students extend their understanding of music as an aural art form by broadening their knowledge and respect for music and music practices across global communities, cultures, and musical traditions.

NB. This subject can be studied both semesters.

This subject can be studied in Year 8 and in Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Music in Year 10.

Year 8 and 9 - Arts: Visual Arts

Students learn about the importance and significance of Art throughout history and in the broader context of society. They learn how to develop their ideas independently and collaboratively by research, experimentation, and refinement in a folio. Students learn how to experiment with and apply a variety of materials and techniques to create resolved Artworks that communicate, express and challenge ideas.

They reflect on their own Art and that of others by using Arts language and discussing the art elements and principles.

This subject can be studied at Year 8 and Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Art or VCD in Year 9 or 10.

Year 8 and 9 - Arts: Visual Communication Design

This subject covers the three fields of design: Graphic, Environmental, and Industrial. Students use the design process to work through a variety of assessment tasks and generate creative solutions. They will write a design brief, research existing designs, produce several sketches, experiment with materials, methods and media and create a final solution that meets the needs of the client.

This subject can be studied at Year 8 and Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to VCD in Year 10

Year 8 and 9 - Design Technology: Food

Students learn to work safely and hygienically in the kitchen whilst developing their food preparation skills.
As they prepare a variety of food products emphasis is on making good food choices. Students use the Design Process of investigation, design, production, and evaluation to prepare products that address a specific brief.

This subject can be studied at Year 8 and Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed Year 10 Food Studies.

Year 8 and 9 - Design Technology: Materials Technology

In this subject, students will learn a range of skills applicable to working with wood and other materials, but also to other areas of design and production. This includes the safe and effective use of hand and power tools, joint making, and surface finishing techniques. Students undertake a project that enables them to develop a range of wood working skills. It also has scope to allow creativity and to extend them further with more challenging variations of the base task.

This subject can be studied at Year 8 and Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to Product Design Technology.

Year 8 and 9 - Design Technology: Textiles

Textiles supports students to develop skills specific to the planning and production of items constructed of fabric and fibres. Students will investigate and make judgements on how the characteristics and properties of materials, tools and equipment can be combined to create designed solutions. They will be required to create designed solutions based on a need or opportunity. This process involves investigating, generating, producing, evaluating, planning, and managing a textiles project.

This subject can be studied at Year 8 and Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students proceed to Year 10 Textiles and VCE Product Design: Textiles.

Year 8 and 9 - Digital Technologies: Creative Digital Solutions

Students explore the interrelated processes and associated skills by which they can create digital solutions.
Students engage in the four processes of analysing, designing, developing, and evaluating. The second part of the course allows students to explore the features of web apps and how data may be either exposed, changed, or corrupted by hackers. Students will explore vulnerabilities in web apps.

This subject can be studied at Year 8 and Year 9.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject will provide a sound foundation for students to proceed to future Year 10 Digital Technology options.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Basketball

Using basketball as a key focus, students will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills across all facets of the game. This will include rule knowledge, individual skill development, team concepts as well as gaining a recognized coaching accreditation.

The course is a combination of practical and theoretical tasks.

Students are selected based off both their attitude towards the subject and their basketball abilities.

Future Directions
Students may consider a range of Health and PE options in Year 9 or at the Senior Campus.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Health Sciences

The aim of the course is to further develop knowledge and skills within the health science domain. This includes practical elements from science and physical education, and key analytical skills such as finding and interpreting health data. There are opportunities to be involved in excursions and incursion with outside professionals delivering different programs so that students can expand their knowledge further. The course also shares links with science, physical education, and health.

Students are selected based off both their attitude towards the subject and their ability to complete work at an above standard level.

Future Directions
Students may consider pursuing science subjects such as Biology and Psychology or Health in Year 10.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Literature

The aim of the Literature Academy is to allow students the opportunity to complete an in-depth study of a range of texts including myths, legends, fairytales and poetry. The course provides students with necessary text analysis skills to ensure they are able to look for deeper meanings being conveyed by authors. The course also shares links with historical concepts and sources and a study of society, both past and present.

Throughout the course, students will be exposed to a range of text types which will involve reading, viewing and listening to develop their skills in annotation and to continue to explore how literary devices can be used by authors to affect a specific audience. They will explore how particular social and cultural contexts can change a person’s perception of a text and how these elements play a role in creating meaning for a reader. Throughout the course, students will compare and contrast texts and discuss why different authors present material in different ways. They will also build their writing skills by developing a folio of written tasks looking at different text types.

Students are selected based off both their attitude towards the subject and their ability to complete work at an above standard level. Students may require their English teacher’s recommendation to be considered.

Future Directions
Satisfactory completion of this subject may result in students reapplying the following year or may assist them in being considered for Year 10 Advanced English.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Performing Arts

The course provides students the opportunity to develop skills in various areas of Performing Arts. The purpose of this course is to extend upon students’ talents and skills. Students work collaboratively to create and present a performance that encompasses skills in Dance, Music and Drama, general performance technology and skill. Key areas of focus include, collaborative skills, Performing Arts technology, Performing Arts as an Industry and presenting group performance. Students develop their own skill within their preferred area of Performing Arts and learn to work with other areas in order to create original performances.

Students are selected based off both their attitude and abilities via an audition process.

Future Directions
Students may seek to pursue Performing Arts opportunities in Year 9 and at the Senior Campus.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: STEM

The aim of the STEM Academy is to further develop students’ inquiry, analytical, collaborative, and planning skills, while also providing opportunities to engage with various technologies. The course offers students the experience of working within small teams to develop solutions to real-world problems, along with skill development in construction, programming and 3D printing.

Throughout the course, students will cover advanced concepts studied within science, technology, engineering, art-based, and mathematic subjects. There is a focus on a major project which introduces the challenge to develop a solution relating to a given theme. This includes introducing various technologies available within the College.

Students are selected based off both their attitude towards the subject and their ability to complete work at an above standard level.

Future Directions
Students may seek to pursue a range of Science based subjects in Year 10.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Sport (General)

The aim of the course is to further develop sporting knowledge and skills by developing a deeper understanding of training practices, coaching strategies, tactical awareness, and recovery.
The course provides opportunities for students to explore training methods in a range of areas by building upon prior sporting knowledge and experiences. Students are provided with dedicated time to develop personal fitness, skills, and coaching strategies with a view to improving performance in their individual sporting pursuits.

Students are selected based off both their attitude towards the subject and their sporting abilities.

Future Directions
Students may pursue Health and PE options in Year 9 and at the Senior Campus.

Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Visual Arts

The aim of the Art Extension Academy course is to extend students who have excelled in Visual Art subjects and wish to strengthen and enhance their abilities in this area. In Art Extension Academy, students will engage in a variety of collaborative and independent art-making activities that will promote exploration and reflection. Students will take part in studio workshops to learn new and specialist skills, develop ideas and their own unique art style and create resolved artworks. The course provides students with the opportunity to use specialist materials and to attend excursions that will further their understanding of contemporary and traditional art-making techniques.

Students are selected on the basis of their interest and skill in the visual arts.

Information on how to apply can be found on the Extension Academies page.

Future Directions
Completion of Arts Extension Academy can lead to pathways in Art including VCE Art Creative Practice or VCE Visual Communication and Design at the Beaconsfield Campus.