At Emmanuel College we work together to create a culture and an environment that values and promotes all aspects of health and wellbeing, where students are nurtured to develop the skills and capabilities they need to flourish.
As students move into the middle years there are many challenges and so a specific 9@RICE program was developed creating an environment that is innovative and inclusive, challenging students to be more in control of their own learning.
The aim of Emmanuel College’s 9@RICE program is to provide an engaging and holistic program where students are motivated to drive their own education and pursue areas that interest them in-depth.
As Student Wellbeing Coordinator Rachele Sloane says “Year 9 is also a very particular stage of psycho-social development with an emphasis on social functioning and peer relationships and almost a prioritising of peer relationships as they leap ahead towards adulthood and individuating from their families.”
“We recognise that having a separate campus really allows for that social development. With all of them being at that same stage of life, it really helps with cohesive connections and belonging.”
The way in which students like to learn can change in Year 9. As Emmanuel College Psychologist Jodie Fleming says, “the learning profile of year nines is quite different and there's a real move from concrete thinking to starting to explore abstract thinking, and that in connection with a heavy social loading makes it a very significant year.”
Rachele continues “It's a different level of engagement and connection to the school community as well. Young people are starting to think about things really differently and starting to explore where you're going as a young adult, rebuilding that connection into school and the school community and how that works together - that sense of belongingness that's so important to learning and wellbeing.”
