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Our College

"Teaching at Southern Hills begins with the Western Australian curriculum, takes the contents and skills demanded, and applies them to life and to religion.”

– Dr Andre Van Rensburg

Dean of Secondary Curriculum

Learning

We ensure our teaching is relevant to life after school; that it’s helpful for what students are going to encounter in the future, and that they know how to use and apply what they have learnt.

We teach all content through a Christian lens, in a way that is practical and beneficial to growing students into people with strong values and integrity. When we teach students in Year 11 and 12 how to apply for a job, we teach them to be honest about their abilities. When we look at a text in English class, we discuss what values that can be seen and how they apply to what we believe as Christians. In history, when looking at the unrest in the Middle East for example, we discuss why there is such turmoil; asking why can’t three major religions live in peace? What are the differences and what are the intolerances? Similarly, Outdoor Education is not just high ropes, but it’s an opportunity to learn how we care for our environment and consider how can we be good stewards of the Earth.

We have several set steps in our teaching process.

1.

Chunking the content

is when chunks of information and skills are created so that we can teach these content units over a period of time.

2.

Teaching procedures

is when we teach the students how to do something by demonstrating a procedure and asking them to repeat it themselves.

3.

Questioning the process

is when we ask, “why is this procedure used?” Learning is not only about knowing what’s been taught, students must learn to question why it’s done that way. This gives them a deeper understanding of what they’ve been taught.

4.

Application and practice

occur when students apply their skills to new concepts and practise their skills so they can apply them more and more effectively as they go on.

Deliberate inclusion of SPIRIT

We strive to embed Christian Values into everything we do. It is our aim to turn values into virtues, encouraging all members of the school community to be Christlike in the way they interact with others. Our college, community, parents, students, staff and others have articulated what values we want young people to develop through an education at Southern Hills Christian College. These values are referred to as SPIRIT

Committed to Learning

Self-motivation looks like being thankful for learning opportunities, seeking to know more, learning how to learn, taking responsibility for one’s own learning, and being committed to self-improvement. Students enjoy and seek out challenges and believe they will learn and improve with effort.

Embrace challenges

Students display perseverance by embracing challenges and opportunities, approaching uncertainty with courage, seeing effort as the path to mastery, falling forward, and welcoming, giving, and responding positively to feedback.

In Christ

Identity in Christ means knowing we are made in His image, being open to learning more about Jesus’ love for us, aspiring to know more about ourselves, that we belong and are called to do good work in His name.

Servant hearted

The Southern Hills community is relational by knowing we are servants to one another, being a group of peace makers, choosing to respect others, demonstrating humility and grace, and showing fairness and consideration towards others.

Do what is right

At Southern Hills, integrity looks like doing what is right even if it costs, seeking to do good, being honest, being an advocate for God’s justice and equality, and developing discernment.

Empowered to inquire

Southern Hills students are thinkers who seek to inquire, identify the problems that are worth solving, are solution focused, plan and carry out research, and play with possibilities.

House Structure

When students join the school, they join the established house structure.