Academic
OUR MISSION IS TO ASSIST STUDENTS TO BECOME SELF-DIRECTED AND INDEPENDENT LEARNERS, INTRINSICALLY MOTIVATED, WITH A DEEP LOVE OF LEARNING THAT WILL EMPOWER THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING NOW AND IN THEIR FUTURE LIVES.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Santa Maria College is a non-selective school that offers a curriculum aligned with the Western Australian curriculum and provides students with a broad range of learning opportunities. Our teaching team consists of dedicated educators and learning specialists. We have a long-term commitment to implementing evidence-based strategies to maximise girls’ learning, which has resulted in consistently outstanding results.
Our learning programs are designed to challenge and engage students in meaningful ways. The core learning areas of Religion, English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities and Social Sciences are complemented by a diverse range of elective subjects and co-curricular activities. These programs allow girls to explore their interests and passions and develop skills that will set them up for success in the future.
We offer a number of unique Science electives in Years 7-10, which provide insights into what a career in STEM could look like. These electives cover a range of topics, from environmental science to neuroscience, and are a great way for students to discover their interests and passions in these areas. Learn more about our Science electives HERE, and view the video below to see what our students say about them.
Santa Maria College strives to provide an education that prepares our girls for the workforce and life beyond school. We want our students to see how their learning is relevant to their lives today and how it will apply to their future lives and the ever-changing world of work. We aim to instil in our students the attributes necessary to be young women who can make a positive difference in society.
In 2019 we developed a framework called Connecting Learning to Life; our vision is to equip our students for the future by providing opportunities to develop attributes in the following areas.
We believe these attributes will equip our students for success in their future endeavours, and we are committed to helping them develop these attributes through our teaching and learning, co-curricular and emPOWER projects.
emPOWER
At Santa Maria, we empower our girls to create social change. One of the ways we do this is through our emPOWER program, which is designed to teach our girls life skills and develop attributes for solving individual, local and global problems.
The emPOWER program is unique and a point of difference. All students in Years 5 – 10 participate in a different project each year. Each one challenges and empowers our students to act on issues that impact people and our planet.
Students will develop attributes such as collaboration, initiative, problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, resilience, and stewardship.
Our challenges are designed to ignite new ideas and push the limits of what students believe possible. Each year group tackles a different complex issue, including:
- Fearless5 – making our school more environmentally friendly
- Spark6 – using technology to improve the world.
- Seek7 – using water more sustainably.
- Explore8 – innovating to help people and the planet in our community.
- Strive9 – collaborating to support marginalised groups in our city
- Future10 – making positive financial decisions for ourselves and our planet.
The purpose is to extend our girls learning beyond the classroom curriculum and give them ways to explore their world in an authentic way. Many of our students find these programs ignite a lifelong interest or area of passion. We are proud to educate young women to become positive changemakers for the future.
BEYOND THE CORE SUBJECTS
Santa Maria’s core learning areas include English, Mathematics, Science HaSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) and Religious Education. These are complemented by a program of elective subjects and co-curricular activities. These programs add an extra dimension to the compulsory areas of study and further enables girls to discover their interests and passions.
In the area of electives, Santa Maria has developed four Science electives for Years 7 – 10. These electives provide students with an opportunity to see exactly what a future in science could look like. Learn more HERE and view the video below to get further insight.
CURRICULUM HANDBOOKS
GIFTED AND TALENTED
To ensure that those with exceptional ability are challenged and extended, our Enrichment Centre staff have developed a program called IGNITE, which is offered in Years 5 – 8.
Each IGNITE unit is made up of a variety of:
- creative,
- high-order,
- lateral thinking and
- problem-solving activities.
This exciting program provides opportunities in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creative arts, and challenges students beyond their comfort zone.
In Years 5 – 7 IGNITE is offered through a withdrawal program while in Year 8 students select IGNITE as an elective.
Hear more from Dr Chrissie Fossey about the program below.
LEARNING SUPPORT
Sometimes the move from primary school to secondary school can be challenging and students find it difficult to keep up with the increased workload. Support for literacy and numeracy is provided by Learning Enrichment teachers and is undertaken both within the classroom and in small groups.
Our goal is to provide early intervention to students, with gaps in their learning or learning difficulties, to enable them to thrive in their studies.
Santa Maria’s Enrichment Centre provides support to students from Years 5 – 12. Literacy and numeracy support teachers, who have specialised qualifications, assist students both within the classroom and in small groups.
WHY A GIRLS' SCHOOL?
Research has shown that girls in all-girls’ schools achieve significantly stronger academic results than any other group in Australia. If you are interested in the benefits please read our Why a Girls’ School?
EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
– NELSON MANDELA