Brave Hearts Bold Minds - The Scots College

Brave HeartsBold Minds

Brave Hearts Bold Minds Educational PhilosophyCuriosityExplorationWonderMasteryAdventureCourage and Conviction... in the world.

Message from the PrincipalWe are all measured by what sortof people we have become. At TheScots College, we strive to fosterleadership, character and spirit,through experiences of excellencethat will define the brave hearts andbold minds in every Scots boy.Brave hearts and bold minds are formedthrough challenges and passion born ofadventure. These qualities of courage,creativity and conviction are based onwhat is true to a man’s heart, his realpassions and are not the product ofbeing shaped through various forms ofpressure.Adventure involves a journey, a ventureor quest in search of somethingsignificant and is both an exhilarating andfrightening thing. At Scots, we value thequest for excellence through adventure,curiosity, creativity and growth.Scots’ Brave Hearts Bold Minds educationphilosophy recognises the need for aspecial journey and adventure in thehearts of young boys and men. Ourdevelopment-stage-relevant modelsof learning seek to make every day ina Scots boy’s life part of an excitingadventure.Our College vision is singularly focused onthe education, nurture and developmentof fine Scots boys who will generouslylearn, lead and serve in the community.We believe that the quality of one’sleadership springs from the quality ofone’s heart – the values, virtues, prioritiesand hopes.We encourage our young men to reflecton the metaphor of a rope with threestrands. One strand represents the Spiritthey have within them and acting uponthem, directing their faith perspective,values and moral compass, and theircapacity to carry this spirit into thelives of those around them. The secondstrand represents the Word – spoken,written and evident in the natural lawsof the creation, given to them that theymight know the truth through faith,reason and scholarship, and carry andshare this knowledge through all thedays of their lives. The final strand tothe rope represents the World – this istheir opportunity to connect with andserve those around them and to seek toenhance the lives of others.We strive to produce right heartedness,right thinking and right action. With BraveHearts and Bold Minds – head, heartand hands engaged – our Scots boysmay become strong, secure, humble andpowerful.Scots to the fore!Dr Ian PM LambertPrincipalWe believe that the quality of one’s leadership springsfrom the quality of one’s heart – the values, virtues,priorities and hopes.Our MissionIn seeking to serve God faithfully,The Scots College exists to inspireboys to learn, lead and serve asthey strive for excellence together.Our Values• Our Faith and Tradition• The Quest for Excellence• Leadership Through Teams

Curiosity in the worldTransition Cubs and LionsOn entering the Preparatory School andthe exciting world of the Early LearningCentre (ELC), each boy is an activediscoverer of his new world.An innovative, colourful and adventurouscurriculum leads our youngest Scots boysalong the beginning of their Scots ELClearning pathway in the Cubs (three yearolds) and Lions (four year olds) programs.Harnessing a boy’s natural curiosity andenergy, these programs are informed byReggio Emilia principles and encourageeach boy to explore and discover his world.The ELC is a new experience away froma boy’s familiar home environment,expanding his world and building onhis learning as he is guided throughinvestigations and problem solving.Through the power of play, boys discoverletters and numbers, words and counting,forming the foundations of literacy andnumeracy. Boys’ development is enhancedthrough Music, Dance, Drama, PDHPE(Physical Education), Library, ChristianStudies and Visual Arts.In the Early Learning Centre’s supportiveand active learning environment, everyboy learns to explore new ideas withconfidence.• Big boy mentoring programs.• 24 hour nursing and health clinic staffedby registered nurses.• Before and After School Care.From 2013, Scots’ Rose Bay Early YearsCentre will offer long day care within a playbasedlearning framework informed by theReggio Emilia philosophy.

Exploration in the worldKindergarten to Year 1As a boy grows in the Early LearningCentre he becomes a more courageousand active explorer of his world.In the spirit of the Reggio Emiliaphilosophy, together with their teachersand peers, boys in the ELC discover andquestion cause and effect in the worldaround them. They express their curiosityand wonder with their ever growingvocabulary moving from ‘what?’ to ‘why?’and ‘how?’ questions.Kindergarten paves the way for moreformal schooling with writing, spellingand numeracy a focus for learning. It iswithin this phase that the five pillarsfor literacy learning are formed –phonemic awareness, systematicphonics, vocabulary, reading fluencyand comprehension.With every new skill developed, the boys’enthusiasm to learn increases.• Reggio Emilia philosophy• Big boy mentoring programs.• 24 hour nursing and health clinicstaffed by registered nurses.• Before and After School Care.• Educational specialists in Music,Drama, Dance, Visual Arts, academicenrichment and Christian Studies.

Wonder in the worldJunior Preparatory SchoolYears 2 to 4Little boys become ‘fine Scots boys’as they progress into the JuniorPreparatory School.They become co-creators of theirknowledge and enjoy working with theirclassmates to discover, be challengedand create in their world.In Years 2 to 4, boys discover that theylearn from challenging themselvesand their mistakes. Dealing with theirmistakes in constructive ways broadenstheir understanding and is key todeveloping brave hearts and bold minds.Fostering a joy of learning and developingthinking skills is a priority at this stage,as is a focus on guiding boys to valuerespect, perseverance, sincerity, empathy,honesty and resilience. This is reflectedin a focus on effort as well as ability instudent assessments.Boys are guided to see the link betweenacademic and personal growth, helpingthem develop a mindset conducive toongoing improvement and discovery ofthemselves and their abilities.• Sports programs focused on core skilldevelopment and mastery.• Performing Arts Program.• Chess, Debating and Public Speaking.• Leadership programs.• Parent program.• Before and After School Care.

Mastery in the worldSenior Preparatory SchoolYears 5 to 6In the Senior Preparatory years a boy’slearning becomes a personal questfor mastery as his world expands,entering the next stage of his journeyto manhood.Boys discover that challenges are bestovercome with a plan, one step at a time,and that taking risks expands their minds.Boys’ emotional intelligence maturesas they learn to listen respectfully, askprobing questions, hypothesise andreflect on their understanding. With newintellectual growth and problem solvingskills, boys enjoy working with their peerson classroom projects at a deeper level,united in their purpose of the task at hand.While thriving on their independence, boysalso learn the value of teamwork.In these years, there is a focus on fosteringthe virtues of compassion, truthfulnessand ‘servant leadership’ through Scots’Leadership Program.As Senior Prep leaders, boys provideservice to younger students and developan understanding and empathetic viewof how their actions influence and impactpeople and the world around them.• Learning First notebook and integratedICT program.• Leadership training.• Public Speaking.• Expanded Honours Program.• Expanded sports and trainingopportunities:• Holiday camps.• Musical and Dance productions.

Adventure in the worldYears 7 to 9Adventure is core to a boy’sexperiences in his first Senior Schoolyears. Active and engaged in hisschool community, new worlds openup to him.In these years, there is a focus oncollaborative learning. Boys develop anexpansive view of their world and becomeincreasingly aware of what it meansto be a global citizen; to be respectfulof different viewpoints, and theirresponsibility to one’s community.Boys thrive on their independence andenjoy a new confidence that comes fromself-reliance. They are challenged inthe classroom to develop strategies forsolving problems and form a personallearning framework in which they can beorganised and achieve their goals.Boys are coached by their teacherswho reflect their progress in an honestway. There is also a focus on fosteringboys’ commitment to expanding theirknowledge as well as an appreciation ofthe rewards of scholarship and learning.Through participation in the Sports,Co-Curricular, Outdoor Education andPastoral Care programs, boys develop agreater awareness of their inner resourcesas they learn self-discipline, resilience,time-management skills and the joy ofworking as a team.In these middle years Brave Hearts, BoldMinds crystallises as more than a mottoin the boys’ lives, serving to inspire themto take responsibility for their learning,achieving their goals and to engage withothers in a new adult world.• Year 9 Glengarry Outdoor EducationProgram.• Leadership training.• Co-Curricular Program — Music,Drama, Dance, Cadets, Pipes andDrums, Community Service, Chess,Debating and Public Speaking.

Courage and conviction in the worldYears 10 to 12Brave of heart and bold of mind, inthe Senior School years Scots boysbecome fine young men who strive forexcellence together in the world.The College aims to develop confident,well-grounded young men, who aremotivated and equipped to pursue the artof scholarship as an integral part of theirrich and rewarding lives.In these Senior School years, ourScots boys’ focus moves outward asthey engage with the world at largeand plan for their futures as activecitizens. The College aims to generatean understanding that to be wiseencompasses a knowledge of the past,perceptive insight into the present andinnovative thinking about a global future.Boys are guided to make ethical choicesand perceive the world through a varietyof interdisciplinary lenses – scientific,literary, historical, sociological andcultural.Students are encouraged to strive forunderstanding, effectively manage theirown learning and be responsible for thechoices they make. At this final stageof their College years, boys are willingto take risks, fuelled by intellectualcuriosity, learning through experienceand constructive criticism, and drawinginsightful conclusions.With leadership through teams, they areboth team players and their own men,who embrace opportunities to leadthrough service to embrace lives thathave purpose.Scots boys graduate as fine young menwho understand that great things arepossible through sustained effort in goodfaith and will learn, lead and serve in thecommunity.• HSC• Servant leadership• Honours Program• Tertiary Specialist Courses• Careers Education Program• VET Program

Contemporary thinking strategiesLearning in teamsAt Scots, teachers serve as classroomcoaches to bring out Scots boys’ bestperformance and help them kick theiracademic goals.The camaraderie and passion of thesporting field are channelled to theclassroom with The Scots College’sThinking Sportsman academic coachingmodel where Scots teachers serve as‘performance coaches’, motivating andguiding students to strive for excellencetogether.The Thinking Sportsman model isdesigned to help boys be responsible fortheir own learning and understanding.Willingness is instrumental to this.Willingness empowers boys and injectsjoy into obedience. Without willingness,students obey reluctantly and the learningoutcomes are compromised. Rather thanteaching obedience, The Scots Collegeteaches willingness.With a willing heart and mind, challengesseem less confronting. A boy’s willingnessto learn is instrumental to his success.At Scots, teachers encourage a spiritof willingness and focus on building aculture of empowerment in the classroomin which boys can thrive.To achieve this, teachers serve asinspirational leaders and coaches,responding to the boys’ longing tobe trained, to be inspired by mentorsand their heroes – a rite of passage tomanhood.Scots teachers strive to play this role inthe boys’ lives in their College years, toinspire them to realise their skills andtalents.Not every boy wants to be an elitesportsman, but they do want to behealthy, strong and part of a team. TheThinking Sportsman model helps frameacademic learning and progressionaround the structured teaching andlearning strategies that boys understand— the game, the team, the rules, thechallenge and the quest for success.This model is designed to help boys beresponsible for their own learning andunderstanding.

Scots to the fore!May we be worthy of our forefathersScots boys are encouraged to be‘thinking sportsmen’ with thewillingness to …• start.• work hard.• suffer, fight and defend what isbelieved should happen.• accept personal rebuke and correction,to go beyond offence and overcomepersonal insecurities.• take responsibility.Embedded in the Thinking Sportsmanmodel is the notion of a commonlanguage around learning — BuildingLearning Power. The basis of BuildingLearning Power is that dispositionsaround good learning will producegood learning. The value for Scotsboys is that as they grow and developa greater understanding of how theirmind functions, so does their hunger toincrease their knowledge-base.This approach also serves to conditionboys to become future leaders who inturn are able to promote a culture ofempowerment in the organisations theygo on to lead, in the communities theywill serve.“... teachers serve as inspirational leadersand coaches, responding to the boys’longing to be trained, to be inspiredby mentors and their heroes – a rite ofpassage to manhood.”

Scots boys grow into fine menThe Scots CollegeVictoria Road, Bellevue Hill NSW 2023Phone: +61 (0) 2 9391 7600communications@tsc.nsw.edu.auwww.tsc.nsw.edu.auCRICOS Provider Code: 02287GTSC_P524 11/2012