Co-Curricular

Challenge & Enrichment

Co-Curricular

Challenge & Enrichment

Our Challenge & Enrichment programs are designed to challenge our students beyond the classroom in a range of disciplines.

Our Academic Enrichment programs provide opportunities for students to participate in activities, competitions and events at local, national and global levels. Competitions and programs enable our students to work beyond the confines of traditional school curricula, stretching and challenging all students, including our most academically able students. It also provides opportunities for students to work with like-minded students beyond traditional classroom settings, developing social and emotional skills.

For our academically gifted students, Scotch Thinkers is a co-curricular program designed to challenge individuals beyond the classroom. Weekly, students connect with like minds across multiple year levels around targeted challenges and programs selected based on interest.

STEM Enrichment

The STEM enrichment program is student led and driven, with mentoring and partnerships from industry professionals such as community groups, businesses and universities. Student teams are involved in the design, problem solving, construction, engineering and reporting of various projects.

Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Enrichment involves tackling different challenges based on students’ interest and skill level. STEM challenges include; robotics and coding, drone flying and programming, car design and construction, video game design, 3D printing projects, Raspberry Pi and Arduino circuit board design and coding, bridge building, and microscope imaging.

The Mathematics Enrichment program offers a more concentrated experience in mathematics and targets talented students who enjoy mathematics and would benefit from formally extending their knowledge with course work that augments the school curriculum.

In First Lego League, teams of up to 10 students build, program and compete with a robot, while also learning about a modern problem in science and engineering, and developing solutions.

Oratory Programs

The Oratory Program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop their oratory skills across a range of competitive events. As students prepare for competitions, they have a strong sense of purpose and focus. At the heart of all preparation is a highly personalised approach, ensuring the development and improvement of the individual, building on their previous personal performances.

Options include debating, public speaking, mock trials and mooting.

Debating allows students to experiment with the power of the spoken word, extending their knowledge of a range of social, political, scientific, and moral issues. Scotch participates in the South Australian Debating Association (SADA) competition, which offers pathways to State representation.

Scotch students have the opportunity to participate in a range of public speaking competitions throughout the year, developing their confidence in speech writing, in expressing their views effectively and in speaking to an audience with impact. We encourage our students to build on their successes by participating in as many different competitions as possible including UN Youth’s Evatt and Voice competitions.

The Law Society of South Australia’s Mock Trial Competition comprises a series of simulated court cases, contested by students from Years 10, 11 or 12. It is designed to bring young South Australians closer to the workings of our State’s legal system, whilst teaching them how to present a persuasive argument, using the facts of their fictional case to their advantage.

Thinking Challenges

The content that students are exposed to in academic competitions is frequently much more complex and sophisticated than the lesson content covered in the classroom, empowering students to explore and investigate areas of personal interest in depth, making links in their learning and developing new skills as a result. The development of these new skills through participation in academic competitions are of life-long value.

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the mind. Students compete in teams of 8 across 10 disciplines including: Mathematics, English, Science, Code Breaking, Engineering, Ideation, Creative Producers, Art and Poetry, Cartography and General Knowledge.

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a creative problem- solving competition offered to students from Years 5 to 10. Mixed year level teams compete in one of four categories; Engineering, Mathematics, Social Sciences, Language Literature or Applied Technology.

The Ethics Olympiad has a proven track record of providing teachers and students with a creative vehicle for developing skills in communication, critical thinking and respectful discourse while dealing with important and interesting ethical issues. Students work as a team, with teams from other schools, to come up with the best possible answer to difficult ethical questions. Competitions are scored according to set criteria that rewards, clear, concise, respectful discourse around interesting ethical cases.

A seasonal Chess Club enables students learn the skills of chess and compete against students from within Scotch and from other local schools.