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​Woodleigh School's Activities Program is uniquely designed to provide students in Years 7-11 with a broad range of challenging experiences beyond the core academic curriculum. Our staff, instructors and people with expertise outside of the immediate school community offer Activities that they are enthusiastic about and committed to.

For three lessons a week, students participate in an Activity they have selected from a huge range of options.

‘Activities’ is active learning – vivid experiences, not just information gathering. It allows students to access learning opportunities, especially hands-on style learning, in a much wider range than could be provided in programs with normal class sizes and restrictions. Experiences vary from snorkeling and open water diving certifications, yoga and self-defence classes, aviation, painting and sculpture, academic competitions, animal husbandry and construction projects.

Diverse areas, such as Academic Enrichment, the Visual & Performing Arts, Sport & Physical Development, Health, Lifestyle and Practical Skills, Information & Communication Technology and Community & School Partnerships are all represented in each Activities Unit.

The Woodleigh School Activities Program is a place where passions are born. It is adventures and fun, grit and determination, centred and calm.

"We learned from the beginning that a good many young people are deeply in need of quiet patches built into the school timetable for stress-free encounters with adults and with peers. We must, I believe, learn to pause in our schools. We must set aside the precious taxonomies of syllabus objectives which blanket our days, and cease sometimes from our gung-ho bell-ringing and note-taking and ball-kicking, and drop our professional status and just be with each other as people - teachers as people and children as people. Listening."

Choose widely. Choose wisely.

The Activities Program has always been part of the Woodleigh experience. As we continue to move forward with Activities, our extensive offerings continue to grow.

We encouarge each student to discuss and reflect with Tutors, parents and peers and make wide and wise choices, to gain experiences in a diverse range of offerings and categories.

The Activities Program aims to:

  • widen and deepen the range of experiences offered to students beyond the traditional academic subjects.
  • provide additional opportunities for academic enrichment, remediation and challenge.
  • provide students with the opportunity to make real decisions involving their education and take responsibility for these decisions.

Why do we have Activities?

Some of the many features and benefits of the Activities Program are:

Wider Learning

Allows learning, especially hands-on style learning, in a much wider range than could be provided in a program with normal class sizes and restrictions. Staff are also able to contribute to learning in areas of interest and expertise wider than their normal teaching areas. Outside experts and students also contribute to areas of learning not covered by staff.

Extension / Remediation

Allows alternative grouping of students with common interests or needs, enabling them to more readily pursue those interests.

Education for Leisure

Many Activities provide students with the type of skills that can later be used to meaningfully fill their leisure time.

Choice

Decision-making is an important life skill. New Activity Units, each half term, provide students with frequent opportunities to make informed choices and to reflect on and live with the consequences of those choices. Also, doing something that they have chosen to do makes for happier students.

Careers

Some students have pursued careers they first became interested in through an Activity; e.g. Jewellery Making, Photography, Social Welfare, Horticulture, Aviation.

Cross-Age Contact

Many Activities cater for and attract a wide range of ages, and this cross-age contact helps offset the artificial break up into year levels that the academic curriculum requires.

Certifications

Students can gain certificates in a variety of areas, including: Hospitality, Aviation, Diving, Marine, Level 1 First Aid.

Gender

A small number of Activities will be gender specific. This will enable girls or boys with similar interests to work together.

Pastoral Care

Smaller groups and more relaxed relationships between staff and students helps assist the development of pastoral care based around a common interest.

Self Esteem

Success in chosen Activities helps students’ self-esteem and is especially helpful for some students who have difficulty in other areas of the curriculum. They find themselves excelling at specific Activities.

Voluntary Sport

By placing some sport within the Activities program it is possible to make it optional and thus avoid the worst aspects of compulsory sport that many other schools experience.

Woodleigh Development

Some Activities allow students to play a part in developing the school. This includes landscaping, working in the Sustainability Centre, Brian Henderson Reserve and with other students and animals at the Ag Hort Centre. This gives students a sense of attachment to the school.


DOWNLOAD A LIST OF UNIT 3 2023 ACTIVITIES OPTIONS