Year 9 is a time of maturing intellectually, socially and emotionally, striving for greater independence and a clearer understanding of personal identity. It is a year when 14 and 15 year-olds need space to explore their world and grow as individuals.
A unique time in life
Strathcona recognises this special year by having a separate non-residential campus, Tay Creggan, which provides a rich, challenging and unique experience for Year 9 students.
Girls in this age group will likely:
- undergo profound physical, social and emotional changes
- become more aware of their individuality
- be motivated by a purposeful and challenging curriculum
- thrive with a curriculum that is personalised to suit them
- respond to choice in how they achieve their goals.
Strathcona students are strongly supported during this pivotal time in their lives.
Take our Video Tour
Our Video Tour provides an insight into life as a student at our Year 9 Campus – Tay Creggan.
Camp to Campus outdoor program
All Year 9 students embark upon the Camp to Campus outdoor program at Tay Creggan. This seven-day, 130km journey follows the Yarra River from its source down past Mt Donna Buang and the Warburton Trail, into the Yarra Valley region, through rapids at Warrandyte, and along the Yarra River Bike Trail, concluding at the Year 9 Tay Creggan campus. Students will bushwalk, bike ride, and canoe over the week, reflecting on themselves, their environment, and their peers throughout the journey from camp to campus.
Successfully completing the challenge gives the girls a huge sense of achievement and creates a stronger bond with peers. Camp to Campus also contributes towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, in which all Year 9 students participate.
Be inspired by the courage, endurance and camaraderie of our Year 9 girls during the first Camp to Campus 2014, in this video below:
History & Facilities
Tay Creggan comprises a magnificent, historic house set in beautiful grounds on the Yarra River in Hawthorn.
Built in 1893 as a family home, the property was the social hub for fashionable Hawthorn until purchased by the Catholic Archdiocese and used as a hostel run by the Sisters of the Grail.
Strathcona acquired the house and land in 1969, and Tay Creggan opened in 1970 as the first designated campus for Year 9 girls in Australia.
Tay Creggan provides students with state-of-the-art facilities and an environment that engenders both a respect for the past and an enthusiasm for the future.
- spacious classrooms
- a fully equipped science laboratory
- the Learning Lounge (library)
- a commercial kitchen
- a large, light-filled art room.
The Yarra River at our doorstep provides an environment for water activities such as:
In addition, the close proximity of the main school campus enables Year 9 girls to continue their participation in inter-school sport, choirs and instrumental ensembles.
A core group of staff works continuously at Tay Creggan. Specialist teaching staff travel to Tay Creggan to provide girls with the expertise required at this stage of their education.
Pastoral Care & Personal Development
The Pastoral Care Program develops a sense of community where each student is known and valued. Through Form Group and subject classes, House sports, drama and music activities, friendships are extended and students become well acquainted with the entire year level.
Students have the chance to develop skills and exercise leadership through roles such as:
- Peer Mediator
- Peer Counsellor
- House Captain
- Music Captain
- Drama Captain
- Form Captain
- Social Service Representative
- Writer for School Publications.
A structured Personal Development Program explores various issues related to health education, careers education and goal setting. Areas explored include:
- careers advice
- drug education
- health education
- leadership and goal setting
- sex education.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Program, with its focus on leadership, service, skill development and outdoor challenges, provides further opportunities for personal development. All Year 9 students endeavour to complete their Bronze Award at Tay Creggan, with their achievement recognised in a ceremony at the end of the year.
The Tay Creggan program has been carefully constructed for our Year 9 girls of today, taking into consideration educational and developmental research, developments in ICT and trends in learning. The unique learning environment and location of Tay Creggan are fully utilised to enrich the learning experience of our students.
Digital technologies are an integral part of the lives of our students and therefore a vital element of schooling. Students use class sets of MacBook computers and their personal iPads to access:
- study diaries
- the internet
- educational apps.
This reduces the need for students to carry around heavy books and provides a more interactive learning experience.
The curriculum at Tay Creggan is broad and provides rich and challenging tasks for all students. This has several elements, including lessons within subject disciplines, and the enhancement provided by I–Learning (see below).
All students engage in timetabled lessons in the following subjects:
- Christian Education
- Food Technology
- Performing Arts – including Drama, Music and Instrumental Music
- Physical Education
Students also study two of the following:
- International Studies
- Curriculum Support
- Mandarin Chinese
I–Learning: Interdisciplinary, Interactive, Inquiry
Each term, students tune into a different channel of I–Learning in parallel to their discipline based studies. These channels include:
- Science and Technology
- The Arts
Each channel is explored on four levels – the personal, the local, the national and the global – and involves student inquiry, multimedia and collaborative work. Students develop 21st century skills as they engage with authentic issues and tasks that require complex analysis and solutions. In active learning contexts, research and higher order thinking skills are essential elements in the inquiry projects undertaken.
Extended time is spent in the local area and in Melbourne’s CBD as learning goes beyond the classroom. Some of the activities available to students are:
- walking tours
- visits to galleries
- visits to museums
- exploring cultural facilities
- exploring community and business facilities.
Students develop a strong sense of what it means to be a Melburnian. These experiences give students an understanding of the economic and social drivers that have made our city what it is today.
Year 7 – 9 Curriculum Handbook
This booklet outlines the courses that the students study and the resources available to assist them, as they develop into resilient, resourceful, mindful, insightful and confident young women, engaging fully and responsibly in the society in which they live.
Download the Curriculum Handbook Years 7 – 9 2015