Enrichment Classes
for Gifted Students

Australians: Who We Are with Paula Van Oploo

A look at the nation's character through the stories of those who exemplify our nation's best traits. Our best includes genuine openness to others, hospitality to strangers, generosity to the needy, justice to the unfairly treated, perseverance in the face of adversity, science and engineering ingenuity, and kindness and support to the suffering.

Students will discover these traits in the lives of everyday Australians, past and present, and will create window-like illustrations of our nation’s character. The content provides opportunities for students to develop their historical and social understanding of what is an Australian through the concepts of roles, empathy and action. Relating to the stories that showcase the nation's character, children will grow their ability to make sound decisions and good judgments.

The Circle of Life with Catherine Ishak

The Circle of Life is never-ending. We can consider the Circle of Life in many ways – in the field of biology, the Circle of Life is a natural process that governs the life cycle of all living things. However, the Circle of Life is not just about natural life cycles. In this day and age, we must also consider looking after the earth as well as the need to look after each other.

We are all part of this Circle of Life, and so, this unit encourages students to think about how we can protect our circle and make our world a better place. As the wonderful movie, The Lion King suggests, “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance” and so to that effect, “we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.” .

The Greatest Unsolved Mysteries with Jeanine Kobylinski

What is Area 51? Why was the Mary Celeste found empty and adrift in the Atlantic in 1872? What is the Voynich manuscript?

These questions and many more anomalies will be discussed and investigated in The Greatest Unsolved Mysteries Course. For many years scientists and historians have worked tirelessly to provide solutions to strange occurrences.

Although Science and Technology have come a long way, many mysteries remain unsolved; the Bermuda Triangle, the lost city of Atlantis, the lost land of Paititi, the identity of the man in the iron mask, and so much more. Theories have been proposed, but there is little concrete evidence to support most claims.

Perhaps you can solve these unexplained mysteries!

This course will both inspire and educate on the different mysteries and anomalies of our time. Students will have ample opportunities to fathom strange phenomena that have left scientists and historians puzzled for years.

Do you have what it takes to solve these mysteries?

The Colour of Joy with Bethwyn Serow

What does home taste like? How does the sound of the ocean make your insides feel? How can we strive to find joy and beauty in everything we see? How can we live each day a bit happier?

This term, students will be challenged intellectually and expanded emotionally to really find what makes them happy. We will explore all five senses to create a vocabulary to describe how we perceive our personal experiences of joy, as well as gain an understanding of the chemical reactions that help make this all happen. Recapping philosophical ideas of happiness from term 1, we cast our gaze around the world to find new definitions of joy and happiness. In this course, students will develop their critical analytical skills to question whether what joy is what we are told it is, what we do, or how we think, or a series of floating moments that we can cherish but not catch and consider does everyone have or deserve to have equal access to joy? At the same time, we’ll expand our creativity to new horizons with their group projects, where they will become inventors of joy!

The Secret Behind Numbers with Stephen Lerantges

Some people think that Mathematics is the most boring subject children are taught in school; however, that could not be further from the truth.

Rather than learning about multiplication tables and adding fractions, this course focuses on the hidden gems that this branch of Philosophy has to offer. Over the term, we will be covering the puzzles in Geometry that have perplexed mathematicians for centuries, to learn about how artificial intelligence can predict your favourite food and even learn secrets on how to smash any quiz in mathematics classes.

Together, we will tear apart the stigma surrounding Mathematics and reveal the true beauty hidden within!

A Journey to the Ancient World with Anastasia Toumasatos

Is the Ancient world really in the past, or are we reliving parts of it today? In this course, students will explore the features and characteristics of Ancient societies, including Egypt, Greece, Rome, America, Aboriginal Australia, Peru, China and England. The core focus of this course is enabling students to draw parallels between Ancient societies and today's contemporary 21st Century context. Why is it important to study the Ancient world?

Students will be provided with the opportunity to ponder this question in a final multimedia presentation which will enable them to bring together all their learning from throughout the course and think critically about its application to the global, socio-political sphere today.