Launch: The Gifted and Talented Program

Launch is a program that supports students to explore their passion, create, discover and to launch into lifelong learning.

We are committed to providing rigorous, relevant and engaging learning opportunities to all students in line with the Australian Curriculum.

Our teachers explicitly embed high order thinking skills within their curriculum, so that all students can increase their thinking capacity and creativity.

We believe that all students have the potential to grow their skills and intellect through their studies. Growth Mindset strategies are integrated throughout the program.

Junior School (F to Year 6)

In Junior School, we recognise that it is important to identify students who show high intellectual ability and potential in order to nurture and enrich their abilities and talents. Students are invited to take part in a withdrawal program that is designed to stimulate and extend students. Entry to these programs is on a needs basis.

Gifted and Talented Students are invited to take part in an extension program designed to enrich learning. This ensures gifted and talented students reach their potential. Programs are targeted to meet individual student needs.

Students are invited to attend if they meet some of the following criteria:

  • Teacher referral
  • Results and recommendations from psychological assessments
  • Information received from parents
  • Strong academic performance reflected in school grades or results from external competitions eg University of New South Wales subject competitions
  • Strong performance in NAPLAN, PAT-M/PAT-R through ACER

Middle School (Years 7 to 9)

Extension English and Mathematics classes are offered throughout all secondary year levels to allow students to be challenged via additional enrichment activities, curriculum compacting and acceleration to match individual learning needs. Selection criteria is based on teacher observation, previous academic attainment and standardised test scores. Students are able to transfer into an extension class during appropriate times of the year.

Many competitions and extra-curricular opportunities are available for students of all ages.

Programs currently on offer:

Rostrum / Legacy Youth Public Speaking Competition

Students can compete in these public speaking competitions from 12-15 years old

FIRST® LEGO® League

Focused on building an interest in science and engineering in students, FIRST® LEGO® League is a hands-on competition designed to capture young students’ curiosity and direct it toward discovering how science and technology impact the world around them. The competition features a real-world challenge, to be explored through research, critical thinking and imagination. Guided by adult coaches and the Core Values, team members work with LEGO® elements and motorized parts to build ideas and concepts and present them for judging.

Tournament of the Minds (TOM)

Groups of 7 students from year 5-10 can participate. TOM offers teams of students the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking whilst developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork.

Challenges are set in the following disciplines... The Arts, Language Literature, Social Sciences and STEM.

Debating

Interschool competition with Debating SA. Students are able to develop their research, communication , social and thinking skills. The competition runs from May until September.

Aurecon Bridge Building Competition

Year 8 students compete against other schools developing their engineering skills in designing and making a bridge under certain restraints.

Oliphant Science Awards

Students from Foundation to Year 9 are invited to investigate scientifically an area of interest and present a product to enter the State competition.

Philosothon

Thinking about thinking. A secondary team discusses ethical dilemmas at an inter school competition.

Da Vinci Decathlon

Three teams compete against other schools on 10 different subject area ranging from Maths to creative producers. It is a great day of working collaboratively on some very challenging tasks.

Chess club and Competition

Students from Reception to year 10 are provided with weekly training and compete against other schools in September.

STEAM club

Available to upper primary students. Students explore different engineering challenges using a hands on approach.

Girls / Boys activity Clubs

Upper primary students have the opportunity to plan, lead and organise different lunch time activities to foster communication and social skills.

Peer Mediation Training

A two day workshop for all upper Primary students learning how to mediate and to lead other students in resolving conflict in a win/win situation.

History Bowl and Bee competition

Secondary students train and compete on a state and international level using their understanding of dates and facts in history in a beat the buzzer style competition.

Computational Algorithmic Thinking (CAT) Competition

High order thinking students are invited to compete in this national competition.

Writers' week

Over 40 students attend this inspiring morning of hearing different authors talk about their writing experience.

Year 5/6 Class at the 2018 Da Vinci Decathlon Junior Primary Chess Club
+6
 Junior Primary Chess Club Primary Launch Lesson 2018 Oliphant Awards 2018 Oliphant Awards 2018 Aurecon 2018 Year 8 Girls

Student Achievements

2018

Da Vinci Decathlon

  • Second place in the State - Year 5/6 team
  • First place in English, Cartography and General Knowledge section
  • Fifth place in the state - Year 9 team
  • First place in their Code Breaking category

Engineering

  • Aurecon Bridge Building Competition - Year 8 team recorded the 5th highest weight for their bridge

First Lego League

  • Our Middle school team won the Presentation Award cup and went through to the State Finals.

History and Geography Competitions:

  • National History Bowl Competition. Junior Varsity Year 9/10 team won state championship
  • History Bee Championship - Ryan (Year 9)
  • International Geography and History Bowl Olympiad Berlin, Germany. Drake (Year 10) was the only Australian representative.

Mathematics Trust of Australia

  • Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition (CAT) - Kaitlin (Year 9) received a Distinction and nineteen students received credits.

Oliphant Science Awards

  • Cameron (Year 9) came second in the South Australian Young Scientist Award
  • Emmaus Christian College won the best non-CREST Senior School trophy at the Oliphant Awards, for our consistently high participation and achievement in the Scientific Inquiry and Models and Inventions categories.
  • Oliphant Science Awards projects:
    • Honourable mentions - Queenie (Year 7), Hannah and Jamie (Year 9)
  • Scientific Inquiry
    These three students were selected to represent South Australia in the BHP Billiton Foundation awards:
    • First place – Kaitlin Year 9
    • Second place – Cameron Year 9
    • Third place - Ruby Year 9
  • Computer Programming and Robotics section
    • First place – Cameron – Year 9
  • Philosophy
    • Fourth place – Joelle Year 9
  • Thinking Challenge
    • Year 9 came second place over all
    • History and Politics: 1st place- Year 8
    • Engineering: 2nd place -Year 8
    • General Knowledge: 2nd place -Year 9
    • Maths 2nd place- Year 9, 3rd place- Year 8
    • English: 3rd place- Year 9
    • Art and Poetry: equal 4th place both teams

Public Speaking Opportunities

  • The Rostrum Youth Public Speaking competition - Semi finalist Erica Year 9
  • The Legacy Junior Public speaking competition State winner - Kaitlin Year 9
  • National Winner – Kaitlin First South Australian to win it since its start in 1995

2017

  • First place - Poetry and Art in the da Vinci Decathlon - Year 9 team
  • Debating SA - Grand Final Champions - Year 8 debaters
  • Debating SA - Year 8 Debater of the Year- Cameron
  • History Bee Champions - Drake Year 9 and Ryan Year 8
  • History Bowl Champions - Year 8 team
  • Legacy Public Speaker Competition State winner - Kaitlin year 8
  • Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition CAT= 1 distinction 17 credits
  • Oliphant Science Awards - 13 prizes and 2 independent prizes from different companies
  • First Lego League Competition - won a trophy for Core Values and a 'Strategy and Innovation' Award trophy.

2016

  • Grand Final of Rostrum Public Speaking - Ben Year 8
  • Chess Champion - Amy Year 8
  • Chess Team Champions - Year 8 team
  • Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition CAT = 3 distinctions 8 credits