Departments

English

Ko te reo te tuakiri                      Language is my identity

Ko te reo toku ahurei               Language is my uniqueness

Ko te reo te ora               Language is life

Welcome to the students and the families supporting the students who are studying English at Marcellin College. The English Department is delighted to teach your child and we will....

Maths

 

 

Science

The Science Department of Marcellin College provides a variety of courses to ensure scientific literacy for every pupil.  Students enrolled in Science faculty are trained to:

• Be capable of working individually or collaboratively to attain a scientific view
• Be able to develop hypothesis, to design and implement experimental procedures and then be able to evaluate and analyse the data
• Value and appreciate the diversity of life and the natural forces that shape our world
• Integrate information from multiple scientific disciplines and synthesize the information learned
• Be environmentally responsible citizens

Courses reflect the learning styles of individual students and include study in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and General Science.  Catholic expectations are incorporated in each lesson ensuring that students learn to make responsible decisions and become lifelong learners.  The department emphasises the importance of differentiated instruction, high expectations, interactive approaches and flexible groupings to support student performance.  These instructional approaches are combined with ongoing, systematic assessment of student learning.

Religious Education

 

Social Sciences

 

Technology

 

Commerce

 

Art

The Art Department offers courses at Year 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

 

In these courses students develop practical Art Skills in a variety of media. Personal expression and creative and analytical thinking are encouraged

 

Students learn to appreciate how artworks are made, used and valued in New Zealand as well as other cultures. As part of this process a series of talks by well known New Zealand artists takes place each year.

 

They learn to critique their own Art works and those of others which develops their critical thinking skills.

 

At the senior level students may choose to specialize in one or more of the following: Painting, Photography and Design.

 

They will also gain an increased awareness of the further training and career opportunities that are available to them in Art.

 

Marcellin College Art students have taken an active part in honouring the special character of the school by creating a series of murals around the school and entering into relevant Art Competitions. These have been great learning experiences as well as making a positive and meaningful contribution to the school environment.

PE/Health

The College delivers two PE lessons per week for Years 9, 10 and 11 and one Health lesson per week for Years 9 and 10.  We cover a wide range of sports and activities within these lessons to cater for all our students' interests.

At a senior level, we offer two pathways in PE at NCEA.  Students may opt for NCEA Level 1 and then move onto NCEA Level 2 and 3 or take up our Sports Leadership course gaining credits through MIT at Level 2 and 3, with both courses leading to great career opportunities.

The sport, activities and fun does not stop in the classroom ... there are many extra curricular activities to get involved in at the College, including Netball, Rugby, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Tennis, Badminton, Touch, Dance, Softball, Kilikiti, Athletics, Cricket and Lawn Bowls to name a few!

Year 12 Sports Academy Certificate in Sports Leadership

This is a Level 2 course and is designed for students who enjoy PE and sport in a practical environment with the emphasis on becoming a Leader.

Music

The Music Department offers courses at Years 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Courses focus on the four main learning areas in Music: performance, theory, aural and composition. Itinerant lessons are offered in voice, guitar, piano and drums, with experienced tutors during school time.

Students of Music gain invaluable performance experience in both curricular and extra curricular areas. The philosophy of the department is one of inclusion and growth through experience. We encourage student participation in Rockquest, Pacifica Beats, Play It Strange, and Stand Up Stand Out! competitions, as well as in

University of Auckland and University of Otago workshops.

The Music Department is also involved in providing music for each of the four major masses per year, as well as for Senior and Junior Prize Giving.   

The College also holds an annual "Performance of the Arts" afternoon for students in Dance, Music, Drama and Art to display work and pieces from the classroom to the rest of the school.

Dance

The Dance Department and courses are growing at

Marcellin College. We offer Year 9 taster dance for a term, Year 10 option for a year and Year 11 NCEA Dance worth 24 credits, Year 12 NCEA Dance worth 17-20 credits, and Year 13 NCEA Dance worth 20 credits (from 2011).

 

If opting for Dance, students explore, develop movement vocabulary and understanding in a variety of genres such as Hip Hop, Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballroom and a range of Cultural Dances.  

The College also holds an annual "Performance of the Arts" afternoon for students in Dance, Music, Drama and Art to display work and pieces from the classroom to the rest of the school. 

Drama

"Drama expresses human experience through a focus on role, action and tension, played out in time and space. In drama education, students learn to structure these elements and to use dramatic conventions, techniques and technologies to create imagined worlds.” (The New Zealand Curriculum 2007, pg 20)

 

In Drama students learn to co-operate with others, to respect the ideas and backgrounds of others and to support others. Students who study Drama learn about responsibility and meeting deadlines as well as effective ways of communicating using the written and spoken word in combination with effective body language and non-verbal communication.

 

The Drama Department offers courses at Years 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Courses focus on the four strands of the Drama Curriculum: Understanding Drama in Context, Developing Practical Knowledge, Developing Ideas and Communicating and Interpreting.

 

Drama students gain invaluable performance experience in both curricular and co-curricular areas. Year 10 students are given an opportunity to perform a short production to an audience of invited peers and teachers. Year 11-13 students have production evenings, during which each class performs a complete play to an audience of friends and family.  The Drama Department is also responsible for Marcellin College’s entries into the country wide Stage Challenge Competition and works together with the Music Department on School Musicals.

 

The Drama Department provides Education Outside the Classroom opportunities for students which involve visits to Theatres to view live professional theatre and workshops for students with theatre practitioners.

 

The College also holds an annual “Performance of the Arts” afternoon for students in Drama, Dance, Music and Art to display work and pieces from the classroom to the rest of the school.

Spanish

 

Maori

 

Japanese

Courses are offered in Japanese from Years 9 to 13.  At every level the emphasis is on being able to communicate in Japanese.  This involves daily speaking activities and writing in Japanese script.  Learning a language is spiral in nature and as students progress from level to level they are able to draw on language already learnt to produce ever more complex language.

Through comparisons with their own language and culture, students are encouraged to develop tolerance and acceptance of another culture and also a deeper understanding of their own.

Classical Studies