Our specialist learning programs include Learning Enrichment Support, Learning Extension Extra Curricular Offerings, In-class Teacher-led Extensions, Year Advancement and Early University Access.
Learning Enrichment
The NCC Learning Enrichment Centre assists students with acknowledged special needs from Prep to Year 12. This support is offered in a variety of ways depending on the student’s level of need, the school resources and places available.
Students may be referred for Learning Enrichment at enrolment, at any time by parents, or when teachers identify difficulties.
A comprehensive consultation process, including learning difficulty assessment, is worked through before students are provided with specialised support. The process involves parents, teachers, the Learning Enrichment teachers and teacher aides.
Learning Extension
Learning extension, enrichment and acceleration of our gifted and talented, high potential and high achieving students is managed by our Junior School and Secondary School Learning Extension Coordinators. Our Learning Extension Coordinators:
identify students that fall into the above categories
organise individual learning plans, acceleration plans and timetables for identified G&T students
facilitate participation in events and competitions in a range of disciplines including the da Vinci Decathlon, Ethics Olympiad, SCIPHA Challenge Days, ICAS and much more.
Junior School Learning Extension:
Extension for students in Years 1-6 occurs through Quest, and targeted extension in Math and English.
Currently, there is also a dedicated Year 5/6 ‘high ability’ class.
Teachers are supported to provide subject extension within their classrooms.
Secondary School Learning Extension:
Enrichment opportunities are provided to our Middle School students through invitation to participate in Meliora Cogita.
Subject and grade acceleration is provided to identified gifted students.
Teachers are supported to provide subject extension within their classrooms.
Meliora Cogita
Meliora Cogita – Latin for ‘to strive for better’ – is our Middle School extension program specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of Year 7, 8, and 9 students who demonstrate advanced cognitive abilities. Within our Middle School, gifted and talented students possess extraordinary talents and untapped potential, necessitating opportunities for enrichment that go beyond the standard curriculum. Meliora Cogita is founded on two primary objectives:
Firstly, it aims to provide an enriching program that broadens the horizons of gifted and talented students by introducing fresh and diverse learning contexts. Through this, students can nurture their creativity, critical thinking, and their ability to explore knowledge beyond conventional boundaries.
Secondly, the program seeks to bring like-minded students together to collaborate on challenging learning experiences that may not be available within the standard school curriculum.
Meliora Cogita students partake in a weekly session, predominantly with peers from their respective year levels. During these sessions, they engage in a term-long project that encompasses diverse subjects such as the $20 Boss Project, forensic studies, Passion Projects, TED Talks, the Da Vinci Decathlon, NCC Shark Tank, and other inquiry-based learning initiatives that demand problem-solving skills, creativity, and critical thinking.
Additionally, students across all three-year levels come together for off-site excursions, including visits to institutions such as QUT, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Queensland Museum.
The Meliora Cogita program serves as a unique platform for students, fostering intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness. It equips them with a heightened awareness of problem-solving processes, allowing them to navigate challenges, unfamiliar information, and novel concepts with greater sophistication.
By collaborating with their gifted peers, Meliora Cogita students embark on term-long projects, participating in activities like the $20 Boss Project, forensic investigations, Passion Projects, TED Talks, the Da Vinci Decathlon, NCC Shark Tank, and other inquiry-based endeavours that demand problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking. They not only learn from their successes but also embrace the idea that “iron sharpens iron.”
In-class Teacher-led Extensions
Teachers also extend students in the regular classroom by varying assignment topics and expectations and by allowing students to research topics in their personal interest areas.
Early University Access
There is also the opportunity for senior students to take part in a ‘Headstart’ or ‘Start Uni Now’ course through the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) or Central Queensland University (CQU).
These courses are designed to prepare students for the expectations required at University to help make the transition a smooth process. At USC, if a student successfully completes two semesters of study, it will grant them entry to the University at the end of Year 12.
