Defining the Beliefs That Set Macquarie College Apart

Macquarie College, part of the world-wide system of Adventist schools, is a non-selective, faith-based school where we believe that great learning is made possible when students, their families and staff feel safe and happy.

This precondition for learning and school community life underpins all aspects of the Macquarie College program, where a strong tradition of academic excellence is supported through comprehensive pastoral care, wellbeing, sporting and extracurricular programs which have been intentionally planned to meet the diverse and changing needs of today’s learners.

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Macquarie College is committed to providing each of our Preschool to Year 12 students with age-appropriate skills and dispositions to equip them for the workplaces and communities of the future. From that perspective, Macquarie College is committed to providing a learning community which actively demonstrates the following eight elements:

Flexibility – A learning community and programs which enable students to develop agile thinking and adaptability in finding solutions to complex challenges. This skill equips our students to more readily adapt to the changing contexts of workplaces and community life.

Community – A learning community which is formed around healthy, relationship-based networks which encourages ongoing partnerships between students, families, staff, businesses, community organisations, tertiary institutions and the broader global community. This skill equips our students to see their healthy participation in the community as being central to both their personal and professional lives.

Success for all – A learning community which understands that not all people are the same and, as a consequence, not all students will learn and/or achieve success via the same pathways. By encouraging the development of an active growth-mindset, this equips our students to measure their success more broadly than merely the attainment of a test score or selection in a team.

High-quality adults – A learning community where the intentional inclusion of wise, caring and highly-skilled adults is used to enhance student learning and self-development. Staff are supported to both maintain and grow their professional skill set while, at the same time, external partners included in the learning program are carefully curated to ensure their relevance to authentic future-focused learning. This element of the College’s programs equips our students with a sense of valuing the attainment of diverse and authentic skills as lifelong learners.

Co-constructed learning – A learning community which values student ownership of the learning experience and actively engages students in planning for their individualised post-school success.

Student empowerment – A learning community where students are supported to take increasing ownership and responsibility for their education and lives. Through initiatives such as the Invictus program, the College’s active student leadership programs, extra-curricular and various student-led learning activities, students are equipped to contribute to the operation and direction of the College.

Development of self – A learning community where a supportive framework of Biblical, faith-based learning, encourages each student to explore values and their place in, and interactions within, communities. By actively pursuing the development of self, students are equipped to know how they learn, how to become a critical questioner, how to assess and take appropriate risks and to develop the deep skill of empathy.

Core skill development – A learning community where confident written, spoken and digital communication skills, alongside established numeracy and scientific understanding, equips students to make informed choices in life and to be active contributors to their community. Finally, Macquarie College places a high value on the contribution that strong home-college partnerships can make to the successful social, emotional, spiritual and academic well being of each student. As such, parent/carer’s active involvement as families in the life of Macquarie College is both sought and appreciated.

Recognised as a leading Independent school in the Hunter region and, while proud of the excellent achievements of both students and the College staff, Macquarie College is committed to being a learning community which leads its region into a future of relevance, opportunity and growth. Empowered through real-world, authentic learning, Macquarie College students are being equipped as the global citizens of the future.