School should be a welcoming community: Principal of Scotch College Adelaide

The point of view was shared by Dr. John Newton with Vietnamese parents in the recent seminar Talk with Scotch AGS organized online by Scotch College AGS.

Dr. John Newton, Principal of Scotch College Adelaide takes a photo with students. Photo by Scotch College Adelaide

'Village' of knowledge

Scotch College Adelaide, a hundred-year-old school located on a hill in the state of South Australia, overlooks the city, covered with many green patches. Students will study and live in a fresh, environment-friendly atmosphere.

Many people regard the school a village. In that village, knowledge is not only limited to the classroom, but also extends to extracurricular activities in many fields like sports, music, drama, science...

Scotch College students can participate in many extracurricular activities like sports, music, drama, and science. Photo by Scotch College Adelaide

Scotch College students have the opportunity to participate in many extra co-curricular activities such as sports, music, drama, and science.

For example, the school has just held a medical conference on campus with the participation of experts from many major universities to present their outstanding research. As a result, students can understand further about the real application of the subjects, and have the opportunity to contribute to the organization of events.

In the social - business modules, Scotch College Adelaide often invites politicians to share their experiences or holds seminars with entrepreneurs to convey lessons about the market and entrepreneurship. "Online seminars with famous universities give students an opportunity to receive up-to-date knowledge", said Dr. John Newton.

The school also orients and encourages students to actively participate in social activities, both contributing to the community and creating a close bond among students. Since then, the quality of learning is thus improved, forming a lifestyle and an academic community in a special village.

I believe every school should be a warm, welcoming community. We connect with young people through organizing such special events, said Dr. Newton. "In the classroom, we teach a high standard curriculum combined with activities that help children increase their knowledge and prepare them for real life."

Mind-opening projects

Dr. John Newton said that many experiences are designed by the school throughout from elementary school to high school, in which many contents are built to expand thinking and evoke humanity in each student.

For example, 5th graders at Scotch College Adelaide have learned about topics such as world peace or global challenges. Students will be given one week to complete project assignments related to the above topics. "The results are surprising as many groups of students demonstrate an understanding of the world's current issues, and at the same time accumulate problem-solving and teamwork skills," said Dr. John Newton.

In high school, the school designed a unique project called "on-site learning". The school built an agricultural farm where many species of animals and plants are raised and grown not only for teaching agricultural subjects but also for lessons on nutrition and natural resources. The program "on the farm" also helps students practice to improve their physical and mental health.

"We consider mental health as one of the core values of the curriculum at Scotch College Adelaide. Mental health helps students enhance their sense of well-being and improve academic achievement through personal hard work and positive attitude committed to accomplishing goals," said Newton.

At Scotch College Adelaide, there is another valuable companionship from the parents. According to him, about 20 groups of parents are often invited to visit the school to promote sports, cultural activities or raise funds. Whenever there is an event, parents are very actively involved even though they may be busy with their work as they are all successful business people, doctors, and lawyers.

"Parents drive to school to watch sports or enjoy plays. They may also visit the school for many other reasons. We always take time to talk and listen to parents," Dr. Newton said. "We appreciate their values and contributions to the school. This also contributes to building a village of knowledge like I mentioned."

Scotch College Adelaide - a school with more than 100 years of establishment and development in Australia is about to appear in Vietnam, starting with the launch of Scotch College AGS in 2022. Scotch AGS training program for students in grades 1-12 with the globally recognized Australian Baccalaureate - SACE.

With the orientation of training each student to become a global citizen, possessing leadership capabilities and lifelong learning capabilities, Scotch AGS focuses on exploiting the full potential of academic intellectual intelligence, culture, music and sport.

Students will thrive in an environment where mental health is always cared for, encouraged to learn, and improve awareness of community values. Scotch AGS will also empower students to self-study and prepare them for a pathway to top universities around the world.

For information on Scotch AGS, see more here.