Senior School

All human beings have an innate desire for purpose and significance in their lives. Psalm 27:4-5 provides a wonderful promise for students: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart, Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this...”

Students in Senior School focus on SACE completion and on preparation for tertiary study, good citizenship and fulfilling employment. One of the key questions we encourage our students to explore in senior school is: “What is God’s plan for my life? How can I serve him and his world through my chosen career and through my life generally?” In Jeremiah 27, God promises that He “has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans for a hope and a future”, but how do we find out what these plans and our future are? This is a question that takes a lifetime to answer fully, but the Bible clearly tells us that all human beings are called at the very least to relationship and discipleship. 

Relationship is something that God desires deeply with us, and something that He also longs deeply for us to have with one another. Through regular devotions, worship time and prayer, Senior School students are encouraged to discover their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ, as well as bettering their relationships with each other and their families.

Discipleship is about growing as a disciple of Jesus, and helping others to become disciples. Encouraging and challenging the students in their faith is important in Senior School; we desire students to know the why behind what they believe! In the great commission (Matthew 28: 18-20), Jesus tells us (his disciples) to “make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded”. Senior school students have the opportunity to be involved in various outreach opportunities, from overseas mission trips to serving at soup kitchens in the city.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Southern Vales also has a focus on academic excellence. We believe that God wants us to excel in all that we do, and that glorifying Him through hard work and giving our all is just as important as prayer or singing. All students start the SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) at Year 10 with the Personal Learning Plan (PLP), designed to help them identify possible future career paths. In Years 11 and 12, students chose subjects relating to possible future careers, and Southern Vales offers a wide range of subjects, including many TAFE accredited courses. On average, over 90% of all students graduating from Southern Vales receive their first preference for University or TAFE courses!

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Students in Senior School also have many opportunities for leadership at Southern Vales. Students can nominate to be College captains, House captains or members of the Issachar Team (the student leadership team, made up of class captains from each Pastoral Group). Student leaders regularly travel to Canberra to participate in the Christian Student Leaders Conference, and also lead worship assemblies for the entire student body.

If you would like to find out more about Senior School at Southern Vales, please contact the Head of Senior School, Mr Stapleton.