What is Pathways?
Our Year 9 and 10 program is about student choice and engagement.
Moving from the breadth of the Middle School program, the Pathways years focus on areas of enthusiasm, allowing you to forge your own academic journey. Choose between more than 85 subjects!
You can study subjects from all learning areas, but additional free choice allows you to pursue a particular learning area and expand your understanding and skills. Pathways prepares you for Senior School.
Year 9
We want you to think of Pathways as a two-year program, so in Year 8 we ask you to plan for Year 9-10, but only lock in subjects for Year 9. There are lots of decisions to be made, including whether or not you want to continue studying a language.
See Year 9 Structure for more information on what your year will look like.
Year 10
The second year of your Pathways program will be different student to student. This is because the subjects and domains you have studied in Year 9 affect what choices you make in Year 10.
There are a minimum number of subjects required from each Domain across Year 9-10. There will be support from your Learning Mentor, your Year 9 teachers and the Director of Learning to help you build your Year 10 program to suit your future aspirations.
See Year 10 Structure for more information on what your year will look like.
Pathways Subject Selection Video
To help with your conversations at home we have put together a Pathways Subject Selection Information video. Learn more about the requirements of Pathways and key information which will assist you in your selection process at Catholic College Wodonga.
We wish you all the very best with making your Pathways subject selections – enjoy!
Marty Davey
Year Level Leader
Year 9
Joel O'Reilly
Year Level Leader
Year 10
For the past two years you have experienced all Catholic College has to offer and we’ve deliberately made sure you completed a variety of subjects. Now, we ask you to explore in-depth the subject areas that have really interested you, so you can determine your own Pathway into the VCE years.
It is important that your choices are guided by your interests and not what your friends are choosing, so choose what you love, not who you’re with.
To help you pick, you will get support from your Learning Mentor, your Year 8 teachers and Director or Learning for Pathways in Term 3. These conversations and those you have at home should help you think more deeply about life after school and therefore which subjects will be most suited to you over the next two years.
Programs
There are two programs available as a Year 9 Pathways student. The difference between them is whether you study a language or not. See below how studying a language affects your minimum requirements for each domain.
Making your Choices
Overall, you are choosing 24 subjects over two years of the Pathways program. It is important, however, that you understand that you must choose a certain number of subjects from every Domain.
Having said that, we are flexible about when you do these subjects. For example, you can choose to do all your Humanities in Year 9 (first year) if you wish, or most of your Science in Year 10 (second year).
The choices you make determine who you are in class with. Year 9 students may be studying alongside Year 10 students in Arts, Humanities, PE / Health, Religious Education, Science and Technology.
Advancing into Year 10 Mathematics
Year 9 students may also want to advance into the Year 10 ‘Pre-Methods’ (Maths) subject. If so, you are encouraged to speak to your LM, or your Year 8 Maths Teacher. Students need to complete an application form and a selection process is involved.
Advancing Options
It is unusual for a student in Year 9 to advance into a Year 11 subject. However, if you are interested in this option, please see your Director of Learning.
Subject Availability
Every subject offered is dependent on staffing, facilities, resources and timetabling constraints. Therefore, electives may not run. The timing of when a subject is offered in Semester 1 or Semester 2, or when a student studies a subject, is determined by these same constraints. This is a reason why you choose reserve subjects.
The subjects you completed in Year 9 make up part of your Pathways program, therefore every student will have a different Year 10 program.
Remember, there are a minimum number of subjects required from each Domain across Year 9-10. What you have completed in Year 9 will mean your Year 10 subjects are partly chosen for you.
Guided by your teachers and Learning Mentor, you take part in activities that help you decide your Year 10 subjects and reserve subjects during weeks 1-4 of Term 3. Study a broad range of subjects that you enjoy and find challenging.
Making your Choices
Your Year 10 subjects are determined by what you have studied in Year 9. The Pathways Selection Website will guide you on what subject domains you need to complete in Year 10.
Looking to expand your knowledge and get a taste of VCE? Our Early Advancement Program is for high achieving students who are up for a challenge.
Advancement Subjects
Although most students undertake a course of study in keeping with their year level, the curriculum is timetabled against Year 11-12, giving you access to VCE and VET subjects to accelerate.
At Year 10 level you can apply for the Early Advancement Program in one Unit 1-2 sequence in VCE or VET.
Applications for early advancement are made on the recommendation of classroom teachers and are always dependent on the availability of places. Students are interviewed as part of that process.
There are two Early Advancement Programs available to Year 10 students. They are:
Early Advancement Program Application | VCE
Or
Early Advancement Program Application | VET
Interested? Have a conversation with your Learning Mentor, Director of Learning or VET Leader
Subject Availability
Every subject offered is dependent on staffing, facilities, resources and timetabling constraints. Therefore, electives advertised on the subject selection website may not run. The timing of when an elective is offered in Semester 1 or Semester 2, or when a student studies a subject, is determined by these same constraints.
This is another reason why you choose reserve subjects.