Campbell House Redevelopment

By Sondra Wood, Head of Junior School, Campbell House

The community of Campbell House has certainly enjoyed an exciting beginning to the 2019 school year. Our students, staff and parents have explored and experienced new surroundings. Our first Welcome Assembly for the year was held in our amazing new structure, Wayaperree. We reflected upon how grateful we are to be part of our community, especially in light of the redevelopment. This was epitomised in words from our Year 3 students Dominic Ho and Ramsay Van Elst, when they shared their understanding of our value “Respect with Grace”:

“A person who is using the value of Respect with Grace notices if someone is left out during learning and in the playground. They are collaborative. They have respect for other people and see their ideas as worthwhile. They listen to the voices of others and include the ideas of others when working together. It is more than what they do, it is how they do it.”

Last year our community speculated and became curious as we grappled with our landscape of change. The staff, parents and children observed what we had known as safe and familiar being taken away or moved. At times this was literally on the back of some very impressive dump trucks or large cranes, which provided hours of viewing times, not only for the children. We all reflected and wondered what our new environment could look like and where we as individuals and as a group fitted within our changing landscape. Now it seems like overnight our beautiful butterfly, Wayaperree, has blossomed from its cacoon. From our perspective, speaking on behalf of the children and staff, each time we enter this building, we look up, around and feel amazed and grateful for our space – a place to meet and be together. The official opening of Wayaperree, meaning “a place to meet”, was held on 27 February. As I listened to the sounds vibrating through the music of the didgeridoo during the service, I certainly felt gratitude and could not help but reflect upon our past, our present and the exciting future for Campbell House. With Geelong identified as a UNESCO City of Design, the opening gave us all goose bumps to see Wayaperree just as our architect John Wardle (OGC 1971) envisaged, full of Campbell House students and a place to meet for our community.

Now we look towards the excitement of what the next phase in our buildings will bring. With our foundations laid, the skeleton of the structure is taking shape and we are able to visualise more readily how our school is transforming into a centre for 21st-century learning splendour.

Geelong College Project Manager Brad Carr, Head of Junior School Campbell House Sondra Wood and Junior School teacher Emma Watters check on the progress of the Campbell House Redevelopment in Term 1.

Opportunities for indoor-outdoor learning will be seamless, with teaching and learning spaces designed around the piazzas of Reggio Emilia, Italy, reflecting this approach to learning. Children, staff and parents will come together and co-construct learning experiences, the true belief of our Reggio Emilia approach to education. Outdoor learning spaces have been intended to provide Nature Play spaces, where children will have the opportunity to learn through play, to be imaginative, curious and agile in our everchanging world.

Areas have been designed to meet the individual and group needs of children, incorporating a sensory garden and individual equipment for children to feel safe, secure for exploration and fun. Flexible learning spaces indoors will feature facilities to inspire connections, supporting our children as global citizens.

Throughout the process of the redevelopment, our teaching staff have continued their own learning journeys, with the shaping of their pedagogy to facilitate the highest quality learning opportunities for all children, embedded within our College values. Campbell House’s official opening in 2020 will reveal a landscape reflective of The Geelong College’s proud history within our community, as well as present learning experiences which embrace creativity and innovation for all learners through our environment, curriculum and pedagogy. All within a sustainable environment.