A Year Reinvented at the Prep School – From Peter Allison, Head of Preparatory School

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

A Year Reinvented at the Prep School

From Peter Allison, Head of Preparatory School

“20th century American writer, Napoleon Hill, wrote, ‘Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.’

It is my hope that as we reflect on life at the Prep School in 2020, we see this sentiment has been substantiated.”

A well-known English proverb comes to mind as we consider the challenges of life in a school in 2020 – “Necessity is the mother of invention.” The changing sea of COVID-19 forced restrictions has required a continual process of analysis and re-creation. Separated Year level groups, limited indoor numbers sharing the same space, excursions and camps unable to be held, parents constrained from entering the academic precinct and attending sport, Zoom assemblies, house meetings and chapel services, sanitising rituals and so it goes on… These have been the requirements that have led schools to think creatively about ways to continue to provide the rich, engaging academic and co-curricular activities that are so important in helping young lives to flourish.

The onset of distance learning thrust schools into a fast tracked program of digital delivery of the curriculum and pastoral support. At King’s, this season saw all academic staff undertake a module of study that formed part of the Masters of Education program in Learning Technologies to extend knowledge, reflect on how digital platforms could be utilised to enhance learning and share examples of best practice. Alongside the tertiary studies, staff explored a range of digital learning tools such as SeeSaw that enhanced the sharing of learning between school and home.

Student wellbeing became an even higher priority for support throughout the year. To help the boys manage the constant state of uncertainty and transition from distance to face to face learning, the School implemented ‘Chilled and Considerate Bootcamp’ sessions with students, specially tailored for our campus by Dr Danielle Einstein, a clinical psychologist and researcher from Macquarie University. Workshop sessions were co-led by Mrs Belinda Baxter, Deputy Head (Students and Community), and David Hegarty, the Prep School Counsellor.

Excursions offsite to enrich learning were transformed to incursions where boys engaged in authentic, experiential learning. When you have 320 acres to play with, the opportunities are limitless! For example, PreKindergarten constructed a large-scale resort during a communities unit, complete with a water theme park, resort transportation, a gift shop and a security team of 4 year olds! Year 5 spent a day on the “Goldfields” of Price 5, constructing a temporary miners’ village and re-enacting scenes from Australian history. Year 4 held an immersive trade simulation, in which boys learned to buy, sell, save and budget, developing financial literacy skills and a deep appreciation for fair trade. Year 6 participated in a full-day simulation of life as a refugee, trekking in family groups with valued items and a ration pack. They faced uncertainty and adversity, and developed a deeper understanding of the plight of displaced persons around the world.

The Year 6 Exhibition was reinvented from a face to face presentation of independent research projects to a Virtual Exhibition. Deeply inquisitive about the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world, the boys honed in on particular areas for investigation, linking with experts in different fields of study within Australia and abroad to expand their research and understandings. Their inquiries ranged from vaccination development, to international relations, racism, to disease control. They condensed their research findings into academic essays which they published in a book with a collection of 22 essays about life in the global pandemic of 2020.

As events forced life to become more inward looking, the Prep School adopted a service focus to turn minds towards assisting in the lives of others. Partnering with an organisation called Convoy of Hope, the boys grew native seedlings into healthy plants that were taken to the Conjola township to assist the community who had lost homes, parks and gardens.

20th century American writer, Napoleon Hill, wrote, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” It is my hope that as we reflect on life at the Prep School in 2020, we see this sentiment has been substantiated.