Page 1737 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 9 May 2018
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had a clear passion for education and a warm, welcoming nature. She made all the students, my staff and me feel very comfortable and welcome at the school.
Mrs Hills showed us around the school’s six classrooms that cater for classes pre-K to year 6, their climbing wall, their kitchen garden where they grow their own veggies and later learn how to cook fresh healthy meals. As a small school with approximately 130 students, the tailored methods of education were fascinating. For example, the school uses information from a number of sources to tailor children’s abilities to form small learning groups for core subjects like maths.
This year, Canberra Christian School was able to take on a deputy principal and wellbeing officer, Tanya Wells. Her role is pastoral, administrative and teaching some classes from time to time. The position is an important addition to the school’s administrative capacity but also stresses the importance the school places on the wellbeing of its students.
I was also able to see the early learning centre, or ELC, which provides an early introduction to schooling for students as young as two. I saw some of the posters the ELC students had been working on around Easter time, motivated by the children’s fascination for the development of chicken eggs to chicks.
One of the great takeaways from my visit to the Canberra Christian School was the way limited space and resources posed not a challenge but an opportunity for the school. The school’s close relationship with nearby church communities has been a valuable resource, with the church facilities doubling as classrooms and an assembly hall, rather than lying dormant for five days of the week. Similarly, the Emmanuel Christian Assembly church building now doubles as the school’s ELC.
The Canberra Christian School is a terrific example of how a successful school is not just a collection of buildings and people but a community—so much so that I am sure many parents will be particularly drawn to the school’s monthly date night when parents are encouraged to drop off their kids at the school for activities and a movie while they go out on a well-deserved date.
I was also able to meet with the principal of Trinity Christian School, Mr Ian Hewitt, at their Wanniassa campus, in your electorate, Madam Speaker. It is appropriate that I talk about these schools together, as students at Canberra Christian College have an assured place at Trinity for year 7 and above.
Trinity is a Christian school that was established in 1977. It has grown steadily to its present size, occupying two campuses, in Isabella Plains and Wanniassa. In 2004 the school began taking students to year 12, and in 2016 it opened its ELC. This means that many of its students now have the opportunity to be at the same school for 15 years, from three to 18 years old. This stability and constancy in their lives does lead to a powerful and engaged student and parent community, which contributes massively to the school.
I was able to see the attention Trinity school puts into learning. Having met Mr Hewitt previously at a University of Canberra faculty of education showcase, it was like
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