Message From the Principal
What a joy it is to finally be in our new double storey learning space!
This space is being used by Stage 3 (upstairs) and downstairs it houses our Junior School specialist music classroom, peripatetic Music spaces and two Senior School classes, including Languages, for 2022.
We love the “new” smell in the spaces, the bright and shiny spaces, but we don’t love them so much for being a new space but for what that space will enhance – learning and community.
A new building is indeed exciting, but the purpose of the spaces in a College like ours is to enhance creative and collaborative deep learning. All the classroom spaces have dynamic and movable furniture on wheels – so that shifting the layout is easy to facilitate different types of learning.
Futurist David Thornburg identifies there are 4 key learning environments and uses familiar metaphors to label them – the campfire, the cave, the waterhole and life.
The campfire is a space where people gather to learn from an expert – the wise elder or storyteller. This is the traditional model of classroom teaching, but it still has its place in the learning cycle – for a whole class or in smaller groups, for teachers, outside experts or students to lead the learning.
The watering hole is an informal space where peers can gather together, share information and discoveries, acting as both learner and teacher simultaneously.
The cave is a private space where an individual can think, reflect, and transform learning from external knowledge to internal belief.
Life – the space where people learn from making and participating, and can include both the making but also the performance and publishing process. This is probably the most neglected aspect.
Our new spaces are able to switch very quickly between these modes throughout the day, utilising the most effective mode for each learning moment. The rooms also provide a variety of learning options and seating arrangements to allow for different body types and preferences.
It has been a long wait for this building to be finished, with COVID disrupting the building and supply train, and then the deluge of rain through the last six months. A huge thank you to our students and staff who have operated in cramped, less-than-ideal spaces! Now, that is fading quite quickly from view! WE are adaptable, and so many have moved on, we now have some wonderful spaces that enhance our learning and bring that adventure of learning to life in our pursuit of discovery and growth!
And the views from the second storey are spectacular!!
Safety reminders for families
Two important things to remember when travelling to and from school:
- All students riding must wear helmets – a number have been spotted without them;
- For parents who move through the parking / kiss and drop zones, please be patient, be careful and use your indicators when emerging from those areas, as we’ve had a number of near misses lately.
