Carey is a vibrant place with a beating heart, ever mindful of the need to keep changing in order to meet the individual needs of students. The changes are often subtle and always carefully considered to ensure we are providing the best experience for all of our students.
However, in a year where we have a whole-school focus on the attribute of Reflection, we have already experienced unforeseen circumstances that have caused us to pause, contemplate, and shape a plan that continues to enhance the learning experience for each student. This was evident in the effect of the bushfires that ravaged vast areas of the south east of Australia. At Carey, we responded to the risks posed to our students in our Outdoor Education program by taking time to pause and develop a solution. A plan was set in place to postpone the Year 7 Toonallook camps, with the first of those trips now departing next Monday. We thank the staff, students and parents for being adaptable and understanding the need for these changes to take place.
We then turned from immediate solutions to longer-term assistance as our Principal, Jonathan Walter, encouraged our students and staff to consider our response to the Gippsland region, the home of our Toonallook campus. Out of the tragedies of the fires, the shared ideas of students and staff have already begun to shape a plan with the focus on building a sustained relationship with those impacted. For example, we have a group of Year 8s making bat wraps, which help orphaned or injured baby bats to feel safe by emulating the feeling of a mother’s wings; and in Year 9 and 10 Product Design and Technology classes, students are creating pouches for larger injured wildlife like kangaroos and wallabies. There is a sense of energy and expectation across the school at the possibilities.
We often read of the changing face of the workplace, where more and more we see a heightened demand for critical and creative thinking. This Australian summer is evidence of the importance of our students practising critical and creative thinking, as they become the problem solvers of the future.
Peter Robson
Acting Deputy Principal
