One of my favourite bands back in my youth was Fleetwood Mac. But when I heard them on the radio over the break, the messaging in the lyrics resonated with me in a new way. ‘Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow’ has really been the driving the force behind our teachers and their creative and innovative approach to online learning. This same optimism will be our guiding principle as we continue to work together to navigate Term 4.
This also echoed the messaging in the letters the children wrote last term for the residents of the Donvale Retirement Village. This turned out to be an incredibly successful and meaningful exercise and one that touched the hearts of hundreds of people. In fact, this project involved everyone at Carey Donvale. The children from ELC right through to Year 6 embraced the idea of spreading some joy to the citizens who live just up the road from our Donvale campus.
In all, we managed to compose over 300 letters which were gratefully received. Some of the residents were moved to pen replies to the children, so in some cases there will be a nice surprise waiting when the children return to school next week.
Campus improvements continued
While the children have not been on campus, this has created the opportunity to continue some valuable campus developments. This has included painting the major pieces of playground equipment in the ELC garden, the Prep playground and the Adventure Playground.
Other successful projects have included new seating in the poetry corner, new sleeper retaining walls, lush planting and mulching and upgrades to the wi-fi across the school.
The Library, which is largely the hub of the school, has more new shelving, a new STEM study area and a cosy new fireplace which invites you to curl up with a good book.
In the near future, heating will be installed in the alfresco area of the ELC to provide a warmer reception area for families and a more functional learning space for the children.
We are excited to see everyone back
To say that the staff are looking forward to the children returning next week would be an understatement. Already our ELC students have returned and they are enjoying the chance to learn and play together. Whilst we have enjoyed a very successful period of online learning, the prospect of face-to-face teaching with our primary-aged children is something that has our teachers and support staff very excited.
The return of students will see us operating in accordance with the strict COVID-19 regulations put out by the Victorian Government. These protocols are designed to keep everyone safe and will be articulated in more detail in correspondence to all parents.
Steve Wilson
Head of Junior School Donvale