Published on: 7 March 2019

  • Friends of Walters
  • Opening of Innovation Hub

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and returned with batteries charged and a sharp focus on the rest of Term One.

On Monday evening Simon Angus and I caught up with the Friends of Walters, a group of boarding parents who represent our boarding community at regular meetings. The partnership between our boarding parents and the School is essential to fostering a boy’s ability to thrive academically and socially and we value the involvement and engagement of parents. We often talk about being a school that appreciates diversity and one great way to do this is to include a boarder in your routine. We know that families have a wide range of interests and it would be great for your son to reach out and include a boarder in some of the activities you are planning over the next few months. A trip to Sculptures by the Sea, a night at a local sports game, or perhaps a meal out and some relaxing family time. If you are a boarding family and would like to be part of the Friends of Walters or a family who wish to invite a boarder to be part of your weekend, please contact Director of Walters Residential Community, Brad Downing.

When we were planning the new Preparatory School, the concept of an Innovation Hub was front of mind knowing that traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies impact and enrich the lives of people globally. Having a hub was the first step, closely followed by a refresh for our Christ Church Pedagogy (art and science of learning) with teachers attending professional development to confirm they can effortlessly make the connections and link our enquiry-based learning to the Australian digital technologies curriculum. Tomorrow we are excited as we open the Hub and take our first group of Year 6 students through to look at the resources which include programmable lego, green screens, 3D scanners and printers, drones, robotics and so much more. Years 4 and 5 boys will follow shortly with hands on, experiential learning.

This is just the start of great things in the Hub. Using digital technologies, we are reaching out and connecting to overseas schools, collaborating in learning and project work and I look forward to elaborating on these aspects of learning at Christ Church in the coming weeks.

Alan Jones
Principal