We are excited to be able to announce that our alternative education program – Hands On Learning – was finally able to commence Monday 10th October after long but inevitable delays.
Hands On Learning started out in Victoria and is making its way into Queensland after over 20 years of successful outcomes in other parts of the country. At its core is the philosophy that students who are disengaged or who struggle with 'regular' schooling often respond to support interventions where the 'curriculum' is about building personal skills while the 'doing' is a range of practical tasks. It is not a program with a set end date – students stay in the program until they have learned some personal skills that enable them to better engage in regular classes or they are able to engage in an external pathway. For more information, please find the attached brochure.
The Hands On Learning Team are Matt Morey, David Parry and Gaye Alexander. Bev Dangerfield will also connect with and the program every week as her role in the school is primarily about supporting young people who are feeling disengaged from school.
The Hands on Learning Precinct will be the two sheds behind the Art Block. While we share the tools and storage space with BSK and Man Arts, this area is the home base for the HoL Program. Over time, the students will work with the HoL staff to design and make a number of improvements and modifications to their space and we are very excited to see how this will evolve over time.
We had a great first day, in spite of the weather. We are setting goals for students and working on tasks related to sorting out and setting up their home base. In time we will be engaged in a number of other activities which could include:
- Designing and making their own uniforms
- Creating items that can be sold in community
- Recycling
- Community and volunteer work
- Beautification projects for the school
Watch this space for more updates.