Term 1 has seen a myriad of Altius initiatives across the school. Most notably the first Year 8 Bannockburn Academic Camp in partnership with The Scots College and the Year 9 courses, Leadership and Global Understanding.
Now in its second year the Year 8 Bannockburn experience sees Kambala girls and Scots boys joining forces to carry out data gathering at The Scots College Bannockburn site. Students spend 3 days in Culburra, where they gather data by water testing, soil testing, insect trapping and plant analysis in order to understand how to create sustainable farming and regenerative practices. They also take part in Quoll reintroduction working closely with WWF on site; investigating ecosystems and plant-animal relationships. Students also spend time working with natural materials to create artistic impressions of the land around them. The importance of working on Country with local Elders is also investigated, spending time talking to the Traditional Owners of the land as well as the current Stewards.
Students also experience working in co-educational groups, cooking meals for one another and enjoying morning walks (in some cases, runs!) on the beach. Data that is gathered is used in Science and Geography on return to school as part of their units of work.
Year 9 have also been benefiting from the Altius program, embarking on either a Leadership program in partnership with The Scots College or the Global Understanding Program here at Kambala.
In the Leadership course, students work in mixed-gender groups to develop skills in building teams and sharing opinions. They also develop skills to manage resources through various group activities. Students share ideas and viewpoints, engage with others purposefully, explain their understanding, and experience varied challenges to move beyond what is comfortable.
The Global Understanding program invites students to explore what it means to be a global citizen in an interconnected world. Through the examination of diverse global contexts and contentious topics that arise from experiences relating to digital technologies, gender equity, and social media, students develop an understanding of how power, privilege, and inequality shape lived experiences across economics, ethics, politics, religion, and the environment.
With an emphasis on increased global responsibility, students are encouraged to reflect on their developing perspectives and sense of agency as globally minded individuals, while listening to multiple viewpoints in order to appreciate and challenge their own biases.
All of these experiences are created using the school’s values of Respect, Curiosity, Courage and Humanity at the forefront, ensuring that students develop skills in each of these areas. Additionally, each experience supports the completion of students’ Global Citizenship Diploma by acting as evidence for at least one of the GCD elements; for example, Bannockburn contributes to the ‘Engagement with Nature’ Element.
Freya Campion
Head of Curriculum Experiences