IMMERSING STUDENTS IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The local environment provides the perfect setting for learning about sustainability and wildlife preservation at St James’ Anglican School. With a natural coastline within a few steps and a community beach just a cycle ride away, teachers regularly embrace the environment by taking learning outdoors.

St James’ Anglican School Principal Mr Adrian Pree said that teaching students about the environment within their local community builds on their connectedness to nature and surroundings.

Mr Pree said students are taught the importance of biodiversity being earth-focused, and respectfully sharing their school with the local creatures and plants.

“Whether exploring local bushland, planting, harvesting one of the many edible gardens within the school, or heading to the ocean for snorkelling lessons, there is never an opportunity for outdoor learning and environmental teaching to be missed,” Mr Pree said. The campus offers an abundance of gardens for quiet reflection, wellbeing, and learning about agriculture and horticulture. Featuring indigenous bush-tucker, herb and vegetable planters and mature fruit trees, the

“For students to be able to understand and care for nature, we must fully immerse them in it. Whether getting in the water and seeing for themselves or learning first-hand from conservationist guest speakers, we strive to utilise natural resources and local knowledge to teach our students the importance of sustainability and preservation.” school grounds are home to a vast variety of plants, animals, insects and micro-organisms.

Marine programs allow for meaningful studies of local marine wildlife and conservation. Students from all years learn about marine conservation through the SLSWA Beach Safe program, SCUBA lessons, sailing programs, or St James’ Orange Army.

Students can attend a marine camp on Rottnest Island, where they participate in hands-on learning about the natural environment and local wildlife. They learn how to safely catch and release ocean wildlife, and to navigate the island respectfully.

Planning is underway for a future school trip to explore the Abrolhos Islands. The Islands lie about 60 kilometres west of Geraldton on the Western Australian coast, and consist of 122 islands clustered into three groups. The Islands offer incredible opportunities for marine and wildlife spotting and provide an ideal location to learn about the natural world.

After the success of the schools’ 2019 ‘Carnaby’s Cockatoo Project,’ which saw students revegetate school land to provide a habitat for local wildlife, students started a Carnaby’s Cockatoo Habitat Building Club in 2023. They have already had a visit from an environmentalist from ‘Carnaby’s Crusaders’, a registered not-for-profit charity, who assisted students with ideas for the design and construction of their own artificial breeding hollows. They will continue to research and test their designs, and the finished products will be proudly placed amongst the school grounds for cockatoos to inhabit.

Curriculum Inspired By City Location

Students at St George’s Anglican Grammar School are stepping outside the school grounds as part of a new program that leverages the school’s CBD location as an extended campus.

The future-focused ‘Inspired Minds’ program draws in the context of the inner-city environment to provide students with learning opportunities that equip them with skills for success beyond the school campus.

Students interact with diverse city spaces and organisations to gain insights into the workings of top organisations and thriving industry sectors. Program units such as ‘Out and About in Perth’ help Year 7 students become more confident within the city surrounds.

The ‘Money Management’ unit has introduced Year 9 students to the world of corporate banking within the heart of the Perth CBD.

St George’s Anglican Grammar School’s Head of Curriculum, Mr Anthony Bochrinis, said the program aims to diversify the student experience within the lower school, where greater flexibility for learning can easily be linked to students’ interests.

“In the Western Australian Mathematics Curriculum, there is little scope to have a deep dive into personal taxation, budgeting, the stock market and the many necessary lifelong financial literacy skills,” Mr Bochrinis said. “Yet, our Year 9 IM Money Management Unit, which all Year 9 St George’s students will undertake, will bring these topics to life as students see the importance of this knowledge within our city-based setting”.

Mr Bochrinis said the encompassing program includes elements of philosophy, media studies and photography, and an introduction to the service component of the Ignite and Duke of Edinburgh Awards programs.

“It is however some of the priceless life lessons and the cultivation of independence that makes the Inspired Minds program so unique.

“Perhaps most importantly it makes their school life at St George’s both inspirational and fun, something that as educators we all aspire to achieve for our students.”

Mr

Bochrinis