Sandhurst Catholic Education and Sustainabilty Foreword Kinship with the Earth Education for Sustainability Framework is the manifestation of a journey of ecological conversion for the Catholic Education Sandhurst system of schools. Ecological conversion involves a new way of seeing, thinking, feeling and acting in relation to the natural world – God’s creation. This journey began with a commitment to changing habits and has grown into a deeper understanding of our shared responsibility for creation for future generations. Kinship with the Earth is in itself more than a curriculum framework, but rather a commitment to sustaining the knowledge, understanding and commitment of future generations to relationship with and care for God’s creation. In this journey we have been enriched by the wisdom of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters and we give thanks for this relationship which is valued deeply by the community of Catholic Education Sandhurst. The Curriculum Framework is underpinned by four strands which provide the theological and philosophical basis for the knowledge, skills and values articulated to enrich the lives of the students, families and teachers who engage with Kinship with the Earth. The four strands - Moral and Ethical Decision Making, Social Justice and Sustainability, Understanding Sustainability and Building Preferred Futures – represent an integration of faith and life. The framework is informed by contemporary research and practice in sustainability coupled with the wisdom of Sacred Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching and enriched by increasing cultural understanding of our Australian identity and the earth we share with future generations. I commend the many educators and friends of Catholic education in Sandhurst who have collaborated to bring Kinship with the Earth to publication and the many teachers who will animate it in their own lives and the lives of students.
Ms Philomena Billington Director of Catholic Education Diocese of Sandhurst August 2012
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