News from the Field Studies Centre

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14

The young men who progress through the four-week Field Studies Programme (FSP) at Woollamia quickly discover who their neighbours are. They are between three and seven of their peers, depending on their cabin placement. They are the 12-15 fellow students who are in their pastoral groups while on the FSP. They are the 40+ students that currently make up the cohort for each residential programme. They are the teaching, outdoor education, administration, kitchen and other support staff who come together to make the Field Studies Programme the incredible experience it is. Learning to get along with our “neighbours” is a big part of the challenge.

The concept of shared experience is one of the key features of Trinity’s Year 9 FSP model. Every boy will step through the rite of passage experience as they progress through the Middle School. This gives them another keystone experience during the Trinity journey that each boy has in common. Each boy learns a great deal about themselves, and a whole heap about their peers during their time on the FSP. This is a central goal of the programme: to provide opportunities for social-emotional learning which build social intelligence, empathy and appreciation for and respect of others.

The final week has provided each boy with the opportunity to choose their own adventure, be that mountain biking in Canberra; paddling, fishing and surfing close by to the Woollamia Campus; or extending their rock-climbing skills. The Woollamia Olympics, reflection activities and final campfire cook up and debrief, have now been completed. And, at the time of going to press, the boys will be either greeting their parents at Summer Hill, or for those on the Cadet promotions Course, spending a couple of hours together locally before the next adventure begins. It has been another amazing month during the FSP Residential 4. The boys have achieved an enormous amount, and I look forward to following their journey over the coming years.

The staff team at the Field Studies Centre look forward to a very well-earned rest over the term, as we prepare to do it all again with another group of Trinity’s fine young men at the start of Term 3. Today will see the first of the interviews taking place for the new teaching positions that will be required as we transition to the term-long programme in October. There are exciting times ahead where opportunity awaits, and innovation abounds at the Woollamia Campus.