News from the Field Studies Centre

News from the Field Studies Centre

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9

Resilience matters in life. The ability to bounce back from challenges and keep a positive mindset despite what is happening in your external circumstances is needed in every stage of our lives. Learning some of these lessons and getting “better at being resilient” when you are in Year 9 on the Field Studies Programme is something that will set up a young person well for their future. Resilience certainly matters when it comes to relationships. As we navigate the path to adulthood, we often make lifelong friends, but we also discover that not everyone is good for us. Not everyone builds us up and is there to pick us up when we fall.

The resilience and adaptability shown by staff and students over the last fortnight is to be celebrated. Our community has flexed, pivoted and made the necessary shifts to ensure that high quality learning has continued both in the Academic and Outdoor Programmes. When the students were not able to engage in elements of the Outdoor Education programme this week, a range of other activities were substituted including an art lesson, initiative and problem solving activities, preparations for the ‘Woollamia’s got talent’ night, and producing video content that will be shared during the parent visiting day this weekend. The boys showed up, engaged and kept each other’s spirits high while the heavens opened, and the torrential rain continued outside.

This term, Nathan Lee and Nigel Cowell have been sharing with us the Chapel services that they have recorded and delivered at Summer Hill. We have even created our own ‘weatherproof outdoor chapel’ where we have been watching these amazing messages with the boys. The bush chapel has pretty much been under water for a week, but we are starting to see things dry out. If you check the image below closely, we even had one of our resident chickens visit part way through to check out the message!

This Sunday will mark the first face to face parent visit to the FSC in almost a year and the boys are incredibly excited to see their family members. The video chat contacts that occurs fortnightly have proven an excellent way for families to stay in touch with their boys’ journey on the FSP. Video is a powerful medium, and I guess in some way, we can thank the global pandemic for fast tracking improvements to platforms like Zoom and MS Teams. These applications have become household names as we have fought to maintain connectedness over the last 24 months in both our professional and personal lives. The staff at the FSC are very much looking forward to welcoming our school community to the beautiful Woollamia Campus on Sunday. It is going to be a great day.

And now a piece from our FSP student journalist, Gerard.

Did you know that the date of Tuesday 22 February was both a palindrome and an ambigram? The date reads the same from right to left and upside down! Meanwhile…… on the 22022022, oh wait, that is my social security number! Wait, did I say that out loud? Arrgghh.

Meanwhile at the Trinity Grammar School Field Studies Centre, the sun will rise at… honestly I don’t know when (I am just trying to make this dramatic) and there will be RAIN! Wait, editor check if it actually going to rain (the sun is actually out today Gerard. Ed).

My name is Gerard (please ignore that number) and have a great, no fab, no decent day.

Tim Knowles | Head of the Field Studies Centre (FSC)

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