2017 Learning Festival

What is it a Learning Festival?

The Learning Festival is an opportunity for students to learn in a more collaborative, competitive and constructive way than is normally possible by setting daily challenges for teams within each of the 4 Precincts to meet. Each daily challenge is set by a pair of Learning Areas and is based on a theme each year that gives the week a sense of cohesion. It is also a great opportunity for staff to work together in different ways and to allow for a Professional Development Program based on Learning Areas. You can see details of past year’s Learning Festivals on the Moodle under Special Programs (Learning Festival 2016, and, Learning Festival 7-9) as well as for this year (Learning Festival 2017)

When is it?

The learning festival will run in Week 9 of Term 4 Monday 4h to Friday 8th of December during regular class times.

The following week will be Activities Week with a range of additional activities that student will elect to participate in each day (details to follow).

What else is happening in the end of year program?

In addition to the Learning Festival every second year, students will be given an opportunity to commit to participating in one of various State Festival Preparation activities. Next year is not a State Festival Year so alternate programs may be arranged with Sarah Cook from “Xtreme Inc”. Students will self-select to be involved in these through an online survey. After the Learning Festival, students will participate in Activities Week (Mon 11th to Thu 15th Dec). In the past, this has included the Fair Go Sports Day and has culminated with the Movies and Pool Days on during the last week of term (dates yet to be finalised).

What is the theme this year?

The theme of 2014 was “Cuba & Repurposing” in line with the Castlemaine State Festival, which only happens every second year. The 2015 theme of “Back to the Future” was developed in consultation with the SRC and teaching staff through feedback from Learning Areas. The theme for 2016 was again in line with the following year’s State Festival and was focused on “Steampunk: The Future of things Past”. This year’s theme is the “Commonwealth Games” and it will help determine the focus of Immersion Activities that teachers will be guiding students through before students take on Daily Challenges that focus on achieving some product/performance that epitomises the theme.

What happens each day of the Learning Festival?

Each day begins with an assembly in W2B followed by students and staff breaking up into Precincts and proceeding to the following areas of the Wellbeing Centre (the home base rooms are indicated in bold underline):

On the first day All Staff are to be present at the assembly at 9:00 am to observe the opening and introduction of the Learning Festival. The leadership team is currently working with local indigenous elders and students to develop a Koori Games day for this first day of the Learning Festival.