Service

Year 6 Service as Action: Celebrating Our Year 5 and 6 Students

We are thrilled to congratulate our Year 5 and 6 students for their impressive display of compassion and community spirit through the Year 6 Backpack for Kids service initiative. This project has made a significant impact on homeless children and those living in foster care. Taking on the key focus of ‘Disadvantage’ in the community students reflected on those in need within our community.

A Special Thanks to Our Families

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the families who contributed to this meaningful cause. Your generosity and support have been instrumental in providing essential items like clothes, toiletries, and school supplies to those in need. Your contributions have not only provided practical support but also emotional comfort to these children, giving them a sense of stability and dignity.

Acknowledging Our Partners

We were honoured to have representatives from Backpack for Kids and Five Loaves attend, opening the minds of our Year 6 students to the realities faced by displaced children. On Tuesday 26th November representative spoke to our students, reflecting on the meaningful impact their contributions made.

Impact of the Backpack for Kids Program

Backpack for Kids supports displaced children and those in foster care by giving them access to essential items they might not have. These items help them feel more comfortable and confident in their daily lives. Having their own backpack full of essentials can give them a sense of stability and dignity, knowing they have what they need to succeed and feel cared for, even if they’re moving from place to place.

Program Highlights

• 40 Backpacks: Filled with school essentials and youth essentials.
• Support and Donations: collective drive to provide donations. Call to public was received with dedication and care.
• Year 6 Pastoral Teachers: their continuous collaboration and effort in driving this initiative and supporting students.
• Year 5 HG Teachers: their dedication and support to embracing this initiative.

Below are some reflections from our students on this initiative:

“Doing this service activity helped me understand that this problem is very big and many people need to be helped. It gave me a greater understanding on how I can act upon the problem”.

“ We should help the disadvantage, not everyone has a good life”

“Every time I recorded a service hour, I realised how good it makes me feel”

“I found the stories of other kids that are my age that are ‘couch sleeping”, moving foster homes very often. Which just that alone made me realise how lucky I am in life”

Thank you once again for your incredible support. Together, we have made a significant difference in the lives of many children. 

Inneke Smit

MYP Service Coordinator

Year 7 Food Truck Program in Partnership with Five Loaves

We are delighted to share the heartwarming success of our Year 7 Food Truck service initiative, carried out in partnership with Five Loaves. This incredible event illustrated the dedication, hard work, and community spirit of our students. The initiative supported the homeless with nutritious meals.

Cooking and Collaboration

On Thursday 28th November, just under 60 students and 8 staff assisting during periods 3, 4, and 5, the collaborative effort was truly impressive. Working in teams to prepare their selected meals, the students’ work ethic and teamwork shone through.

Serving the Community

All this effort was for the greater cause of serving our community. At 4pm, the Five Loaves Food truck was packed, and by 5:45pm, we began serving food at Queen Victoria Market. By 6:30pm, all the food was gone! 

We were pleased to have five Year 7 students, and their families join us, with four staff members present.

A special memory from the day was of a 60-year-old man, who expected to have Wheat Bix for his birthday, thanked Oakleigh Grammar students. Instead of Wheat Bix he enjoyed Lamb and Vegetable Stew, Greek Salad, Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Bake, and Cinnamon/blueberry muffins. 

Our students were enthusiastic, with one asking, "Miss, when will we do this again?" and another expressing, "I love this" while handing out food. Parents were equally grateful for their children to experience such a meaningful event.

Focus on Wellbeing

This initiative also highlighted the importance of wellbeing. Our students are focusing on how healthy food and lifestyle choices support a happy life. The homeless community particularly needs support for their wellbeing and access to nutritious food, making this project all the more significant. The menu was thoughtfully selected and planned by our students, emphasising the value of nutritious meals.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Coles Oakleigh and Woolworths Oakleigh, contributing $100 and $80 respectively towards produce in preparation for cooking.

Special thank you to Crystal Poultry in Oakleigh for their chicken donation, and Paragon Meats (Manolis family) for their donation of the lamb.

Student reflections from this experience:

“Working with people that I sometimes work with helped build more of a friendship connection, communication and social skills”. 

“Working with others enhance your ability to contribute to the service: It boosted my ability to talk to people and to not be that shy even though I was working with most of my friends”. 

“Our planning went pretty well because our leader made sure everyone knew what they had to do and when to do it. We each had a specific job, so things went smoothly and we got everything ready on time”. 

“I worked well with the other students that attended, to serve out the food directly to the homeless community. I believe that we were kind and polite and made a lot of people’s days, especially the man that had his birthday. I also realised that I have a very strong passion for helping people in need. Overall I believe that I was very organised and approached this task with an open mind”. 

Community Effort

We extend our sincere thanks to all the staff who contributed their time and effort. This initiative highlighted that it truly takes a community to make a difference. Your time, energy, and support have made a significant impact. Thank you to everyone involved for your contributions to this successful event.

Challenge Yourself – Year 8 Service as action Initiative

We are delighted to share the outstanding results of our recent Year 8 service initiative. Our students have shown incredible dedication and effort in their fundraising activities, and we are happy to report that we raised just under $1,400 in total!

Class Contributions:

• 8A: $254
• 8B: $555
• 8C: $609

The contributions from each class have been remarkable, and every dollar raised will go towards supporting Five Loaves during this time of year, the need is high. The wonderful work demonstrates the generosity and teamwork of our students but also highlights their commitment to making a positive impact. Student reflected own on ways they can make a difference.

Year 8 Focus

Our Year 8 students are focusing on community, communication, and voice. Raising awareness for the Five Loaves Initiative, through indirect service, direct service and advocacy as part of the "Challenge Yourself" initiative.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all students, staff, and families who supported this cause. Your involvement and encouragement have been invaluable, and together, we have achieved something truly special.

Let's continue to challenge ourselves and strive for excellence in all our endeavours. Your efforts make a real difference, and we couldn't be prouder of our school community.