HANDS ON LEARNING

Term 1 has been a busy and productive time for our Hands on Learning (HoL) students! We’ve had the opportunity to learn new skills, work on exciting projects, and contribute to our school community in meaningful ways.

We are excited to have welcomed staff members Ben Wilson and Jess Goodman as support to the HoL program. Additionally, we have welcomed three new students to our existing groups this term. There are still about five places remaining for applicants next term!

Our students harvested fresh summer produce from the garden, using it to cook delicious meals while also stocking up the HoL market stall in the 7-10 Campus staff room. Through our stall sales, we raised approximately $70 this term; thank you to everyone who supported us, we hope you enjoyed the produce! We also perfected our marmalade-making skills, and jars are still available for purchase from the junior staffroom. Don’t forget to grab one to enjoy with your hot cross buns! 

This term’s fundraising efforts were a great success, with two BBQ events raising an impressive $600 to support our program. We really appreciate everyone who came along and supported us.

Hot lunches are always a hit in our program, and this term was no exception. Some of the delicious meals we enjoyed included stir-fried noodles, pasta with meatballs, chicken schnitzels, pork chops with mashed potato, and chicken sausage pasta. Cooking together continues to be a highlight of our sessions, bringing everyone together over great food.

We have made fantastic progress with our garden as well as clearing the scrub around the hut to bring in more light and airflow. We also replanted our Hut gardens with colourful kangaroo paw and native flowering shrubs, which will support native animals and eventually provide beautiful bouquets. 

This term, we’ve also been hard at work supporting the school production of Chicago! Our HoL team has been constructing six large rolling box frames for the performers, refining our measuring, sanding, drilling, painting, and teamwork skills in the process. We can’t wait to see them in action on stage!  Thank you to Superyard for their generous donation of the timber we’ve been using!

A big thank you to the school for upgrading our workshop with improved cooling and ventilation, making it a more comfortable place to work on hot days.  We are also very grateful to Anne Thomson and Deb Bretherton who supported HoL in the big garden cleanup.

Looking ahead, we are excited to be hosting generous donors this week who are providing materials for our garden paving project. A special thank you to EcoOutdoor for their support—we are so grateful!

If anyone is doing a spring clean this holidays, we are looking for donations of these materials;

glass jars with metal lids for preserving, compost bins with lids for the garden, a worm farm, old garden tools, unused landscaping and building materials, rio mesh sheets or rebar, treated pine or cyprus posts, red bricks, pavers or stone.

Please get in touch with ldonovan@fhs.vic.edu.au to discuss donations.

Thank you to all our students, staff, and supporters for making Term 1 such a rewarding experience. We look forward to more exciting projects in Term 2!

Ms Lily Donovan 

Artisan Teacher, Hands on Learning