Weekes' Weekly News

Dear Sacred Heart Kew Families,

I’ve finally found the answer to that age old question of how to gain and hold young children’s attention. All you need is a truck and a digger. Every school and classroom should have these two things, I have never seen such focus. 

Maybe it was because the digger looked like it was a giant claw from one of those ‘skill tester’ games you see at the shopping centre? Or was it because of the large corkscrew looking head, connected to the digger, which easily churned through the soil like butter? In fairness, it could have also been the sight of the large and oddly shaped truck, taking up a third of the basketball court. That was pretty impressive too. 

Whatever it was their gaze did not shift, their minds totally lost, instead fixated on this digging machine. Although the area was taped off, bollards sectioning the work site from the usual playground area, several children flocked and sat, not averting their eyes for anything on the periphery. Someone could have been handing out free ice cream directly behind them and still these children wouldn’t have turned around. I guess this doesn’t happen everyday, I thought to myself. Maybe that was the reason for these interested onlookers, this was learning of a different kind, learning without a book or a screen. Learning from doing, out in nature. Twenty or so site supervisors, casting their eyes over, checking on the progress, every step of the way (well for as long as recess would allow it). This was learning at its purest. You didn’t need a classroom for this lesson. 

As the dirt was pulled from the ground and transferred to the truck, the questions too, started to transfer from inquisitive minds, some directed at me, others pointedly at the busy workers. Why did they spray paint the dirt? Why was the spray paint pink? Why were they digging up our dirt? Why does the hole have to be that big? Why couldn’t they use shovels? Where’s all the dirt going to go? What if it rains? Won’t the hole fill with water? I listened and responded to each carefully considered question. These were genuinely well thought out queries, demanding suitable and well thought out responses. I gave it my best with some assistance from the operating crew, knee deep in dirt and the odd tree root. 

Stray basketballs and excited shrills and squeaks were no issues, as the workers persisted, unperturbed by the usual recess chaos. The 20 site supervisors (mostly from Prep and Year One), surprise, surprise, didn’t hear the music and subsequent bell, signalling that their shift had come to an end. ‘Come back at lunchtime’ I suggested, as the children slowly traipsed towards their respective classroom lines, running back to inform their classmates and teachers what they had missed out on. I have no doubt that these children would have eagerly been awaiting the lunchtime bell to ring, so that they could run straight back to their spot and check on the progress of this project. 

Lunchtime came and so too did the children, returning back to their post. But, alas, things had changed, progress had been made, but something wasn’t right. Disillusionment set in, as the children were greeted by a large wooden board covering evidence of the large hole that was dug at recess time. It seemed that this particular phase of the project was complete. From little holes, big things sprout, but not today. The children seemed to handle this situation quite wellI. ‘Wait until tomorrow’ I offered. ‘What do you think will happen next?’ asked one of the more senior site supervisors (she was nudging 8 years old). ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, I exclaimed. And at that exact moment, the crowd scattered, like seagulls just realising that the last hot chip had been consumed and there was zero point hanging around. I like to think that the crowd dispersing was due to the realisation that enough time had been wasted watching a covered hole doing nothing, rather than my comment, straight from the boring old man's book. 

Tomorrow came (as it tends to do). The hole was uncovered, and an official supervisor came to inspect the hole (probably checking that they got all the spray paint). There were more trucks, this time bringing in concrete, there was even a crane that looked like a giant swan. Things were now really starting to fire up. The footings were concreted in, watched on once more by the site supervisors, a crowd that grew by the day. And then, reality set in. The pause button was well and truly pressed, no action was had for the best part of three days (except for an injured possum affectionately nicknamed Joey, who was lovingly transported down to the local Vet in the top of an A4 reflex paper box lid - thankfully, unrelated to the sign project). This morning, the week looked like it would come and go without the signs going up, a wasted few days, disappointed children and a few staff. But, just before midday, the glorious sign and sound of a very large truck carrying all three new signs and an even bigger crane, pulled up outside the Glenferrie Road double gates, exciting everybody, not just the Head Site Supervisor who was called to go and open the gates to usher the truck in, so the work could finally be completed, after a long two and a bit years in the making. 

They worked efficiently, they worked hard, I guess on a Friday afternoon, you just really want to get the job done and get out of the place. It looked like quite a heavy operation, the main monument sign must have weighed a few kilos. They persisted, swinging it carefully into place onto the concrete footings. There were cheers as the interested onlookers watched the installation process. It wasn’t too long before the job was done, sign erected, job finished, 2.01pm, right on time to get the truck out and let the Kiss and Drop cars come in. This week the project confirmed a couple of things. One, that Rome certainly wasn’t built in a day, (as it turns out, and depending on the project, it takes the full five working days, with a few pauses in between). And two, it ain’t that hard to gather and maintain young children’s attention. Just go get a truck, and maybe a digger, and start moving some dirt around. That’s all anyone really needs. 

Wishing everyone a lovely long weekend. See you all back at school on Wednesday morning. Follow that shiny new large sign that sits atop that big hole that was dug earlier this week.

Kind Regards,

Ed Weekes 

School Principal