TREE News

Interns, Paddock to Plate and Hats for Homeless

2021 sees our TREE Internship program provide experiences for our largest intake ever. Thirteen successful Year 10 students have been placed within industry to complete their 20 week internship. Once we again we are so lucky to be part of the generous, supportive and innovative Orange community. Our students learn first hand what it takes to lead, own, run, key workplaces within our region. This years successful interns and their providers are:

Congratulations to all the students for applying for the program, no doubt the application process and interview that all students undertook will be a worthwhile learning experience. The ongoing support our community is greatly appreciated as the success of this program relies on their generosity and willingness to be involved.  We have started the search for our 2022 Intern providers, if you’d like to be involved please contact the Director if TREE Sue-Ann Gavin at sgavin@kws.nsw.edu.au 

The Intern application through Makanakas' eyes

Applying for an internship seemed like an obvious choice for me. I had always wanted to have an internship once I heard about them. I talked to my parents and mentor to help me complete my written application. Once it was complete and checked by my parents, I sent it off to Mrs Gavin and Ms Youll. 

Before the interview, I was slightly nervous, but Mrs Gavin and Ms Youll quickly put me at ease. The purpose of the interview was to know me in more depth and to identify the best place for me to go. At this stage, I still did not know where I was or could be going. We discussed my application. I talked about my strengths, passions and how I would act in certain situations. 

Before meeting anyone at Cheney Suthers- a local law firm - I had the opportunity to look at their website and learn about them. The pitch is where we meet our employers and discuss what happens in the future. I met with Alice Byrnes and Dannielle Ford, two of the directors at Cheney Suthers. We sat in their board room, and I introduced myself and explained how I could be an asset to them. Both Alice and Danielle were friendly, and passionate about their roles. 

My first day at Cheney Suthers was on Wednesday 14th July. I left school at 1 pm in the casual clothes I had worn all day. The duty bus dropped me off and I headed inside. Alice Byrnes took me on a tour of the place and introduced me to others working there. Everyone was very kind and welcoming. Afterwards, we headed into Alice’s office. She showed me resources she had that I could use such as law dictionaries. The first thing I did was look at their rebranding on their website and read some blog posts. Then I read the Business Interruption Test. This court case was about how two businesses attempted to claim insurance because of the interruption to their business due to COVID-19. I then summarised the case for it to be turned into a blog post for their new website. The next thing for me to do when I return is to help them create a podcast for the Central West. 

Makanaka Mutyiri 

Paddock to Plate

As well as being a current food trend in hospitality, paddock to plate is a way of learning, through interactive experiences, where the food we cook and eat comes from.

Year 11 Hospitality have had the amazing opportunity to take a pig from our Windemere Campus through an on-farm abattoir, to see it deconstructed by the butcher and to cook some delicious food with the produce. 

Supported by our community collaborators from Cured and the Farmgate Butchery the class learnt all about taking pork from the paddock to the sausage sandwich (or the steamed dumpling)! The students will soon work with our Junior School TWIG team to mince pork and make sausages for a BBQ.

Beanies warm heads and hearts

In the midst of the bitter Orange winter, some of our Junior School students have been continuing on with the KWS initiative to knit beanies for homeless people in our region. 

While the homeless population in Orange continues to grow, the school is always looking at ways that we can help within our community. Our students are always keen to engage with the community and this is one of the aims of our strategic plan and a key component of our Regional Engagement Enterprise.

This term, the Junior School knitters will be joining the Senior School students in the library each Monday lunchtime to ‘knit up a storm’. 

In previous years we have donated over 120 beanies to Housing Plus. These have then been distributed to the homeless and people in need.

If you have any spare wool at home or would like to donate some, this would be very much appreciated. The thicker the wool though, the better quality of beanie.

Wool donations can be sent into Mrs Sharpe in the Junior School and Mrs Gavin in the Senior School.