Sunroom Class Meeting

Arlington Animals

Class Meeting: Sunroom class

Chair: Mattea

Minutes: Audrey

Time Keeper: Elijah

Date: 1 November 2018

Time: 9.00 - 9.40am

It was raised at our recent staff meeting that historically the animals have always been an important part of our school and children have earned licences to help look after the animals and enjoyed having the animals here.  However, of recent years, a pattern has evolved about the animals.  The pattern is that Cressida cares for all the animals all of the time.  This is not sustainable for her and we need to discuss how we might take action and responsibility as a community moving forward.  So let’s start with the question in two parts:

Why are the animals here and who are they for?

P - The animals are here for our enjoyment and also to help teach us about how to care for animals.  In the future, if our children want a pet, we will have knowledge and skills to teach them.

E - They are here for everybody.  Many other schools do not have animals as part of their yard.  Having animals teaches us responsibility.

E - Cressida ran an animal workshop once.  If you have a pet at home, learning how to care for it can be very important.

H - If you have anxiety or having a social issues, having creatures can be soothing.  Creatures do not judge you.  Animals are really helpful.  Sometimes they die and that can be very sad though.  We need to keep the animals here.  We can also use the eggs from the free-range chooks, like when we were making all those omelettes with the duck eggs.

T - I am not sure when we are allowed to go visit the animals.  Being new, I am not sure of how it all works, but I would like to go in there.

T - Preshil is a very unique school and animals should always be a part of that.

A - How about a roster?  It could be first people here, could help out.

How about the holidays - who will look after them then?

T - I like your idea Mattea...could it be a term per class to take responsibility?  We could probably be independent with it and help out younger people if they need it.

T - For the holidays, there could be a holiday roster of teachers.  There should also be training for everybody to know how to care for them, where to put their food etc.

A - Building on Toby’s idea of a roster, we could perhaps take the animals home for the holidays, if they have the facilities for it.

L - Why is it the teacher’s responsibility though?  Isn’t it the whole group’s responsibility?

H - I visit the animals nearly every day and I don’t know how, I don’t always ask to go in there...it is just my choice.  Sometimes I am there all Fruit or all Lunch.

L - Maybe we could have a weekend roster as well.

T - I don’t know what all the animals are even.  I know who Donut is, but I am not sure who the others are.

M - First thing...when are we going to make the roster?

M - Let’s look at what other classes have discussed and hear their ideas before we start making a roster.

H - It could be unnerving for guinea pigs to have lots of different homes. They need to stay at Preshil in their homes as much as possible and the roster needs to be caring for them here, both during the week and on the holidays.  I have two homes and that is good but sometimes hard.  Imagine being a little animal and going to fifty different enclosures. That would be so stressful!