NEWS DATES EVENTSSCHOOL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
|
May, 2007
Students lend a helping hand to migrant children and win a place at the International Community Problem Solvers final Helping migrant children settle into the Australian way of life has won Year 6 students from Melbourne Grammar’s coeducational primary school Grimwade House a place in the International Community Problem Solvers final at Colorado State University from 30 May to 3 June 2007. A group of three Grimwade House students, George Colman, Emily Drew and Will Sitch, have been working with migrant children from the Noble Park English Language School to help minimise language and cultural barriers in their new life in Australia. “We wanted to help the students with their English and to help them to settle into their new life. The children might feel really lonely and we want them to be able to socialise and make new friends. We want them to have a unique Australian experience,” said Year 6 student Will Sitch. Titled “Kids in Australia”, the project focuses on the integration of migrant children into the community. In recent months the Grimwade House students have facilitated several relationship building activities. In August last year the group took 12 children from countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Congo on a Melbourne experience visiting the Rialto Observation Deck and Melbourne Aquarium. They also established an ongoing pen pal arrangement with the 12 Noble Park English Language School students and have been keeping in constant email contact for almost a year. The Grimwade House students attended the Noble Park English Language School’s International Day Concert where they learnt about traditional foods, costumes and cultures. In preparation for the Noble Park students’ entry into mainstream schools Grimwade House hosted the students for a day so that they could experience a typical morning in a Year 5 class at an Australian school. In March 2007 the Grimwade House students organised and hosted a soccer day for Year 5 students from Noble Park English Language School, Lyndale Primary School and Grimwade House. The Grimwade House team won the junior division of Community Problem Solving at the Macquarie Bank Future Problem Solving national finals in October 2006 and will represent Australia at the international finals for their division in Colorado. The students will be required to set up a display showcasing their project, make and present a video, be interviewed by a panel about their project and submit a written project for the finals. “Through this project we have begun to understand some of the hardships that these very brave and special children have faced and what it truly means to have someone give them a helping hand in their new life in Australia,” said Year 6 student Emily Drew. “Even if we had not made it past the very first stages of the competition, it would still be a worthwhile and fun experience. We are still really looking forward to going to America though and showing other schools what can be done,” said Year 6 student George Colman. “Grimwade House girls and boys undertook this project and others as part of the Community Problem Solving Program, an international program designed to teach students about the various steps and stages involved in solving environmental and community issues. The program specifically encourages students to ‘learn by doing’ in their chosen environment,” said Grimwade House Head Andrew Boyd. “The students tackle real life community problems – environmental, disadvantaged youth and social isolation – and organise and implement projects to address an issue. In small groups the students choose a community issue and then independently look at ways of solving the issue by working with community organisations,” said Mr Boyd. “The Community Problem Solving Program is providing our students with an insight into community issues while encouraging citizenship through real-life community experiences. The Program is beneficial for all involved – the students and the broader community.” Background about the Community Problem Solving Program Students work in teams and follow a problem solving model which breaks the activity into five main stages:
 Return to news index
|
 |
 
|
