At Kindlehill, together we have a village worth of children and young people to inspire and nourish as we participate in this great work.
This year, we have chosen the theme of Restoration as central for our school learning and community engagement. An important focus will be on restoring the small water cycle in our school environment. Water is a natural restorative, think a dip in the lake, a cup of tea, that glass of water…it is also restorative for the land, as we have seen in the lushness of vegetation due to this mild and wet summer.
This is a project that everyone from Kindy to Class 10, will be working with throughout the year. Parents and Carers are encouraged to be involved too. The U.N. has declared this the Decade of Ecological Restoration and our modest school project is participant.
In 2022, as a school community, we want to do something beautifully social, ecological and healthy for head, heart and will. Water, soil and plants will be our teachers as we find out how we can cooperate with nature, to restore and regenerate land, and in doing so, contribute to addressing the impacts of climate change.
It will be a big adventure in curiosity and wonder, and there will be practical projects, from scientific experiments, artistic experiences, to gardening. Our goal is to find out (and then action), how we can restore the small water cycle in our school environment. Our inquiry question is: How we can improve ways to keep water in the soil, draw down carbon and enhance resilience to big weather events?
Did you know that healthy soil – known as the soil carbon sponge, is an essential way to reduce the impacts of climate change and to draw down carbon!? Healthy soil and vegetation are key to the water cycle which regulates the heat of a region and on a wider scale, the planet. This is a project good for our school, our soil, our souls and our society.
Originally a high school teacher in the public system, Lynn has also taught at TAFE and in community settings. In the Steiner context, she has previously been a kindergarten and primary school teacher. In addition to her roles as Chair and Principal, Lynn is High School Co-Ordinator, teaches Geography and History, and co-ordinates the Outdoor Education Programme. Lynn has a B. Arts (UWA) and a Dip. Ed. (WA Secondary Teachers College).
