Volunteering for Backpacks 4 Vic Kids … Right Here at School

I was delighted to have students approach me late last term about the possibility of further volunteering beyond what we do during the term holidays. Volunteering for students can be difficult to facilitate, so if any in our wider school community have connections where it is appropriate for students to volunteer, please contact me at m.riviere-pendle@caseygrammar.vic.edu.au. 

Our Year 9 students have the opportunity to complete the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh as part of the Casey Challenge, which requires volunteer hours in order to complete it successfully, so we always welcome connections where this is possible. Starting this term, we have students preparing to make bags and knit blankets for Backpacks 4 Vic Kids. 

It is going to require some new skills for quite a few in our group, but personal growth is also a really wonderful aspect of volunteering. However, we are also working on other projects provided by Backpacks, including sorting Santa Sacks in preparation for their Christmas campaigns. We look forward to sharing the results of our labour in due course.

Students sorting Santa Sacks kindly created by many individuals around Victoria

In an age where we are extremely concerned about building our children’s resilience, it is interesting to consider the role that volunteering can have. For anyone who has spent any time volunteering for others who are less fortunate than they are, I’m sure they too would recognize how it naturally focuses the attention on what truly matters. It serves as a reminder that we are stronger than we often believe we are — if others can get through and survive having faced such significant challenges, we too can keep going.

The 40 Hour Famine Challenge is Back!

In the next week our students will be offered the opportunity to be part of the 40 Hour Famine, raising much needed funds and awareness for those experiencing famine globally. Students can join together with friends or do a challenge individually. It is no longer a situation where students only need to go without food, but they can choose any number of different challenges from riding 40km on a bike, swimming 40 laps or doing 40 acts of kindness. If your child is interested in participating, please encourage them to as it is a fantastic opportunity to deepen their understanding of a significant global issue and to do a small part to contribute to change.

Celebrating the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)

We are delighted to share with the Casey Grammar community that our RAP has been approved by Reconciliation Australia. We are in the midst of planning an official launch to celebrate this step forward for our school. The document will be publicly available by the launch, and we are looking forward to sharing it with our school community.

As a school with Christian values, both social justice and reconciliation are central to the expression of faith in our school. We believe in their importance because of the teachings and life of Jesus, which provides the foundation of why our school offers activities connected to these two areas.

Every blessing in the fortnight ahead

Monique Riviere-Pendle

Chaplain