A Uniting Church coeducational independent day and boarding school on Kaurna Country, Adelaide, South Australia
Early Learning to Year 12
It’s hard to believe we are already back from the Round Square International Conference 2018. After a busy year of planning, our two weeks away in beautiful Canada seemed to fly by! What an incredible time we had, it is truly hard to describe in just a few paragraphs.
For those of you who have ever been to Canada, it will come as no surprise to you that I say it is a breathtaking, diverse and welcoming country. Our hosts, Ashbury College in Ottawa, were absolutely incredible and we were able to experience and learn a great deal in a relatively short time.
After a brief stopover in New York City, we started our pre-conference tour (organised by St Clement’s School) in the gorgeous city of Toronto. After an action packed few days with lots and lots of walking, we made our way by coach to the incredible Niagara Falls. Following our amazing pre-conference tour, we travelled to Ottawa to begin the Round Square International Conference.
The week that followed, saw us experience every facet of what Round Square truly entails. With each of the IDEALS firmly in focus, we embarked on a busy but exciting week building new friendships and learning so much about the people and history of Canada.
Our conference days included a variety of thought provoking group activities and Keynote speakers, as well as Adventure activities such as White Water Rafting, Ziplining, and visits to Parc Omega. Service Day was held at Christie Lake and students were able to assist in preparing facilities for under privileged students to enjoy camps during the summer months.
Being hosted by Ashbury College families meant that our students (Tori, Teagan, Caitlin, Alec, Riley and Jordan) were able to experience the true meaning of 'Internationalism' by networking with student delegates from around the world and making meaningful connections that I am sure will last forever.
I can’t express enough how grateful we are to our wonderful hosts at Ashbury College, they went above and beyond to ensure our Canadian experience was something we would always treasure. We have all made lifelong friends, which only serves to enhance our personal learning and understanding of the spirit of Round Square.
With all the pillars of Round Square covered in a variety of ways throughout this trip, our students were able to genuinely participate in a global learning experience and ‘Bring their Difference’!
Please find below some important information about Exchange Opportunities and Hosting for 2019. Please contact me immediately if you are keen to pursue any of these. Keep in mind though that any exchange to the USA requires a bit of extra organisation with regards to visas, so can be a three to six month process that requires you to go to Melbourne for an interview (unless you have a US or Canadian passport).
One male (possibly more) age 15-16, at Athenian School, San Francisco, would like to come to Australia around the end of July for approximately five weeks. (Reciprocal)
One female age 15-16 (to be hosted only at this stage) at Fountain Valley School, Colorado, would like to come to Australia around June/July for approximately six weeks. Fountain Valley will be ready to host a Westminster student in early 2020.
One female age 16, at Markham College, Lima, would like to come to Australia mid to late January for approximately five weeks (Hosting only or Reciprocal).
Several students, both males and females, are keen to come to Westminster next year, ages 15-17. (Hosting only or Reciprocal).
One male and one female student keen to come to Westminster next year, aged 15-16. (Hosting only or Reciprocal)
As we do not have any Exchange students arriving this term, I thought I would just give you a short update on a few of our Westminster students who are on Exchange during Term 4.
We wish all our Westminster students a safe and enjoyable experience!
Please find below a list of student conference and service opportunities available through Round Square for 2019. These are open to all students of Westminster. Some of these require immediate attention, especially those earlier in the year, so please email me as soon as possible if you are keen to be involved!
Most have a limit of four to five students, and usually a minimum of two to three students must be involved for it to be financially viable for us to participate as a School.
This could be the great opportunity you have been looking for to develop not only your leadership skills, but your overall global understanding and knowledge of Round Square.
Anyone interested in finding out more information about conferences, or any other Round Square initiative should contact me via Email if in the Senior School, or contact Mr Chris Haines via Email if you are in the Preparatory School.
Julia Chukwuani
Round Square and Exchanges Coordinator