Almost there!

Being part of such an action packed community this term, it is hard to imagine that in another week many of us will be getting ready for Christmas and other celebrations, and re-charging our batteries ready for the excitement of 2020.

From a Round Square perspective, not only has it been another busy and rewarding year for our Westminster students, but it has also been an incredible learning experience for me as Round Square and Exchanges Coordinator.

One of the main things I have learned in this role, is that it is always important to understand that our learning doesn’t stop once we finish school and university, and that it is a life long process which constantly opens up new doors.

In a place like Westminster, ‘experiential learning’ is an integral part of everything we do and our Round Square framework allows all of us to engage in a variety of challenging, thought provoking and worthwhile activities throughout the year.

Year 10 ‘Spirit of Service’ Day

On Monday 2 December, over 100 Year 10 students participated in our annual ‘Spirit of Service’ day. Students were given the choice of a number of activities for the day and worked hard to show their spirit of Service in their local community. As previously mentioned in the eNews, ‘Service’ is an integral part of the Round Square philosophy and something we are very proud of at Westminster School.

So many of our students already give their time throughout the year to a variety of Service projects and this enables them to get a true sense of the Round Square IDEALS in action. We often talk about giving back to our community and unfortunately due to our busy lives, we sometimes struggle to find the time to fit this into our schedule. Service is one of those ‘learning’ opportunities which is so valuable that we should all ‘make’ time for it. As they say, every little bit helps and even if you can only manage a small amount of time in your week, month or year to help out others then it is worth it and probably means more to others than we even realise.

I would personally like to thank all the Year 10 students for the way they conducted themselves throughout the day. I am proud to hear such positive reports back from organisations and staff about their mature and dedicated approach. Thanks too to the staff who participated in this very worthwhile day for without your efforts, this would not be possible.

An enormous thank you to the following organisations/groups who gave up their time on this day to coordinate and assist our students in a variety of activities:

Abbeyfield Marion House
Foodbank SA
Gemtree Wines – Eco trail/Wetlands
Top of the Range Farm/Vineyard
Resthaven Marion
Meals on Wheels Hallett Cove, Happy Valley and Warradale
One & All Ship
Murray Mudge Aged Care Facility
Riding for the Disabled
Westminster Christmas Lights organisers
Westminster ELC staff
Westminster Prep School staff
Westminster Farm staff
Westminster Senior Library staff

*taken from the Round Square website

A Spirit of Service

A spirit of service celebrates personal development through practical experience bringing sustainable support and benefit to others. Keenness and ability to learn in real-world contexts delivers meaningful and lasting value to others as well as to the primary learner. An understanding and respect for cultural difference develops through shared experience and partnership.

Co-creation of knowledge is underpinned by a genuine desire to work collaboratively to the benefit of individuals, a neighbourhood, city, nation or internationally. Practical experience provokes an emotional and intellectual response, and periods of reflection develop personal literacy through mindful consideration of ability, motivation, beliefs, perceptions, goals and ambition.

A person living out a spirit of service considers the opportunity, in all aspects of everyday life, to provide for the needs of others and take social action. They seek to ensure that their impact, and the difference they make in the world, are positive. Socially-responsible decision-making infuses every area of life from employment and business to personal, financial and domestic decisions.

Knowledge of how wealth is created, earned, used and managed by individuals and organisations enables consideration of the ethical and social impacts of financial decisions. This develops understanding of how the right application, investment and donation of financial resource can positively impact an individual, community or wider society.

RSIS International Service Opportunities

Over the year I have regularly distributed information about Round Square International Service opportunities. These are an amazing way for our older students to work closely with a community overseas and give their time to help make a true difference in the lives of those less fortunate. On the Round Square website (www.roundsquare.org) there is more detailed information about the projects and the benefits these can have for our students. It may be something students want to consider at the end of Year 12, as part of their GAP year or simply before the demands of university commence. Adults are also more than welcome to apply!

Please apply directly on the Round Square website.

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For further information on Round Square, our initiatives, exchanges, or conferences, please contact me via Email.

Julia Chukwuani
Round Square and Exchanges Coordinator